Lotus in the Fire
Integrative Retreat at Creek Bend Zendo
with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Friday February 28th – Sunday March 1st, 2020
Reminder: Registration closes Friday, February 21
| Lotus in the Fire Integrative Retreat at Creek Bend Zendo with Sarah Bender, Roshi Friday February 28th – Sunday March 1st, 2020 Reminder: Registration closes Friday, February 21 The lotus flower rising right up in the fire to bloom, delicate and moist, as we must, delicate and short-lived creatures of mud, water, light and air that we are, has long been a symbol of refuge and awakening right in the midst of all the stuff, ALL the stuff. But really, how? And then what? One of our koans contains just an instruction: “Face the world and move crosswise.” One way of approaching this is to first rule out your normal, straightforward daytime response to what you meet, and see what you do! Our integrative weekend retreats are one form for this practice that many of us find powerful and lovely. We get together in a meditative space, and while moving in and out of silence through the weekend, we take up a story—-usually one that comes from far away in another time. We let it steep in our waking and sleeping heart-minds, with conversation and other kinds of responses inviting the non-linear mind, the seeing of dawn and dusk and the dreamtimes, to come forth. And, oddly, we’ll be spending time with an old Swedish fairy tale. Here’s how it starts: A king and queen are longing to have a child but are having difficulty conceiving. Then, through the help of an old, wise woman, the queen becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, the queen does not follow the old woman’s magical directions precisely, and the first child born is a hideous snake-like creature. This child is tossed out the window into the woods by the midwife. No one knows of his existence. A few moments later the queen gives birth to his twin brother, a beautiful son. Some years later,….. Registration is now open for the Lotus in the Fire Integrative Retreat to be held at Creek Bend Zendo. The cost of registration is $150, and scholarships are available. Registration forms can be found here. To register, please contact Regan Arntzen at rrarntzen@gmail.com or by phone at 719-351-6017. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 21st. This retreat will be a commuter retreat. Part time attendance at this retreat is not feasible. Hours of retreat are: Friday 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Saturday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Please bring a brown bag lunch on Saturday Sunday 8:30 am – 3:00 pm Vegetarian lunch provided on Sunday Contact Information: Registrar: Regan Arntzen rrarntzen@gmail.com Coordinator: Kelly McFarland s.kelly.hls@gmail.com |