Life Story: Following The Miraculous Red Thread
April 22-27, 2008 and September 23–28, 2008
 Our lives are our story, and our story is our life. Story is the narrative thread of our experience – not what literally happened, but what we make out of what happens, what we tell each other and what we remember. This narrative determines much of what we do with the time given us between the opening of the blank page the day we are born and the closing of the book then day we die. —Christina Baldwin
For over forty years I have been keeping a journal. For the most part, these chapters of my life just sit in a great mountain of dilapidated boxes. During the last several years I have returned to these journals pouring over the details of my life. The re-reading of my journals has been part of the process of writing my life story. A process I can only describe as miraculous. A process that has been at least as significant as any therapy or healing work I have ever done. Now I find myself inspired to re-create this experience for my students. I am not referring to the kind of writing that leads to publication (though for some it can certainly assist that process) but rather writing that leads to a profoundly creative understanding of yourself and your world.
In the process of writing about our life story hidden patterns emerge. Things begin to fit together not in a linear chronological fashion, but in a fluid mysterious way that is often astonishing. In writing about our life we see that important events are not contained by time and space, but rather they appear and disappear in a powerful dynamic tension that pulses at the very center of our existence. Said another way, our past is not really ever over and our future has been living in us for a very long time. Writing about our life from the vantage point of the present moment, past, present and future merge into that timeless dimension called our imagination. I am convinced that it is here in the infinite realm of the imagination that the deepest and most lasting healing takes place.
As we write our life story the imagination offers these gifts:
• The cosmic cause and effect at play in our life becomes clearer than ever. Hidden patterns are revealed and we make connections that give lasting meaning to our lives. The continuity of these patterns – the red thread – is breathtaking.
• We gain emotional clarity; regrets are given up, betrayals set right, unspoken repressed feelings and experiences released.
• Our suffering comes into proper perspective in the larger scheme of life and our pain no longer defines us.
• Beloveds who have died are vitally alive and greater intimacy and/or closure can occur. For some this written relationship is far more intimate than when the person was alive.
• We can live out our unlived dreams and though existing only on paper this is freeing.
• Our story and our behaviors become more congruent. This allows us to relax deeply into life because when our story and our actions are consistent we can trust ourselves and the world around us.
• We consciously contribute to the story of our lineage and leave a record for those who come after us. We also join all those who have followed the red thread of their story thus giving us an experience of belonging to something much larger than ourselves.
Your inner life, what you make of your story in the realm of your imagination, can be radically different than the outer details of your life. This is what makes writing about your life so liberating. No one can create your story except you. In following the red thread back into the labyrinth of your life you become the spiritual detective solving the mystery of your own existence; creating meaning out of your destiny.
Training Methods: Life Story: Following The Miraculous Red Thread
- Writing: In early October 2007 preparation for the April 22, 2008 Retreat will be assigned. You will be asked to keep a journal for the year from October 2007 to September 2008. Ideally you will journal several times a week. The overall focus for 2008 Retreats will be the story of the self. For those who wish to continue in 2009 (you only need to commit to 2008) the focus will be the larger story of your family. For each retreat I will carefully assign specific meditations, exercises and focuses that will guide your journal writing.
Exercises might include the following: what do I want to train myself to notice on a daily basis; what story within my story can save me; where are the places of greatest disorientation within the story of myself; what parts of myself have I abandoned and now need to reclaim; and what are the most profound repeated tensions within my story. You will be asked to work with artifacts such as photos, letters, scrapbooks, and journals that illuminate aspects of your story. In class there will periods of writing and telling your story as well as small group work where you are listening in council form to other people’s stories. No prior writing experience is required but a willingness and/or fondness for journaling is strongly suggested. I am defining journal writing as the ongoing practice of writing your life story. This story is told to the self, by the self, for the purpose of understanding both ourselves and our world.
- Silence, Meditation, and Prayer: Retreats will be held at the Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York where we experience a rare and abiding silence. Both meditation and writing are ultimately forms of radical presence, of fierce attention. Our periods of silence will cultivate the practice of paying attention as a gateway into the imagination where all the hidden marvels of our life story reside.
- The Arts and The Landscape: Spending time on the land and time immersed in poetry, drawing, music or dance cultivates the wild self. This wild self is intimate with the irrational, unafraid of the dark side of life, in love with the unknown, and most happy when engaged in the chaos of the creativity. It is our wild self who knows all the hidden secrets of our life story.
- Celebration and Guest Faculty: Saturday nights will be reserved for dancing and celebration with a variety of guest musicians performing. Guest faculty will work with you around themes of your life story.
Registration Information
Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, New York
Meets two times:
April 22–27, 2008 and September 23–28, 2008
Location:
The training will be held at The Guesthouse at Holy Cross Monastery, in West Park, New York. Holy Cross is a place of great beauty and serenity perched on 26 acres overlooking the Hudson River. Surrounded outside by meadows, woods, and walks along the river, and inside with quiet nooks for reading and the monk's warm and inviting hospitality, the Monastery's Guesthouse is perfectly conducive to this kind of spiritual growth training. There is an especially beautiful chapel for our periods of silence and meditation. The food at the Monastery is delicious and nutritious. Both training sessions begin with 6:00 pm dinner on Tuesday evening and end with lunch on Sunday. For those traveling outside the Northeast, Holy Cross is easily reached by plane, train or bus. Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York is the closest airport.
Interview Requirement:
A short interview with Gail Straub is required before registering for this program. This is an opportunity to ask Gail questions and for her to ensure that the program fits your needs. For an interview email Gail at gstraub@empowermenttraining.com.
Registration:
All registration is submitted by an e-mail form. If you are interested in registering, e-mail laura@empowermenttraining.com and she will e-mail you the form. These retreats fill quickly and early registration is highly encouraged.
Tuition:
$2,200: Includes both training sessions as well as room and board at Holy Cross. Most rooms in the Monastery’s Guesthouse are singles, and some are shared with a roommate. Bathrooms are dormitory style.
Cancellation Policy:
No refunds are given after the first payment in October 2007 unless there are medical or health-related circumstances.
What are people saying about Grace?
"The Grace Training has been a holy, sometimes hilarious, adventure. It has traversed sacred landscape–deep stillness, challenging inquiry, the wildness and nourishment of the land. In this training where we have practiced compassion for the world, I have been startled to discover–instead of compulsive do-goodism–compassion for myself. Thank you Gail for creating this holy adventure, and for refusing to be put on a pedestal. "
– Judith Brown, mother, wife, co-founder Brown Goldsmiths
" We’ve all been to ‘quick fix’ weekend workshops where we feel good but lose it all on Monday morning. Here is real training for very profound spiritual development that builds over the course of a year–and continues building as your spiritual skills deepen. It has dramatically enhanced the way I think about myself, my place in the world, and how I treat others. The Grace Training is a gift of love to yourself, your family, and your community."
– Chuck Honnet, husband, father, business executive
"The Grace Training has changed my life in more ways than I can count. What is most significant is that it has deepen my commitment to the sacred and helped me understand the necessity of balancing self-care and service to the world. I have felt immense joy in learning this in the context of a loving and supportive community."
– Diane Brown, executive director, Southern Tier AIDS Program
"The Grace Training has had a profound impact on all aspects of my life. I have deepened my spiritual practice and I am far more present in my work as an activist. And most important I am finally gaining a healthy balance between my work and my need to care for myself."
– Sonya Shoptaugh, educational consultant
"Attending the Grace Training has brought grace to my life. Gail Straub is one of the most gifted facilitators anywhere. The four basic areas of the Grace Training have allowed me to experience the deeper mystical qualities of my life and brought me great joy. I would recommend this training to anyone who feels they are missing something in their life."
– Maynard Luterman, physician, poet
"This training is not for everyone. But if you long to surrender into the fullness of your life, if you dare to embrace all of life’s experiences and trust that you are held by the grace of God–you’ll feel at home in this community of seekers. And you’ll be rewarded with a rare sense of connection with yourself and the world."
– Aliana Apodaca, community leader, trainer, business owner
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