The purpose of this gathering is to generate a collective field of insight, clarity, and evolution in navigating “the space between stories,” that lies between an old and new story-of-self and story-of-the-world.
I have held retreats many times that I limited to 30 people. Honestly, I hesitated to expand it beyond that, because larger gatherings lack that special intimacy in which every ear hears every voice. However, the demand and long waiting lists have prompted me to offer this larger version of the Space Between Stories retreat. I believe that something of the power of the smaller gatherings will touch this event as well.
What is the Space Between Stories? It is that time when the old story that answered deep questions like “Who am I?” “What is important?” “How to live life?” “What is real?” “Why are we here?” “What is a self?” has fallen apart, and a new story has not yet crystallized. Whether through a crisis in health, relationship, or work, or through a gradual erosion, more and more people are in this phase or are fast approaching it. The same could be said for society as a whole. We are approaching a collective version of the space between stories.
This gathering is intended for people in that phase of the journey, or who can see it coming, or perhaps have recently gone through it into a new story that isn’t yet fully formed.
Format and Content
The gathering will consist of eight sessions, starting on Friday evening after dinner and ending after a session on Monday morning before lunch (both dinner on the first day and lunch on the last day is included.) Generally, they will consist of conceptual discourse and storytelling from me, accompanied by various experiential processes to communicate the information on other levels. Basically, the gathering is a deep immersion in the concepts I have spoken and written about in the last ten years.
With 250 people gathered over just a long weekend, this is NOT an occasion for deep grief work, cathartic trauma release, group therapy, etc. It is not a super-intense “transformational” workshop. I do expect and intend that it will, for many, serve as a powerful evolutionary quickening; that it will shed light on intractable questions; that it will resolve old paradoxes and open up new ones. It will bring to light hidden habits and perceptions that the Story of Separation has bequeathed us. It will offer opportunities to clear those habits and cultivate new ones animated by a new (and ancient) story. It will, I hope, crystallize the next step into a fuller habitation and embodiment of the Story of Interbeing – all in reference to the larger political, economic, and ecological issues that contain us.
Cost and Logistics
Date: June 22-25
Location: The gorgeous Garrison Institute
We offer this event on a you-choose-the-price basis. The tuition is up to you.
Registration and payment will be done in three steps:
- The first step: We collect some information about you and a $75 deposit to reserve your space.
- The second step: You complete your registration with The Garrison Institute for your lodging and meals. Your registration is not complete until you accomplish this step. (See prices below.)
- The third step: At the end of the event, you decide how much you would like to pay, based on your financial means, your feeling of value and gratitude, and your desire to support the work. If this amount is less than $75, we will happily refund you the difference, without judgment. We trust you to know the right amount to give.
Prices for food & lodging at the Garrison Institute are:
$165 for a single room (per night)
$145 for a bed in a double room (per person/per night)
$130 for space in a triple/quad “dorm” room (per person/per night): THESE SPACES ARE SOLD OUT.
$75 commuter fee for hotel/camping/Airbnb stays (per person, per night). Camping is an option, but not on site because of insurance limitations. There are several New York State Parks and campsites in the area. If you choose to camp, you will still need to register with Garrison as a commuter to attend. Marie Goodwin will send you a list of local campsite options in the area after you register.
We also offer scholarships to bring in a diversity of ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. If the lowest “commuter” per diem fee to Garrison or the deposit is more than you can comfortably pay, we will subsidize you as best we can. We will also have some volunteer work for you to do at the event.
This event is closed to new registrations.