Prepare for the Inner Journey! – Session Two: Motive Force
September 22, 2024 5 hours- Sliding scale
A 4-part series focusing on four “soil conditions” essential for spiritual transformation.
Session Two: Motive Force – wholehearted dedication to your ultimate priority.
- Time: 9am - 3:30pm Pacific (with break)
- Duration: 5 hours
- Format: Zoom
- Teacher: Gayan Macher
- Eligibility: open to all
- Questions? Contact us for questions about registration, eligibility and scholarships.
Prepare for the Inner Journey!
A Four Part Series
Session Two: Motive Force
All creation unfolds naturally. Only we humans bear responsibility for becoming who we truly are. Our task is to develop the soil conditions that are receptive to the unfoldment of Divine Being.
In this 4-part series, we will focus on four qualities essential for spiritual transformation. Each session is an experiential contemplation of one of these.
In every soul there is a longing to bring out, to bring to a culmination, what is waiting within.
September 22, Session Two: Motive Force
Motive Force is the fuel propelling us towards life’s fulfillment. It is of the greatest importance to maintain and enhance this primal power within us.
In the long, patient journey to the Beloved, our hearts can be worn down by discouragement and the lethargy of daily life. Without even realizing, our flame may become dulled. We may continue to go on retreats and do practices, but unless infused with love-force, these are merely routines.
But our love is always here. It only needs rekindling for us to experience the joy and freedom of true wholeheartedness.
What do you want most of all?
Any wine will get you high. Don’t think all ecstasies are the same…Judge like a king. Mevlana Jalalaldin Rumi
Underneath all the attractions of daily life, there is the heartbeat of your ultimate priority. With whatever name or face it appears, this is what is waiting for you to see. This session provides the time and support to connect with what most matters to you in this life.
Wholehearted Love
Are you ready to love with all your heart? What courage and vulnerability it takes to give your heart. And yet, your unconstrained love is, itself, the promise land. Join a gathering of fellow companions who welcome their yearning for the Beloved.
The one who treads the path must be willing…to come whole-heartedly or not at all.
The Four Part Series
- Session One: Faith—faith in the power of the path, with total confidence in your spiritual destiny
- Session Two (Sept 22): Motive Force—wholehearted dedication to your ultimate priority
- Session Three (Nov 23): Supple Mind—the openness that allows the birth of a new mind
- Session Four (Dec 15): Detachment—release, even for a few moments, from mental preoccupation with life’s affairs. Dying before death.
You may attend one or more of these sessions. The four sessions form a cohesive whole, so it is ideal to attend the entire series. Please note, you must register for each session separately. Video recordings will be available in “My Portal”.
If you cannot attend a session, Prior Sessions will be made available through the Self-Guided section of the website
For partial scholarships, contact us.
The Practice of Inner Guidance
During the afternoon sessions we practice attuning to guidance. In this process, Gayan works with someone who is in touch with their “burning question”—a heart-felt desire to understand something more deeply. With Gayan’s support, they learn to deepen contact with the light of knowing coming from within, learning to hear the voice beneath incessant thinking. This is done in the presence of the rest of the group.
There is special value in practicing inner guidance in a group setting. On the surface our situations are unique, but as we look further, we recognize an underlying unity in our deepest questions. Secondly, and most importantly, witnesses observe how guidance functions. There are specific qualities we cultivate that are conducive to the revelation of meaning and truth.
Testimonials
Studying with Gayan is a rare opportunity led by one of the wisest and kindest people I’ve ever met. He combines the holy with everyday life in a way that makes it all make sense.
Aila Alice Hardesty
The inspired, masterful, and deeply loving guidance offered by Gayan will take you on a journey towards truly knowing yourself, which is exactly where Hazrat Inayat Khan asks us to go. “To know the self is to know God.”
Elizabeth Normand
Teacher(s)
Gayan Macher
Gayan is a companion and guide to those who are called to the courageous path of love. He has practiced and taught the universal Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan his entire adult life. In addition, he has studied Buddhist practice, the Diamond Approach, and psychology, where he explored emerging understandings of the formation of the ego.
Gayan leads group retreats and has guided scores of individual students. He collaborated with Pir Zia Inayat Khan in designing Suluk Academy, and taught at Suluk for eight years. Along with Taj Inayat he created Sufi Retreats, and then New Rain, which became laboratories for the process of awakening and spiritual maturation.
A specialty of his work is leading Inner Guidance Groups, a process in which people learn the art of listening to the voice of truth and understanding coming from within.
Gayan also has a 40-year career as a consultant to executives of organizations, having worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profits of all sizes. Being a confidant to people in positions of significant responsibility has given him a front row seat for the study of leadership and human nature.
Among Gayan’s great loves is music. He plays guitar, and as a singer-song writer has recorded two CDs of original songs.
Schedule
09/22/2024
- 9am - 3:30pm Pacific
- with lunch break tbd
