A One-Day Journey into Existential Ease – Silent Meditation Retreat

Silence is the soul’s oxygen, “the true friend who never betrays,” wrote Confucious, “the one and only voice of God,” according to Herman Melville. (19th century poet and writer)..

This is a one-day silent meditation retreat dedicated to relaxing into this depth of silence.

The goal of this immersive retreat day is to go beneath the surface self and into the depths of our core self. Beyond the mind, feelings, physical body, and the external world, and connect with the part of us that is aware of it all—infinitely still, peaceful, compassionate, loving, and intelligent – our divine essence.

Watch a 2 minute video of Willow talking about the retreat 🙂

Are you committed to living a spiritually guided life? Do you know that you want to live from a place of surrender, trust, and faith but are finding that your inner dialogue is getting in the way of this commitment and that you are suffering because of that?

Perhaps you recognise that you are reacting to and resisting “what is”—true reality—and are being pushed around by the preferences of your surface personality self. You have a sense that life IS organised, intelligent, and good, but you are still finding that you are judging yourself, others, and circumstances as wrong (and you know that you want to be more equanimous and respectful of the magnificence of life).

This retreat is for you and a small group of others like you!

We value warmth, kindness, welcoming, and humour at all Reverence Events; this will not be a cold, detached, non-duel event.

“I was motivated to come to the retreat after attending some of your other events, really enjoying the nurturing space and wanting to go deeper into my meditation practise which had become pretty stale. I’ve been going through a big shift in my life, trying to process some trauma and make sense of this life and it’s meaning and purpose…The retreat was definitely physically and mentally challenging (facing my own neuroses), but I found once I reached a deeper place this didn’t bother me in the same way. It’s given me a new motivation to commit deeper to my practice and let it penetrate my life in a deeper way. The day was so nurturing, well planned, and you could feel so much care and Love went into every aspect of the day…Not to mention again the quinoa salad 😉 Thanks Catherine & Willow for doing what you do, coming to your events has been instrumental for helping me feel safe, connected and process past pains to move forward from that” – Amy G

Who is your meditation retreat guide?

Willow Francis has understood the importance of a consistent, grounded, and practical meditation practise for the past 30 years. He has three decades of experience in mainstream healthcare, holistic health, and spiritual practice. For the past 5 years, he has been working deeply with a meditation approach sometimes referred to as “conscious contentment.” He has found that in all his years of experience living and teaching meditation, this has had the most profound impact on him spiritually—an impact that extends to both awakening and mystical experiences, as well as into his daily life. Becoming more stoic, less reactive, able to stay connected more consistently with his core values, and able to let go and follow life’s nudges with more ease. He has also experienced a drop in fearful striving and is able to rest more consistently in spiritual trust.

This approach draws directly on the works of respected spiritual guides such as Jeff Carreira, Ramana Maharshi, and Michael A. Singer.

“I was feeling like I was stuck in a rut. I felt I had almost put my spiritual life on hold, but that if I jumped into something that I was interested in, I would find the enthusiasm and excitement to make it my priority again. It’s like I needed a jump start. I know I’m always happiest when I’m pursuing this life, I just needed something to help me get back there. My only hesitation to coming along was being scared to come alone. I knew that I would love it once I was there.

Since the retreat, my life has changed substantially. I’m now committed to doing my daily meditation, and loving it. I don’t find it hard….. I actually look forward to this time. I feel I’m less judgemental and controlling, and just have so much more love for myself. I’m feeling very positive and grateful for my life. I struggled at first with commitment to my meditation, and believing I was good enough. That’s where I thank Willow and Catherine. In the past I have struggled with confidence.They both make me feel so welcome and safe, so I’m able to be more my true self, without feeling I’ll be judged. I feel good as soon as I’m in their presence. I find just being around them both carries positivity far beyond the time I’m physically in their presence. They are both very humble, and I love their open arms and acceptance to everyone. And of course, the deep wisdom they both have to share.” Lesley F

By connecting more consistently with the deeper self beyond the physical layers, we can live our lives with less suffering. Live in a kinder, more trusting, easeful, and liberated way. We can let go of the unhelpful enmeshment with our thoughts and personal misguided preferences and instead embrace the magnificent guiding presence of the divine, thereby co-creating a more loving, grateful, and mature humanity.

We look forward to sharing this sacred time with you.

The day will unfold with an introduction and 20 – to 35-minute meditation sessions. These will alternate between guided and silent session and are followed by short breaks for stretching or going to the toilet. There will be longer breaks for morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea, and a wrap-up time at the end.

Lunch, snacks, and Reverence Chocolate are all included.

“I had a fairly regular meditation practice and I wanted to up-level my practice and get enhanced benefits from the day. I was a little concerned about attending an event where I would have to interact with strangers, but I already trusted Willow and Catherine and took to leapt to book in. I loved the retreat and afterwards, I was more noticeably more grounded. It made me more committed to sitting for longer periods of time each day. It made me want to do more retreats! It increased my enjoyment of eating in silence even when surrounded by other people, since enjoying this silent experience with others, it seems like it’s accessible all the time! I love attending events with Catherine and Willow – they are natural, friendly, down-to-earth, caring and inspiring (for a start!). I highly recommend attending this retreat. ” Wymeng W

• Cancellation policy – Your place is refundable or transferrable (minus the PayPal processing fee if you paid by credit card) up until 1 week prior to the retreat.