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The Hero’s Journey – Interactive Retreat, Germany

September 18, 2022 - September 27, 2022

The Hero's Journey

Interactive Retreat Germany| Sept 18 - 27, 2022
This is a retreat on shadow integration, for transforming your inner demons into allies.   

This 10 day Retreat offers a powerful mythical journey experience that integrates Eastern & Western Traditions. Accepting the challenge of the Hero’s Journey will leave you with a healthier, strengthened ego – one more fully integrated with the ‘shadow’ and thus accessing more energy and less susceptible to stress. 

* See below for info on the Dharma Trip before and after the retreat.

OverviewRegistration

The Hero’s Journey Retreat

Hero's Journey
Heroes Journey Fool
The Hero’s Journey is the courageous path the hero/ine undertakes to assimilate ego and shadow, tapping into inner, previously unknown gifts to triumph over lifelong challenges. The results blossom as the harmonious union of light and dark that characterizes a truly healthy, integrated human being. Exquisitely humbled by the process, we offer all that we have learned to benefit all beings in our lives.

We are conditioned beings. In the process of our cultural conditioning, there is a lot of correction. Those parts of our being that don’t “fit” into the cultural conditioning get pushed into the shadow. In the Hero’s Journey, we first of all find and celebrate the positive aspects of our being, and then we reintroduce the shadow as an ally, to help us create a fuller and richer life.

When our shadow is well integrated, life gets so much more enjoyable, interesting and richer. There are challenges inherent to the process, which help us cultivate essential qualities like courage and compassion, for others and for ourself. And it can still be fun. In addition to teaching, we’ll undertake a variety of creative exercises, some are interactive and group-oriented, while others are more solo and about individual expression, through drawing, movement and theater. 

This retreat will include teachings, exercises and guided meditations to shepherd us through the fearless, meditative and experiential path of the Hero’s Journey.

Part of a Western Mystical Journey through 2022, 2023 and 2024

Qapel’s first retreat with his Teacher Namgyal Rinpoche was on the ‘Movement of the Mandala’, an embodied initiation into the Tarot’s archetypes. Together with Catherine Sensei, he would like to pass on an in-depth transmission of the Western teachings over the next three years.

  1. The Tree of Life weekend course, in August 2022 is an introduction to the essence of the Kabbalah, Tarot and Western mystical teachings.
  2. This Hero’s Journey retreat is an interactive Western style work on shadow integration, offered in Germany, September 18-27  2022.
  3. The primary four week online Tarot study course is scheduled for either February or May 2023. It will be an online deeper dive and study group into the archetypes of the universal spiritual journey, represented in the Tarot.
  4. The Movement of the Mandala retreat will be an experiential transmission of the Western Mysteries. It is the culminating teaching of this series and will be held in 2024. It will be an in-person only retreat. Participating in the February 2023 Tarot course is pre-requisite to attend.

 

In this video, Qapel and Sensei share about the next three years of teachings on the Western Mysteries.

Namgyal Rinpoche as Ananda Bodhi Bikkhu 1969 Dharma Centre of Canada

Namgyal Rinpoche, then Ananda Bodhi Bhikkhu in 1969 at the Dharma Centre of Canada

The Hero’s Journey

Universal principles of unfoldment

September 18-27, 2022

At Seminarhotel Seidenbuch, Lindenfels, Germany

Hero's Journey Germany

Why this Retreat?

  • We can do it – Greater self-confidence and resilience are natural byproducts of the Hero’s Journey
  • We can still enjoy life in the ‘ordinary’ world – Though we return from the journey different from when we left, our life is richer for it, and we have more good things to share with others.
  • Challenges are our practice ground – We gain a deeper appreciation that difficulties won’t go away. And on completion of our Hero’s Journey, we realize they weren’t as hard as we thought.
  • Change is beautiful – While our lives will surely change and inevitably some things and people will drop away, we’ll enjoy the company of others who enrich and beautify our lives.
  • I am not alone – Our relationships with people can finally become what we’ve been looking for.
  • Every day is an adventure – Life gets extremely interesting! Every day becomes something we look forward to, full of learning and exploration.
You are a super hero dharma karma yogi
Hero's Journey Germany

What Can I expect at this Retreat?

  • An open mind and heart and a spirit of adventure are excellent things to bring!
  • Receive daily teachings based on Eastern and Western traditions (tarot, theater, meditation, drawing, movement, astrology,…)
  • Become familiar with the archetypes.
  • Practice using meditation techniques for self-discovery.
  • Reveal and relate deeper patterns from within our being to the major archetypes.
  • Explore techniques in loosening patterns of thought and action.
  • Enjoy the benefits of 5-8 hours per day of meditative practice and exploration.
  • Enjoy the surroundings of the legendary Odenwald with its magical forest and mushrooms at this time of the year.
  • It’s human to have some apprehensions about doing something new, meeting new people, or going to a new place; particularly when all three happen together. Knowing this, we try to make our retreats as supportive as possible.

The Venue

Seminarhotel Seidenbuch in Lindenfels/Odw.

Legendary surroundings in a powerful landscape.

The venue is located in the heart of Germany, in the picturesque Odenwald. The hotel is open to all people who are interested in their inner work, personal and spiritual growth, problem solving, love and peace.

The venue is predominantly furnished with comfortable double rooms, usually with private sanitary facilities. It can accommodate 50 guests in 26 rooms and also offers dormitory spaces. Many rooms have balcony.

The menu has a basic vegetarian orientation. However, the chef is happy to serve you tasty homemade food in grandmother’s style.

Course Details

Dāna

This retreat is offered by Qapel and Sensei based on the ancient principle of dāna (generosity).

Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”, and is the traditional way in which Buddhist teachings are offered.  With dāna, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. You may have come across this in the form of “pay from the heart”. It’s our joy to offer this course, and we trust you’ll match our time, energy, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us.

You can offer “dāna” to the teachers after registration and or during the retreat. 

For more information on dāna click here.

Course Fees

The course fee covers the costs for the teachers travel expenses, room and lodging during their stay in Germany. Dāna is not included.

Regular price: € 699

Lodging

The prices for board and lodging range, depending on your preference of room, from  € 74 – € 94 per night.

How to register?

If this retreat catches your interest go ahead and save your spot. The admission is limited. To reserve your ticket you can make a downpayment of € 100 now and pay the remaining price according to the list above. 

Retreat Registration & Downpayment with Andrea: [email protected] or [email protected]

Registration for the hotel directly here

Dharma Trip

Traveling with the teachers in Europe

Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat
Dharma Trip 2022
Dharma Trip 2022
The Hero's Journey Retreat
Dharma Trip 2022
Ready for dharma on the road?

Qapel & Sensei are generously offering their students this fall to join
them for several dharma trips in Europe!
While spending time with the teachers in retreat is deeply transformative,
traveling with the Teachers is another kind of teaching. It is “teaching
on the road”: very practical, on the spot, unpredictable and liberating.

Are you up for this experience? You can join all or just some of the
amazing dharma trips that are planned. Check out the itinerary:

 

 

Sep 1-4 – Intensive permaculture workshop at the Krameterhof
(Austria) (Euro 610 per person). The Krameterhof was made famous by
Sepp Holzer, the permaculture farmer who was able to grow lemons on the
steep slopes of the Alps. This workshop is a fantastic exploration of
holistic gardening and farming. Find out more here:  

 

 

 

 

 

Sep 9 – A tour at Cern (Switzerland). This is the world’s foremost
particle physics laboratory. Cern is home to the largest Hadron Collider
and particle accelerator. Find out more here: 

 

 

 

Sep 18-27The Hero’s Journey retreat in Seidenbuch (Germany)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sep 30 – What’s inside your body? After the Hero’s Journey Retreat,
the Teachers will travel to the Berlin area. There we will visit the
Plastinarium in nearby Guben. The Plastinarium is an exhibition of the
real anatomy of humans and animals. Real bodies (donated to science), are
put through a a cutting edge plastination process. These educational
specimens are for the training of doctors and lay medical professionals.
Check out more here: Plastinarium

What are the costs?  The expenses you can count on are your accommodation, food, transportation and a contribution towards the teachers travel expenses.

If you are interested in any or all of the Dharma trips, please contact
Andrea asap for details. Only a limited number of participants
is possible.

Meet the Teachers

Catherine Pawasarat
Catherine Pawasarat
Doug Qapel Duncan
Doug Qapel Duncan

Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat are Dharma and meditation teachers who founded Clear Sky Meditation Center, BC, Canada.

Qapel (Achariya Doug Duncan) received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 1978, and is a lineage holder in that teaching. Known for his direct, humourous and compassionate engagement with students, Qapel embraces various traditions, contemporary psychology, and science, to mentor all beings to a more awakened state.

Catherine Pawasarat Sensei has trained daily with Qapel (Acariya Doug Duncan) since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life, Catherine Sensei also draws on generative living and the arts. With Qapel she is co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies.

What Do Previous Retreatants Say?

Jenai Lieu

These are ancient teachings that I feel are important to understand if someone is serious about meditation. I appreciate Qapel and Sensei’s unrelenting perseverance to teach about the roots and traditions of these life changing practices. They explore the rich history with us and also deliver the material in a very understandable and relevant way.

Jenai Lieu
Psychology student, Canada
Kira MacDuffee

Working with Qapel and Sensei at the five day hero’s journey workshop was deeply impactful and has clarified not only my deepest heart’s desire, but what I need to overcome to manifest it. They are extraordinary facilitators with a great depth of knowledge, wisdom and presence to share.

Kira MacDuffee
M.Ed / RCC
Dr. Duncan Cryle

Doing karma yoga, I watch how everyone gains new insights.  These many “a-ha moments” makes it clear to me that this type of active dharma training is a path that brings the modern spiritual explorer alive and moves them forward.

Dr. Duncan Cryle
Ph.D IBM executive, Clear Sky Accountability Officer
Evangelos Diavolitsis

Qapel and Sensei have consistently been honest, accurate and candid with me. It has sometimes taken me years to admit my self-sabotaging blind spots. Clear and radical self-honesty liberates my sticky parts. Thank you to my master teachers for helping me free up all the energy knots – especially the ones created from unconscious patterning around money, sex and power.

Evangelos Diavolitsis
Peter Ujlaki

Qapel and Sensei are always burning calories to get you back on a path that can lead toward greater self-awareness. When I am with these two very clear individuals, I am humbled by their dedication to others, and understand the every-waking-moment responsibility that comes with their calling.

Peter Ujlaki
Fine Art Dealer, Japan
Cara Conroy-Lau

Doug and Catherine teach the Vajrayana with great skill and means. Their ability to shift, weave and embrace each moment with diverse types of students is amazing. One of the jewels they teach and transmit is deity practice, or arising yoga. I have experienced many of their wongkur initiations and find them to be powerful and liberative experiences that also provide tools of great value in my day-to-day practice.

Cara Conroy-Lau

Details

Start:
September 18, 2022
End:
September 27, 2022
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