events

For more information or to register for any of these events, contact: pip.nicholls@xtra.co.nz or phone Pip on: (04) 562 6364

Walking the Mystical Path

Contemporary Sages Show us The Way

Walking the Mystical Path programme is for those wishing to integrate a contemplative dimension into their lives. Many of us have looked east, west, north and south to discover what might lie behind the veils of illusion, Merton’s ‘false self’ and the promise of heaven after death. Fortunately now is one of the best times to be alive because we are a century into a growing community of contemplative sages who have the dual gifts of being both mystics and grand story tellers of their experiences.

While the stories they tell stem from twenty centuries ago, they are imbued with not only a contemplative understanding of the deeper wisdom teachings of Jesus, but are positively influenced by the developing understanding of psychology and neurophysiology.

What these sages have to teach us is learning to see as the mystics see and learning to experience what the mystics’ experience: Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?

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Read more about this programme in Christchurch

Through Ageing to Sageing - Wellington

Spirituality for an Emerging Vision of Growing Older

The Through Ageing to Sageing programme uses Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s definition of sageing, “…. a process of approaching ageing as a positive journey filled with wisdom, learning and spirituality. It affirms the importance of the elder years and teaches how to reap life’s wisdom”. I would add ‘continuing to be transformed, living with greater understanding and compassion and leaving a legacy of ‘all of who we are’.

Our spiritual capacities and gifts naturally flower as we grow older, and yet there aren’t always coherent opportunities for these to be formed, explored, celebrated and embodied. This programme offers people opportunities to more specifically reflect on what sageing means, or could mean for them.

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Coming Home - Wellington

With the Wisdom and Whim of Michael Leunig

Poets have always been prophets and Michael Leunig, poet, cartoonist, philosopher and artist hits home quicker than most with his whimsical poems and cartoons. In these evenings we will travel through the seasons of the soul and look at the seeds of hope within.

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Two Thomas' Bring Us Home - Auckland & Hamilton

Merton and Keating on Where and How

Thomas Merton clearly articulated notions of the false-self and where to find the real Self, the Divine in ourselves. Since then, Thomas Keating has clearly articulated how to heal the false-self so that the true Self is experienced within.

This experiential two day retreat is an opportunity to learn from these two contemporary mystics and to make their wisdom relevant to our own ‘Fourth and Walnut Streets’. We will do this with input on who they were and what they thought, experience practices that they did, do lectio divina with what they wrote, individual reflection on relevance for us today and group discussion.

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The Roots and Fruits of the Tree of LIfe - Christchurch

Potter and philosopher M.C. Richards talked about the seed being the crossing point where part if it roots deep into the soil, or with us into the dark night of the soul, and part of the seed naturally rises into the heights of daylight, or with us into the openness and compassion of unconditional love.

On this retreat day we will look at and experience both the roots and fruits of spiritual practices that will lead us to ‘….Life, and to have it to the full’.

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Experiencing the Contemplative Way - Wellington

This will be similar to a week of guided prayer except the prayer practice will be meditation or prayer of silence. Participants will commit themselves to meditate for 30 minutes each day and then meet with a spiritual director at the beginning and the end of the week to reflect on their experiences. All participants will begin by meeting together on the Sunday afternoon, Wednesday evening and it will conclude by meeting again on the Friday evening.

Contemplative Prayer - Wellington & Lower Hutt

A time of group Lectio Divina and Mediation

There are currently two groups in Wellington, the afternoon of the first Tuesday of the month in Lower Hutt and the evening of the second Monday of the month in Thorndon.

More information about -
Contemplative prayer afternoons
Contemplative prayer evenings

E-retreats with Emerging Mystics

I was developing this offering during 2011 and engaging with the content was considerably easier than the technical components! However, during this time Spirituality and Practice, a US based e-retreat site began offering more contemplative retreats and they are really superb. So I felt there was no need to double up and I would keep my focus on more face to face opportunities.

If you are interested in e-retreats I highly recommend you go to: www.spiritualityandpractice.com

The Art of the Inner Way

This programme was run in Wellington in 2011. It will not be offered in 2012.

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