Reclaiming Our Humanity: Being Fierce and Tender in Our Call to Love
August 26th - August 28th, 2022, Madison, CT
“Every so often, across the expanses of time, a mountain remakes itself, a forest clears itself, and the ocean reshapes its shore. And once in a generation of two, humanity remakes itself, such as we are right now. And such a remaking is both profound and painful. But here we are, being asked to put aside our old hypocrisies and all the ways we have pushed each other away. Here we are, being asked to be fierce and tender in our call to love each other until justice and healing are the same thing. Yet how do we participate in this remaking of humanity? I think one heart at a time, one truth at a time, one kindness at a time. And we can begin by remaking ourselves.” — Mark Nepo
Given the trying times we are living through, we need to hold each other through our suffering, and to ask for the story that has brought each of us to today, and to complete each other by listening with an open heart. In this weekend retreat, Mark will explore how a life of meaning and love unfolds through adversity, how love awakens everything, and how care erases the walls we keep building between us.
Every generation and tradition discovers, again and again, that our spiritual journey on Earth is not to strive from here to there, but to unfold from in to out. How we do this is both personal and Universal. But do it we must, if we are to flower and offer our nectar to the world. This weekend retreat will unpack and bear witness to the turning inside out we all endure that lets Spirit show its beauty through our humanity.
The central questions remain: Will you be a good steward of the portion of Universal Spirit you are blessed to carry in the container that is your life—as well as you can, for as long as you can? And what does being a good steward of your soul mean? What does being a good steward of the light you carry look like for you personally?
About Mark Nepo
Mark Nepo is beloved as a poet, teacher, and storyteller. As the New York Times’ bestselling author of The Book of Awakening, he has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time,” “a consummate storyteller,” and “an eloquent spiritual teacher.” His many books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has taught for more than 40 years in the fields of poetry and spirituality and is a columnist for Spirituality & Health. In 1987, Mark was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma. Since then, he has been a student of all paths. His work explores the common center and unity of all spiritual traditions, focusing on how we can experience that unity when we embrace the blessing of vulnerability, lean into life and hold nothing back.