Coming Home to Love Retreat

Friday 16th October, 2pm - Monday 19th October, 3pm

A spacious residential group journey for tending personal and planetary grief

As ecological derangement brings drought and wild fires to Norfolk, and as the wheel of the year turns towards autumn, we’re putting out the call for building community resilience in the face of the multiple and complex challenges of our times.

Following on from our successful community camp, this is an opportunity for tending our personal losses and the sorrows of the world, for releasing and composting the past, and for opening to the transformative power of love.

Grief and loss, sorrow and suffering of all kinds will be welcomed, witnessed and held within a strong community container, as together we discover the creativity and connection that lies on the other side of our pain.

The retreat will combine Grief Tending with Heartsongs, and Embodied Visioning to bring us into alignment with our highest purpose, both individually and collectively.

No previous experience is needed, simply bring your curiosity, your willingness to meet whatever arises, and your openness to being moved by grace and beauty.

This is an alcohol and drug free event, facilitated by an experienced team - Liz Day and Jackie Stewart with support from Alex Watson and Leah Orr (see Facilitators). We’ll be enjoying delicious vegetarian meals together (with vegan options) provided by Ed, our chef-in-residence.

_ We need to let the venue know about numbers by the beginning of September, so please reserve your place by the close of day on Tuesday 1 September. To help you with this, we’ve simplified the registration process, and will follow-up with a more in-depth form for you to complete in September. _

See below for practical details and visit our Retreat web page to read more about the journey, the venue, and testimonials from our previous retreats.

The Gifting Approach - Pay What You Can

All our events are offered on a gift basis, which means there’s no financial barrier to participation. This is a bit different to simply inviting donations. We’re asking you to feel into a contribution that is right for you.

As well as taking into consideration what you can afford, we will also ask you to bear in mind how much you would pay elsewhere for something similar - probably between £350 and £800 for this four-day retreat. It is also fine for you to gift less or more than this. We will send you guidelines to help you decide the total amount of your gift for the retreat.

We are asking for a placeholder deposit of £150 when you book, but please let us know if this is a problem for you.

In addition, we'll be inviting financial gifts during the weekend (by cash and card). You are also welcome to pay by instalments before or after the event. Please email us if you would like to organise a payment plan before the event.

We are trying our best to strike a balance between being accessible, trusting in the spirit of the gift, and being financially viable and we invite you to join us in this experiment.

Please get in touch if you're unsure about any of this, and have a look on our website for some guidelines and reflections on the subject of Living in the Gift.

Single Occupancy Bedrooms

Most retreat accommodation is in shared rooms, however there are 8 single occupancy bedrooms for an additional £150. Please choose ‘Single Occupancy Bedroom’ at the same time as booking your ticket if a single room is important to you. Please let us know if you would like a single room but paying for it at time of booking is an issue.

Bookings for this event will close at the end of the day on Friday 2nd October (or earlier if all the spaces are booked before this date).

Acknowledgements

With thanks to local artist Rob Barnes for our event images. You can look at his linocut creations here.

This event is organised in association with the Gathering Gates.