The Restory Retreat Centre

Notes from a different drummer Learning the unforced rhythms of grace. The glory of God is a human being fully alive. - St. Ireneaus The practical How Soul Nurturing Living a contemplative life starts here. In this place, at this time, with this body, mind and soul known as Me. It can happen in no other way. Nothing more is needed. We have everything we need (and more) to move in one instance from being nowhere in particular, to being on the contemplative way. All it takes is a waking up to it, as we have pointed out in  It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing . The notes from a different drummer, like rain, had fallen onto the pregnant soil of your soul. Soon a tender shoot starts showing. The seed of the Essential You is sprouting. How do we tend this into growing into a life that will bear the incredible harvest only you are capable of?  By careful and deliberate nurturing, like you would a rare sapling or a new-born baby. T...

The Enneagram is a geometric figure that maps out the nine fundamental personality types of human nature and their complex interrelationships. Growing from ancient roots and usage in many different spiritual traditions, it was taken up and developed further by modern psychology. The word Enneagram comes from the Greek for “nine— ennea —and “figure” - grammos , which means it is a nine-pointed figure. It is a tool to understand human motivation and behaviour better, mainly by inducing self-knowledge. Personality develops in order to protect and defend our essential being, or essence. By adopting coping mechanisms  in childhood we survive in the physical world, but get cut off from our essential nature. The Enneagram as tool directs us to the depths of our soul and shows the way to deeper meaning in life. George was introduced to the Enneagram during his training as spiritual director and finds it of great help in his work. For me the journey with the Enneagram st...