What if we knew ourselves as more than just this body in this space and time?
What if we experienced the space between us as connecting rather than separating?
What if we realized that we are members of a community that’s far more expansive, diverse and cohesive than we ever imagined?
Join us in exploring these timely and pertinent questions as we make connections between our daily life and the cosmos, making meaning of our lives in a larger context. By expanding our view to include the cosmos, we find new perspectives and insight, along with support and guidance that can help us navigate this time of change and uncertainty.
In this first retreat in our 2024 series we’ll be exploring the overarching theme of Interbeing. Our guiding question will be: What if we could live knowing that we are fundamentally and inextricably connected to every being and every event – both seen and unseen – in the neighborhood? … in the world? … in the universe?
Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, educator, or just plain interested and curious, you’ll come away from these retreats with a wide-open mind and heart, renewed inspiration and flow, increased creativity and a deeper sense of connection and belonging.
“We are in each other holographically, this world and us: the whole of the ‘universe story’ carved in our own hearts, and the whole of our own story reverberating within the cosmic heart.”
– Cynthia Bourgeault
In this series of online retreats we’ll be imagining, exploring, and embodying these possibilities as a group. We’ll be offering each of these retreats in the following format:
Saturday (90min session) introducing and unpacking the theme, Sunday (90min session) exploring some deeper teaching, following Saturday (90min session) catching up and integrating. We’ll encourage you to see the intervening week as a retreat in your daily life where you can engage with practices, journal prompts, and other opportunities to explore the material from the weekends into your everyday life.
Led by three teachers, contributing, augmenting and inspiring each other: astronomer, author and director of the Deeptime Leadership Program Stephan Martin (located in North Carolina, USA), meditation teacher and psychotherapist Marianne Rowe (located in California, USA), and ex-astronomer, author and Zen teacher Mark Westmoquette (located in London, UK).
Stephan, Marianne and Mark invite you to turn your attention to the mystery of the cosmos as a way of opening the door to expanded perspective and universe of possibility.
With Marianne Rowe, Stephan Martin, & Mark Westmoquette
May 18, 19, 25
9am Pacific (To find the session time in your time zone, go to World Time Buddy.)
Each session will be around 90 minutes in length.
This retreat is offered on a sliding scale, ranging from $125 - $175 for all three sessions.
from Mark Westmoquette
Stephan Martin is an astronomer, educator, and author who has taught astronomy, physics, and consciousness studies at colleges, universities, and learning centers across the US for over twenty-five years. Between 2003-2008 he studied directly with Brian Swimme and others at the California Institute of Integral Studies, out of which came his first book Cosmic Conversations, in which he held dialogues with scientists, spiritual teachers, and cultural creatives on the nature of the universe and our role in it. Since then he has led workshops on the New Cosmology at seminars and retreat centers across the US and Europe and has been active in exploring multidisciplinary approaches to exploring the universe. He is currently adjunct faculty in the Consciousness and Transformative Studies graduate program at John F Kennedy University where he teaches a course on “Cosmology and Consciousness.” Steve is also a co-director of the continuing care program at the Center for Spiritual Emergence in Asheville, NC where he assists clients in living more conscious lives from an expansive perspective.
Mark Westmoquette is an ex-professional astronomer (PhD 2007), but now full-time yoga and meditation teacher based in London, UK. He’s also an authorised Zen Buddhist teacher. Mark runs regular events and retreats around what he calls 'mindful stargazing’, bringing together the worlds of astronomy and inner awareness. He is the author of three books on the subject (Mindful Thoughts for Stargazers - 2019, The Mindful Universe - 2020, Stars: A Practical Guide to the Key Constellations - 2020).
Website: www.markwestmoquette.co.uk
Social media links: FB: /MWestmoquette; Insta: @mindfulstargazing; TikTok: @mindfulstargazing
Marianne Rowe is a Founding Teacher of Monterey Bay Meditation Studio, an Emergent Dialogue facilitator, and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Pacific Grove, CA. Her teaching, therapeutic work and leadership focus on healing, transformation and evolution through awareness and relationship — developing Integral consciousness through the physiological, cognitive, emotional, relational and spiritual aspects of being. She is dedicated to catalyzing and cultivating embodiment of a New Story for human beings (inspired by Charles Eisenstein) and playing a conscious role as part of the evolving Universe Story (inspired by Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme, and Duane Elgin). Marianne’s passions include inspiring reverence and reciprocity with Earth and Universe, spiritual activism, and conscious relationship with all beings. Read more.
This offering is part of the Spirituality/Evolution of Consciousness and Outdoors MBMS Pathways.