Autumn Retreat 2012
For the third 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.
26th – We all meet on the Wednesday - arriving at different times and from many different locations. Elena leads us in a Meditation and Welcome Ceremony as we start to connect. We join together for an evening meal - time together to share and get to know one another. We discuss intended topics for our time together: the “we” space, generative communication and collaborative leadership.
27th – We start our days with a 8am meditation. We have invited the global FP community to join us online and share with them. This first morning Sam from the UK leads us into a Gratitude practice for our bodies. Someone else will lead each morning. Before breakfast one of the participants leads us through a Qi Kung practice. Breakfast on the Terrace with “the men”(Mark and Ian) and a discussion about masculine and feminine ways in the world. In our first session we discuss the Shared Agreements and what comes up for us. We created two cooking groups to create a Well Formed Outcome and practice collaboration!
28th – After a wonderful meditation led by one of the participants and our Qi Kung practice, we move into an exercise to explore the WE field – each moving into it as she felt – through sound, movement, expression etc. We visit a sacred Mountain top for our picnic lunch and enjoy the sunshine. We have a mindful walk to the top of the Mountain, where we spontaneously move into Qi Gong. We have a deep listening practice at the church and a rest period. Our dinner team make squash soup, lemon chicken, watermelon caprese salad and spinach.
30th – A participant leads us in a beautiful meditation. We explore very practically Clearing The Field. Afterwards, Annie leads us in how groups can relate to each other in non traditional “chick” ways or good ol’ boy network ways. After lunch we look at our intentions. Did Stepping into our Power Bridge Ritual at the fire pit on the lower terrain. Each woman walked and reflected on different periods of her life and people who had sponsored her life to be in the place she is now. Each woman declared her intention of stepping into her ideal, highest self across the pit, onto the stone and into Elena’s arms waiting to witness and welcome the transformed self.
Participant’s feedback
I turned home from the retreat with more capacity of opening me up, understanding my own value in a much larger way and to be able to listen in a deep way to a person, in the manner that the person can open up, flourish and develop. And I grow too. Carla
The FP retreat I attended in Autumn 2012 on the very beautiful olive farm of Adelheid, where the surrounding countryside of Umbria just washed through us with peace and glorious tranquillity was a wonderful experience. Meeting with other FP sisters from different countries, getting to know people and putting faces to names from our online forum, creating intimacy and bonding through our shared work, really engaging deeply and supporting one another created an environment of great sweetness and joy. Being ‘away from it all’ in this conscious and caring container, feeling held and appreciated by my fellow sisters was a gift and memory to treasure always. Keryn
HOSTS
Our autumn retreat was a great experience again where I could build on the experiences of the previous retreat and learn many things more in depth. This time Sam was not with us in person, but ‘in the background’ and energetically present. This was a very interesting time of feeling myself held and supported in a non-local energy field. On the other hand her physical presence would have helped me to keep up with more structure, which during the last retreats was one of her direct contributions. I was very happy with the contributions by my co-leaders who gave their special gifts to the group. Annie in her astounding dichotomy between a smart and successful businesswoman and a human being who has accumulated a huge amount of wisdom and insight gave the right balance to me (somehow theoretically minded) and Elena whose heart cracks open and her deep energy is expressed in wonderful and touching rituals. Our participants were extraordinary, too. Very willing to open themselves and to be fully present in service to their own growth and development – and radically based within the framework of Feminine Power. They happily could take our offer of being together in this very special way for to transform their lives.
A major shift in consciousness happened by doing the deep-listening-exercises which we learned in the last FP gathering in LA with Katherine and Claire. This practice opens up a deep heart-space and creates real and deep connection between people who didn’t even know each other only a few days before. In the after-retreat we repeated this exercise with the men and a few of the group still in paradiso integrale, and the same exciting effect was happening: the feeling of true love and connection – which will hold during time – between people willing to be open in this way. Coming together live in this deep listening way has revealed as a rocket way of developing inside growth and connection with others and the world – a king’s way for us to create peace in ourselves and from there in the world.
The Autumn retreat held profound, memorable learnings and experiences for me. They were a different quality, a little more subtle than in the other retreats, yet deepening my understanding in a way that actually opens the door or leads to an action changing. It reinforced my belief that the small steps are some of the most important and essential in our evolvement. These small steps are not to be underestimated and it’s important not to dismiss them. They add up to being a long flight of stairs that take you up to the next level.
In this retreat I particularly noticed how the participants’ shares made new connections for me. For example, one shared that when she finally internalized and acted on the knowledge that the Greater Field of Life supports her life and loves her unconditionally, no matter what the outside circumstances are, her question about her right to voice her authentic self dropped away. It’s a given now that she can take up space in the world, express and “be.” It was an “aha” for me, not only in connecting the relationship with GFL to my right to voice, but I could also really see how important it is to understand and work on the source, the underlying substance of an issue.
One of the most memorable experiences for me was the deep listening exercise on top of the mountain. I was the witness and in this position had the privilege of observing and really feeling into the space they created between themselves. I witnessed and felt the difference for both parties when incomplete attention is put on the listener compared to concentrated attention. I am totally convinced that we generate the quality of the field between us and that this generates consequences of either isolation and frustration or feeling deeply heard and connected.
I am really interested in seeing how we can continue to incorporate Sam fully in the leadership, even though she is not physically present. With the burgeoning technology, this is an exciting undertaking.
The retreat is much more than the five days we spent at Paradiso Integrale. It continues to work in my life as I integrate the learnings. Every retreat is so different as we bring new challenges and breakthroughs to our group. I would love this retreat to be a regular part of my life, scheduled on my yearly calendar, just like the other important events in my life.
While taking part in the FP Spring retreat in April 2012 as a participant I was invited this time to be a member of the leadership team. A quite exciting place to be!
It was a wonderful opportunity to explore co leadership which I perceive as the new model of (feminine) leadership in the whole world.
I learned that co leading in a team requires a huge amount of willingness to be transparent and open, showing vulnerability and not knowing- not to hide if something is not clear or to ask uncomfortable questions if needed- and also to show myself in a completely new way to invite others into growth and participation.
I felt very welcome by all of the previous leaders, Sam in England with her very special capacity to hold the space even from long distance, Annie who is the bridge between the world of business and humanity in her great capacity to express and put into context what the participants shared, and Adelheid, owner of Paradiso Integrale with her generosity and sharp distinguishing capacity of naming what is still in the space or unclear.
During the time together I experienced a huge shift into opening my heart and starting to let go my own story and the sense of separation which is still ongoing. Understanding that the sense of separation is not just my own story but the story of humankind makes me aware of how huge and deep this shift is.
The Feminine Power Retreat is an opportunity to become aware of our own stories, the meanings we make out of the younger self so that we become able to step into the amazing women who we are, that we are able to make new choices coming from our adult center, power center.
The exploration of the WE SPACE including the deep listening exercise made it very clear that each of us creates the field and that we are all together able to create a field where everyone is respected and loved and a unique and important part of the whole. That each woman, each person is an invitation for the others with her unique ways of expressing herself.
Since I am working in Slovakia as a leader of women’s groups the Feminine Power Retreat co leading is a wonderful opportunity to grow into co leading with such beautiful women and to explore together new ways of leading and new levels of consciousness.
Not always easy because I have to look at myself and in case of a breakdown becoming clear about how I am the source of what is happening - and to make a new choice, willing to show myself openly and willing to be imperfect, seeing that every breakdown is a huge opportunity to grow and to evolve. I am so loving the evolutionary perspective!
This lived experience of Feminine Power supports and encourages the embodiment of the powerful principles which this work has to offer and every woman is invited to take away this lived experience and to apply it in her daily life, feeling the support of the deep connection which has been created and which continues to go on.
I am looking forward to growing further, in my life and co leading with Sam, Annie and Adelheid, to embody and share, to co create a space for growth and evolution of women, including us.
This was a very different retreat for me as I was unable to attend live this time. I have such powerful and wonderful memories of the last retreat and the container we all created together. So it felt strange to remain one of the founding leaders and working very much in collaboration with the others in the run-up to the retreat – from the paperwork to the initial introductory call – yet knowing I couldn’t be there in the Italian sunshine! However, as an energy worker I am used to projecting energy and connecting to the field in that way so I set the intention to connect to the retreat energy and the participants for the whole time.
Just prior to the retreat Adelheid, Annie, Elena and I connected via Skype so that we could see each other and practice the WE space exercise to see how it felt over a long distance and Skype. What an amazing experience – I felt so connected and ‘there in Italy’. I led the first morning meditation – it was so lovely to hear everyone’s voices and feel their presence as well as the other FP sisters who joined the call from around the World. Every day I sat in a quiet space to deeply connect in and maintain that connection as I went throughout my day. Adelheid and Annie kept me up to date with emails on what was happening and of course I was there for every morning meditation – even if I just said ‘Hi, I’m here’.
After the retreat we shared a very deep experience as we recapped the retreat and our greatest learnings. I learn so much from my own experiences but also those of my sisters. Since then, I’ve created the Facebook Group for participants to connect and share resources and continue to be an active member of the leadership group. I’m so looking forward to the follow-on calls to hear how everyone is and what their breakthroughs have been since the retreat.
