Reclaim the personal power that’s every human’s birthright by growing mindfulness habits, thereby liberating your finest qualities and decreasing obstacles to your best manifestations in the world. Together we explore receptive and active exercises, solo and in small groups, supplying useful tools for practice throughout the year in both daily and exceptional situations. Connect three times daily to hear teachings and play with creative visualization, movement, meditation, speech/writing and artistic exercises. Become empowered to unveil mindful ease via the different senses and various parts of the brain. Rediscover your strengths and develop your weaker areas. Cultivate a more balanced, holistic life full of the natural pleasures of relationships, work, humour and joy. For more details and registration information, please refer to the Hollyhock course page. Learn more about Hollyhock here. New on the Hollyhock website, our article "Spiritual Healing".

Are you longing for a greater sense of the mystical in your life? It awaits us, as part of the human birthright of awakening. This four-week retreat from December 19 addresses four stages of the mystical life, and may be attended in its entirety or for particular stages: 1) Building an Unassailable Spiritual Aspiration (Dec 20 – 26) Like any stable creation, our spiritual life needs to be built on a strong and sound foundation. During this stage we lay or strengthen the groundwork for the fundamentals of the spiritual life. Highlights include teachings and meditations on impermanence and the preciousness of this human birth, as well as cornerstones of spiritual aspiration such as generosity and others means of generating merit. 2) Abiding with the Divine (Dec 27 – Jan 2) Compassion and loving kindness are two of the indescribably precious “divine abidings,” where fully awakened beings spend all their time! We go in depth to craft our practice of building, maintaining and growing these prized assets, so that we spend more and more of our time there. This stage also reveals how we can continue to fertilize their growth while we go about our daily lives, a crucial component to the virtual monastery. 3) Catalyzing Growth Through Universal Archetypes (Jan 3- Jan 9) We all live by creating and sustaining images and appearances – we have to appear somehow! This stage examines a variety of historical archetypes of how we humans have modeled ourselves around the world and over […]

The Hero's Journey This popular retreat offers a powerful mythical journey experience. 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. Introducing the shadow What do we mean by ‘shadow’? Our shadow aspects are the unconscious patterns and views that affect our behavior, decisions and intentions to the extent that we’re not acting consciously for the benefit of ourselves or others. For most of us, the ego is locked in a continual struggle with the shadow: it determines whether we like or dislike people, situations and things, without realizing why or being conscious of our responses. In terms of lifetime patterns, we may be undermining our relationships, blocking our growth, and limiting our spiritual unfoldment and thus our ability to benefit others. Or: we can choose to take a look at what’s really going on under the surface. Negative emotions like anxiety and depression are rooted in the ego’s need to ‘object’-ify our experience. We attempt to cling to things. Since all things have an impermanent nature, this inevitably leads to struggle and dissatisfaction. Once we commit to the challenge to release the energy locked in there, imagine the fountain of energy that becomes available to us then! Enter the Hero In this retreat, support your inner hero or heroine to undertake a courageous journey through the archetypes. The aim: not to destroy the shadow, but […]

Probably the most important work to do in this lifetime in relationship to getting in contact with how you were made, shaped and formed… By doing the retreat you’re bringing that which was unconscious into the conscious mind - which is hugely important for your liberation.  -- Doug Duncan & Catherine Pawasarat All of our tendencies and potentialities come from the womb experience. It literally shapes and forms us - before we were conscious. The exercises and practices in this retreat will bring these patterns to consciousness, and only then can you be liberated from them. This retreat will be taught by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat at Clear Sky Meditation Center. The retreat will include individual and group exercises and meditations. It will be a challenging topic, suited to those looking for a liberating experience. Hear more about the retreat from teachers Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat: https://youtu.be/C7Z6B4-p_F8 What others have said about this retreat: Can you imagine what gems of insight await you? Course prerequisites:  Completion of the Online Course, A Year of Dharmic Astrology. Recommended reading: The Womb, Karma and Transcendence by Namgyal Rinpoche, available from Bodhi Publishing Image credit: Top image is a painting by Sonam Senge, from the cover of the book "The Womb Karma and Transcendence" by Namgyal Rinpoche.

Holistic Clearing - A Modern Liberative Practice Join this retreat to learn a simple and transformative four-step approach that has amazing power to free us from persistent and tenacious blocks. Holistic Clearing offers a supportive and fully liberating self-contained practice. It is an original creation by Namgyal Rinpoche, representing a new and unique stream in spiritual practices. In particular this meditation is designed to help us face and overcome paralysis, any sense of being “stuck.” This practice empowers us to become unstuck, to flow naturally and gracefully in sync with the energy of the universe that we call the awakened mind. The Holistic Clearing meditations are designed to purify, balance and strengthen our transcendent natures, the optimal manifestations of our being. Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat continue this lineage of authentic teachings. Let them skillfully guide you through this straightforward, insight-style program that empowers us to luxuriate in greater freedom and joy in our lives. Join this retreat for the valuable opportunity to help share these unique Namgyal teachings in the contemporary world. Course Outcomes •   Recognize, identify and build on the strengths and positives already in our lives. •   Use your strengths to support your growth in other areas. •   Learn how to move beyond our strengths, to develop our potential further and in more integrated ways. •   Recognize and clear elements of your persona that stand in the way of greater freedom and clarity. •   Identify and grow completely new areas of our own potential. •   Access more […]

We'd love to have you join us as we celebrate Clear Sky retreat center's tenth year running programs. We'll be celebrating the past efforts and contributions of our members, appreciating what we have now, and welcoming in the future. Ten years of learning together Friday, July 31st: Arrivals. Welcome, orientation, & dinner. Saturday, August 1st:  Clear Sky Annual General Meeting.  Anyone who has attended our past AGMs knows that learning together, fun and joy are paramount. The day of the AGM usually involves team frisbee in the morning, followed by highlights of the year and reports from board members after lunch and a celebration into the evening.       Sunday August 2nd: Kalachakra Wong Kur.  The teachers will offer a Kalachakra initiation in the profound, fun, and vibrant Tibetan tradition of empowerments.  The rest of the day will be dedicated to the Kalachakra practice.  Read more about Wong Kurs.     Monday, August 3rd: Meditation Platform Building and Group Activities The prototype has been built, sponsored and co-created by Catherine Sensei. It already has the paws up from Sultan, and we think you're sure to love them too.  To take this opportunity to sponsor a small meditation platform on the property. Find out more on the Clear Sky website.       Tuesday, August 4th: Activities with Evangelos & Maya Details coming soon. Wednesday, August 5th: Departure Day Why not continue your stay afterwards? Join the Tarot retreat led by Catherine and Doug Sensei, starting August 7th. Visit the […]

For most of us, the ego is locked in a life-and-death struggle with the shadow. We’re continually pulled back and forth between the excitement of exploration on one hand, and the fear of abandonment and rejection on the other. The Hero/ine undertakes the courageous journey to assimilate ego and shadow, tapping into inner, previously unknown gifts to triumph over lifelong challenges in the guise of opponents. 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. This program features teachings, exercises and guided meditations to shepherd us through the fearless, meditative and experiential path of the hero’s journey. Video: Hero's Journey Retreat For further insight and inspiration, read Doug and Catherine's recent article on Transforming Demons to Allies and Six Benefits of the Hero's Journey. What others say about our retreats Dāna This program on the hero's journey is offered on the basis of dāna, or generosity practice. Learn more about dāna. Location & Registration This program is presented at beautiful Hollyhock retreat center on Cortes Island in BC.  Please visit the Hero's Journey course page for registration, accommodation and meal fees at Hollyhock. There is a generous discount currently available for meals & accomodation.   Scholarships are also available: apply at Hollyhock's Scholarship Program.

For most of us, the ego is locked in a life-and-death struggle with the shadow. We’re continually pulled back and forth between the excitement of exploration on the one hand, and the fear of abandonment and rejection on the other. What is the ‘Hero’s Journey’? 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. https://youtu.be/GsYHR9sKIHc Kinmount Weekend Retreat Details This retreat will help you gain greater self-confidence and a deeper appreciation of everyday life by embarking on the Hero’s Journey. The weekend will include teachings, exercises and guided meditations to shepherd us through the fearless, meditative and experiential path of the Hero’s Journey. Location: Dharma Centre of Canada, Kinmount, ON Time: Fri 20th (evening) - Sun 22nd, November 2015 Cost: $400 (for food and accommodation), plus dana for the teacher The Dharma Centre of Canada can be reached at: [email protected] The Teacher Achariya Doug Duncan Sensei is a Canadian-born Dharma teacher. Known for his compassionate insight, remarkable sense of humor, and life-changing advice, Doug Sensei leads retreats and courses designed to guide individuals to attain their fullest potential as human beings. He has been teaching at centres around the world for more than 20 years and is the […]