Quick announcement day: A few more spots left for August 10th Mini Retreat, a lovely afternoon diving into The Work in private retreat cottage northeast Seattle (Goldilocks Cottage) 1:30-5:30 pm.
This is time set aside for exploring your mind and investigating your stressful beliefs, something so many people crave, yet seem to never wind up actually doing.
4 CEUs can be earned for mental health professionals through the Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work.
Beginners and experienced welcome—this is a wonderful afternoon to practice doing The Work with a partner as well as a small group, facilitate someone else, improve your inquiry skills, and meet like-minded inquirers….all with good guidance and Q & A time.
For information and to register, click here. Limited to a group of 12 max.
If you can’t come in August, the next one is October 19th.
And speaking of setting aside time for yourself for exploring your mind….
Why is this something that we know is so deeply helpful in life, and yet, we avoid it, dismiss it, put it off for later, and don’t get around to it until we’re often so stressed we’re in excruciating pain?
I know for me, I want things to be easy, finger-snapping quick, simple, painless AND I don’t want to feel bad, to discover I made a mistake, to be upset with myself.
I don’t like discovering that I’ve been wrong, that I wasn’t seeing something with clear and loving eyes, or that I was taking something way too seriously.
Especially if I had it wrong about someone I’ve known my whole life!
(Hi mom!!)
To take the time for retreat, to focus, to slow down appears to take effort. It appears that we need to schedule this time in our lives.
Maybe it has always been this way, and that’s why people have chosen to live for periods of contemplation and silence in monasteries.
These mini-retreats are made short and simple…and they are created so that we take the time, we focus on ourselves and our personal journey of understanding.
Only four hours. You can even sleep in. We have lots of snacks.
I find over and over again, these retreats bring compassion, love, and honesty to any stressful situation. They bring just a little ease and relief, or a lot.
You never know when one brick taken out of a wall of beliefs about the universe with make the whole thing topple down, with Joy left over.
From Byron Katie’s website Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I have to write? Can’t I just ask the questions and turn my statements around in my head when I have a problem?
“Mind’s job is to be right, and it can justify itself faster than the speed of light. Stop the portion of your thinking that is the source of your fear, anger, sadness, or resentment by transferring it to paper. Once the mind is stopped on paper, it’s much easier to investigate. Eventually The Work begins to undo you automatically without writing.” ~ Byron Katie
Come give yourself time to stop your mind on paper. To actually sit with the painful beliefs you think, and wonder about them in a powerful way.
Who knows what can happen from there.
If you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest, then join a teleclass coming up in the fall and call in from anywhere in the world.
Or connect with someone who loves investigating their mind and their perception of the universe, and ask each other powerful questions and hear each other’s answers.
It can be very difficult to do The Work all by yourself. At least that has been my personal experience and what I hear reported from many people.
Give yourself a break. If you’re in a hurry to reach understanding, do The Work.
Love, Grace
To comment on this Grace Note…click HERE!
- Our Wonderful Sexuality: A Safe Place For Inquiry on Painful Thoughts About Sexuality. Mondays, October 21-December 9, 2013 8-9:30 am Pacific time. 8 weeks $395. Register Here.
- Mini Retreats Seattle. Saturdays 1:30-5:30 pm. 2013: 8/10, 10/19, 11/30, 1:30-5:30 pm. 2014 Mini Retreats: 1/18, 3/8, 5/3, 10/11, 12/6/14. 4 CEUs can be earned. Goldilocks Cottage. $70 includes intensive, handouts, tea and snacks, $55 repeater rate. Click here to register for mini-retreats
- Turning Relationship Hell To Heaven: Who’s Bugging You? Parent, Child, Spouse, Partner, Boss, Client…bring them. Thursdays, September 12 – November 7, 2013 8 – 9:30 am PT Register Here.
- Pain, Sickness and Death: The Worst That Can Happen. Fridays, September 13 – October 25, 2013 10-11:30 am PT. 6 week teleclass. Register Here.
- Horrible Food Wonderful Food Weekend! Seattle, December 14-15, 2013 10 am – 9 pm Sat and 10 am – 5 pm Sun. Stay tuned for details coming soon.
