September 9 – 12, 2019
Mohonk Preserve, NY
A Retreat on Recognizing the Influence of Grace, Holy Guidance and Mystical Truth in Your Life
Rather than offer you an ordinary description of this workshop, I am sharing a story from my own life that inspired me to offer a seminar on this rich body of knowledge. This story is about an incident of theft that took place in my life years ago while renovating my home. The details of the theft are not important. What is important is what I learned about the power of grace because of that experience. Having realized that I was “ripped off” by this person, I took the position of, “How dare he? I have never stolen a thing from anyone, etc. etc.”
I made the assumption that because I was more academically educated than him, I could crush him in an argument, ultimately getting him to admit his crime. When the time came for that encounter, he looked down at me (he is 6’ 7”) and smirked, shrugged his shoulders, and walked away. He never even said a word. I was beyond enraged. I was defeated but worse than that, humiliated. My brilliant mind had lost the battle.
I knew I had to see him one more time but between that meeting and my great defeat, I had to teach at a conference. The late, but still very great mystic and writer, John O’Donohue, was also speaking at that conference. Over the years, we had become dear friends. After dinner one evening, I turned to him in his role as a Spiritual Director, and described my dilemma, my self-righteous rage, and my inability to hold my center in the presence of this man who was so openly a thief.
John looked at me and said, “Ah, girl, your soul is too fragile, too proud to handle that kind of evil. Now I’m not saying that man is evil, but he is in league with evil and that evil is staring you in the face when you stare at him. Evil defeats arrogance every time. Evil counts on human arrogance. Grace defeats evil and humility. Evil cannot penetrate humility. It has nothing to grab on to in you. You need to pray for hours to build up a wall of grace around you and put your pride to sleep. You need the grace of Humility. If you are not protected by that, evil will poison you again. This experience is about the theft of your soul, not money. Learn from this. You can always replace money. But getting your soul back can take a lifetime.”
I felt the power of that Truth in every cell tissue in my body. That teaching became one of the great jewels of my soul that lights up and shines ever so brightly exactly when I need it.
I have shared that story and that jewel so many times. John was right. That experience never stopped me from working again and it did not prevent me from moving into my home. But had I decided to pursue evil out of self-righteousness and arrogance, I would have chased that phantom for who knows how long – one court battle after another. And to what end?
Instead I chose prayer and grace – and I have to admit that I needed to pray a great deal in those early days. But I loved, loved, loved that sensation of anger dissipating, of not wanting to pursue that man, and of eventually not caring at all because of gaining wisdom and a jewel that has illuminated me more times than I can count.
The Great Jewels of the Soul
There are so many great jewels that are truly lights in your soul. They illuminate your way during rigorous challenges or even smaller ones. They shine light upon hidden wisdom in your soul, in your memories, in your life experiences that could be drawn upon at certain times. Our life is nothing but an accumulation of experiences that are constantly being reviewed, polished, and offered for fresh viewing by our soul. Nothing ever stands still – not even our past.
In this workshop, I will assist you in finding jewels from your own life. Some you already recognize. Others you need to refine; that is, every wound is a potential jewel. Choice and effort are required to convert wounds to jewels. Many have to become semi-precious gems first, but even that transformation is a major accomplishment.
And then there are mystical jewels – eternal Truths that the soul is born knowing. We recognize these Truths when we come upon them in life. Sometimes we read them in sacred literature or sometimes we hear someone say something profound or offer a well-known quote that just rings true – (What goes around, comes around.)
Eternal jewels hold the power to change our lives, to inspire us, to lift us up, to help us heal, and to help us to love, forgive, and love some more.
Some jewels we share:
- Your Soul Always Seeks Balance
- You Will Change Everything About You: Change is Constant
- Every choice either makes us better or bitter
A Retreat Format and Setting
Jewels are powerful inner lights. My experience is that we often need time to let the light of a jewel absorb into us. I know that to be true from my own experience. Every jewel that you discover will change you – and that changes your life. CMED found the ideal setting in which to offer a workshop/retreat. MoHonk Mountain House, surrounded by 40,000 acres of Hudson Valley Forest, is perfect. We have the opportunity to utilize the glorious outdoors for reflection time as well as the pleasure of sharing meal time together in an atmosphere supportive of inner work.
I hope you will join me for this rich retreat experience. I love teaching experiences that allow me to blend mystical spirituality, spiritual direction, and healing guidance.
Love,
Caroline
Itinerary
Day 1 – Monday, September 9
3:30 p.m. – Check in begins
5:30 p.m. – Welcome message from Caroline
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
Day 2 – Tuesday, September 10
7:30 – 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast
9:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Workshop
6:00 p.m – Dinner
Day 3 – Wednesday, September 11
7:30 – 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast
9:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Workshop
6:00 p.m – Dinner
Day 4 – Thursday, September 12
7:30 – 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Workshop
12:30 p.m. – Lunch and check out
Resort information:
mohonk.com
Founded by the Smiley Family in 1869, our Victorian castle resort is nestled in the Hudson Valley, only 90 miles north of New York City. Surrounded by 40,000 acres of pristine forest, our National Historic Landmark resort offers farm-to-table cuisine and an award-winning spa.
Frequently Asked Questions
I live nearby – is it possible to attend this workshop without staying at the resort?
The venue where this workshop is being held has limited capacity and we only have enough space for people who are staying at the resort. For this reason, we are unable to offer other options for attendance.
Is there any certification or Continuing Education credit offered with this workshop?
While our workshops can benefit and enhance your professional practice, we do not offer any certification or CE credit.
Do you offer any scholarships or discounts in exchange for work?
We are not equipped to evaluate students for aptitude and/or financial need equitably – therefore we are unable to offer scholarships. Our workshops are professionally staffed so we do not offer discounts in exchange for service.
