Director's Message for March 2009

March 1, 2009

Greetings,

The concept of the dark night of the soul arose from the writings of the sixteenth-century Spanish Carmelite priest, Saint John of the Cross. The mystical traditions describe the dark night as a lengthy and profound absence of light and hope, most clearly marked by seemingly endless suffering, preceding or following a considerable advancement toward higher consciousness. Essentially, the dark night of the soul with its intense alchemy offers a spiritual breakthrough to one’s true nature and accompanying joy.

It might be said that Mother Teresa’s personal experience that was revealed after her death through her correspondence provided the stunning confession that she felt no presence of God whatsoever for a long period of time. Her period of spiritual pain commenced shortly after she experienced receiving divine direction from Jesus to found the Missionaries of Charity. She was plunged into an abyss of spiritual abandonment just as she began her work with those who had been abandoned by the world.

Dark nights can come and go in response to normal life events or can result from deep quests for meaning. Precipitated by real or imagined events, dark nights can bring on troubled thoughts that awaken us in the middle of the night. Dark-night hauntings can also visit us in times of deep spiritual inquiry and can be richly embedded with questions concerning our issues, choices and values. Even those among us with strong faith and well-established spiritual practices can experience challenges to our peace of mind from time-to-time.

During these inevitable times of adversity, if we turn toward, rather than away, and search within using trusted tools, we can transform a crisis into a spiritual opportunity. We can make the choice to release our anguish into our deepest knowing. When we courageously risk doing this we learn life-changing lessons about ourselves. We can gain strength and self-confidence in our ability to evolve as spiritual beings. We can indeed change our lives through the power of straightforward shifts in perception and intension.

In choosing to honor and bless the periods of the dark nights of the soul, we agree to exercise the faith that we are not alone and that through surrendering into the lesson unexpected answers will come to us and motivate us to make potentially profound changes in our lives. When we seek insight in this manner we become more receptive to the teachings of Great Spirit and gain improved clarity, expanded awareness and a less anxious and more empowered way of living.

What if we trust that the dark nights of our souls are essential to our growth and that spiritual maturity cannot be attained without them? What if we set an intention to honor and bless these intense times of personal questioning and not knowing, and view them as the emerging threads of the enlarging fabric of our spiritual evolution?


On Saturday, March 14th, you are invited to join a group of men at Holy Spirit Retreat center for a day of exploring the meaning of the dark night of the soul as we remove our masks and face our shadows. During the day we will engage in shadow-work processes designed to open us to the lessons that are attempting to come through. We’ll have ample opportunity to share and communicate with each other concerning our life lessons and personal challenges that we’re confronting in our lives today. We’ll also explore the tools that can be used to Man Up to these periods of darkness and how to peer into our shadows and bring into the forefront that which is aching to be revealed. The energy of faith directed through conscious breathing, affirmative prayer and meditation are a few of the tools that equip us for the journey. Remove the mask of false masculinity and allow your light to shine through the darkness and illume your spiritual path. Sign up now; information and registration form below.

Yesterday, Steve Branker and I went to Athens Park in South Central Los Angeles for another community gathering similar to the one we attended at Helen Keller Park the week before Christmas. These gatherings are bringing together volunteers and former gang members that are endeavoring to make a positive difference by ending violence and reconnecting the community through safe opportunities for people to come together. We had another opportunity to commune with the people that are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of young African American males. Our partnership with Coach Pete Carroll’s organization, A Better LA, Cameron Bonner’s C.U.R.E and those in prevention with L.A.P.D., the Sheriff’s Department, Probation Department and other dedicated organizations will help us to expand our Call to Adventure Rites of Passage program to bring more inner city youths and boys-in-need from other programs to our retreats.

January 30th marked the beginning of the Season for Nonviolence, the national 64-day campaign dedicated to demonstrating that non-violence is a powerful way to heal, transform and empower our lives and our communities. Inspired by such luminaries as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Season calls each of us to activism and it is a call that invites us to act from that center of consciousness that recognizes its genesis as the divine spark of heaven inside each individual. It’s the faith-in-action revelation I had when I heard the message to “Bring good men together and to bring out the best in them so that they would want to give back.” Dr. Ernest Holmes reminds us, “Those who bear witness in consciousness do not need to retire from life.” Indeed, it is through our consciousness that we show up as greater expressions of life. I invite each of you to contemplate where you are called to action. How can you show up as an agent of change in your world, centered in the spirit of non-violence and awakened purpose, so that your light shines forth and makes a difference?

The combined Sacred Path Men’s Retreat and the Call To Adventure Rites of Passage Retreat for fathers and sons as well as boys and mentors is fast approaching (Thursday, April 16th thru Sunday, April 19th). It will take place just 15 miles north of Malibu and two miles up a hill to our camp overlooking the expanse of ocean below. Join a gathering of remarkable men as Wisdom Council members, men from the Sacred Path Brotherhood, community leaders, fathers and sons, young men and mentors convene for the purpose of exploring what it takes to be a good man in the world today. It’s our opportunity to introduce the young fellas to what we have learned through our men’s work. Spread the word and sign up now. Further information and registration form can be found below. Be aware that there are discounts for early registration before March 20th.

You cannot stay on the summit forever.
You have to come down again…
One climbs and one sees; one descends
and one sees no longer, but one has seen.
There is an art of conducting oneself…
by the memory of what one saw higher up.
When one no longer sees, one can at least still know.
– Rene Daumal

In the spirit of brotherhood,
Stephen

To download the Flyer/Application for the March 14 Removing Your Mask Workshop clickHERE
To download the flyer for the Spring 2009 Sacred Path Men’s Retreat and the Call To Adventure Rites of Passage Retreat, click HERE
To download the application for the Spring 2009 Sacred Path Men’s Retreat and the Call To Adventure Rites of Passage Retreat, click HERE

New My Space Page Dedicated to Timothy "Whispering Eagle" Aguilar

Hello Everyone,

A My Space page has been set up for Timothy Whispering Eagle Aguilar with the blessing of Timothy’s son Ziari. This is a place to celebrate Timothy’s life. I will do my best to post pictures of friends, family and symbols for everyone to share. If you have a picture that you would like to be posted, feel free to email it to me. I will also post videos of Timothy singing, drumming and dancing in the weeks to come. I’m just getting started. If anyone has a video to post, that would also be great. Please forward this email to anyone you think would like to be a part of this celebration and healing. Also, if someone would like to be deleted or added from this email distribution list, feel free to send the email request to me. The page address is: www.myspace.com/timothywhisperingeagle

Much Love and many blessings,

Sherry (Timothy's Love)

New Survey on Abuse of Men by Previous Romantic Partners

HAVE YOU BEEN ABUSED BY A FORMER ROMANTIC PARTNER? 

If you are a man or woman who has experienced any physically and/or psychologically abusive behaviors from a former partner, you are eligible to participate in a survey about your experiences. We are researchers at Western Connecticut State University collecting information about people's experiences in abusive relationships.

To participate, you must (1) be a U.S. citizen or reside in the U.S., (2) have experienced some type of abusive behavior in a romantic relationship, (3) be currently out of (no longer in) ANY abusive relationship with any partner, and (4) no longer living with any abusive partner. If you meet these criteria, please consider taking an approximately 20-30 minute survey located here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=d_2fD4fJuUB0Oe_2bzJ9gGlYrA_3d_3d

Simply click on the link to get started. Your identity will be anonymous.

By participating, you are giving much needed information about abusive relationships. You will not receive any compensation for taking this survey, but you will be providing important information to help others.

If you have questions before, during, or after participating, please contact Jessi Eckstein or Dr. Katie Lever-Mazzuto at jessi.research@gmail.com. If you choose to contact us via email, your email address and contact information will be deleted; there will be nothing linking you to the information you provide in the survey.

2nd Women's Practicum May 23 at Holy Spirit

The 2nd Sacred Path Women's practicum will take place on Saturday, May 23, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino. Please mark your calendars and spread the word. More information will be available as the date approaches.