Serenity in Sisters.
A Women’s 12 Step Retreat, sponsored by the Sisters 4 Serenity AA Group
April 5-6, 2014, Best Western Ponderosa Lodge, Sisters Oregon

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
. . . . A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.”

– Conclusion of The Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot

The journey of recovery is about undergoing a “spiritual awakening”, also known as “a personality change sufficient to bring about recovery.” (See Appendix ii in the AA Big Book.)  This transformation relies not only upon personal effort but also being open and ready for an experience of grace.

I’m pleased to have been invited by the Sisters 4 Serenity group to facilitate this retreat.  The focus of the retreat is utilizing the tools of contemplation to enhance and sustain one’s on-going practice of the Twelve Steps.  Creating a discipline of contemplation allows us to experience a transformation in our thinking.  When the ego gets too entangled with what it wants, when it wants it, it’s helpful to have a practice of mindfulness that centers on being present in the moment without resentment or fear.  A calm center in which to experience gratitude, along with our fundamental goodness and well-being.  A place of spaciousness in which we can gain the perspective to embrace the seeming contradictions of our lives as paradoxical facets of a greater truth.

The retreat will include presentations, small and large group discussions, quiet time for meditation, and free time for walking, reflecting, and socializing.

For more information about the retreat and how to register, please contact me HERE.