Finding Joy and Aliveness in Chaotic Times

 “Don’t ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that,
because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
~Howard Thurman

We are living in chaotic times, with multiple, urgent, complex challenges in almost every domain. We have lost trust in many of our institutions and institutional leaders. We have forgotten our deeper connection to who we are and our place in the living world. It’s understandable to sometimes feel discouraged and disheartened, perhaps even overwhelmed at times.

Yet if we give ourselves the space to listen deeply, beneath the din of clamorous voices, beyond our feverish reactivity, we may hear that we are being quietly called to a radical (meaning root) response. Sensing the roots of who we are, requires us to pause from the repetitive action of our everyday lives, soften our focus and allow our attention to be drawn in different directions. We connect anew with the source and the ground of what brings us life. It’s then that joy and aliveness naturally arise. And as Howard Thurman reminds us the ‘world needs people who have come alive’.

Join us on this weekend retreat at the wonderful Emerson College as we take a radical step to pause, and renew our sense of joy and aliveness.

Courage & Renewal Programs
During our time together you will be introduced to a distinctive set of principles and practices —The Courage & Renewal® approach pioneered by Dr. Parker J. Palmer and developed through the Center for Courage & Renewal – practices that help create gracious, trustworthy space for your individual reflection and which will guide our interactions as a group. As well as being the foundation of our Circle of Trust® you will find that these practices can be of great value in your everyday life and work.

We will weave together a tapestry of colourful threads as we explore what brings joy and aliveness using poetry, silence, sharing of stories, being immersed in nature, walking a hand-painted 11 circuit canvas labyrinth, somatic movement practice, creative activities and simple meditative practices. Everything we do is by invitation, based on the understanding that you know best what you need. We will alternate time for individual reflection and journaling with opportunities for time in small groups and the larger circle to share and listen.

On Saturday evening, you will experience a powerful discernment process adapted from the Quaker tradition for Courage & Renewal programs. A number of people will be invited to be a ‘Focus Person’. Each focus person will have the opportunity to explore in depth a dilemma, an important question they are facing or a personal challenge with four to six other participants, who will be members of their Clearness Committee. The members of the Clearness Committee will listen attentively and ask honest, open questions. The practices underpinning Clearness Committees date back to the 1660s and are unique, gentle and powerful, and above all trustworthy, enabling the focus person to access a new depth of self-awareness and insight about the questions they are holding.

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A word from your facilitators:  As facilitators we will join you in this shared inquiry, as fellow participants, and also hold the space and process for the retreat, using the Circle of Trust touchstones as the guiding principles for how we gather. We aim to create an inclusive and welcoming space for everyone and invite you to join us in this shared endeavour.

John Watters, a Facilitator with the Center for Courage & Renewal will be joined by Jackie Thoms, a facilitator, coach and consultant. She co-founded Fraendi: a European network of consultants, coaches and creative people to bring pioneering work to leaders in organisations in these transition times. Jackie’s intention with her work is for people to be aware of the living systems they are and are part of, to influence how we live and work and what decisions we make.

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