REGISTRATION FOR THIS PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED as the first week's material has already gone out, as has the invitation to the Orientation. Please do not "subscribe" as we will just have to refund your money.
Spirituality & Practice is excited to offer a year-long experiment in writing alone and listening together, facilitated by Judith Favor, a seasoned spiritual guide. She created the e-course "As It Is: Spiritual Journaling" and led a retreat in the summer of 2020 on "Writing for Change in Challenging Times."
This Practice Group will be different from our regular e-courses and online retreats in that the group will covenant together to form a community. We will ask participants to commit to regularly posting in the Practice Group and attending monthly Zoom listening sessions.
Here's how it will work:
-- You and other participants in Contemplative Writing and Listening will covenant together to sustain connection with a group of like-minded souls throughout 2021, with the option to renew in 2022.
-- Each Sunday during 2021 you will receive an email from Judith Favor with a focus word and writing prompts.
-- You may post a bit of your contemplative writing every week in the online Practice Group and read the posts of others in the community. You are asked to commit to consistent and regular writing and listening.
-- Each month you will receive guidelines for varied forms of writing, including logs, dialogues, laments, heartlines, Psalms, and fables.
-- On Saturday, January 9, we will have an Orientation Session on Zoom to talk about the plans for the year, go over writing and listening guidelines, and answer questions. We'll then have a short "covenanting ritual" to set our intention for the year together. This Zoom gathering will be from 10 am PT (11 am MT/12 am CT/1 pm ET) through 1 pm PT (2 pm MT/3 pm CT/4 pm ET).
-- On each month, we will gather in safe, private Zoom rooms to read from selected journal pages. As "holy readers and listeners,” you can risk "giving voice" to emerging insights, while also “hearing into speech” the discoveries, doubts, delights, and difficulties experienced by other writers in your group. These sessions will be facilitated by Judith Favor. The Zoom gatherings will on Jan. 23, Feb. 27, Mar. 27, Apr. 24, May 29, June 26, July 31, Aug. 28, Sept. 25, Oct. 30, Nov. 27, and Dec. 18 from 10 am PT (11 am MT/12 am CT/1 pm ET) through 1 pm PT (2 pm MT/3 pm CT/4 pm ET).
-- Continuing Education Hours (CEHs) will available to chaplains participating in this program. CEUs for clergy, counselors, social workers, and other professionals will be available from the Claremont School of Theology.
Is this for you? Some wondering questions:
-- Are you longing for the companionship of a committed group of soul-friends during this time of profound social disruption?
-- Would the internal movements of your heartmindbodysoul benefit from the external attentiveness and amplification of a few caring listeners?
-- Do you sense the need for steady, ongoing spiritual and emotional support in this potentially transformative contemplative writing-listening process?
-- Do you suspect you may have indispensable insights and a role to play in our collective future?
-- Do you hope to discover how to offer some of your unique gifts and skills to others in ways you have not yet figured out?
-- Do you yearn to create some sort of shared momentum toward something larger than personal?
-- Do you have time to make a commitment to write and post samples of your writing in the Practice Group as well as read the posts of others (2 to 4 hours per week) and participate in the monthly Zoom listening sessions (3 hours)?
What if you're still not sure this is for you?
This Practice Group will launch on Sunday, January 3, with the first email. On Saturday, January 9, we will gather on Zoom to talk about the plans for the year, go over writing and listening guidelines, and answer questions. We'll then have a short "covenanting ritual" to set our intention for the year together. If, after this gathering, you do not want to continue in the group, you can simply let us know and we will refund your subscription fee. This orientation will take place from 10 am PT (11 am MT/12 am CT/1 pm ET) through 1 pm PT (2 pm MT/3 pm CT/4 pm ET).
We are calling this group an "experiment" because participation in the Practice Circles for our e-courses always has been optional. This group asks all participants to write, share, and listen. The person who is a good fit for this experience might say:
"I am looking for a group of kindred souls, an ongoing group I can grow with. I'd like to meet regularly with other writer-listeners with whom I can develop a trusting relationship. I want to hear how other contemplative writers do it. I want the great feeling of being connected, and I'm willing to surrender some of my independence for the good of the group. I want to find out more about contemplative writing-listening and about myself. I want the sense of accomplishment I will get from sticking with this discipline for a full year. I want the fun of hearing others’ stories. I want the delight of finding out that I’m good at this."
Where might a year-long commitment to Contemplative Writing and Listening take you?
As spiritual teachers have been known to say to curious students, “Come and see.”
Please note: To encourage deep and growing relationships among the members of the Practice Group, we will only have one enrollment period for the year. It will close on January 8, so that everyone who joins will be able to attend the Orientation Zoom meeting on January 9.
For the 52 weekly emails and 12 three-hour facilitated Zoom sessions, plus access to the online Practice Group, we are asking for a fee of $299. To join us, click on "Subscribe to E-Course" below.
Sunday, January 3
$299.00
