A few times throughout the year we gather over the course of four or five days to bring ourselves under the conditions of on-the-ground group work. A great teacher once said, "I have coffee? There is a God! No coffee? No God." Or in this context, if I'm left alone I'm a saint, but faced with others, my inner equanimity can go out the window. These weekends are a safe container for intentionally addressing the disconnect between spiritual work and real life. 

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A typical day begins with a morning meeting where we set a theme for the day and have a contemplative exercise. We spend the bulk of the morning doing manual projects on the property and introduce a series of disciplines for maintaining presence. After lunch and rest period, the afternoons alternate between teachings, small group discussion and working with sacred movement and gesture. As is always the case with Parallel events, all participants are responsible for pulling off the event itself, from making beds to preparing meals.