What is Contemplative Groupwork?
The opportunity to meet with friends and/or colleagues in a guided process of reflective group conversation can be a wonderful and liberating experience. In contemplative conversations we are enabled to trace the rhythms of grace and blessing within our daily lives and histories. We can talk honestly and freely about values, beliefs, hopes, blessings, and desires for our life and work. We can also be honest about our doubts, fears, and weaknesses. The goal of contemplative conversation is to make more sense of our lives from a spiritual perspective, to grow spiritually and to experience companionship in the journey.
The structure of the contemplative group work that I offer is as follows:
- An opening meditation to invite centring and becoming present.
- A presentation of content such as a portion of scripture, a poem, a song, or relevant piece of writing of a spiritual nature – less is more – we read slowly, meditatively.
- An opportunity for each person to silently reflect and/or pray about what they have listened to, supported by one or two suggestive questions.
- An invitation to conversation – we talk to each other about what we have noticed in the content, where it took us in our imagination or emotions, the questions it raises for us. We listen to ourselves and to each other. We resist the temptation to ‘problem solve’ or ‘give advice’.
- A group summary of what we have heard through the process of our listening, reflecting and conversation. We name any themes or wisdom messages that seem to have emerged.
- We close the group time with a closing brief meditation/blessing or ritual.
The process described above takes about 60 minutes from beginning to end.
What else do I need to know?
Contemplative group work is valuable for any group of friends or colleagues. I am available to run series of six, guided group discussions, as described above for people who wish to meet weekly or fortnightly. People may wish to re-book for further six-week series if they so wish. I can provide face-to face contemplative group work in homes, or workplaces within the Adelaide metro region. Contemplative group work may also be facilitated online over the Zoom platform, it works well in this format. I can also provide a neutral venue face-to-face meeting space if requested though this may incur an extra charge for the use of the facility.
What does it cost to receive contemplative groupwork through fruitful mind?
My charge for facilitating contemplative group work is $120 an hour. The maximum number within a group is 8 people.
