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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251111T160000
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SUMMARY:Look at the Birds: A Birdwatching Retreat
DESCRIPTION:book now\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWe’re delighted to welcome Reverend Dale Hanson to lead this year’s birdwatching retreat at Launde Abbey. Dale regularly co-leads Even Sparrows retreats with Mark Winter on Holy Island and at Kilmalieu\, and brings with him many years of ministry experience\, a deep Christian faith\, and a lifelong passion for birdwatching and wildlife photography. He is always happy to offer practical guidance to those wanting to learn more about observing and photographing birds. \n\n\n\nWe’re gutted that Mark won’t be with us this November due to prior commitments – we’ll miss him hugely. But we’re also incredibly thankful and delighted that Dale is stepping in to lead the retreat. With Dale’s experience\, passion and love of birds\, we know it will be a truly special time. \n\n\n\nNow in its fifth year\, the Launde birdwatching retreat has become a much-loved event. Each retreat reveals how many birds can be seen\, heard and learned from in the local area – last year’s impressive total of 76 species included Osprey\, Hobby\, Cuckoo\, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler. \n\n\n\nCome and see these birds for yourself\, and enjoy a time of quiet Celtic Christian worship\, biblical reflection and guided birdwatching walks. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReverend Dale Hanson is a recently retired Anglican priest\, having served in ministry for nearly 40 years. His vocation has taken him across the UK and internationally\, including two periods in Hong Kong\, time in France\, and most recently to the Falkland Islands\, where he served as locum chaplain at Port Stanley Cathedral. Dale is well known in the North East from his time as vicar of St Nicholas Church in Durham – often called “the church in the marketplace.” He now regularly co-leads Even Sparrows retreats with Mark on Holy Island and at Kilmalieu. He is passionate about his faith\, an experienced retreat leader and has been an enthusiastic bird watcher and wildlife photographer for most of his life. \n\n\n\n\n\nOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\n\n\n\nRetreat price: £495 (standard room) or £540 (character room)EARLY BIRD RATE: £465 (standard room) or £510 (character room) if booked by 2nd September 2025!Price includes en-suite accommodation\, all meals\, and all retreat resources.It may be possible for you to extend your stay with us by adding an extra night before or after this retreat. Please contact the Abbey directly if you would like to extend your stay. \n\n\n\nClick here to book your place on this retreat now: \n\n\n\n\nbook now\n\n\n\n\nFor any questions\, or queries or if you’d like to know more\, please call  01572 717254 or alternatively email us: info@launde.org.uk 
URL:https://www.laundeabbey.org.uk/event/birdwatchingretreatnovember/
CATEGORIES:Launde Abbey Retreats
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251114T163000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251116T150000
DTSTAMP:20251112T122107Z
CREATED:20240924T091810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251112T122107Z
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SUMMARY:Meditation & the Contemporary Wisdom of Meister Eckhart Retreat ***2 SPACEs LEFT***
DESCRIPTION:book now\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMeditation & the Contemporary Wisdom of Meister Eckhart Retreat\, led by Chris Whittington\, founder of the School of Contemplative Life. \n\n\n\nWith astonishing wisdom\, originality and directness\, Meister Eckhart invites us to let go of all our conceptions of God and enter the groundless ground in which we are one with God and all creation. \n\n\n\nWhy? To manifest this oneness in a life of love and compassion. For Eckhart\, the spiritual life is inseparable from the ethical life. \n\n\n\n“If a person were in an ecstasy as St Paul was\, and if they knew of a sick person who needed a bowl of soup from them\, I would consider it far better if you were to leave that rapture out of love and help the needy person out of greater love.”  \n\n\n\nRecognised today as one of the greatest mystics of the Western Christian tradition\, Eckhart has much to say which can help us greatly in meeting many pressing contemporary issues. \n\n\n\nEckhart had a profound sense of the equality of all human beings\, and despite living within a male-dominated Church and society\, he was deeply influenced by women. \n\n\n\nWhen it comes to the urgent need to protect our planet\, Eckhart had a profound sense of the essential goodness of creation\, that each of us and every created thing bears witness to the invisible source of all life. \n\n\n\n“Someone who knows nothing but creatures would never need to attend to any sermons\, for every creature is full of God and is a book.” \n\n\n\nFor Eckhart\, God is the ever-present ground of all creation\, the oneness in which “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). \n\n\n\nThe extraordinary gift of his teaching\, is how it can help us cultivate awareness of this oneness\, so that we\, like him\, might come to see God in all things and all things in God. \n\n\n\nThrough a flow of talks\, extended meditation practice and conversation\, we will explore the teaching of Meister Eckhart\, focusing in particular on: \n\n\n\n\nReleasing into the oneness of God\n\n\n\nHow a spiritual life is inseparable from an ethical life\n\n\n\nRadical equality\n\n\n\nParallels in the teaching of Meister Eckhart and Buddhism\n\n\n\nHow awareness of oneness is the deepest basis for compassion and justice\, for our care of each other and of our precious world.\n\n\n\n\n—————- \n\n\n\nThe retreat has been carefully crafted to be relevant and accessible to anyone searching for truth and peace\, regardless of their faith\, beliefs or previous experience of meditation. \n\n\n\nA detailed timetable for the retreat will be sent to everyone attending. The retreat starts on Friday at 4:30 pm with an orientation talk\, followed by a period of silent meditation before dinner. Short talks across the weekend will be balanced with periods of sitting meditation\, walking meditation\, time for private reflection and enjoyment of the beautiful grounds. The retreat will finish after lunch and a closing conversation on Sunday. \n\n\n\nEarly morning practice \n\n\n\nSaturday and Sunday begin at 6:30 am with meditation practice. Early morning meditation is a wonderful way to greet the day together. While we very much encourage everyone to attend this session\, if this is difficult for you for any reason\, please don’t worry. It is always enough to do what we can – or what our life allows. \n\n\n\nSmall Reflection Groups \n\n\n\nSmall reflection groups\, hosted by Chris\, provide an opportunity for up to seven people to meet and explore together a question or two about their meditation practice\, or how practice relates to what they have heard during a talk or to daily life. We can learn so much by sharing with and listening to others. \n\n\n\n———- \n\n\n\nBeing on retreat is a precious opportunity to be still\, to be silent\, to practice living simply and peacefully and cultivate the gift of loving-awareness as we devote ourselves to the depth-dimension of faith and life. \n\n\n\nThe focus of the retreat is silent meditation practice and we will practice bringing loving-awareness to all our daily activities – while sitting\, while walking or eating\, when we are simply enjoying a glass of water. We will practice living each moment deeply. \n\n\n\nThe practice of silence will commence when the retreat begins at 16:30 on the Friday and continue until after lunch on the Sunday. \n\n\n\nAlthough the practice of silence may be new to some\, most people find this a powerful and wonderful experience. Maintaining a quiet and peaceful environment – walking\, moving\, and doing things quietly – is important for our practice and a gift we can offer to each other. \n\n\n\nThe last session of each day will be an opportunity for conversation together\, to reflect on the content of the talks and what we have experienced in our meditation through the day. \n\n\n\nThe retreat timetable includes periods of private practice time for sitting and walking meditation. Some people find it helpful to bring a craft activity to accompany times of private sitting meditation. If you decide to do this\, the craft should be very simple and not likely to stimulate thoughts. The Desert Fathers and Mothers were famous for weaving baskets! \n\n\n\nYou may wish to bring warm\, comfy clothes and a waterproof jacket/umbrella for walking meditation in the event of inclement weather. A notepad and pen will also be useful. \n\n\n\nRetreat Leader \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChris Whittington is the Founder of The School of Contemplative Life. He was introduced to contemplative practice during several years of formation when he lived at the Benedictine monastery of Prinknash Abbey. Chris’ monastic teachers\, including Sylvester Houedard OSB\, taught meditation as a universal wisdom found within all the great spiritual traditions\, a pathway to peace and solidarity with people of all faiths and none. Following an introduction by the Abbot of the Prinknash community\, Chris subsequently studied at the Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamshala\, India. Chris regularly delivers talks\, workshops and retreats and has introduced the practice of meditation in the Christian tradition to thousands of people in the UK and abroad. \n\n\n\nFor information about the School of Contemplative Life\, please visit: www.schoolofcontemplativelife.com OR https://www.youtube.com/@schoolofcontemplativelife  \n\n\n\nRetreat price: £350 (standard room) or £380 (character room)EARLY BIRD RATE: £330 (standard room) or £360 (character room) if booked by 5th September 2025!Price includes en-suite accommodation\, all meals\, and all retreat resources. It may be possible for you to extend your stay with us by adding an extra night before or after this retreat. Please contact the Abbey directly if you would like to extend your stay. \n\n\n\nClick here to book your place on this retreat now: \n\n\n\n\nbook now\n\n\n\n\nFor any questions\, or queries or if you’d like to know more\, please call  01572 717254 or alternatively email us: info@launde.org.uk
URL:https://www.laundeabbey.org.uk/event/meditationeckhartretreat/
CATEGORIES:Launde Abbey Retreats
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251117T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251120T140000
DTSTAMP:20251013T144201Z
CREATED:20241008T094434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251013T144201Z
UID:10000064-1763395200-1763647200@www.laundeabbey.org.uk
SUMMARY:Living\, Breathing\, and Moving: Connecting with God with Our Whole Body
DESCRIPTION:book now\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOur bodies are a sacred space and a holy threshold for encountering God and discerning God’s voice and will for our lives. During this four-day retreat\, guests will experience a variety of body-based prayer practices and opportunities to grow in awareness and understanding of how our body’s design and wisdom foster a deep and fulfilling prayer life with God. The retreat is designed for those with limited as well as full movement\, with options of using both the chair or the floor as we pray.  If you would like to use the floor\, please bring your exercise mat with you. \n\n\n\nLed by Hope Stockman and Rhona Knight \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHope is a Spiritual Director\, RYT500\, and experienced whole-body wellness guide who is passionate about curating spaces for others to connect and communicate with God through their bodies in every season of life and to discover the goodness\, the fullness of joy and profound peace that God has designed into each of us. Hope has offered developing direction workshops for the London Center of Spiritual Direction\, coordinates the spiritual formation curriculum for Living Soul Institute and collaborates with Sustainable Faith UK and Revelation Wellness Ministries. \n\n\n\nHope lives in Tervuren\, Belgium with her husband and fourteen-year-old daughter. She loves finding God in all things\, including reading\, meeting new people and exploring God’s creation through nature and travel. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRhona is a member of the College of Chaplains at Launde. She is a theological educator\, pastoral supervisor and spiritual director and is the author of a number of books and resources on discipleship and spirituality. \n\n\n\nRetreat price: £495 (standard room) £540 (character room)EARLY BIRD RATE: £465 (standard room) or £510 (character room) if booked by 11th August 2025!Price includes en-suite accommodation\, all meals\, and all retreat resources.It may be possible for you to extend your stay with us by adding an extra night before or after this retreat. Please contact the Abbey directly if you would like to extend your stay. \n\n\n\nClick below to book your place now on this retreat: \n\n\n\n\nbook now\n\n\n\n\nFor any questions\, or queries or if you’d like to know more\, please call  01572 717254 or alternatively email us: info@launde.org.uk 
URL:https://www.laundeabbey.org.uk/event/livingbreathingmovingretreat/
CATEGORIES:Creative Retreats,Launde Abbey Retreats,Spiritual Practices,Wellbeing Retreats
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