"You are in this time of the interim
Where everything seems withheld.
The path you took to get here has washed out.
The way forward is still concealed from you.
The old is not old enough to have died away.
The new is still too young to be born."
–John O'Donohue
We live on the threshold between two kinds of stories. The stories that have guided our civilization have led to great unraveling of the planet and of our culture. We long for a new story even as we notice signs of its quiet emergence. Many of us realize our personal stories are changing as well. In this difficult and uncertain time we wonder, where can we find a place of true connection and belonging?
On this retreat, we will align with the energies of this emerging new story and root into a deeper reality. We will awaken to the whole living world around us, in both its immense suffering and its generosity and beauty. We will take long contemplative walks in this ridge and river landscape that is so much a threshold, a thin place, between our everyday world and the soul of nature. We will let things happen to us, let words and gestures and dances and melodies come to us from the beings we encounter.
We will listen to the stories we tell each other of our journeys in this other world, live into ancient myths of mystery and wonder, and imagine bringing what we discover back into our everyday lives with family, friends and coworkers. We will become a community of the new story.
"We belong to this world. The web of life is calling us forth at this time.”"- Joanna Macy
Retreat Leaders: Jim Hall and Julie Gabrielli share a fascination with the power of story to heal, reconnect, and create our world. We bring years of dedicated studentship and leadership in the areas of spirituality and nature, the arts, and sustainable living.
The retreat will be held at Still Point Mountain Retreat near Harpers Ferry, WV. It begins with supper at 6 pm on Friday and concludes with lunch on Sunday. Fee for the retreat is $299 and includes lodging in an individual room, six meals, and program. Two people registering together and choosing to share a double room (bunks, twins or full/queen bed available) may pay a reduced fee of $249 each. (There is a space on the registration form for you to write the name of your roommate.) Camping further reduces the fee to $229. (Bring your own tent.) Scholarships are available.
To reserve your place, register with a $50 deposit. For more information or questions, contact Lindsay at 304-724-1069 or lindsay.rollingridge@gmail.com.
Please consider donating to our scholarship program so that we can offer this special retreat to those who cannot afford the full fee. Your donation is tax deductible, and we'll gratefully send you a receipt for any amount you add to your deposit or retreat fee.
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Pay Online
Donate to Scholarship Fund
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Download registration form
If you do not wish to register online, you may download the form and mail it to Friends of Silence, 120 Jubilee Ln., Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, with $50 deposit to Friends of Silence.