Listening
to
the spirit today
(Formerly Exploring our Christian Spiritual Roots)
DREAMS: PORTALS OF THE SOUL
28th January
Frances Marling
We will look at our dreams as pictures of how things
actually are
within our psyches and within our lives. In order to understand
dreams we need to respect the inner world of symbols. You are
invited to bring one of your dreams to explore during the day.
Frances Marling is a Psychotherapist working in
private
practice. She has taught for many years at the Psychosynthesis
and Education Trust in London.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
HEALING
AND SPIRITUALITY
25th February
Revd. Chris MacKenna
We will look at finding Christ the Healer, understanding
Christian healing and healing in practice.
Chris MacKenna is an Anglican Priest and a senior
member
of the Jungian analytic Section of the British Association of
Psychotherapists. For the last 11 years he has been the
Director of the Healing and Counseling Centre at St Marylebone
parish church, and is Chaplain and Clinical Director of the Guild
of Health.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
THE
CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE
31st March
Br. Patrick Moore
We will trace the Christian tradition of Contemplative
Prayer
from Gregory the Great in the early Christian centuries to
Thomas Merton in the 20th century. We will reflect on the
practice of Centring Prayer as taught by Merton’s follower
Thomas Keating and view a short film on the life of Merton.
We hope this will be a day of spiritual refreshment and
re-collection.
Br. Patrick Moore is Scholar in Residence at Sarum
College,
and is a De La Salle Brother.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
THE
KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN
28th April
Fr. Eugene McCaffrey
We are invited to enter the Kingdom of God within us
by
following the challenging path of Jesus, in our daily lives.
Fr. Eugene is a member of the ‘Avila’
Carmelite retreat
house in Dublin and has experience in giving retreats.
He is the author of several books on prayer and Carmelite
Spirituality.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
CECIL
COLLINS AND CREATIVITY
26st May
Michael Chaitow
Cecil Collins was a highly creative painter and teacher.
His work continues to personify a fresh quest for vision in
our times, when many people are seeking for deeper and
more enduring human values in their lives.
Michael is an artist. He studied with Cecil Collins
and was
a personal friend of his for over 20 years.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
THIS
BODY: THE SENSATION OF PRAYER
30th June
Julian Maddock
My contention is that through kindly attention to the
sensations
of the body we can connect into an ever deepening immersion
into the reality of God at our centre and the centre of life.
This is my practice.
Julian has served an apprenticeship in spiritual
direction,
training, supervision and leading retreats for 20 years, and
has also been a part-time hospital chaplain.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
LISTEN
WITH THE EAR OF YOUR HEART –
St. Benedict and Contemplation
29th September
Sr. Melanie Kingston
Benedict from his early years determined to prefer nothing
to Christ. We will spend today in his company as we look at
his life, the importance of his Rule in the formation of Europe –
above all – his guidance in our Spiritual Life.
Sr. Melanie is a member of the Sisters of the Christian
Retreat living and working in the House of Prayer.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
COSMOS
AND CREATION
27th October
Prof. Bernard Carr & Briji Waterfield
Cosmology addresses fundamental questions about the
origin and nature of the universe. At first sight cosmological
progress seems to have pulled science and religion ever
further apart, removing any need for the divine. However
Bernard will show how recent developments may have led
to a reversal of this trend, suggesting that consciousness,
mind and spirit are an integral part of the universe. Bernard
and Briji will lead this day, interweaving insights from science
and the mystics.
Bernard Carr is Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy
at Queen Mary, University of London. His area of research
is cosmology and he has a long-standing interest in the
relationship between science and spirituality. He is the
editor of “Universe or Multiverse?” and currently chair
of
The Scientific & Medical Network.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
THE
TASTE OF SILENCE
24th November
Briji Waterfield
We miss the silence that permeates every atom of our
existence hearing only the discordant noise of our
environment and our psyches. The day will be noisy and
quiet - reflective periods with the mystics, awareness
exercises using percussion instruments, conversation and
silent meditation - so as to appreciate silence as the
language of God.
Briji is a spiritual director, leads retreats and
is Special
Projects Coordinator of The World Community for Christian
Meditation. She is doing an MA in Pastoral Theology.
10.00am to 4.00pm, registration begins at 9.45am.
Cost £15. Please bring a packed lunch.
Tea and coffee provided.
PRAYER JOURNEY
Sr. Melanie Kingston
These mornings are for those who would like to start
to pray
or to deepen their present experience of prayer. Preparation
for prayer through stillness and awareness will lead to
experiencing the different approaches and ways of prayer.
Dates: 5 April, 3 May, 7 June, 6 September, 4 October,
1 November and 6 December.
11.00am till midday. Donation £5.00
CAVERNS OF THE HEART
Julienne Mclean and Viv Stacey
A three day immersion in the healing wisdom of one of
the
greatest mystical poems in the Christian tradition –
The Spiritual Canticle by John of the Cross.
Dates: Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th March
Residential £160 includes full board (only 5 places)
Non-residential £75 includes simple lunch
THE JOURNEY TOWARDS WHOLENESS
Memories, Dreams, Imagination, Fairytales and
Myths: The Language of the Unconscious
Allyson Davies
These two days will be spent exploring the ways in which
the unconscious speaks to us. Both days will start with dream
sharing exercises and will be a mix of seminars and personal
reflection, with time for quiet space and relating to the
imagination and our own unconscious worlds.
Dates: 6 October & 3 November
10.00 am – 4.00 pm Cost £15
GOD AND WEALTH: A BIBLICAL GUIDE
Sarah Prime
What do the Old and New Testaments have to say regarding
God and money? How might we live as Christians holistically
in these times of uncertainty and change? We will approach
this topic from a scriptural and contemporary perspective,
exploring God's presence within the circumstances of our lives.
Date: 10 November
10.00 am – 4.00 pm Cost £15
THOMAS MERTON, ANNIVERSARY DAY
Allyson Davies
This day will explore the life and writings of Thomas
Merton. It will look at Merton's conversion through the
concept of “God as Being” and his monastic formation
as a Cistercian of the Strict Observance. This will then
be linked to an exploration of some of his writings and
his contribution to contemporary spirituality. There will
be quiet/meditation time and shared readings from his
books and diaries and time for reflection.
Date: 8 December
10.00 am – 4.00 pm Cost £15