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In This Issue

Labyrinth Story

Work Weekend

Mindfulness Practice CenterRetreats

Audubon Society Birdwalk

Insight Meditation

Gurdjieff Movements

The Great Prayer Retreat

The Language of Gesture

Please Donate to HelpRestore the ClaymontMansion

Interested inBooking a Retreat?

Contact Amy Silver at:[email protected] call(304) 725-4437

Want to know more? visit:

claymontseminarsorclaymontsociety

The Claymont Society Schedule of Events

Late winter/early spring 2018

Aerial view of winter labyrinth: Photo credit Rob Young

The Story of the Oak Circle Labyrinth

Each month on the Full Moon, you can join us for alabyrinth walk at the Oak Circle on the Claymontproperty. Kit McGinnis began building the labyrinth aboutthree years ago near the site of the old meditation hut,which had been removed after falling into disrepair. Shewanted to build the labyrinth after some profoundexperiences in other labyrinths.

One experience inparticular occurred inColorado. Kit was there fora conference and havingdifficulty engaging with herwork, which was becomingincreasingly dissatisfying. On an early morning walk inthe beautiful landscape,she fell into despair andprayer, asking forguidance. At that moment,she happened unexpectedlyupon a seemingly

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abandoned labyrinth in the middle of a field. Whilewalking it she was filled with gratitude for being part of alarger collective of beings seeking deeper connection totheir presence on Earth. When she returned home toClaymont, she decided to begin building the Oak Circlelabyrinth in a place many know as sacred on the property.Her intention was that others would discover it in theirtime of spiritual need and return again and again to benourished.

The labyrinth startedout just with grassesshe pulled up in theOak Circle. She thencontinued building itwith branches andstones from theproperty. Now it alsoincludes stones,shells and other

natural objects from her travels around the country. Others have contributed to its building as well, bringingobjects for the altar in the center or stones and feathersfor its frame. It is a co-creative structure and pathwhich is constantly evolving and deepening, much likeour lives when we're paying attention.

If you'd like to join us for the Full Moon Labyrinth Walks,email [email protected] and she will add you to heremail list.

Upcoming Full Moon Labyrinth Walk March 1st, 5:00 pm

"Climbing Jacob's Ladder" with Joseph Naft April 6-8, 2018

Fourth Way Work Weekend

The Biblical Jacob's Ladder extends from earth to heavenwith movement in both directions. We can view climbingJacob's Ladder as our personal quest for spiritualtransformation. The Ladder reaches beyond the limits ofour vision, beyond our current range of experience. Ourquest brings us up against a ceiling that we may not evenrecognize as such, living as we do within the boundariesof our inner experience. This envelope of experience maybe a comfortable plateau, to which our inner work hasbrought us, a comfort that drains urgency from our quest.


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Yet we still hear the call of the deeper spirit.

This weekend, we will explore further, aiming to movebeyond that envelope, or at least see it for what it is, andbegin to understand how we might pass through it andwhy that matters.

The weekend will be facilitated by Joseph Naft. He is theauthor of www.innerfrontier.org and of six books, mostrecently The Way of Presence: Tools and Strategies. Hestudied with John Bennett at Sherborne, England in 1974. Activities for the weekend will include guided sittings andmeditations, movements, practical work, and innersharing. You are cordially invited to join us in our workand exploration. For more information visit the link below:Work Weekend - Jacobs Ladder

For registration contact: Amy Silver at at:[email protected].

Mindfulness Practice Center Retreat

CULTIVATING COMPASSION

A Weekend RetreatMarch 9 - 11, 2018

Compassion is the capacity to relieve suffering and lightensorrows. During this retreat, we will learn the art ofmindful breathing, mindful sitting, mindful walking inorder to touch the peace and happiness that are availablein the present moment. This peace and happiness willenable us to look and listen more deeply in order to


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develop compassion in our hearts. The ocean of tearscannot drown us if compassion is there. The atmosphereof the retreat will be one of quiet joy!

For more information visit the website:Â http://www.www.mpcf.org/retreats.htmlemail the retreat registrar: [email protected] or call 703-938-1377

Winter Bird Walk at the Claymont Society

PropertySunday, March 11, 2018

8:00 am - 11:30 pmTrip Leader: Joette Borzik

Enjoy some early spring birding with local birder andMaster Naturalist, Joette Borzik. The walk will take placeon the beautiful historic Claymont Society propertyoutside of Charles Town.

Please meet Joette at 8:00 am on the driveway to themansion where the wetland crosses the driveway and parkat the gate. The entrance is located at 667 Huyett Roadand is marked by a street sign that says "ClaymontMansion". This walk is free and open to anyone with aninterest, regardless of their birding skills. Children arewelcome when accompanied by an adult.

Species possible include residents such as Dark-eyedJunco, White-throated Sparrow, Brown Creeper andYellow-bellied Sapsucker. Waterfowl may be present inthe wetland, and raptors are often found soaring above. Registration is strongly encouraged. Dress accordingly forthe weather, bring water, and a snack if needed.


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The group will walk for approximately 3 miles, butindividuals may opt out at any time along the way. Thegroup will walk the North Woods loop where HermitThrushes may be found, if conditions warrant.

Binoculars will be available for loan if someone needsthem.

Please contact Joette Borzik at 240-440-4221or [email protected] with any questions you mayhave. For more information visit:potomacaudubon.org

Nurturing Self-Compassion Women'sRetreat

with Insight Meditation Teacher Shell FischerMar. 16-18

"This revolutionary act of treating ourselves tenderlycan begin to undo the aversive messages of a lifetime."

Tara Brach

The Buddha taught that you can search the entireuniverse for someone more deserving of your love andaffection than yourself, and you will not find that personanywhere.And yet so often for many of us, it seems much easier forus to offer our care, compassion, and even forgiveness toothers than to ourselves. We tend to beat ourselves up,or give ourselves an unnecessarily hard time for our"perfectly human" imperfections.

During this silent women's weekend retreat, we'll beexploring a variety of different ways that we can offermore of our love, care, and forgiveness to the person wespend the most time with - ourselves. In order to nurturea sense of stillness and deep listening, silence will bemaintained throughout the retreat, as we experience avariety of dharma talks, silent and guided meditations,and walking meditation on the grounds. Check-in will


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begin at 4 p.m. Friday, and the retreat will end at 3 p.m.Sunday.

For information and registration visit:mindfulvalley.com/retreats

Gurdjieff Movements Schedule for 2018

Movement classes are heldmonthly either in the GreatBarn or the Claymont Mansion. The cost is $20 cash perperson to pay our musician and teacher. There is anoptional time from 12 -1 pm prior to class for snacks, areading, a sitting or practice sessions. Anyone interested is warmly welcome to attend, andwe invite you to come. March 4, Sunday, 1-3 pm, BarnApril 7, Saturday, 1:30-3:30 pm, Barn, Work Weekend,"Climbing Jacobs Ladder"May 5, Saturday, 1-3pm, BarnJune - NO MovementsJuly 7, Saturday, 1-3 pm, Barn, Summer SeminarAugust 4, Saturday, 1-3pm, BarnSeptember 22, Saturday, 1- 3pm, Barn, Work WeekendOctober 21, Sunday, 1-3pm, BarnNovember 3, Saturday 1-3pm, Barn, Work Day, (AnnualGeneral Meeting AGM on Sunday at 9:15 am)December 9, Sunday, 1-3pm, Mansion "Movements are first of all for developing our ownpowers...They are a very powerful means of self-observation. They help us to co-ordinate our centres andtransform energies. Secondly, the movements are donefor the sake of others, that is, manifestation. They have amagnetic effect on people. Thirdly, the movements canbe done purely as an act of worship." J.G. Bennett, TheSevenfold Work.

Click here for PDF: Movements Schedule 2018

THE GREAT PRAYER RETREAT


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APRIL 25TH - MAY 2ND 2018With Jerry Toporovsky and Walter Goodwin A seven-day retreat, mostly in silence, as we work deeplywith The Great Prayer movement, Mindfulness Meditation and the Latifas. We will exploredeep-seated abiding prayer and the mystery of prayer invarying traditions. This retreat is for those with experience in the Work andMovements. If you are interested or have questions contact Bonnie Kutch, the registrar at: [email protected] http://gurdjieffbennettnyc.com

The Language of GestureA DuVersity event May 10-13th

This is an ambitious and pioneering attempt to encompassmultiple aspects of the meaning of dance and,specifically, the 'language of gesture'. Our compass willinclude the Movements of Gurdjieff as prime case studymaterial, but also many other kinds of dance and workwith the body. There will be an overview of dance,ancient and modern, east and west from, for example,the Odissi tradition of India to the hip-hop of America.Special attention will be paid to developments intwentieth century Europe, including various attempts tofind spirituality through dance.

Behind the various expositions and explorations we will bebearing in mind the bold statement by John Bennett thatgesture is the language of will.

The event will be facilitated by Deborah Rose Longo,well-known teacher of the Gurdjieff Movements, Elan Sicroff, pianist and interpreter of the music ofThomas de Hartmann, and Anthony Blake, Director ofResearch of the Duversity, and Molly Knight on the piano.

We have a number of advisors including: Wim van Dullemen, Joseph Azize, Margit Martinu andToddy Smyth, well-known exponents of the GurdjieffMovements.


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The Language of Gesture is the latest in a series ofseminars supported by the DuVersity that began in 2000with Systematics and Globalization. The last threeseminars were The Real Present Moment, Music, and TheDramatic Universe and Beyond. The series is dedicated todeveloping and applying the method of systematics,emphasizing progression in depth and unity in diversityand diversity in unity.

For more information and to register: pleasecontact: Matt Zenkowich - [email protected] here for the full flyer: The Language of Gesture

Please Donate to Help Restore theClaymont Mansion!

We continue to chip away at the restoration needs of ourbeloved Claymont Mansion and are again asking for yoursupport to help make it happen.

This Year's Project: The North PorticoWe've been fortunate toreceive another matchinggrant from the WV StateHistoric PreservationOffice. As a result, we needto raise $12,000 to matchthe cost of the porticorestoration, which totals$24,000. We've alreadypassed the halfway mark,raising more than $8,000 sofar. Please 'chip in' to helpus reach our goal!

DONATE HERE

Note from the editor: Your ideas and feedback are alwayswelcome! We would love to hear from you. To contribute to thenewsletter, please send pictures, Claymont articles, orcommunity announcements to: [email protected]


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