Being Fierce with Reality

Ahh to truly possess all we have been and done: the shiny, the dull and just plain ugly.  Who would willingly sign up for such an endeavour? It is much easier to stay on the surface, to retreat from complexity, to distance ourselves from discomfort, to change the channel, to say it is all too hard.  The inconvenient reality, sadly, is that we can’t tap out or turn away if we want to work towards wholeness in our lives.  There are no shortcuts.  But….
“….if we are willing to move through the pain of honest self-examination toward the grace of compassionate self-acceptance, the rewards are great.
When we can say, “I am all of the above,” we become more at ease in our own skin, more at home on the face of this richly diverse earth,
more accepting of others who are no more or less flawed than we are, and better able to live as life-givers to the end of our days.”
~Parker Palmer

Being Fierce with Reality is a Circle of Trust ® Retreat for anyone wanting to kindle their courage to claim the events of their lives and continue growing towards wholeness.  It is based on the approach to reflective inquiry of sociologist, educator, author and activist, Parker J. Palmer and The Center for Courage & Renewal. Led by highly experienced and skilled facilitators, these Circles are a space for honest dialogue and non-judgmental listening, providing opportunities to learn and practice ways of relating that help us to be more present with ourselves and others. Prompted by evocative texts, imagery and insights from the natural world,  there will be time for individual reflection and journaling as well as large and small-group dialogues in which our own stories can be shared. These processes offer the opportunity to gain a new depth of self-knowledge and clarity around the questions we are holding, build our courage to respond and act from a place of wisdom, and grow in our fierceness with reality.