Beyond the Basics: Our Hearts in Advent
St. Mary’s Sewanee: Ayres Center for Spiritual Development
Led by Jeanine Siler Jones (Asheville), Rebecca Parker (Atlanta)
& Laura Copeland (Nashville)
Thursday evening, November 29–Sunday morning, December 2, 2018
Join us at the beginning of Advent, a time of waiting and hope for the light that guides us through the darkness, calling us to be present in our own arising for the sake of all. With our paradox of embracing and balancing our time-bound yet timeless nature, we will come together to explore what it means to ‘put the mind in the heart’ and to embody the Wisdom tradition at this moment in history, through the teachings of Cynthia Bourgeault.
- What is ours to do now?
- How do we live into the deepest purpose of human life-our conscious awakening to the unity of our cosmos and the lifting up of all sentient beings?
- How do we encourage and support each other in strengthening the collective Wisdom community?
This retreat is for Wisdom seekers of all levels. We will follow the Wisdom School rhythm of Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, sacred chanting, movement and mindful work on the grounds of the retreat center. Our afternoons will be practice-based with focus on engaging Wisdom tools for our personal and communal lives. We will explore movement and body prayers; the Gospel of Thomas; chanting; meditation, and using the Law of Three and Four Voices for discernment. Throughout our retreat we will be encouraging each person to deepen their own integration with Wisdom work as we all contemplate how we are invited to be awake and engage Wisdom’s movements in our lives now.
Daily Schedule:
7:30 Centering Prayer
8:00 Silent breakfast
9:00-10:30 Morning Teaching
11:00-12:00 Conscious Work
12:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Free time
3:00 Centering Prayer
3:45-5:30 Practices, break out groups
6:00 Dinner
7:30-8:30 reflections on the day
Retire into the Great Silence
RETREAT DETAILS
Place: Enjoy the beauty of this retreat space: www.stmaryssewanee.org
| Date: | November 29-December 2, 2018 |
| Cost | (per person, all delicious meals included)
Anna House double: (private bath in each room): $520 St. Mary’s double (shared hallway bath): $430 (Some singles available for an extra cost; scholarships available) |
| Time: | Arrive on Thursday 11/29 by 4:30pm. This will allow time for you to settle into your room and orient to our community. The retreat will end by 11:00 am on Sunday December 2 |
| To register:
Refund Policy |
There are 2 methods to register: Online or print and mail:
For cancellations we will assess a $75 cancellation fee. In addition, 50% of the total cost is non-refundable unless we are able to fill a cancelled space. Deadline to register and send payment is October 15, 2018 |
Leaders:
Jeanine Siler Jones (Asheville) works as a Spiritually-Integrated Psychotherapist and Spiritual Director in Asheville, NC. She has studied with Cynthia Bourgeault for 10 years and helps facilitate Wisdom Schools in the southeast. Find out more about her at silerjonescounseling.com.
Rebecca Parker (Atlanta) is the Executive Director, Mary & Martha’s Place, Atlanta, GA, a center for women’s spiritual formation and transformation. Rebecca has studied with Cynthia Bourgeault over seven years and helps facilitate Wisdom Schools in the southeast, and leads two Wisdom Way groups in Atlanta. She is ordained in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
Laura Copeland (Nashville) co-facilitates a Wisdom Practice circle that she founded in 2016, participates in healing prayer ministry, and is a Centering Prayer group facilitator. She has studied with Cynthia at several wisdom schools over 3 years. Her past experience includes project management, sales management, freelance business column writing, and substitute teaching.