A 24-hour Virtual Retreat led by Master Sufi Teacher, Mark Silver
Friday, April 13, 2012
The other day someone asked me about how to move faster and have a bigger impact. The digital airwaves are full of how to do just that. Strategies to follow. Things to work on. Project lists that can’t be completed in ten lifetimes.
On top of it is the constant chatter of social media. Twitter. Facebook. Even your email inbox. Oy!
When You’re
- Wanting to move faster and have a bigger impact, or…
- Exhausted and stressed from trying to do it all yourself, or…
- Just overwhelmed by all the information, then…
It just might be time to put the brakes on.
Oops! Yes, the video mentions “the end of the year” and our last retreat “November 19.” Please forgive me. The essential message remains the same. Note to self: re-record the video.
The person who asked me about speed? I told him that speed can be dangerous. Small problems piled on top of too little wisdom can get out of control when you move too quickly. On the whole, we, as a people, have moved too quickly over the last century, leaving us in so many sticky situations. I doubt the situation you’re in calls for more speed.
Time to Return To Your Heart
The Sufis, those mystical lovers of the Divine, including Rumi and Hafiz, talk about the spiritual heart as a mirror of the Divine. You don’t want to fill it up, they say. You want to polish it to a smoothness that can reflect that Divine love most completely.
To do that Sufis use a combination of emptying and filling. Emptying out everything from the created world and filling the heart space with Divine love, leaving it sparkly clean and pure.
Taking a spiritual retreat is a powerful way to nourish yourself, rest into the compassion and love of the Infinite, and to clear your heart so you can access deeper wisdom and guidance.
However, there are challenges. Picking a place to go. Traveling to it. Clearing your schedule.
Let’s remove two of those three challenges by doing this virtually. February 17th. Clear your calendar.
Do I Have to Be a Sufi to Do This?
Oh no, beloved. All are welcome to this day of retreat. As a Sufi teacher leading a group call, I’ll be leading Sufi practices, because that’s what I know and have permission from my lineage to lead. I invite you to share in and enjoy practices from my tradition.
All participants are encouraged to use their own ways and practices of connecting with the Divine. If you find yourself not knowing what practices to do, or if you simply wish to try some Sufi practices, we’ll be providing explanations on how to do some of the exercises from my lineage.
Does Mark Know How to Lead a Retreat?
This is a fairly low-stress way of retreating, and is meant to be nourishing. Two things are true about my qualifications. The first is that I have done three years of training in spiritual healing in my lineage, and an additional two years of training in spiritual teaching. I have been named by my spiritual guide a “Muqaddam Murrabi,” which means that I am designated as a community leader and charged with supporting people in their spiritual walking.
Additionally, I am further pursuing intensive training with my Sufi teachers in a Masters of Divinity degree in Spiritual Ministry and Sufi Studies. This study includes preparing me to guide students in more in-depth, multi-day personal retreats.
This isn’t something I just dreamed up to do. I’ve been trained, prepared and given a lineage transmission from my guide to spiritually hold a group of people in this way.
I will be actively, prayerfully working with the group throughout the retreat, not just during the five calls, bringing healing prayers to both the group and individual names of participants as I’m guided.
What Happens In the Retreat?
The retreat is meant to combine the nourishment of seclusion and turning from the world with the power of group prayer and support for each other on our inner planes.
The day is intended to be spent mostly, or entirely, in silence, except for the group phone calls. No business work is to be done. Your time will be spent in contemplation, Remembrance, other spiritual practice, napping (yes, rest is an important part of retreating) and some moderate physical exercise, like gardening, or walking in nature.
The retreat begins April 13th at 5 a.m. Pacific Time and lasts 24 hours. I will be leading a total of five conference calls, three of which will be for group spiritual practice, and two for questions and guidance.
Is It Still Worth It If I Can’t be Available The Entire 24 Hours?
I get it, being completely on retreat for twenty-four hours can be tough, especially from home. I will tell you right now that I won’t be entirely in seclusion. I will be taking time during the day to be with my children.
Remember the intention is to turn away from the cares of the world. If you can only free up an hour or three for the retreat, and the rest of the time you’ll be working or otherwise engaged, it probably won’t be worth it.
On the other hand, if you have a doctor’s appointment, or some other appointment that simply can’t be rescheduled and it takes up a block of time, the retreat can still totally be nourishing for you. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to bring the energy of calm retreat into a meeting like that, and returning back to the retreat afterwards?
Here’s the Schedule (All Times Are Pacific):
5:00 a.m. Pacific Time: Spiritual Practice Call: I will lead a Sufi chanting and Remembrance practice for the group and will share Sufi spiritual teachings from my lineage.
10:00 a.m. Pacific Time: Guidance Call: It is customary during a Sufi spiritual retreat to have short periods for students to break silence and ask the teacher questions about spiritual practice or experiences. I will be taking questions and answering them in my best Sufi fashion.
1:00 p.m. Pacific Time Spiritual Practice: Again, I’ll be leading a Sufi chanting and Remembrance practice for the group.
3:00 p.m. Pacific Time: Guidance Call: Questions and insights to be shared from anything that has arisen for you from the day.
2 a.m. Saturday morning Pacific Time: Spiritual Practice: Rather than the previous Sufi chanting, this call will focus on a quieter Remembrance using the sacred Divine Qualities to enflame the heart with love.
Conference Calls on a Retreat? Isn’t That Weird?
Frankly, yes, it is a little strange. Ideally we’d be in a rural location far from electronics and phone, but to do this virtually, we have to make some compromises.
I’ve led virtual retreats for The Business Oasis over the last several years. Each time they’ve defined a special day, and the conference calls have been meaningful and profound for people.
Thankfully the conference service we use makes it all really personal. When you call in, I’ll be able to see your name pop up, so I can greet you by name and know you are there. You’ll be able to “raise your hand” if you have a question.
I’ve been doing spiritual work over the phone for years, including thousands of healings with individuals and hundreds of conference calls with groups. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised to see how effective a medium it can be for connection.
And What About That 2 a.m. Call? Really?
First thing I should say is that if you commit to the Virtual Retreat it’s about nourishing you. If getting up in the middle of the night is a hardship, let yourself miss that one call. Participating in the rest of the Virtual Retreat will still get you tremendous benefit.
I will also admit that I am a terrible Sufi in terms of getting up in the middle of the night. I like to go to bed before 10 p.m. and get up early. I’m just not a late night person.
However, the middle of the night, whatever time zone you are in, is a very special and holy time. The veils between the worlds are thinner, and if you take the time to notice, there is a gentleness, a purity, a holiness about that time of night. When I have been up, especially on a retreat, my heart has often had incredible experiences.
Plus, you don’t stay up until then. You go to sleep early, and then set an alarm or an intention to be woken for the call, and join us. And then go back to sleep afterwards. You may find that it’s incredible nourishing.
The Day after the Retreat
The practice of taking a retreat really cleans your heart. This means that much of the gunk of the world that covers and clogs you up will wash away. As a result, you might be left feeling tender, vulnerable, open.
Be gentle with yourself the next day. Don’t throw yourself into chaotic or overstimulating situations. Do easy, nourishing, fun things with people you care about.
Cost of the Retreat
For the Virtual Retreat and the two interviews we’re asking $75. We have limited spaces.
Ready to join us? Enroll below, you’ll be one of our retreat participants come April 13th, 2012.
The Virtual Retreat |
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One payment of $75 |