Friday June 10th – Friday June 17th, 2016
EXPLORING WHAT IS ENLIVENING & SUPPORTIVE IN CONSCIOUSNESS
The Western Mysteries Tradition exists to help with living well in daily life.
Most of us seeking experiences in mindfulness, meditation or enlightenment turn to Eastern spiritual traditions. But what of our Western spiritual inheritance? In this one week meditation retreat we will explore classical archetypes like the Lovers, the Hermit and Justice and how they can nourish and strengthen our innate creativity, health and intelligence.
Great minds like Plato and Carl Jung taught on Archetype for a profound reason; archetypes nourish our humanity and help us understand what propels civilisation. These contemplations have been created as a doorway to vast understanding.
Contact Course Manager: Louise Mair at louisemair@hotmail.co.uk for more information or to register.
To register online here is the link to our form
Pre-registration is required as space is limited.
Many people have tarot cards sitting in their book shelves, but very few know about the esoteric, spiritual tradition that the Tarot has originated from. It is a complete path of enlightenment, one that has tremendous support for unfolding. It is a teaching that is filled with empowerment, joy, culture, playfulness, and ways of dealing with challenge. Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche taught the Western Mysteries throughout his life, and there are written records of his classes that have him teaching it in his thirties.
For this meditation retreat Mira will draw from Namgyal Rinpoche’s teachings on the Tarot, along with Paul Foster Case, Carl Jung and many other teachers of this rich understanding of how to thrive in the wholeness of life.
This retreat will be in noble silence other than class times, and teacher/student interviews. This is to help with being able to calm our chatty minds, and being able to deeply listen to our inner wisdom.
About Mira Riddiford: Mira is a meditation and mindfulness teacher with 20 years of experience. She’s based in Auckland and has been extensively trained through retreat work, study and apprenticeship in New Zealand, Canada, the States, Italy, India, Sikkim, Nepal and Thailand. She has two children, is a strong supporter of diversity, and is inclusive of people from all walks of life. www.mindfulnesseffect.org
Cost for the retreat:
Member: $476
Non member: $518
*Please consider becoming a Wangapeka member – here are the details.
Plus Dana (donation) to Mira for her teachings.
(These figures include accommodation, food and a nominal contribution towards Mira’s travel costs. They don’t include any dana / donation to Mira for the teachings she will impart. In accordance with tradition, this is left up to each individual to gift according to their own means).
About Dana or considered generosity.
Dana is often taken to simply mean donation or gift. Dana is a Buddhist teaching about generosity of spirit or the sharing of blessings, the aspiration to generate health and goodwill in all the cycles of giving and receiving; the transactions of daily life. In reflecting on the practice of dana one begins to understand the interdependence of life. Dana is a gift that supports the livelihood of the teacher and their family. In turn the teachings offered are to support you in meeting with life with wisdom and compassion. Each participant arrives at the amount of dana voluntarily. Teachers of the Dharma are supported by considered generosity. Following Buddhist tradition, Mira charges no fee for teaching. It is customary to offer dana at the beginning of the retreat (there is a traditional bowl for this in the main hall). Giving prior to the teaching supports the experience of openness and generosity.
Testimonial from the previous Western Mystery Retreat with Mira Riddiford at the Wangapeka:
“The Western Mysteries retreat was a highly supported environment for the exploration and meditation of the Tarot archetypes. Mira’s teaching was thought-provoking and gripping, that nurtured the various levels of meditators present. It was an incredible experience to explore the dharma from this colourful, creative and totally different perspective – with such a gifted, open-minded, modern, tuned-in teacher. I am only beginning to see the effects of the retreat, but am beyond grateful to have been there.” – N. Karneef
What are Archetypes?
The Archetypes that we worked with on this retreat are supportive and strengthening primal images that have been part of our consciousness for a very long time. They are present in our genetic memory.
The language of symbols speaks so directly because it works with the primordial within us. Symbols quickly get our attention, and go beyond the thinking mind, straight to the core of what makes life meaningful.
Archetypes are not a gimmick. They are part of how great minds learn to grow into what they need to be. Proper teachings on classical archetypes are empowering, educative, playful and positive. You might be surprised to learn how many well known actors, musicians and artists – along with intellectuals and business leaders – work with archetypes.
The archetypes in the Tarot provide a map for the growth and healing of consciousness, and is a pathway that has been taught for centuries. These archetypes are mapped in our nervous system, and we are able to experience them through meditations and contemplation on specific symbols and forms. The Egyptian, Greek and Roman empires at the peak of their civilisations, had cultures that worked very strongly with these principles. Retreats like this one are an opportunity to experience these qualities in a living, experiential, authentic yet relatable way.