In our grasshopper and salamander days, who among us didn't ask why the grasshopper could jump so far -- or why the salamander had black dots on its orange body... We lived by wonder, for by wondering we were able to multiply a growing consciousness of being alive.
Richard Lewis, Living by Wonder
This retreat is designed as an inter-generational experience of nature, including:
If you have ever lifted your arms in wonder, spun around to greet someone you love, skipped across a lawn, or even lit up with a smile, you know the thrill of movement and more: You know the joy of dancing your prayers. Your body is a vehicle for expressing all manner of spiritual practices, from wonder to peace, grace to reverence, play to beauty, yearning to loving. This is true no matter what the abilities of your body and no matter what you have been led to believe about your limitations.
"Women must begin to forge alliances that will add strength to their individual voices. Women must rediscover and share their wisdom to ensure the healing of the entire planet and humanity by tapping into the vast reservoir of energy that runs beneath our common ground and is creating a new wave of women's power."
--Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
A special 5-day Wisdom and Sacred Movement School geared particularly to students of the Christian Wisdom tradition as taught by Cynthia Bourgeault will take place April 18-23, 2016 at Claymont Society for Continuous Education, 667 Huyett Rd., Charles Town, WV 25414.
The enneagram of transformation that Gurdjieff brought into Western culture was taught by movement and music, not just lecture. We all seek to deepen the work of transformation and presence in our own lives. Cynthia has given a practical definition of presence as three-centered knowing -- intellectual center, emotional center, and movement center all active and working and cooperating together.
But how do we get to that three centered awareness? Many of us in the Western culture have an overuse of the intellectual and emotional centers and a neglect of the movement center. This kind of "Movements Wisdom School" is necessary corrective work for many of us.
"A world made of story is an earth permeated by dreams, a terrain filled with imagination. Yet this is not so much our imagination, but rather the world's imagination, in which our own actions are participant. As players within an expansive, ever-unfolding story, our lives are embedded within a psyche that is not primarily ours, but is rather the earth's." --from Becoming Animal by David Abram
We humans were made for relationship, for intimate connection with mountain and meadow, with raven and ruby-throated hummingbird, with every part of the animate world.
In our time these relationships are breaking down, unraveling. As a result we are losing both the outer world, with its beauty and rich diversity, and the inner world of mystery and soul. We feel tired and empty, casting about for a happiness that ever eludes us, hardly aware of the deep grief that lies buried, unacknowledged, in our souls.
In this retreat ...
We will welcome
our ungrieved losses
and begin to take time to express and grieve them.
“After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”
— Aldous Huxley
"Do we know, each one of us, that we are bearers of the sacred beat of life? Do we know that we can honor that beat in one another and in all things? And do we know that it is this combination - of knowing that we are bearers of Presence and choosing to honor Presence in one another - that holds the key to transformation in our lives and world?" — John Philip Newell
Music & Movement ... Drumming & Dance ... Listening & Silence .... embodiments of prayer allowing us to experience the sacred beat of life connecting us to ourselves, to one another, and to God.
Still just as much fun and same community-building joyful work. Same laughter, delicious food, good companions ... now on Saturday, not Monday.
Every opportunity to renew friendships, share labors, break bread together, and nurture this land and all its beings is a precious gift. We invite you to join us at Rolling Ridge for a gathering of our community to work and play and socialize. What a delight to spend a day of furthering the common good in the midst of beloved company on this sacred ground!
Munchies and juice and coffee will be at the Retreat House by 9:30. Please bring work gloves and a hat and something to share for a potluck lunch. We will have wood ready to split, a garden ready for tending, and a Retreat House to clean.
Gather at Still Point Mountain Retreat for Friday Vespers, followed by 7:00 pm dinner and Compline. Arrive Friday after 1:00 pm. Retreat ends following lunch on Sunday. Gathered participants will follow contemporary Prayer of the Hours, interspersed with generous time for silence and exploring the river, pond, streams, and waterfalls of Rolling Ridge’s 1400 acres of untouched natural beauty. Retreat includes six delicious home-style meals, a contemplative library and art materials.
Adjoining the Rolling Ridge Foundation Wilderness Preserve, the five bedroom Still Point Cabin sits atop a mountain rise overlooking the Shenandoah River. The retreat is led by Lindsay McLaughlin and Mary Ann Welter.
$200 shared occupancy and $225 for a single room.
Save the date. More information to come.