Writing into the Paradox of Holding On and Letting Go

…All around the globe, in every season,
leaves hold and synthesize
whatever the day gives them.
On a day when the energy of the world
seems too much to hold,
let me bid my heart turn
like a leaf to the sun
and make sugar.
The way Rilke turned grief into sonnets.
The way Sibelius turned war into song.

Excerpt from A Different Holding Pattern, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

Autumn in the northern hemisphere is a time that naturally invites letting go. We watch nature settle into seasonal changes with a range of emotions, from joy as green turns to burnished gold, and melancholy as the days grow shorter. In many places, trees shed their leaves, and the cycle of return to the soil completes itself.

And yet, letting go is not always this straightforward or easy, is it? When do we need to hold on? What and whom do we need to keep close?

In this one-and-a-half-day retreat, we will nurture a trustworthy space to invite in an exploration of our relationship with this paradox. What happens when we deeply draw our attention to our surroundings, listen to our bodies and hearts, and look to nature as our teacher? How does it shift things for us? Through the Courage & Renewal approach and poetry writing and exploration, this offering invites you to connect with yourself and others—to slow down, reflect and notice, while experiencing poetry through the gateways of listening, creative writing, imagination, and shared exploration. With the discoveries we make, we can then appreciate—and capture in writing—the way in which we might be able to hold on and let go, all at once.

Writing into the Paradox of Holding On and Letting Go will be grounded in the Courage & Renewal® approach which you can learn more about in Parker J. Palmer’s book, A Hidden Wholeness. All are welcome.

Marcia Eames-Sheavly and poet-teacher-storyteller Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer will cofacilitate this unique mini-retreat experience.

Thursday’s workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Friday’s will run from 9 a.m to noon.