October 2024 Meditation Retreat
SHADOW & LIGHT 3-day Silent Retreat
meditation + yoga + self-inquiry
for going beyond delusion and division
Thursday, October 10 - Sunday, October 13
Pumpkin Hollow Retreat Center with Aaron Knowles Dias
3 nights stay at the beautiful 130-acre Pumpkin Hollow Retreat Center.
Aaron's personal retreat guidance from beginning to end.
3 nourishing vegetarian meals per day.
A free seat in the Shadow & Light Online Course for 22 days leading into retreat, and 22 days after ($65 value)
PRIVATE ROOM $1040 personal room or cabin
SHARED ROOM $820 with 1-3 other participants
A quiet community walk in the woods during the Fall 2022 retreat at Pumpkin Hollow Retreat Center.
2-Steps to REGISTER
1. FILL OUT REGISTRATION FORM
2. SEND PAYMENT
PAYMENT METHODS
Venmo: @aaron-dias
Zelle / CashApp / PayPal: aaron@forevermarvel.com
Check: Email me for mailing address.
Barter: Email and get it started with an offer!
Credit Cards: Credit cards are more expensive for you because I have to pass on a 6% processing fee. Not a cent of it lands in my pocket. 3% goes to your credit card company, 3% goes to my processing company, Stripe.
REFUND POLICY: Full refund available until September 10, 2024. After that I ask that you help me fill the spot before receiving a refund. No refunds in the 7 days prior to retreat.
SHADOW & LIGHT:
Beyond Delusion and Division
All living beings suffer from longing and hatred, for birth into the material realm begets the illusion of duality.
—Bhagavad Gita, Chapter VII, Verse 27
“Save me from my suffering.” Every humble human who has brought herself to the foot of some guru—or guide or elder or healer—has uttered some variation of this singular appeal. My guru, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, and countless other enlightenment teachers have responded thus: If you want to be saved, you will have to uproot the false beliefs that have been causing you suffering. They recommend starting by closely examining one particular false belief that all humans share commonly from birth: "dvandva-mohena," the illusion of duality. In this retreat, we will deeply explore this theme.
Meditation allows us to stop engaging with the illusion of duality. We sit still and practice relaxing our clinging to what we have labeled "good," and relaxing our resistance to what we have labeled "bad." That makes us available to experience what has been here all along, ever present and unchanging throughout every season and situation. It's an experience of oneness, samadhi in Sanskrit, and it offers access to a truer reality beyond, beneath, prior to, higher and whole-er than the illusion of duality.
I will offer teachings that demystify the core principles of non-dualism and elucidate famous passages from classical Eastern enlightenment texts, including the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching, and the Heart Sutras.. I will share daily inquiry prompts, inviting you to make sense of them in your own words and apply them to your own life. These are designed to help you pinpoint your personal root causes of suffering, untangle your false beliefs, and discover your authentic path toward your unique goals.
The context of silent retreat is ideal for doing this deep work and enjoying real results. It is an incredibly powerful act to step away from the outer world with all its noisy demands, and to live for a few days in the restorative beauty of nature, the steady simplicity of a group retreat schedule, and the deeply calming experience of outer and inner silence.
Check in with yourself. If you feel the call, consider joining us. As always, reach out with questions.
When you sign up for this retreat, you gain a FREE SEAT in the Shadow & Light Online Course, designed to provide an at-home preparation period before retreat, and and integration period afterwards. (Runs 9/17-11/5; $65 value.)
Shadow & Light Retreat Itinerary
THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER
4-6pm Check-in > Main Building Library
6:30pm Dinner > Dining Hall
7-7:30pm Pumpkin Hollow Orientation > Dining Hall
8-9pm Opening Talk & Circle / Hopes & Fears Inquiry > Meditation Center
9-10pm Yes & No Guided Meditation > Meditation Center
FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER
7am Coffee, tea and OJ
7:30am Sunrise Stillness
8am Breakfast
10am Guided Movement with Pam Ferner
12pm Authenticity & Performance Guided Meditation
12:30pm Lunch
4pm Sunset Stillness / Gifts & Challenges Talk
6:30pm Dinner
7:30pm Fire Ceremony > Campfire Grove
9pm Night Stillness
SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER
7am Coffee, tea and OJ
7:30am Sunrise Stillness
8am Breakfast
10am Guided Movement with Pam Ferner
12pm Harmony & Discord Guided Meditation
12:30pm Lunch
4pm Sunset Stillness / Truth & Delusion Inquiry
6:30pm Dinner
8pm Shadow & Light Talk
9pm Night Stillness
SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER
7am Coffee, tea and OJ in Dining Hall
7:30am Sunrise Stillness
8am Breakfast in Dining Hall
9am-10am Shadow & Light Ceremony
10am-12pm Closing Circle
12:30-2pm Lunch + Packing Out
ITINERARY NOTES