About Contemplation in Everyday Life

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Program Details

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What Will You Experience in Contemplation in Everyday Life?

• Tend and Expand Your Spirit – Explore more deeply how you experience and connect with God / the Holy / the Divine (or however you name the Sacred for yourself) in your life.
• Grow in Love and Compassion – Take quality time to nurture the love, compassion, and patience you bring to yourself and to others.
• Practice Contemplation – Learn how to slow down and regularly reflect to:
  • Notice the subtle and profound movements in your life.
  • Savor your everyday life experiences and spiritual moments with greater intention and mindfulness.
  • Respond to what invitations arise from within and outside yourself.
• Expand Your Horizons – Learn how to listen with openness and compassion to different spiritual experiences and perspectives about belief, faith, and religion and personal life journeys of the human spirit.
• Learn New Spiritual Practices – Open yourself to learning and experiencing a diverse and supportive array of contemplative spiritual practices from various traditions and spiritualities around the world.
• Build Community – Travel with fellow companions who are interested in engaging in an adult learning community of spiritual formation together.
• Experience Belonging – Join a diverse tribe of other seekers who share your personal quest to deepen their spiritual lives.
• Discover Your Truths – Uncover deeper truths about yourself from a more intentional focus and relational engagement with your own inner wisdom.
• Deepen Your Authentic Self – Gain clarity and insights about your spiritual beliefs and passions to live a more authentic and free life.

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Curriculum Highlights

• Learn how to bring contemplation alive in your daily life.
• Meet monthly with a mentor on staff to support and explore your ongoing learning experiences and challenges.
• Reflect on the Graced History of your life journey.
• Experience a weekend of Family Constellations* with Suzi Tucker (Year 2).
• Learn how to engage in group contemplative dialogue.
• Participate in a four-day silent directed retreat (Year 2).
• Contemplate the presence of God / the Holy / the Divine (or however you name the Sacred for yourself) in nature and the cosmos.
• Explore how marginalization, oppression, systemic racism/classism/sexism (and other “isms”) and trauma shape, impact, and transform our spiritual understandings and experiences of God / the Holy / the Divine (or however you name the Sacred for yourself).
  
  * Originally pioneered and curated by Bert Hellinger, Family Constellations is a self-growth and life guidance paradigm and living philosophy that unfolds through group experience. It is a systemic view that looks at our history and how we often carry aspects of that history without knowing it and make decisions based on the past rather than fully on the present into future.

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Program Schedule

All in-person sessions (in Sept./Oct./Nov. and March/April/May) will take place at General Butler State Resort Park in Carrollton, KY (1608 Hwy. 227, Carrollton, KY 41008). All winter sessions (in Dec./Jan./Feb.) will be virtual and take place online.

Year 1: Sept. 2024 – May 2025	Year 2: Sept. 2025 – May 2026
Session #1:  Friday, Sept. 6 (7:00 pm) – Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024 (2:00 pm) in person	Session #1:  Friday, Sept. 5 (7:00 pm) – Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 (2:00 pm) in person
Session #2:  Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024 – (9:30 am – 4:30 pm) in person	Session #2:  Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 – (9:30 am – 4:30 pm) in person
Session #3:  Saturday, Nov. 2 (9:30 am) – Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024 (12:30 pm) in person	Session #3:  Friday, Nov. 14 (7:00 pm) – Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 (2:00 pm) in person
Session #4:  Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 – (10:00 am – 3:00 pm online)	Session #4:  Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 – (10:00 am – 3:00 pm online)
Session #5:  Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 – (10:00 am – 3:00 pm online)	Session #5:  Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 – (10:00 am – 3:00 pm online)
Session #6:  Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 – (10:00 am – 3:00 pm online)	Session #6:  Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 – (10:00 am – 3:00 pm online)
Session #7:  Saturday, March 15 (9:30 am) – Sunday, March 16, 2025 (12:30 pm) in person	Session #7:  Thursday, March 19 (7:00 pm) – Sunday, March 22, 2026 (2:00 pm) in person
Session #8:  Saturday, April 5, 2025 – (9:30 am – 4:30 pm) in person	Session #8:  Saturday, April 18, 2026 – (9:30 am – 4:30 pm) in person
Session #9:  Friday, May 16 (7:00 pm) – Sunday, May 18, 2024 (2:00 pm) in person	Session #9:  Friday, May 15 (7:00 pm) – Sunday, May 17, 2026 (2:00 pm) in person

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What Happens After You Complete Contemplation in Everyday LIfe?

In the past, Sycamore Spirituality Center has offered its subsequent two-year program called The Art of Spiritual Direction for those individuals who are discerning a calling to the ministry of spiritual direction and are interested in being trained as spiritual directors after completing Contemplation in Everyday Life.

At this point in time, the Sycamore leadership team has not decided whether or not we will be offering this additional training. We will be discerning with our Contemplation in Everyday Life participants whether there is a strong desire within the group to continue with The Art of Spiritual Direction (which would take place from Sept. 2026 through May 2028, if offered).

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