Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Director's Message for December

December 1, 2007

Season's Greetings,

Last year I facilitated a series of Colloquium style one-day events for men, spaced approximately every other month, commencing in January. Rich Manners and Mitch Roth assisted me by providing the extra support and encouragement for all to feel comfortable enough to open up and go deep. We averaged about 20 or so men per gathering and brought together a mix of participants who are familiar with the work we offer through our Men’s Center/Sacred Path Community events and others who were introduced to the nature of men’s soul work for the first time. We had fellas as young as 18 and those in their 70’s with men of all ages filling in the decades between. We discussed any and all issues, during large group and small group sessions, pertinent to each man with the intention of covering a broad range of topics that would fit into the relevant areas specific to one’s age. We met in a variety of locations including a hotel, a spiritual retreat center and a conference room. All venues seemed conducive to the personal nature of the work. Additionally, the lunches were sumptuous and added to the ambience and opportunity for intimate bonding welcomed by each setting.

In July, we convened at Holy Spirit Retreat Center for an overnight experiential practicum featuring Yoga, Conscious Breathing Sessions, Meditation and talks on Spiritual Psychology geared to stimulate discussion on Mindfulness and practical day-to-day matters of concern. As a result of those one-day events, and the positive outcome from this past Sacred Path retreat in October, I am inspired to host another series of one-day events that will be held in a Practicum format. Essentially, there will be opportunities for Mindfulness training that will include a variety of practices such as light Yoga, Meditation, Breathwork and Darshan teachings as well as small group interactive process sessions and community talking stick council time.

The focus of this new series is on Practical Mindfulness, which is the practice of being fully present within moment-to-moment experiences with relaxed, non-attached acceptance. Mindfulness training supports one’s ability to access the cognitive, sensory, somatic, and emotional elements of experiences in the present moment, thus enhancing one’s contact with spontaneous states of enlightenment. Cultivation of mindfulness facilitates the free-flow of creativity while engaging the wisdom of the heart. It fosters the ability to listen deeply with “beginner’s mind’ and opens up the possibility of moving beyond the limiting frame of self and other. Mindfulness training equips us to expand our perceived awareness of the nuances of the relational field in which we are always influencing each other.

The overall goal of this year’s cutting edge series of Mindfulness Practicums is to investigate how mind, brain and body work together in ways that enhance personal growth and healing, as well as to effect change on all levels by adding a larger philosophical and ethical context. Essentially these one-day events are opportunities for attention to Dharma, which is the basic ground underlying the contemplative teachings and practices which enlighten us to the transitory nature of all phenomena, including mental states. The willingness to be intimate with the mystical nature of one’s soul, in contrast with the mind’s tendency for attachment to the conceptual illusions about the world, allows us to more fully comprehend the distinction between self and selflessness. Our challenge today is how to find interior peace, compassion and wisdom within the heart of change as we engage with the exterior world.

In the first Colloquium last January I personally invited a specific group of men to participate. Out of that group, many of the men elected to continue with the series while others attended some of them. I am pleased to offer this new series to those that will participate. I look forward to the further development of a core group of men intrigued and invested in their process of improving the quality of their lives as they deepen their spiritual dimension and expand their relational capacity.

The first Practicum of the series will commence on Saturday, January 26, 2008. I believe you will find this to be a great way to kick off the New Year as we set our intentions in action on the Sacred Path. If you feel called to participate in this event, register right away. Reservations will not be held without an actual commitment, so please make yours today by completing the registration form on our blog or web site. Since enrollments are limited, a waiting list will be formed so that spaces can be filled should they become available.

In the spirit of the season, I wish you and your family a Happy Hanukah and a very Merry Christmas.

Namaste,
Stephen

To download the January 26, 2008 Practicum Flyer, click HERE

4th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration

Our 4th annual Winter Solstice Ceremony, Spectacle and Celebration will

be Sunday, December 16th 1-5 pm in the incredible 60+ year old Upper Davies Building in Farnsworth Park in the foothills of Altadena. $50 before December 8th; $65 after space permitting. Our Gift to you: Bring a loved one/friend for FREE

*Live music*movement*deepstillness*homemade gift exchange*fire*potluck feasting*

Contact Fred Sugerman
fsugerman@yahoo.com
(818) 608-9848

Sacred Ways Spring Canoe Trip

Dear Friends,

I trust you are grand!

We recently returned from the second Sacred Ways Kayak Retreat and I wanted to give you advance notice of the next one.

I sincerely hope you will make plans to join us.

The dates for the next river trip are March 6-9, 2007 and are now set. We have already taken ten of eighteen possible reservations and anticipate a sell out this time. Early bird pricing is just $345 per person. Regular pricing will be $395 after December 15th. Please let me know if you would like to attend so I can reserve your spot and get you that discounted pricing. Additional details will be provided to attendees with a right to cancel with full refund if requested before January 1st, 2008.

Cost includes admission to all ceremonies, kayak, paddle and life vest rental, first
night’s shared rooms at the Hacienda Hotel in Boulder City, NV.

Please contact me for further information as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Be well.

Namaste,

Scott Ewing
bigskyewings@sbcglobal.net
(818) 679-7890

Icanchu's Drum

At the fall Sacred Path Retreat, Strongbear had planned to tell four stories. Due to the fire danger and high winds, he was only able to tell three before an evacuation was ordered. Here, then, is the fourth story that we never had the chance to hear.

Once upon a time the world got consumed with a great fire that broke out and began to spread in all directions. And everything on the entire earth was burned and was consumed until all that was left was ashes. And there was nothing standing and you couldn’t tell one thing from another; for they had all mixed into the same gray matter of ash. And it happened that at that time people disappeared as well and they returned back to ash.
And everything would have been turned to ash except that it happened that two bird beings, Icanchu and Cano, had been off doing something else. They had missed the great inferno. They weren’t there when the fire broke out and therefore they weren’t consumed by the flames. But, now they were flying back looking for their hole for the place where they used to dwell. For they couldn’t tell one place from another as each place looked like the same ashes spread in all directions.
While they were despairing over the possibility of finding home again the trickster appeared to them and said. “Listen I’ll tell you how to find your home. Stretch your hands before you and point your middle fingers straight ahead. Fly until that middle finger turns downward. When that finger goes down to the ground you too go down to the ground. That will be your home; that will be your dwelling place.”
Now Icanchu and Cano had knowledge in how to proceed. So the two of them proceeded to fly along with their middle fingers pointing out when, sure enough, their finger turned down and aimed at the ground. Then the two of them flew down to the ground. When they got there they began to look around for something to eat. For they had become hungry from all of that flying and searching about. So they began to dig down into the ash for they couldn’t find anything to eat at all for everything had been burned and turned to ash.
Down inside the ash Icanchu found a small piece of charcoal. Icanchu looked upon that piece of charcoal. For some reason he began to play it like a drum. Icanchu that bird being there in the conflagration at the end of time began playing the charcoal piece that he found amongst the ashes as if it were a drum. And he played and he played and as long as he was playing something inside him began to dance. Pretty soon Icanchu was playing that charcoal drum and he was dancing. After a while he became so tired that he stopped.
He put the charcoal down there in the ash. He himself lay down as well. He fell asleep and night came and rolled over the world. Icanchu slept there amongst the ashes.
In the morning when he woke up he looked. There where he had place the charcoal was a green sapling growing straight up from the charcoal; growing straight from the ash from which it was anchored. Icanchu began to sing to that sapling green growing up from that charcoal. And as he sang there to it, it began to grow very quickly. Suddenly it grew into a tree that stood there before him.
After a while when the branches had spread in all directions, Icanchu picked up some rocks and began to throw them at the branches of the tree. Each time rock would hit a branch, it would break off from the tree and it would fall to earth. It so happened that each time one of those branched hit the earth it turned into another kind of tree. And in this fashion by throwing rocks and breaking branches, Icanchu caused all of the kinds of trees that had been in the world before the great fire to begin growing again. Pretty soon all kinds of trees were growing. Finally when he had knocked all of the branches off of that tree, another tree grew from its center. This was the tree that was the stem of healing. From that tree came all the medicines that people had lost. All of those medicines returned as that tree grew from the center. And then there was medicine on the earth and there were all kinds of trees. They grew there from the ashes.
Pretty soon the forest returned the animals came as well because they had something to dwell in and something to eat from. Pretty soon people came along again. After a while the world was going along the same way it used to be before the fire. Except that there was a little dust of ash on everything.
At least that what they say when they tell this story in this little tribe that lived by the great river trying to imagine this world and whether it comes to an end or does it keep going somehow. That’s what they tell when they begin thinking about these things. In terms of this story, that talks about things continuing and beginning on and on. In terms of this story we have come right upon the end.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

November Director's Message

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Greetings:

For those of you that read what I had written for the Director’s Message in the October newsletter and blog you were aware that I was wondering aloud about the future and direction of the Sacred Path Men’s Retreats. This pondering was elicited by the slow enrollments for the most recent fall retreat and what I perceived as a tepid involvement of the men over the past two years. Many men got the distinct impression that this retreat could have been the last one or at least would commemorate the past 20 years and signal the need for a break in order to reflect and recalibrate the forward vision.

I am grateful to all of you that wrote personal messages voicing your concerns about the possible demise of the men’s retreats as well as sharing your comments of acknowledgement and expressed meaning of significance that was gained from your attendance over the years. I am also grateful to you men that went the extra mile to be present at this past retreat as a show of support for our concerted efforts and an indication that the longevity and vitality of Sacred Path is indeed important to you. We had 46 men, including staff, in attendance. We had wanted to have 80 men on the mountain but it was immediately apparent that the quality of the men in attendance dramatically compensated for the diminished quantity. And if you want to know what occurred while we were on the mountain just ask any of the men that attended and you’ll no doubt get quite an earful. It was a pretty amazing event in so many different ways.

Going into this retreat I had made peace with whatever was to result as an outcome and harbinger for what might follow. I had come to the realization that I needed to let go in order to allow for whatever changes needed to occur. I was as much an observer as a participant and presenter for this retreat, and what I observed enlightened me in a refreshing and reinvigorating way. Through the openness and generosity of the good men that were on the mountain, I came to some realizations.

The first realization was that what we were providing mattered enough to 46 men that they chose to show up. On Saturday night, after each of the 4 Tribes presented brilliant displays or skits centered around the main theme of their Tribe name, I was surprised with a heartwarming ceremony of acknowledgement in which I was brought forward to stand before all the men. I was presented with an engraved crystal and then the men began to thank me, one at a time, for something that was personal to each of them regarding the contribution that I had made to their lives. After that, I was hoisted into the air and the men “hailed the King” and then lowered me to the ground and stood over me with hands outstretched as a blessing.

I was so humbled by this show of love that I was hearing what they had to say from a place of true awe. I was struck with how simple and straightforward their comments were as they penetrated my heart. It’s as though in some distant place I knew the truth of what they were saying but it had escaped me. Not because I had taken it for granted but more because I was busy with what needed to be done along the way to create and maintain the forward momentum of the vision. My awareness was centered on the journey more than the results or the destination. Not unlike a centipede that is asked by the ladybug how he keeps his legs coordinated without stepping all over each other. When this multi-legged being considered the question, he took a step and fell off the branch. On that evening I took a step and as I fell backward I went into the arms of the men and I was carried to a new place of mindfulness.

Another awareness was that I had been concerned with the notion that if we didn’t continue to appeal to new men and reach out to the mainstream that we would lose momentum and dwindle to the point of extinction. What I came to realize is that we are truly a training camp for Spiritual Warriors and that is not for everyone. It takes a certain kind of man to be willing to plumb the depths of his soul...to do the deep work of the mystic. Years ago I said that I believed we were monks without a monastery and that the retreats offered for a few days a makeshift monastery for men to open their hearts, intertwine their minds and unite their souls in the deep masculine spiritual work that mystics are ordained to pursue.

Yesterday, for my birthday, my wife gave me a present of Caroline Myss’s newest CD set titled Entering the Castle: Exploring Your Mystical Experience of God. In it Caroline explains the nature of mysticism and its experiences; what it means to be called into mystical service; and how to discover one’s unique gifts; have an authentic experience of the sacred, and become a channel for grace. As soon as I started to listen to the first CD I was struck with the power of the truth that she was speaking. She was saying exactly what I know to be true about the times we live in and what our work is in the world today. She was describing the men on the Sacred Path in parallel with other mystics that have gathered in community to explore the nature of the Divine.

I told the men on retreat that I haven’t lost my faith in our mission but I admit that I have been a bit frustrated when things don’t move as fluidly as I’d prefer. But I came away from this retreat with a renewed patience and spirit for the mission and a buoyed awareness that our work in the world is as important as it ever was and probably more so than I had imagined. My eyes were opened to the true value of having a training camp for spiritual warriors and I am truly honored to be in the company of such incredible men that are making a positive difference in their lives and the lives of their family members and beyond that into the world at large. Additionally, a special acknowledgement to Timothy Aguilar, Steve Branker and the other men of the Wisdom Council, who by their very nature, comprise the many facets of the diamond that sparkles brightly on the Sacred Path. It is through their talents and expressed gifts that the community is enriched beyond measure. I shine more brightly just by being in the light that they reflect. So...Happy Anniversary, Sacred Path brotherhood. The work continues – and now onto the vision for the next 20 years. Read through the blog for news about some events that are being scheduled to take place over the next couple of months. To you and your families may you have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Namaste,
Stephen

Photos of Fall 2007 Sacred Path Retreat

You can link to: http://www.menscenterlosangeles.com/fall07.htm for some great high-resolution photos from the retreat. They may take a while to download because of their size. Here are a few more for your pleasure:



Sunday, September 2, 2007

Men's Teams

A new group will be forming in the Woodland Hills area. For more info on joining and meeting times, contact Warren Gilmore at (818) 700-2566, or e-mail him at: wgilmorecpa@cs.com

The West Hills Group is now filled to capacity. For those interested in adding their names to the wait list, contact Ross Avery at (818) 762-5022, or e-mail him at rossandarlyn@sbcglobal.net

The West Side Men's Group is now filled to capacity. For those interested in adding their names to the wait list, contact Mark Kreher at (310) 581-6616 or e-mail him at: mark.kreher@verizon.net. You can also contact David Sacks at (323) 369-3344, or e-mail him at: sacks.d@gmail.com

The Thousand Oaks/Calabasas Men's Circle is currently meeting monthly at the home of Bruce Figoten in Northridge, and includes men from Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Simi Valley, Northridge, Los Angeles, and Hollywood Hills. If you have an interest in participating in a men's group, contact Bruce at (818) 363-8864, or e-mail him at: spinedr32@gmail.com for more information.

David "Stongbear" Myers is heading up a team in the San Gabriel Valley. If you're interested in joining, talk to Strongbear at (818)541-9499, or e-mail him at: strongbear46@msn.com

Weekly Men's Groups

Weekly Men's Groups are available in Woodland Hills and Beverly Hills. Both Stephen Johnson and Dan Franklin have room available in their weekly therapeutic support groups held in Beverly Hills and Woodland Hills. More information at: info@menscenterlosangeles.com