Gurdjieff Sacred Dances Retreat –
“Journey to Inaccessible places”
October 4th-8th and 8th-10th
what are the dances about?
The Sacred Dances are part of the body of work of the Armenian mystic, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff. The movements are a form of active meditation, requiring us to divide our attention between the 3 centers of body, heart, and mind. They are designed to progressively take us beyond these centers and access a deeper quality of our being : our Essence.
Each dance, combined with music composed specifically for this purpose, carries a specific frequency that resonates in the body, enhancing the process. They are ideally done in groups, and develop a sense of being part of a moving whole.They are at once simple and complex, capable of eliciting a wide range of emotional responses that allow us to see our own reactions.
The goal is not to “get the dances right”, but to observe our relationship to ourselves and others in the midst of challenge, making it a very intimate process towards lucidity and freedom. They support to anchor a sense of presence, stretch our muscle of divided attention, observe ourselves in challenging circumstances, and perhaps, through effort and grace, reach a place that cannot be described with words.
about gurdjieff's 4th way and the movements
about carol squire (facilitator)
Carol is an Entrepreneur, Strategist, Mentor and Transformational leader. A Transactional Analysis (TA) facilitator, Fourth Way teacher and co-founder of the International Akhaldans Fourth Way School, she is a woman, a mother, and a student–like all of us. She has been leading groups globally for 35 years and brings a vast and rich experience of developing leadership environments, facilitating executive management and organizational change and working with high-profile corporate leaders, non-profit organizations, groups, and individuals. Her passion is to transform individuals, teams, and organizations so that they return to a more objective state in which they can experience themselves more authentically, and the world anew. By helping leaders shed layers of fear, control, and fractured selves and replacing those with more harmonious ways of leading and being, tapping deeper into their true potential, Carol prepares us to operate from a place of creativity, spontaneity, playfulness and love.You can find out more about her work here:
about nimrod tom oren (space holder)
He is the founder of a Mata House, a conscious, ecological and expressive community in central Portugal. He does not claim to know, only hopes to guide others towards their own knowing. For him, life, freedom and compassion are Humanity’s true teachers, and he tries to follow them as best he can.
about mata house
Mata House aims to serve the community of Seekers, people who wish to understand themselves, and to help direct the world towards a better future. It wishes to establish a community around it, in its home village of Mata, and in the surrounding area.
The projet hosts retreats and courses, as well as volunteer programs, and possibilities to rent rooms, or the whole house for vacations or retreats.
matahouse.org
https://forms.gle/miv73HrvoWy7TzBy9
Mata House aims to serve the community of Seekers, people who wish to understand themselves, and to help direct the world towards a better future. It wishes to establish a community around it, in its home village of Mata, and in the surrounding area.
The projet hosts retreats and courses, as well as volunteer programs, and possibilities to rent rooms, or the whole house for vacations or retreats.
matahouse.org
https://forms.gle/miv73HrvoWy7TzBy9
food & accommodation
- 3 full meals per day, vegetarian with vegan options
- Stay in spacious shared rooms, with 2-4 people per room. For couples we might be able to provide a private room
- You can also sleep in your van or bring a tent to put in the land
dates & location
The retreat has two parts. It is possible to come to the part I, or for parts I+II.
- Part I: October 4th-8th, Saturday 4pm until Wednesday 3pm
- Part II: October 8th-10th, Wednesday 3pm until Friday 3pm
Mata House is located in a small village 10 minutes north of Torres Novas, Portugal.
- By car – Mata House is about an hour and 15 minutes’ drive from Lisbon Airport, or 2 hours from Porto.
- By bus – There are many buses coming to the area every day, either to Torres Novas, Fátima or Tomar. From Lisbon Oriente station it takes about an hour. See https://www.omio.com or other websites.
- By train – There are many trains from Lisbon Oriente station to Entroncamento, taking between 50 and 90 minutes. See cp.pt (Lisbon appears as “Lisboa”)
From these stations you can take a taxi. Torres Novas 10 minutes away. Tomar, Fatima or Entroncamento are 20-25 minutes. You can use Bolt or Uber, and we can help you find a taxi driver.
We will create a whatsapp group closer to the retreat date where you can rides-hare with other participants.
costs & registration
- 5 days: 700 euros
- 7 days: 850 euros
- 5 days : 850 euros
- 7 days : 1000 euros
email: mata.house.portugal@gmail.com
This retreat is limited to 16 participation, so we propose to register as early as possible.
“Come, Come Whoever You Are”
– Jalaluddin Rumi
Come, come whoever you are,
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving,
It doesn’t matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times.
Come, yet again, come, come.
