40 Day Intensive Summer Retreat
May 6 – June 16, 2017
A retreat for anyone who wishes to look deeply or further into their complete human potential and find a means and orientation to help on the road to realising it.
Course Description
People are essentially extremely beautiful, they are a hidden treasure; this hidden treasure is there to be discovered by each person – the hidden treasure within themselves. That discovery is completely transforming…
Peter Young, Principal at Chisholme 1987–2015
The core premise of the retreat is the unity of all existence and that all things are naturally interconnected. Therefore it follows that our attitude, awareness and understanding of ourselves, nature, the world and the universes is of great importance. This premise is reflected throughout the content and structure of the retreat and this principle of unity lies at the heart of the world’s great wisdom traditions.
This is a retreat of deep learning and unlearning and is for anyone who wishes to look deeply or further into their complete human potential and find a means and orientation to help on the road to realising it.
During this retreat some of the finest spiritual literature will be studied, including the Tao, the Baghavad Gita, the poetry of Rumi, the writings of Meister Eckhart and the work of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi.
This is retreat is immersive, full-time and continuous for 40 days. Each day time is devoted to study, work, meditation and devotional practice. Study sessions involve exploring texts with your fellow students and then uncovering their meaning through discussion and reflection. Education is a process of self-discovery on these retreat courses, not a matter of learning from a teacher. Work is contemplation, whether in the house or woodlands, the garden or the kitchen.
Throughout the retreat the focus will be centred on cultivating the heart’s awareness of what is happening in the instant, both inside and outside, and entering deeply into conscious and compassionate relation to ourselves, to others and to the world.
Booking & Fees
Fee: £1400 (deposit: £200).
Closing date for applications: 31 March, 2017
Bursaries:
A 90% bursary will be offered to one qualifying student to complete the 40-day retreat (i.e. the holder of the bursary will pay only £140). If you wish to apply for this bursary please contact info@chisholme.org
Reimbursement:
If for any reason you have to leave a course early you will be reimbursed at £28 per day not used.
The 40-day retreats will run subject to sufficient student numbers. In the event that a course is unfortunately cancelled, your deposit will be refunded in full. Confirmation that the course is running will be sent shortly after the closing date for applications.
Applications:
For more information and to receive an application form please contact secretary@chisholme.org or call +44 (0)1450 880 215
Course / Event location
Rumi & Ibn 'Arabi
The works of two great poets, mystics and thinkers from the 12th & 13th century – Rumi and Ibn ‘Arabi – are favourites for study in depth, as they offer a comprehensive, multi-faceted view that addresses both the unseen world and the visible world as one. The shifting points of view that both these writers freely and thoroughly adopt break up our pre-established patterns of thought and their texts invite students to radically new perspectives.
Students by studying mystical texts from other traditions can learn to correlate ideas, and discover for themselves the single truth that runs through all human thought.
Ibn ‘Arabi famously writes
O Marvel! a garden amidst the flames.
My heart has become capable of every form:
it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks,
and a temple for idols and the pilgrim’s Kaa’ba,
and the tables of the Torah and the book of the Quran.
I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love’s camels take,
that is my religion and my faith
