Finding Purpose after Loss

7th – 9th March

When you have loved and lost, it can feel as though the very fabric of your life has been torn apart—and in many ways, it has. You have experienced significant loss and the inevitable grief that follows, but too often like many others have not fully moved beyond it. With time, the pain becomes easier to bear, yet you may never truly let go or fully integrate the experience.

It took me nearly 30 years, almost to the day after my father died, and a soul reading to understand that experiencing loss at such a young age and losing the most significant man in my life was not just about surviving the grief or moving through this chapter of my life. It was about embracing it as a lesson that needed to be integrated. Our souls need this in order to move forward in the best way we can— with renewed strength, courage, and hope. Without it, we remain caught in some way, not fully ‘ourselves.’ The experience must be recovered so that we can walk freely, in completion of the healing process.

A significant loss in your life may involve the death of someone close to you, or it could be the sudden end of a chapter in your life—the end of a relationship, the loss of your identity in a role you held for so long, or a decline in your health and ability to do the things you once loved. Regardless of the form it takes, the loss is significant to you and how you show up in the world.

This Finding Purpose After Loss retreat could act as a bridge between your loss and what lies ahead. It may provide the liminal space you need right now to move beyond the pain and complete your healing—embracing the loss and even recognising that it had to happen the way it did, so that you could more fully embrace love and gratitude in your life. By integrating this significant experience into the story of your life, you will be able to move forward with renewed hope, courage, and strength.

If you feel the call and are ready for this inner journey, then I invite you to join us from the 7-9th March for this transformational experience.

It’s that time of year again where we hold our Spring Gathering.

Step into a transformative journey this Spring with our immersive weekend dedicated to the concept of finding purpose after loss. Over the course of three days, we‘ll explore the topic through meditative practices, drumming, circle time, reflective nature walks, creative rituals, and personal storytelling in holding spaces. Join us for a powerful weekend of interior meandering, community, and transition as we embrace the thresholds that shape our personal and collective journeys.

After this weekend, we’ll carry forward the tools and experiences gained to navigate future thresholds with greater awareness and intention.

Throughout our time together we will use the way of council upon which there are four pillars.

  1. Speak from the heart – Say what it is that you are here to say
  2. Listen from the heart – You don’t have to agree with what another man is saying but you are committing to listen deeply to him
  3. Be Spontaneous – Try not to rehearse what you are going to say. When we do this, we cannot deeply listen from the heart to another
  4. Be lean of Speech – This does not mean that we need only say a few words. What it does mean is that we let the words we use come from that deep place of gold within us and let the dross of the uncommitted conversations float away unspoken

On top of these pillars is confidentiality. Whatever any man says is kept heartbound in the strictest confidence and we honour each other by keeping it so. We are men transforming men through a power greater than ourselves. 

During Council we will use our talking stick. We call him “Grandfather” and he is a piece of carved Bog Oak and he is older than the Pyramids so he has heard many stories. This ensures that when a man is holding Grandfather, he also has the floor and nobody talks over him. This is to fairly give a man time to say what is his to say.

Journal: There will be time for solitude and journaling, so bring your journal with you.

Story, Song, Poem or Prose: Come armed with a piece. We’d love to hear it!

Clothing: We will be spending some time outdoors so bring appropriate clothing for such.

Come to Castletown full of curiosity and a beginner’s mind, for, in the words of Shunryu Suzuki: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.”  

Along with the actual content of the gathering we will also drum so if you have one, bring it along with you. We will also spend time in silence and break up into smaller groups at intervals.

Really looking forward to sharing time, space and our stories there. Give yourself this time for YOU. You will re-enter the world in a better and more grounded way.

Times:

Registration on Friday the 7th March from 5pm to 6pm followed by dinner. The weekend will conclude after lunch at 1pm on Sunday the 9th March.

The venue is

Elderfield,
Castletown,
Portlaoise,
Co Laois

Eircode: R32 N6D8

 

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Payment Options

Please find below the various payment options. As always, if you find the cost prohibitive we can offer some financial help. If you are in this situation please email our Financial Stoker Gerry at gerryhegarty@gmail.com to discuss this in total confidence.

Our bank details are:

Males Ireland,
24 Milford,
Athgarvan,
Newbridge,
Co Kildare

Bank Name: Bank of Ireland, Newbridge
Sort code: 901263
Account No: 45319007
IBAN: IE77BOFI90126345319007

If you would like to use Revolut you can simply Revolut the money to 00353 86 232 6988

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