HERE IS A SAMPLE OF SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT JAKE OFFERS:
Wisdom of The Way: A Multi-Faith Pilgrimage to The Beloved
Utilizing the teachings of various contemplatives and mystics from Christianity, Islam (Sufism), Zen, and Vedanta, this retreat will provide seekers with a deeper understanding of how although these teachings are not all the same, they can deeply interweave into a well-founded basket that holds spiritual wisdom while leaving the cultural and institutional trappings behind. For The Beloved cannot be claimed by any one religion or spiritual system----but intimately resides in us All.
Place and Thomas Merton/Creating a “Poustinia” Within Us
The first part of this retreat takes a deep dive into the physical, psychological, primal, and familial “places” that came together to create Thomas’s Merton’s journey to entering Gethsemane Abbey. During this foray into Merton’s early life, retreatants will also contemplate their own physical, psychological, primal and familial places and their impact on their spiritual lives.
The second part of this retreat utilizes work from Catherine de Hueck Doherty (whom Merton called the Baroness in his seminal book The Seven Storey Mountain). Due to her Russian upbringing, the “Poustinia”, a humble, silent place for prayer, was of great spiritual importance to Catherine. We will learn about the practice of being a Poustinik, create our own rudimentary Poustinias, and engage with the interior discipline and spiritual commitment needed for this practice.
When the Margins Call: Living Radical Love and Trust into the World
For 20+ years Jake has walked the streets of destitute and impoverished urban areas offering Care Bags, sandwiches, warm clothing items, pastoral care, and spiritual accompaniment for our homeless brothers and sisters. In particular, he and his wife, Jess, co-founded “Feed The Way”, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. “Feed The Way” teaches and models that in the Oneness of God there are no “others” just long-lost sisters and brothers waiting to meet and re-connect on their journeys Home.
Autumn’s Alchemy, and the Transformational Teachings of Karlfried Graf Dürckheim
Harmonizing the organic ambience and spiritual metaphors of autumn with the transformational teachings of mystic and founder of the Center for Initiatory Psychotherapy, Karlfried Graf Dürckheim, we will look deeply into the stuck patterns of our superficial self and the freedom/wholeness of our Essential Being. This holistic autumnal journey teaches us to let go and fall onto the Divine Ground within and all around us (like the deciduous leaves do during autumn).
I Love Thee Well: A Contemplative Journey into The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita or "Song of God" is one of the most beloved sacred books in the Hindu tradition (and for spiritual seekers in general). Using two different translations, we will enter the battlefield of Kurukshetra where Lord Krishna and Arjuna stand within a chariot in the middle of an impending war. Yet what emerges is a spiritual masterpiece of poetic storytelling, mystical verse, practical advice and timeless wisdom. We will also make ongoing comparisons/contrasts of verses and teachings from The Bhagavad Gita with The Gospels.
Focusing on Henri Nouwen: Cultivating Solitude and Community
This retreat will utilize various books and sermons by Henri Nouwen, including his relatively unknown little book, Clowning in Rome, to help guide us into a deeper understanding of how we can cultivate a balance between solitude and community. Actually, solitude and community are inseparable to the health and understanding of people who live in community as well as every person’s spiritual journey.
Tasting the Wine of the Beloved: Rumi, Hafiz, Kabir and other Mystical Poets
Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir are three widely renowned mystical poets, yet their poetic lines and mystical metaphors can puzzle Western minds. We will delve deeply into the mystical messages of Love and Oneness blossoming within the verses of these three beloved spiritual gems.
Focusing on Thomas Merton: Living the Contemplative Life
Thomas Merton is one of the most famous and influential Christian writers who ever lived. In this retreat we will study the spiritual evolution of his life, which includes excerpts from several of his books and documentaries on his life. We will see what we can learn from his early nomadic life, to his years as a Trappist monk, to his questions on monasticism and community, his studies in Zen, and his final trip to the East. Through his journey---we will inquire into the nature of our own.
The Power of Place
This retreat explores how our total environment affects the depth and quality of our lives. We will look into where attendees have lived and traveled to, their hometowns, where they live now, and how their specific dwelling, local neighborhood, and greater town/city all contribute to who they are and what they are experiencing at this time in their lives. Attendees will never look at place the same again.
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
This series of classes journeys along with John Steinbeck and his French Poodle, Charley, as they travel across America together during 1960-1961. This circuitous and reflective journey enables readers to deeply engage with the concepts of community, roots, regionalism, nostalgia, nomadic living, and home within the American landscape. This book still holds up a deeply relevant and questioning lens to American society and values more than 60 years after its conception.
The Way: An Introduction to the Flowing Teachings of the Tao Te Ching
This is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism written by Lao Tzu, which strongly influenced other schools such as Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters and gardeners have used the flowing poetic lines of the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. In this class we will look at key passages and lessons in order to see how this knowledge can be applied to our daily lives. We will also look at similarities between the teachings of the Tao Te Ching and Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels.
The Music of Place
Music is the universal language. Yet, it is born in specific locations. This class will contemplate where various forms and styles of music were created and took shape before being shared with the rest of the world through concerts, recordings, and technology. We will see how landscape, culture, community, and spirituality contribute to the music of place---we will also listen to some wonderful music.
The Spiritual Vision of Kahlil Gibran
This class will introduce students to the spiritual literature of the famous Lebanese writer and poet, Kahlil Gibran. He is most well known for his influential book, The Prophet, yet Gibran wrote many other books that delve into the depths of spiritual wisdom and his own unique take on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. His inability to return to his homeland of Lebanon greatly affected his philosophy and writings.
Joseph Campbell: Utilizing the Transformational Properties of Myth
This retreat takes a deep dive into Joseph Campbell’s pioneering studies and teachings on the mythology of different cultures, religions, and spiritual systems. Integrating the archetypal aspects of these myths into our daily lives can transform the depth of our selves and ultimately our communities.
Great Guides of the Beloved: Female Mystics and Spiritual Teachers
We live in a world that has been and continues to be dominated by male religious figures and hierarchies as well as masculine ideas of the divine. This retreat will introduce guests to the works and teachings of several female mystics and spiritual guides from various faith traditions. It will also provide retreatants with feminine archetypes of the divine and create an open space for people to break free from the bondage of their conditionings with regard to what they have been taught to believe about religion and "God". For as the great Christian mystic Meister Eckhart stated, "The Ultimate and Highest leave taking is leaving God for GOD, leaving your notion of God for an Experience of That which transcends all notions."
Spiritual Formation in the High Desert
This retreat utilizes both the desert landscape and desert mythology as tools to go deeper into our own spiritual journeys. There will be Native American, Christian, and Sufi teachings, poetry, and mythology utilized in our journey together. We will also consciously open ourselves to the sacred dimension and healing energies of the desert, as we journey deeper into our spiritual paths.
Sacred Gardening: Yielding to the Call of the Land
Jake spent two years developing a sustainable organic garden/orchard for a family on Cortes Island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. This entertaining and enlightening program is a combination of both visuals (photographs that document the creation and evolution of that garden/orchard and the community that developed through it) and a talk about how to start listening to and tending the land in a bio-dynamic way no matter where we live.
Jack Kerouac and The Beat Generation
Jack Kerouac was an influential American writer who was part of a group of writers, artists, and musicians who became known as The Beat Generation. There are many stories, legends, opinions, attitudes and theories about The Beat Generation, yet the best way to try to gain an understanding of what they were trying to accomplish with their literary, artistic, music, and spiritual experimentation during the 1950's and 60's is to delve deeply into their work and contemplate it.