Celebrating Not Knowing: A Joyful Retreat for Accessing Grounding, Lightness and Wisdom in our Chaotic World

Though I play at the edges of knowing, truly I know our part is
not knowing, but looking,
and touching, and loving
~Mary Oliver

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or
or how. The moment you know
how, you begin to die a little.  the artist never entirely knows.
We guess. We may be 
wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.
~Agnes de Mille

In a world that often demands certainty, how can we embrace the unknown with openness, curiosity, and playfulness?
How can we hold space for deep inquiry creative exploration, and embodied wisdom?

“Celebrating Not Knowing” is a five-day immersive retreat that invites participant to explore personal, social, and systemic transformation through three unique but interconnected modalities: Social Presencing Theater (SPT), Clowning, and Courage & Renewal Practices.

We invite participants to consider how these practices might contribute to:

• The role of embodied awareness in leadership and community-building.
• How playfulness and improvisation can open new pathways for social innovation.
• The impact of deep listening and generous open questioning on discerning inner-wisdom, both individually as well as collectively.

The 3 Practices:

• Social Presencing Theatre (SPT)
  Social Presencing Theater is a series of movement-based practices that support individual embodied presence and heighten the capacity of a team or organization to see and sense itself as a living social system.  Attending to non-verbal body postures, movements, and spatial relationships is a form of communicating that often goes unnoticed in our highly verbal, concept-oriented society.  Embodied presence enables trust in that space of possibility and supports a sense of connection, belonging, and collective agency.
• Nose to Nose Clowning
  For us at Nose to Nose clowning is a state of playfulness that brings us to experience a naive and vulnerable state of being.  Our approach is not a technique (tricks, gags or routines) but a personal journey towards finding one’s own unique way of being a clown through our emotional authenticity.  By reconnecting with what makes us most vulnerable and letting go of our control over things we open ourselves to rediscovering ourselves, others and the world.
  For us, clowning offers a social playground for exploring our humanity .
• Courage & Renewal Approach
  The Courage & Renewal Approach offers principles and practices to create supportive communities of reflection and belonging that help people move towards personal and societal wholeness, embracing the genuine within us and honoring the inherent worth and dignity of every being.  In this trustworthy environment, participants will have the chance to integrate what they discover through movement and presence.  Reflective exploration weaves with humor and spontaneity, creating moments that resonate on a personal and communal level.

This retreat is a rare opportunity to engage with three internationally recognized facilitators – Arawana Hayashi, Vivian Gladwell, and Penny Williamson- each bringing a distinct yet complementary approach to accessing insight and resilience through embodied practice, deep listening, and clowning improvisation.