teachings on the spiritual life & the mystical path

MARTIN LAIRD

‘INTO THE SILENT LAND’

10-12th JULY 2009

REPORT

SIMON BARRINGTON-WARD

‘THE JESUS PRAYER’

SAT 26TH SEPTEMBER 09

REPORT

We enjoyed a really rich day of teaching from Bishop Simon on the Jesus Prayer at the end of September. It was not simply interesting information but what he carried and embodied that made a real impact on those there.

As well as teaching, in line with the values of StillPoint there was also a period of prayer practice which Simon led us in.

We’ve had some very positive feedback so it sounds like it was a helpful day for everyone.

We enjoyed a fantastic weekend of teaching and practice with Martin Laird OSA. Martin taught on ‘The Illusion of Separation from God’, ‘The Three Doorways of the Present Moment’, ‘The Riddle of Distractions’, ‘Being Sifted by Boredom’ as well as sharing stories and case studies from his students, and leading silent practice.

The weather was kind to us and we were able to enjoy the beautiful garden in the breaks between sessions.

The conference ended with a Eucharist at a local church on Sunday morning where Martin preached.

The feedback we have had has been very positive and it seems that people who came found the conference very helpful on their spiritual journey.

Here’s a couple of photos from the event:

Matt introducing one of the sessions (bottom)

Relaxing in the garden (top)

next conference:

our last conference:

GREGORY OJN

‘A GAZE OF LOVE, A BODY OF JOY’

SAT 13TH MARCH 2010

Across the world, spiritual writers of different faiths describe contemplative awakening in amazingly similar terms. They speak of an awakening of presence from anxious distraction, compassion from alienation, and wholeness out of a fragmentation. Christianity offers something unique to contemplative culture in the person of Jesus, chiefly a relational depth of loving and being loved that stabilizes the contemplative experience and spills over into a renewed joy in the physical body and vibrant meaning in our social bodies — our families, communities, and

churches.

In this all-day workshop, sponsored by StillPoint Fr. Gregory Fruehwirth of the Order of Julian of Norwich will offer teaching aimed at assisting people practically in the experience of

contemplative awakening, explore how this is given a unique sense within the Christian Faith, and reflect on how this changes our experience of the physical and social world.

RICHARD ROHR

‘CONTEMPLATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE CONSCIOUSNESS’

TUES 24TH AUGUST 2010

The enlightenment we seek has been present in Christianity from the beginning. Fr. Richard Rohr, a global leader in spiritual awakening, helps us to recognize the forces (such as ego resistance and dual thinking) that separate us from our deeper selves. Then, drawing from the Gospels and the greatest Christian contemplatives, he shows us what it means to be spiritually awake. We will learn how to:

* Awaken our desire for God

* Free ourselves from the fears that cripple us

* Connect to the joy already within us

* Transform ourselves and inspire others

* See as the mystics see

* Live in full awareness of the naked now

Fr. Richard Rohr is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, a guest on the radio show Oprah and Friends, a regular contributor to Sojourners and Tikkun, and the author of books such as Adam’s Return, The Enneagram, Everything Belongs, Simplicity, and Things Hidden.