For the second time a group of women came together
connected by the teachings and worldview of ‘Feminine Power’ developed by
Katherine Woodward Thomas and Claire Zammit during the last 7 years. It is an
integral and transformational path out of victimization and towards
self-responsibility by studying and transforming the own habitual patterns of
feeling, acting, thinking and believing.
It is not
at all easy to look at one’s own patterns in this direct and radical way – or
better, it is very challenging for most of us. The reaction to these challenges
often disturbs the group atmosphere. But doing this together in the safe
container of likewise open women committed to self development the work through
these challenging situations – they often appear as conflict between members –
is an unusual means for to create even deeper connection between them after
having arrived to an authentic conclusion of the process.
Retreat’s structure
25th – We all meet on the Wednesday - arriving
at different times and from many different locations. We join together for an
evening meal - time together to share and get to know one another.
26th – We start our days with a
7.30am meditation which someone different leads each day. We have invited the
global community to join us online and share with them. This first morning
Sam leads with a flower meditation called Joy. We meet for our first session on
the balcony and discuss the Shared Agreements and what they mean for us. We go
into the Power Practice led by two of the women to have an experiential
experience. After a shared lunch on the Terrace we have quiet time before
joining together for a 4pm meditation – this time led by Adelheid and involving
sound. We have a circle dance together and then move into a discussion about Intentions
and Motivation – again dropping into a deep space and listening to the deeper
wider centre. We share our intentions.
27th – We
are lead on a beautiful flower meditation about growth. Our session is about Deep
Listening and includes group work to experience this from the point of view of
the person speaking and the listener. After lunch we have a short break and
then travel to a sacred mountain-top to join Delia’s meditation energetically
(as she leads for the global community). We start a deep discussion re making generative
requests as an ‘issue’ arises that we explore together. Adelheid leads everyone
on a meditation to meet their ‘ideal self’ and then one of the group
spontaneously moves into singing and another leads us into chi kung. Afterwards we go into
the town for takeaway pizza and ice-cream and a walk around. We try to visit
some sulphur baths but they are surrounded by locked fences so we go home for a
late snack and singing.
28th – We
are led on a lovely journey meditation including cleansing in sulphur baths! We
continue our discussion about Evolutionary Partnerships and Generative
Communication and use real-life examples and shares. This is a very emotive and
powerful time with many issues arising for discussion! We have two rituals
today – one a Birthing Ritual where one sister is welcomed by each of the other
women and ‘birthed’ while being sung to and rocked. She does this on behalf of
everyone. This arose organically.
Later Adelheid guides us around her land and
we collect firewood for an evening Ritual to birth Paradiso Integrale as the
central heart of FP in Europe and a retreat centre for all. One of the women
leads this ritual so beautifully and really honours Adelheid’s connection to
her land. We enjoy throwing our false beliefs and identities into the fire and
birthing new ones of strength and love etc! Afterwards we eat a picnic dinner by
candlelight.
29th – Annie weaves a meditation
journey to encompass all that we’ve done together. We take time together to
honour each of our group and express our gratitude and care. We end our time
together with lots of homemade pizza!!
Adelheid
For me as the host of the retreat (I offered the place and logistics and
was also part of the leader team) this was a very interesting time of
verification of what I have learnt so far by doing the Feminine Power work. The
new way of Feminine Leadership requires us to remain in deep connection with
our feelings, emotions and needs, to listen to the body-feedback, to remain
grounded in the deeper wider center while listening, speaking, leading,
whatever, and to be able to process the appearance of Younger Self patterns in
a way which would hold and contain them and not allow to influence the ongoing
activity towards the North Star of our gathering.
There were moments of huge challenges for me, but also moments of
complete ease and happiness for what was emerging organically within the group.
I felt a strong support by my co-leaders Sam and Annie and of many of the
participants and I am very grateful for this. In fact, the most important
learning for me was the possibility and modality in which we took over
leadership organically from one moment to the other, everyone sensing into the
atmosphere and taking the right moment for to step into leadership herself
while the other gave it over with grace. This is possible only if the members
of the group are bound by the same willingness to be transparent and to
collaborate towards the goal of mutual assistance in one’s personal growth and
empowerment, inside the shared agreements which in themselves create the space
and container of safety to open oneself to the own deeper and unknown parts.
Annie
I was so pleased to see that this
retreat was as meaningful as the last one for me. I am sure I can do this as a
regular practice and by the very nature of the work, it is different every
time, as we are all in a different place and new issues arise within the
particular constellation of the group.
For me, several points came up
about leadership and I was practicing them while at the retreat and even
before. At the first retreat, a major
breakthrough for me was about the imbalance of always choosing work as a
default for my attention. When I came to
this retreat I consciously chose to attend our retreat instead of a work event
in Spain. Because I applied the FP principles of collaboration with my European
partner for the work event, I arrived in Italy relaxed, confident in my choice.
Two other profound openings for
me occurred. One was through a breakdown we had in the group around the
distinction between a generative request and a request that is really a demand.
The other was around defining my North Star, which has not really resonated
within me. Through sharing with another
retreat sister I saw that my North Star can be informed from reflections I
receive from others, from life expressing its desires to and from me. I thought to say to myself the same thing I
said to my FP sister. “Look at this. This is life pulling you forward, like the
wind pulls a sailboat forward into itself.”
I really loved starting the mornings
with a centering meditation together ---and
the lively, spontaneous conversations that erupted around the “Breakfast Island.”
The grounds of Paradiso Integrale and the weather were superb. The food was
delicious and well organized to support our schedules. We had meaningful,
beautiful, rituals that also punctuated our days and learning. In all respects this spring retreat was a
profound delight, inspiring me to a more evolved version of myself! I plan to
go to the next Paradiso Integrale retreat—Ciao bella!
Sam
I had such an amazing time at Paradiso
Integrale last year when there were just 5 of us and found it so pivotal in my
life path as well as truly learning what it is to be totally seen, heard, cared
for and accepted by others. So when Adelheid asked if I would lead a retreat
with her I was delighted! It was such an honour and a privilege to co-organise
this with her (and later Annie) and to be holding the space for the retreat
since Christmas time. Just before the retreat we had a Skype call to talk to
some of the women coming and it was so magically and so exciting to hear
everyone’s voices and their intentions for the retreat. Finally meeting the
women and getting to really experience them was such a thrill.
Adelheid and I had set out a ‘plan’ for the
retreat but kept it fluid and adaptable; we wanted to see what organically
arose. I truly learned the power of intentions as we commented that we needed
challenges to discuss for generative communication/clearing the field etc and
they appeared! This was not a time of ‘all love and light’ but we joined
together within the shared agreements and we used this amazing work and
structure to work through the challenges and have them as learning for all. I
was so heartened and surprised at the quickness of the depth of sharing and
sisterhood – it seemed so much faster than last time – there was such love and
compassion among everyone. Each woman took her time in leadership naturally and
organically.
For me, I learnt that my leadership is gentle
and healing – I have such a strong sense of the field and ability to hold it.
This makes it sometimes harder for me to articulate things - that’s where
Adelheid and Annie come into their own – guiding the group discussions and
sharing insights and wisdom. It all flowed so beautifully, even preparing
breakfast was a time to share and discuss things! I loved the blend of
discussion, dancing, meditation, rituals as well as quiet time to just sit or
lie in the Italian sunshine.
This time together led me to have a huge
breakthrough on a very deep false belief – one that I am still processing. I am
so aware that the group energy helped me to see this and now work through it. I
love that we are all in contact as a group – by email and Skype (as is the
group from last year). I went to Italy to co-lead a retreat and I came home
with true sisters and a deep somatic understanding of ‘being up underneath’
someone and having them up underneath me.
