“Hope is a gift you don’t have to surrender, a power you don’t have to throw away. And though hope can be an act of defiance, defiance isn’t enough reason to hope. But there are good reasons.” ~Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark
In these tumultuous and tragic times, it is easy to believe that our situation is hopeless, that we have no power, and that there is no action we can take that is big enough or meaningful enough to confront the forces of climate change, war, racism, and injustice.
What is hope, and how do we hold on to it? What reasons are there to hope in the midst of tragedy, suffering, and destruction? Is hope a necessary part of social movements for positive change?
This in-person Circle of Trust® offering is guided by Dan Hines and Paula Cornell. Our time together is based on the work of Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal as well as on the Rebecca Solnit book, “Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities”. Using themes from this book as a starting place, we will use the tools of poetry, art, silence, individual reflection, and group dialogue to examine the role of hope as a sustaining force in our personal and professional lives.
The lineage and wisdom of Parker Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal provide an alternative way of being together. In a Circle of Trust, thoughtful principles and practices create a trustworthy, brave space of attention, imagination, and confidential conversations about things that matter. As well, we will experience Clearness Committees, a disciplined two-hour discernment process originating from the Quaker tradition. In this process a person who longs for clarity – transitional, vocational, relational, or spiritual – has an opportunity to be the “focus person” while a prepared “committee” of others listens and asks open questions.
This program is for you if:
- You are open to a challenge of introspection and personal growth;
- You want to reconsider the role of hope in your personal and professional life;
- You enjoy interacting and learning with a community from various fields;
- You resonate with the Circles of Trust® approach based on the work of Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal or you want to learn more.
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.
