June 22 - Find Solitude at Lake Spofford

“YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!”
“You, of all people, won’t be able to manage it!”
“You? Spending a day being silent? What’s that all about?”

Caution: Telling your friends and family that you've signed up for the Silverdale Silent Retreat causes such merriment and disbelief. At the start of the retreat last year, people described the laughter they caused by admitting that this was where they were going.

“I remember the first time I signed up. Inside, it felt somehow “risky”, a challenging thing to do, and then there was the business of telling my spouse that this was what I was going to do. She managed to keep her reaction to a quiet smile. Solitude is such an all-too-rare experience for many.”

Spofford Lake is beautiful, serene, full of coves, wrapped in spirit. Your pulse will be slowed and steadied. Your heart opened further.

In fact, the mix of people who choose to spend a silent day on Spofford is very eclectic. It does not take us long to feel at ease with each other and if some have come apprehensively, others have come anticipating another special time. We are all “guests with quests”; here to lighten up, liven up, or just let go.

Going on retreat is an opportunity to connect more deeply with other people, our environment, and ourselves. A retreat encourages us to engage fully with the present moment and is therefore always a new experience. What takes people by surprise is the way that a silent retreat is a shared activity rather than total solitude. We are being silent together even when we are apart.

The retreat begins with a simple introduction to the house by the host, followed by nine and a half hours of (you guessed it) silent time. Think of this as “creative quietude.” Genuine creation comes when the resources of the subliminal self come into play. Our silence asks the conscious mind to get out of the way so we may experience the simplicity, suppleness, and freedom that flows through us, that feeds us, that graces us, and unites us.

We come together for meals, but engage individually in whatever activities bring us enjoy and weather permits. If anyone wants to read, sleep, reflect, be in solitude, pray, or write – it’s all OK. When we are being silent, we might be sitting outside, strolling the water’s edge, or floating on the raft. On a rainy day one might be found meditating, rocking on the porch, sitting on the swing, writing at the dining room table, or walking and getting wet. A sunny afternoon is when some choose to swim or relax in a tube in the lake, while others paint with watercolors under the oak tree.

Silent mealtime is an unexpected joy. Not only is there good food to eat, but there is an alertness to each other, which is not easily found at ordinary meals. Our choice of silence prevents us asking for the bread or the milk or the salt or the tomatoes. All you need do is look meaningfully and five or six other people are offering you their silent help. This way of dining is fun and emphasizes our togetherness. There’s music playing while we eat, so mealtimes are not awkward and serious, but relaxed, even filled with humor.

We come together for evening meal ending the silence as we give thanks. We’ll have some music at the completion of the retreat. As the day fades we light a fire on the beach (indoors if raining) and share the insights and delights of the day. There may be no better way to enrich us all. This is the opening for being in touch with our community, our Source, a Creator God, the Way.

A silent retreat may be new to you, but be assured a good number of those who have come once, wish to come again. Friends and family come to accept that being silent for a day has benefits they never dreamed of. Everyone benefits from "pattern breaking" in order to gain perspective and finding time to reconnect with the "ground of all being"

Next Steps
It’s time to reserve your place for the 2005 Silverdale Silent Retreat on June 22, 2005. We can accommodate no more than 15 people. Silverdale Silent Retreat begins at 8:00 am and ends at 8:00 pm. For your own pleasure, please bring your favorite beverages and snacks. There’s plenty of room in the fridge. $45 includes both meals; lunch is served at 12:30 pm (silent) and dinner at 5:30 pm (definitely not silent). FYI, Cell phones are best left in the car.

Confirm your place by sending full payment by June 14th. A full refund will be made if you cancel on or before June 18th. Make check payable to “Open Audience” and send to Erik Murphy, 287 Roxbury Street, Keene NH 03431.

Directions and questions:
E-Mail: erik@openaudience.com Phone: 603-762-1222

Enjoy today,
Erik

PS. Don’t leave your intentions “as silent as a midnight thought.”
Places get booked quite quickly, so act sooner rather than later and prepare yourself
for a day unlike any other!

The Four Agreements [don Miguel and don Jose Ruiz]

Everything we do is based on agreements we have made - agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible. One single agreement is not such a problem, but we have many agreements that come from fear, deplete our energy, and diminish our self-worth."

"In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible."
In this powerful book that has remained on The New York Times Bestseller List for over five years, don Miguel reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. When we are ready to change these agreements, there are four deceptively simple, yet powerful agreements that we can adopt as guiding principles. The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word :: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally :: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you wonít be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions :: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best :: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Original text > http://www.miguelruiz.com/teachings/fouragreements.html

Seven Transformations of Leadership [rooke & torbet]

Excerpted from David Rooke and William R. Torbert, “Seven Transformations of Leadership,” Harvard Business Review, April 2005, pp. 67-76.

"Probably what is most important about this article is that it is a breakthrough into the “popular” business press for a developmental perspective related to leadership. Their focus is on action logic of individuals related to leadership. There is good reason for this because, as the authors state, “…we’ve found that leaders who do undertake a voyage of personal understanding and development can transform not only their own capabilities but also those of their companies.”

The authors put forward their seven category set of ways of leading: opportunist, diplomat, expert, individualist, strategist and alchemist.

The first three account for 55% of the “leaders” in their surveys.
Achievers are 30%, Individualists 10%, Strategist 4 % and Alchemist 1%.

Opportunists generate distrust and tend not to remain managers for long. They seek to win any way they can. However, they can contribute importantly in emergencies and in sales.

Diplomats are loyal and tend to avoid conflict. They provide supportive glue in bringing people together. Experts are rational and efficient, but find collaboration challenging. They are best in the role of individual contributor.

Achievers challenge and support others in pursuit of objectives. They have difficulty thinking outside the box. Generally, they are effective action and goal-oriented managers. Individualists see their action logics and those of others more objectively. The tensions that are a result foster creativity. They are effective in venture and consultation roles.

Strategists lead change through attention to personal relationships, organizational relations, and national and international developments. Through mutual inquiry, vigilance and vulnerability they are transformational leaders.

Finally those rare individuals with Alchemist action logics are in continuous processes of discovery and renewal and have the capacity to think in terms of metasystems. They have high integrity and are charismatic. They can lead society-wide transformations.