Summary

This entry is designed as a template for all those meeting in groups for whatever reason or theme, business, interest or spiritual questing. Featured – the environment, the role of the facilitor(s) – the creation of space – informality vs. formality – the most productive size of a group  – setting the framework – rules – homework – how the cohort needs to prepare – plus the little explored – ‘after sales service’

It may be asking a lot of people to read 3,468 words but looking at what I have written it reminds me of the GPS, technology which we may take for granted. The more satellites my GPS can see, the more certainty there is of getting an accurate fix on position. This article will hopefully make us all wiser including those who did not attend.

This journal entry is to start the ball rolling for post-event sharing for those who wish. If you are running a residential group this might be a good model to follow. Funny how good ideas pop into your head when you are driving away from a conference or meeting. This is the brain doing its stuff. 🙂

The principles of unpacking the elements of a conference apply to any group at any time meeting for any purpose. Continuity is very important to the human soul and it is  so easy to drop back where you were before the exposure, hence my instinct for ‘after sales service’ so to speak. 

The event was experiential as well as being philosophical. We are frail and imperfect human beings  all in the same ocean if not the same boat.  I have learned over the years to express my feelings openly without fear, knowing that my words will resonate with others. I find that honesty is my passport to the universe and that is where I will remain.

I acknowledge that others may not be in the same position but if you can see a contribution as adding to the sum of consciousness within the group, then that might mitigate any possibility of embarrassment. This is why I will anonymize all contributions.

NB … a week after the retreat ….  I did not get any contributions from other delegates but I’m sure people got what they needed out of the conference so this was an experiment that in this case did not have any obvious results but you never know what seeds have been sown

The Story Begins

It is 15:52 Sunday 2nd February 2025. I’ve just returned from a weekend retreat in Dorset  on the Gospel According to Mary, and by ‘Mary’ I mean Mary Magdalene. It took place at the Friary of St Francis Hillfield which is situated in a valley at the side of the hill and you would not come across casually.

It really was like stepping back a few decades in the world where human and spiritual values prevailed. You can look up the history of the Friary.

The Special Purpose of this Journal Entry

I make no claim to writing a complete record of the event, it was the bits that jumped out at me and I hope other attendees will complete the picture. For example, I did not write much about Bridget so in an addendum I can make adjustments accordingly or even better someone could write something.

This is a special edition because I have sent this missive to the other 12 people on the course and I have asked them to respond, while it is fresh in their minds, the effect that the weekend had on them. As you may imagine, the effect for many was considerable. Their response will hopefully constitute of a closure, a bit like writing a letter of thanks for an event which you derive particular pleasure from. Alas, this habit Has fallen by the wayside.

It is not possible to discern so easily the reason why you benefited from something when you are still at the event so that is why I have asked the other participants to write their impressions on receipt of this journal entry.

All responses will be anonymous. Its the message not the messenger 🙂

Arrival to nobody

an inauspicious arriving environment – laid back we could say

We were asked to arrive at 3 p.m last Friday. Foolishly, we decided to have a look at Yeovil on the way down and found the most impossible parking situation I’ve ever seen so beware dear visitors.

Anyway we arrived in reception on the dot of 3pm to find —- no one. We sat in the office and wondered what to do. There was actually no one to be seen anywhere. I told myself not to be anally retentive about people being on time. We eventually spotted a lady working in the garden, she turned out to be one of the tenants and we had a bit of an introductory chat.

Eventually the organizer turned up and greeted us warmly and took us to our room where Francoise and I were going to stay for two nights. It was a two storied 19th Century house which had been converted into very comfortable and clean rooms where there was good central heating, and I and as I subsequently discovered, enough water pressure to blow your hand off , and generally well appointed. There was a large downstairs lounge.

We had a stroll around and found many of the features that I would expect at a Friary. We found the most amazing and comprehensive library together with a large sitting room where anyone could sit on their own for a period of quiet and meditation. There was also a large kitchen garden where it was clear that abundant crops were produced in season.

part of the vast library – the sitting room with tea and coffee available.

you would never guess what is behind this unassuming door

This chapel must have been 2m x 2m max.

Outside  Juniper house there was the sweetest and tiniest little prayer room or chapel that you could ever imagine. It had room for three at a pinch and contained all the accoutrements that you would expect in a chapel

The First Session

People drifted in and we started to gather. This was a very symbolic occasion being at the same time as alignment or planets and also for Imbolc which is the first stirring of spring in which Bridget has a special connection.   No time was wasted and the first session was at 4:30 p.m during which we went through the program and then introduced ourselves. I introduced myself as a recovering traditional Christian It was clear from the first instance that people had been drawn to the event, some of whom knew the organizers.

This is not surprising because they are both dedicated to the Gospel of Mary. David has dedicated himself to translating the gospel from the Coptic language and is now into his third draft.

The Effect On Me

I find the fragment, for is what the gospel is, to be mind blowing and very challenging in that the whole Jesus thing is presented in a more gentle and we could say feminine way. We have been programmed into thinking that only men contributed when in fact if you look beneath the surface you find that both men and women were widely recognised as church leaders, disciples, and apostles many of the ideas we read these days including the concept of original sin was as yet unheard of certainly in the first century.

Augustinian Doctrine Changed

This doctrine was still to be first penned by Augustine (354 to 430 CE). The central motif or we could say logo, was not the cross of Atonement and sacrifice but the fish. The whole story changed when the early church joined forces with the power and force of the Roman Empire with the approval of the Emperor Constantine. Mary Magdalene’s authority was eroded in favor of the patriarchal tradition of Peter

This event last weekend was a blessed return to the original doctrine or ethos of the gospel uttered by Yeshua or Jesus.

I didn’t mean to plunge into this so early but it really is the most important thing to bear in mind certainly for my psychology. I was brought up the son of a vicar and in those days in the 1960s because vicar’s sons were seen as something different and special and as if my own introverted personality did not separate me enough, this was an addition that I could do without.

Our First Plenary Session

This was a warm up session and was from the first extant page of the gospel.

Peter said to Jesus “” while you are explaining everything to us, tell us one more thing: what is the sin of the world?. The Savior answered” there is no such thing as sin, you only make it appear when you act according to the habits of your adulterated nature: this is how what you call ‘sin’ manifests. This is why the good has come into your midst, pursuing (the good) which is in everyone’s true nature, to restore it inward to its root’

that is all we focused on but it does go on a little bit

” then he continued saying:” this is what sickens and destroys you: it is your love for the things that deceive you. Those who have ears, let them hear. Whoever can understand, let them understand.

Believe it or not we read through the same text five times and each time different aspects popped up as we became more familiar with the subject matter.

Each person read the same text in a slightly different way and although you may think that could be slightly boring, if you ask different questions you see the text in a different light for example,

* what does this say about our activities?
* Have we been in a defensive place?
* Can we obliterate a particular quality?
* is there anything we can learn from this reading

I Had Difficulty

I am glad we did this when we were fresh because it was quite a challenging exercise.

I picked up on what does it mean about ‘restore it inward to its root’. And also the comment about ‘there is no such thing as sin, you only make it appear’ . Etc I think this is a mis-translation because you if there is no such thing as sin you can’t make something appear and I think it should say that if you act according to twisted parameters, the twist itself will produce the appearance of something that does not in fact exist.

Obviously we are going to get more questions and answers. T’was ever thus I am glad to say.

Social Integration

We took our meals in Juniper house which was where we was staying. 14 of us sat around a long table and started the process of getting to know each other. It was very interesting that as the weekend progressed and we got to know each other better, the conversations were more directed to address situations that people had described in their own personal lives.

THE ORDER OF THE ACCOUNT

Please note that these notes are not in chronological order but rather the order in which they impacted on me.

The Meaning of words and Situations

# Later on we discussed the meaning of the word forgive.

# I also admitted that I did not understand the word Grace and as I write I’m still not clear about it and I rather jokingly referred to it as a get out of jail free card.

# I wanted how much damage we suffered by hearing from the church that we are miserable sinners. Did Jesus die on the cross for our sins, rather tricky if he also said as claimed that there is no such thing as sin.

# Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, why don’t we focus on what we need to hear in order to grow in the forthcoming year. I have always felt that such resolutions of the traditional type are abandoned after the first period of time so there must be something inorganic or counterproductive about them and this could be a clue given above.

# We also discussed the damage that had happened when we were children and I said I thought it was caused not so much by what was said but what was not said but was indicated by parental behavior showing that a particular mode of behavior was not approved of.

# How many children have been told that they are shining lights. I cannot recall an occasion where my parents praised me except my mother who when I presented my exam results at the age of 16, said that I had failed one. That’s all she said. The fact that I had passed in seven subjects did not pass her lips never mind congratulations.

#  I did pick up on the use of English when one of the leaders liked my description of the Breath of Mary. As you know I like to play around with words I realized that you could not easily replace that phrase with ‘Mary’s Breath’ though AI would properly not know any difference. Mary’s breath in in possessive mode and implies there something wrong or right with her breathing whereas the breath of Mary has an entirely different existential and spiritual meaning.

While we have the English language left, it’s A good idea to use it properly.

Mental Torture?

I said that’s such behaviour was tantamount to torture and that the effects were still with me 50 years later. Others were sympathetic and many people described childhoods and experiences that were not helpful to their development.

# We discussed people who had been abused and they said that healing can only start if people are recognized for who they are and what they can develop into.

In other words mutual encouragement is essential for healthy development if not on a daily basis certainly knowing someone where you can seek help.

# I discussed the difference between self regard and self-love and suggested that self-regard was less compromised by usage and more dignified than any phrase using the word love which I consider has become so contaminated as to be virtually meaningless.

Self Regard

Self-regard means ‘seeing yourself’ from the French ‘regarder’ which is to see. If we see ourselves in our true light we are surely on the way to healing ourselves. The word regard dates from the mid 14th century from the old French take notice of, look, heed , respect, self-esteem, kindly feeling which Springs from a consideration of estimable qualities.

Love

I am very much more impressed with this definition then the definition of love that having said that don’t forget there are many versions of love according to the Greek such as Eros (Romantic), frater (brotherly), Philia (soul connection) Storege (devoted love) Pragma (mature love).

If however I use these words in everyday conversation this will mean very little to the average person. I reckon on this occasion we had a lot of Philia and Pragma but that is just my opinion.

Anger, Seeking and Looking

On the topic of anger if we can acknowledge it and even give it a name, we have taken the biggest step towards moving forward.

#  We discussed the difference between seeing and looking, I suggested that seeing is a deeply spiritual process and we need to look in each other’s eyes which are considered by many to be the windows of the soul.

People can look but they seldom see.
Good Lord how boring that must be.

Listening

I said that if you want to understand something, a particular concept, you try and identify its opposite for example with listening. What does it mean to listen? I said that listening is possibly the most important skill that we can possess because we give the floor to someone else without wanting to jump in, to modify their behavior, to suggest things they could do, but just giving them Unconditional Love and compassion.

Can we Heal the Needy Through Listening?

I have noticed that in the act of speaking to someone who is really listening, the solutions themselves appear as if by magic. . The brain has a great desire to heal itself and if you provide the environment in which a person can talk something out then that’s job done. You don’t measure the talents of a counsellor or therapist by the number of words they speak or indeed the wisdom that they utter,

it’s more a question of gently coaching someone back to functionality but at the same time staying in the background and that certainly applies to the ego.

VISIT TO THE CHURCH OF MARY MAGDALENE

On Saturday we visited the church of Mary Magdalene. Goodness knows who possessed someone to build a church in the middle of nowhere and dedicate it to the Virgin Mary. But there it was, large as life, never closes its doors, and can be visited in Batcombe, Dorset.

The early history is not clear but there was a rectory in 1291 and various modifications made in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is sometimes used as a refuge for travelers and there are blankets at the back of the church to accommodate them. Also there is what I call the world smallest organ (pictured). We celebrated our visit by having a reading of the gospel by Inter faith  ministers who spoke alternately.

WHAT THE RETREAT DID FOR US ALL

There is much more I could say but the truly impressive thing was the amount of meaningful exchange that took place over a 48 hour period. People found enough trust to bare their souls, to emote in other words to cry, and generally to do what groups of animals doing instinctively come up to share.

Are We Alone?

I made a comment that if I met one person per month with whom I felt a strong affinity I was doing very well. We had all bought symbolic gifts to an altar and these were blessed. I spoke at the end that although our bodies were going to separate from each other, our souls had done significant quantum entanglement which is something that manifests outside time and space and that our souls would never forget this unique and blessed occasion.

The Two Facilitators

The organizers received thanks on many levels for a task that is more difficult than you might think, which includes during the event  holding the space and nurturing people by providing enough information to stimulate them and yet not so much as to overwhelm them. They undoubtedly done as an act of love and not to make money.

Unless you have done it yourself you have no idea how much preparatory work, mental space, and distraction from other tasks is required in the month before the event. People do not appear by magic in response to an advertisement but have to be nurtured and encouraged unless they are familiar with the speakers through previous engagements.

Hats off to them all the strength of character that is required to take on what is quite a responsibility which is delivering an important message to people in many different states of mind.

My Extra Curricular Activity

I always try to make myself as useful as possible and jump in when required. I was happy to do the washing up. I do not regard any task as ‘menial’.  If it needs to be done then I do it for the universe and for the better good

As regards my own extra curricular activity, the only note of criticism is that as from the perspective of a gardener  I was not totally impressed by the untidy state of some of the grounds so, as I have a rule that I never criticize without offering to help, I just got on with it and spent an hour or so cutting back dead material.

First impressions count, and untidiness does not reflect well with some more aesthetically minded visitors.

Having said that it is very difficult to find volunteers. I found the garden area absolutely stunning and this was during the winter so I made a mental note on the spot to come back as a visitor during the growing season, feast my eyes, and do a little bit more voluntary work.

Activity Streams within the Friary

# first of all there are the monks who still function actively,
# there are the hostings and admin for the various groups of which we were one,
# there are those who wish to come individually and just meditate and escape from the madding crowd.
# There are also those who maintain the garden, volunteers, and the nearby cowsheds,

You could see it as an alternative community to the so-called civilized and advanced societies that we by default find  ourselves living in.

Could I live here?

I could take to this in a flash but I would like to feel that my privacy would be possible if I needed to escape. I have long given up the hope that I will resonate with most people. It may be my soul nature, or the experiences that have led me to see this world as different to what it is presented by the mainstream media, or simply my personality and soul origin.

I met someone who was from Pleiades. I am from Arcturus myself. Funny, I don’t expect most people to care.

That’s why sentient beings need each other so much

Other articles

5 Ways Mary Magdalene’s Encounter with the Risen Jesus Reveals the Power of Closeness with Christ. Another view on Mary M and Jesus – beautiful moving article