Dear Friends of the POP-UP School,
As the calendar year comes to an end, (energy winding down for some of us, and just ramping up for others), I want to thank you for your participation and support, and let you know a bit about the live events that we have planned for 2024.
You can find the formal event website here
In these briefs I will share both my pre- thoughts around the events, as well as dispatch photos, videos, and reflections after each event, so everyone feels included. Which now gives me the idea of live-streaming from the event!
The retreats will be held at Sky Meadow. We chose Sky Meadow not only for its natural setting, organizational aethos, and health, well-being & sustainability approaches, but also because it is affiliated with Brendan Graham Dempsy who has been organizing retreats there for the Metamodern community and other groups who are interested in cultural change and emergent futures. We didn’t want our funds to go to just any for-profit organization, we wanted them to stay “within network” as much as possible.
The Retreat Series is titled “Cultivating Your Natural State”
I relate to this as both provocative and somewhat passé. It is intentionally as underwhelming, as the natural state itself. Why do I say this? Because for most of us, our basic, baseline dispositional state is a mess. We are too busy, too distracted, too worried — time becomes crunched and life becomes claustrophobic. We are being overwhelmed. There is a sort of vicious cycle to our lives, where just when we think we are maxxed out, the system gears up by taking on more. It’s a kind of entertainment that is like running a perpetual marathon. Legs keep moving and we don’t know how to stop.
Cultivating your natural state means breaking this pattern — breaking to a full stop. Breathe through your bones, and settle into the earth. Allow the original nature of your body to arise. Explore its contours, rhythmicity and awareness.
The Basic Schedule is not fixed
The mornings begin with natural movement “play” led by Aaron Cantor.
I love this bio of Aaron that I found somewhere on the web:
Son of Philip and Anne Cantor. Brother of Gabriel. Father of Bodhi and Jasper. Grew up in Japan and Brazil. Traveled the world pursuing enlightenment and self mastery. Yoga, meditation, martial arts, breathwork, bodywork, biohacking, dance, athletics...Got really good at somethings. Was really successful teaching and that evolved over 20 years into a body of work I called "primal pratice"... not sure what to call it now. My focus currently is 1) stories (mythic) 2) games (embodied) 3) practice (enacted intention) as portals into deep encounters with the Great Unknown (life, the universe and everything). Seems to me that "Play" is what we become when we enter the portals. I'm amazed and grateful to be embodied and em-worlded here with you.
We will be preparing Breakfast and Lunch as a community, in Sky Meadow’s full professional kitchen. Some of you will naturally gravitate toward helping out. Others will meander in the gardens & grounds, and there will some of us composing chants together.
After breakfast there will be a community plenary designed around collective insight practices. Starting with short 4-gestures practice to bring our bodies into a state of open awareness. Practices and themes for the retreat dates are:
June (practice): Recognizing Your Natural State
June (topic): Lyric CultureAugust (practice): Obtaining the Natural State
August (topic): Attending as an Ethical ArtOctober (practice): Abiding in the Natural State
October (theme): Wild Mind, Wild Earth & Wuwei
There will be plenty of time kept open for people to share their own practices or play in self-organized small groups. Self-organize in the kitchen for lunch preparation and share your favorite recipes and tips of the trade!
Afternoon is reserved for community offerings. Our community is full of people with special gifts and teaching to offer. Come to discover the greater value that is held in our community.
Dinner will be served by the staff at Sky Meadow, drawing on local farms and their own gardens.
Evening events will include chanting, music and dancing, campfire chats (real ones!) and excusions to imaginal and mystical places yet unfound.
I hope this brief gives you a sense of how we are holding the energy, the vibe and the intention. Mostly we want to be in relation, to deepen intimacy, and discover natural community in real life. Everything else — all the best laid plans — are optional!
In my next briefs I will write more about the special practices and themes of each retreat.
Got questions or comments?
Put them in the comments below.
Can’t go but want to show your gratitude and contribute to the retreat food fund?
Is there anyone going from the Toronto regional archipelago?
To get to the location (particularly for international peeps), does anyone know a best route or if there is a possibility of carpooling etc.? I'm still unsure if I'll attend but I thought I'd ask anyways.