Friday, 17 April. Workshops last ninety minutes and are presented twice to allow participants variety. (On the registration form, choose two and one alternative.)
F1. The Fullness of Life: How Dying Affects Our Living
‘Contemplate death if you would learn how to live’. Taking these words of the Stoic philosophers to heart, we will uncover (through philosophy, spirituality, and psychology) some of the widespread attitudes about death and dying across cultures. We will explore some of the unconscious processes that inhibit life from being lived to the full in the here and now.
Dilly Baker and Alison Thompson run ‘The Open Table,’ which offers training and consultancy in the areas of diversity, spirituality, and motivational training. Dilly is an Anglican priest, well-known retreat leader, and author. Alison is an experienced leader and mentor in private industry, in the public sector,
and in a range of church settings. 
F2. Aspects of Love
Being present is about connecting to others: loving. Unfortunately, our conventional society portrays love only in terms of romantic or sexual relationships. Other aspects of love will be explored. By extending the scope of our loving actions and activities, we’ll learn how to be truly present in the world in many, wonderful, ways.
Keith Beasley is a Reiki Master/Teacher and Life Guide.Until recently he ran a retreat house in Portugal and is now undertaking postgraduate research in "Transcending Thought" at Bangor University, Wales.
F3. Being Present to Our Celtic Spiritual Heritage
Music, poetry, storytelling, and meditation all combine in an exploration of the heritage and uniqueness of Celtic spirituality. Cath’s university thesis focused on the potential for generative conversation between neo-paganism and Christianity. An inclusive nature of Celtic spirituality will be highlighted in this reflective and experiential workshop.
Cath Connelly’s passion is Celtic spirituality. A spiritual director and gifted Celtic harpist, she is based in Melbourne, Australia.
F4. Spiritual Growth in the Jewish Tradition
In Judaism, there have been very different approaches to spiritual growth, both conceptual and methodological. We will look at short exemplary texts (English translations) from different periods and from different streams of Judaism and discuss their value for spiritual directees today. We will practise some helpful spiritual exercises from the Jewish tradition.
Dr. Hannah Nathans, BA, CMC, Zeist, Netherlands, founded HaMakor, Centre for Jewish Spirituality. She is a Jewish spiritual director and teaches worldwide Jewish Spirituality, Enneagram, and Kabbalah. 
F5. The Mystery of Healing Told by Five Fingers
Learn an ancient Chinese practice to integrate the practical with the spiritual by playing the “Healing Finger Game.” Find out how to be more present to and recognize feelings of loneliness, fear, anger, sadness, down-heartedness, and embrace them with the higher frequencies of love, protection, strength, comfort, joy.
Vivienne Rauber from Zürich, Switzerland, studied Catholic Theology and Psychology. She teaches Process Acupressure and “Therapy with Energy and Process” (TEP) to form “self-help teachers” in Europe and South America.
F6. Sensing the Holy: Touching the Earth, Singing the Word, Praying the Body
Philip Roderick will share some of the playful and profound ingredients that inform firstly, his love of nature as a vehicle for spiritual insight; secondly, his delight in the rhythm of life; thirdly, his simple but powerful recovery and development of body prayer from different spiritual traditions, ranging from Qi Gong to Judaism and Celtic Christian.
Philip Roderick is the founder director of The Quiet Garden Movement, the leader of Contemplative Fire, an Anglican priest, percussionist, educator and author of Beloved: Henry Nouwen in Conversation.
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F7. Poetry and Presence: The Door, the Window, and the Listening Ear
This creative writing workshop starts with attention to the natural world and explores the writing process itself as a spiritual discipline. You will encounter a few poets whose work exemplifies the creative process and write from your own encounter with natural objects. No previous creative writing experience needed.
Andrew Rudd, from Cheshire, England, is a published poet, university lecturer, and Lay Reader. He leads retreats, quiet days, and writing workshops, exploring poetry and spirituality.
Saturday, 18 April. Workshops last three hours and are presented once.
(On the registration form, choose one and one alternative.)
S1. Group Spiritual Direction: Community for Discernment
“Put quite simply, I would describe spiritual direction as an act of prayer.” We will explore the underpinnings of group spiritual direction as an act of prayer, and consider the fitness of the process for groups in varied settings, including gatherings of spiritual directors.
Rose Mary Dougherty, SSND lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She has offered spiritual direction for over thirty years. Currently she ministers to hospice care-givers and the dying. She is author of two books and a DVD on group spiritual direction.
S2. Discernment in the Public Arena
Our post-modern world badly needs discernment on public issues and in public places. We will explore how to adapt the principles of Ignatian discernment to all areas of life. It challenges us to play a discerning role even in settings that are far less than ideal. Through us, the Spirit can be heard in the public arena.
Brian Grogan SJ, PhD, former Director of the Dublin Jesuit Centre of Spirituality and Jesuit Novices and former President of Milltown Institute, Dublin, Ireland, is currently Associate Professor in Spirituality and author of five books.
S3. Being Present and the Process of Spiritual Growth
An essential characteristic of spiritual life in the Judaeo-Christian tradition is that it describes a biographical development, a spiritual growth. For that process “being present” is important, as an everyday exercise. We will share experiences from the spiritual tradition, discuss presence among participants and will close with a spiritual exercise.
Prof. Dr. Michael Plattig, OCarm, was born in 1960 in Fürth, Bayern, Germany. He is a Carmelite, Doctor of Theology, Doctor of Philosophy, and Director of the Institute for Spirituality in Münster.
S4. Being a Contemplative Spirit in a Hurried World
The spirituality of participants will be enhanced through the practice of contemplative practices that can restore our souls and open us to being present with the Divine. The writings of Thomas Merton and approaches to introducing groups to being still and knowing God will also be explored.
Rev. Rosalie Norman-McNaney serves as an interim minister in Rhode Island, USA and has written a curriculum Journeys for adults on "The Covenant" and spiritual disciplines.
S5. Standing on the Edge: Accompanying People on the Periphery of Religious and Spiritual Traditions
We will enhance the skills and spiritual lives of all religious traditions by including guided visualisation: what it feels like to stand on the edge; creating in words or pictures an experience of God; contemplative focusing on a found object, listening, and identifying responses which support spiritual direction.
Peter Varney is a spiritual accompanier and retreat leader. He is experienced in being on the edge as both a Quaker and an Anglican priest, an anthropologist in Borneo, and a counsellor in Britain.
S6. Finding Your Celtic Story - from the Labyrinth to the Land.
This workshop is an invitation to look at Christianity in Ireland not as conversion but as continuity of faith for thousands of years. Create a seven circle labyrinth as a team and make personal Brigid's crosses to use within the labyrinth. Claire Roche, with songs and harp, will add an ancient bardic tradition known as "deravid" to enhance this journey.
John Willmott was taught to read with a bible at five-years-old and, at six, made an ancient passage cairn his “den.” For over fifty years, his journey has been an exploration of stories, ritual, and sanctuary.