In ancient times, it would be around the village fire that all would gather to listen to stories - stories tp make one laugh, one cry, and to instill a sense of community and fellowship. Some stories, before the advent of schools and colleges, would be about the 'mundane' and pass on wisdom of use to daily life and chores. Other stories would be about the cosmos above, about spiritual things and the Divine. And depending on the storyteller and listeners, such stories may be a blend of many 'strands' of thought.
Such village gatherings for most people are a thing of the past, but we still love stories. We watch a good movie or series on tv, we visit the cinema, and we meet old friends and shares whats happened to us recently. We love to hear stories, we love to tell them. Don't we?
TellingPlaces are our way of rekindling that spirit of fellowship with each other, of connectedness with the Divine and nature, of telling our life-story (or parts of it), or a meaningful story we've heard, and of being an active and encouraging listener. And in the process, we (re-)discover our place in the cosmos, the meaning of our life in the Divine, and encounter challenge, growth and even healing. TellingPlaces can be very cathartic.
TellingPlaces are open to all, and consist of 'how to' sessions; times to draw aside and experience nature, creation, awe and obtain inspiration; practical 'try this' sessions full of encouragement; and 'around the fire' meetings where we are all invited to share (if we wish) our story, our thoughts, and more. These are deep times of sharing, deep times of listening, and incredible times of spiritual growth and maturity.
TellingPlaces can be retreats that you may wish consider joining and which last for a few days, or sometimes we organise them, say for a few hours one evening per week for several weeks, and sometimes we organise events via the internet (especially using msn messenger where several can audio-visualy link up from anywhere on the planet!).
So, why not you? If you feel isolated, feel the pace of life too hectic, know that a deep TellingPlace encounter would 'revive your spirit, 'energise' you, give you some peace and a challenge, then we believe you would benefit from participating in a TellingPlace event. Don't hold back. This is your time to give, to get, to share, to be challenged, to grow, to excel, to experience awe, the numinous, and feel that sense of community that many never experience.
Jonathan Tadhg organises events on this theme. For more information see: http://www.caolait.org/tellingplaces
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