The Restory Retreat Centre

Forward and Backward Conversation The Conversation Elements From The Conversation Music Your ancesters and those who will follow will be proud of you. For different and similar reasons. With great love and gratitude that we can be part of each other's stories.  George & Matilda

Spirituality In Conversation With Einstein The Conversation Elements From The Conversation Music Originally sung by Coldplay, this song is actually about a lover who tries to be a scientist in his efforts to determine why a relationship just isn't working. Even the greatest scientists have not yet been able to come up with a formula for that aspect of being human. And a side note: Einstein's own love life was also complex. In 2017, on our way to a Living School symposium in Albuquerque in the USA, we ran into Einstein at the airport in Frankfurt. With our love. Which also travels at the speed of light. George & Matilda  

In Conversation With Isaac Newton The Conversation  Elements From The Conversation  ~ ❖ ~ "[Newton] sees his world as one world. He sees his pursuit of truth as one pursuit. And whether it takes him to books of theology  or to books of nature, whether it be books of astronomy or books of alchemy, it doesn't matter to him." James Force                                                         ~ ❖ ~ Music  With our love. George & Matilda  

Spirituality In Conversation With Stories The Conversation Reading John Cheever's short story Reunion . Elements From The Conversation ~ ❖ ~ A Jewish story: When the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the great Rabbi Israel Shem Tov, saw misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom to go to a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted. Later, when his disciple, the celebrated Maggid of Mezritch, had occasion, for the same reason, to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say: “Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I’m still able to say the prayer,” and again the miracle would be accomplished. Still later, Rabbi Moshe-leib of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say: “I do not know how to light the fire. I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and it must be suff...

  Spirituality In Conversation With Movies The Conversation Elements From The Conversation Music This music from the Coen brothers' film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is a fine example of different genres and creative expressions that often come together in movies.  By all indications this traditional African American spiritual, originally called "The Good Old Way"   had its origins in the Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi area. It was first published in a songbook in 1867. Alison Krauss created a popular version, "Down to the River to Pray,"  for "O Brother" .  The Coen brothers brilliantly applied it in a film about 3 fugitive prisoners in the American South and their experiences, loosely modeled on Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. With our love.  George & Matilda

  Conversations Far and Wide “.......let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;” ‭‭ James ‭1‬:‭19‬ NRSV           The Conversation Elements From The Conversation What a synchronicity!  A few moments after we've done the recording of this week's conversation, friends who have recently been to the US, sent us this picture. Even though its specific theme is the Truth Bar in Minneapolis, it has wider applications. Unintentionally it captures a stance that is quite common: Only those who are members of our group have access to the truth. With such an assumption, conversations with someone with another point of view, is not only difficult, but almost impossible. Music As always, with love.  George & Matilda

The Restory - A Photo Journey In this conversation we tell about our contemplative journey in broad strokes. We would love to hear about your story as well, and if we can inspire and console each other in the process, we'll be glad.  The words of Brianna Wiest beautifully express our wish for you.  Our story And what is a journey without music? Turn up the volume on the open road! (Click on the link at the bottom of the image to listen to the song) Follow The Sun Warm greetings George and Matilda 

I really did not know that there was a word for it.  I am always hungry for it, longing for it, searching for it, missing it way too many times, and over the moon every time I encounter or am part of it. In Shakespeare’s play Richard III the king cries out, “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” My cry would be, “Deipnosophy! Deipnosophy! My kingdom for deipnosophy!”  Deipnosophy means the love of, or skill of, dinner-table conversation (from the Greek deipnos – dinner).  It is truly like wearing a pair of shoes two sizes too small when you’re at a social gathering where conversation consists of boasting (telling of recent holidays, best airlines, worst stop-overs, bad service at well-known restaurants, the fuel consumption of their new SUV, the trials and tribulations at the last Comrades marathon she ran and names dropping. Among other things), rugby talk, dirty jokes and innuendos and topics solely picked from facebook pages and whatsapp messages on ...

Der Bücherwurm Painting by Carl Spitzweg “If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them - peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends; let them, at any rate, be your acquaintances.”                                                                       Winston Churchill Yes, I know. On average it is cheaper and some even free, when you order over the internet you have it almost immediately, the search facility is very handy as well as links to the internet, darkness isn’t a problem as it comes with a built-in light, the carbon footprint is small, it is so compact th...