In times of crisis…
What is weak breaks under new pressure,
what is strong holds,
and what was hidden emerges.
~Rebecca Solnit
It seems to me that the soul of the world, the anima mundi, is dropping us downward into the underworld, where we have to deal with loss and grief, with vulnerability, with uncertainty. At the same time, we’re being invited into a period of deepening and hopefully also of ripening as human beings and as a human species—ripening into our full accord with the wider cosmology of being here on this planet.
~Francis Weller
We are living in times of great uncertainty; many of the norms, structures and institutions that we have come to think of as stable are breaking down. The fabric of international law, of democracy and of social justice is being torn and unraveled, revealed as far more fragile than we had believed. The tragedy of conflict and violence continues to unfold in many parts of the globe; the political discourse both within and between nations is increasingly confrontational and serves more often to divide than to unite; escalating climate change continues to impact our planet and its inhabitants, the most vulnerable suffering the most. How do we resist turning away from this suffering; with what frame of heart do we turn towards it? How can we allow our hearts to break open instead of breaking apart?
The theme of this retreat – Unmoored and Unlost– is offered as an invitation for you to reflect on some of the ways in which you are finding yourself disorientated, unsettled or cast adrift by what you are experiencing both inwardly and outwardly. To use Rebecca Solnit’s words, “We are both becalmed and in a state of profound change.” Among the questions you may be holding are: How am I experiencing or perhaps reimagining my place within my community, my workplace, my environment? How do I choose to show up in the world? How do I listen and how am I present to others? What does it mean to be here in authenticity and vulnerability, with my doubts, fears and failings as well as my convictions, joys and successes? What tensions am I holding in my life, and how might I transform this experience from one of predicament to one of creative paradox? To what inner work or to what work in the world am I being called? Even if I am not sure of the nature of this call, or of what is being asked of me – even if I feel unmoored – how can I remain “unlost”: orientated to my own true north with the courage to live with integrity, with purpose and with hope in these challenging times?
Michèle invites you to join this Circle of Trust on Zoom for five sessions with screen-free breaks. We will embark on a journey, guided by the Courage & Renewal® approach, and together create a sacred, confidential space in which to do our own inner work in solitude and community. In the first four sessions, we will have the opportunity to listen generously to our inner teacher (soul, spirit, still small voice, inner voice, identity and integrity) and to one another in small groups and the whole group, speaking from the heart. Since a Circle of Trust is enriched by metaphors, we will reflect on “third things”: poetry, prose, images, video, and song. The quality of the space is shaped by the practices that everything we do is invitational, and there is no fixing, advising, saving, or correcting. Instead, listening generously and learning to ask open, honest questions open new doors in our relationships with self and others as we navigate our unmoorings and our unlostness, taking our bearings from our own true north.
In the culminating session, we will experience Clearness Committees, a powerful 1.5-hour discernment process from the Quaker tradition, adapted for Circle of Trust retreats. One person who wishes to think more deeply about an issue – transitional, vocational, relational, or spiritual – has an opportunity to be the “focus person” while a “committee” of three to six others listens and asks open, honest questions for an hour and a half. Both focus person and committee members alike have a profound experience in this unique way of supporting another human being together in community.
This retreat is based on the work of Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal. The Courage & Renewal approach, described in Palmer’s book A Hidden Wholeness, focuses on cultivating our inner capacity to live a more authentic, meaningful, and engaged life. Informed by Courage & Renewal Principles, Practices, and Touchstones, we can create a trustworthy, brave space with our attention, imagination, and confidential conversations. Over the course of five sessions, we are able to create a Circle of Trust.
The Center for Courage & Renewal and its facilitators do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status.
