This month we have another exciting retreat coming up at Sky Meadow! Our very own caretaker Brendan will be co-leading the third Metamodern Spirituality Retreat.
But first things first — what is metamodernism, you ask? It’s too complex an idea to be neatly summed up in a paragraph, but I’ll do my best! Metamodernism is a cultural and intellectual paradigm that is developing after postmodernism. It aims to integrate insights from previous cultural codes (animist, traditional, modern, etc.), drawing heavily on complexity theory and emergentism. The hope is that by integrating insights (both constructive and cautionary) from other eras and paradigms of humankind, and insights from numerous fields of knowledge — all the way from the hard sciences to more philosophical and esoteric ways of knowing, and many other disciplines in between — novel answers can be synthesized that address the needs of our current cultural moment. Things like finding meaning in life, making sense of the world, and being an ethical person, in ways that make sense in a 21st-century, post-postmodern world.
…Still with me? 🙂 Like I said, it’s a nuanced topic, which is why a retreat that brings together many different folks who are all exploring these ideas from their own unique perspectives is pretty cool.
Layman Pascal will return to lead this year’s Metamodern Spirituality Retreat with an embodied theme: “breath work.” So of course, exploring or deepening meditative or breathwork practice will be a big focus of this retreat. Participants can also look forward to plenty of deep philosophical and metaphysical discussions, as always. A stacked lineup of special guests ensures there will be plenty of good stuff to talk about, pulling from and weaving together wisdom and insights from a diverse array of fields. This spring the retreat also features neuroscientist, complexity theorist, and author of The Romance of Reality Bobby Azarian, and author, meditation instructor, and professor Rick Repetti. Also returning after leading talks at previous retreats are professor of psychology and UTOK originator Gregg Henriques, and integral writer, scholar, and professor Bruce Alderman.
As usual, the Metamodern Spirituality Retreat will plug into all that Sky Meadow has to offer, with 115 acres of woods, gardens, comfy accommodations and cozy community spaces. (And of course, plenty of delicious food and friendly farm animals too!) Some retreatants will also come early for the extended retreat experience. This pre-retreat time focuses on working the land and connecting with others in a less formal setting. Plenty of cups of tea, morning back porch hangs and late-night cozy woodstove convos are sure to ensue.
Although this retreat is already full, there will be more Metamodern Spirituality Retreats to come! To learn more about Brendan’s work and stay tuned for details about future retreats, visit his website here.
