Hi friends - the main point of this newsletter is to remind us that the most necessary gift offered at The Porch is available for free. You don't need to buy it, you don't need to steal it, you don't need to beg for it. I am grateful to have been mentored by people who want to subvert the oppressive and inequitable ways that economics operates in our society, and to make the exchange of "goods" and "services' as sacred as the highest forms of giving and receiving. In that light, our Lent course in How Not to be Afraid is offered on a pay from the heart basis, and no one will be turned away on financial grounds. Folks have already registered on this basis, bringing what they have and asking for what they need; and we've said yes to everyone who has asked. The course starts next week, on Thursday March 3rd, and all the details are below - or you can visit www.hownottobeafraid.com for more information and register now. The course is intended as a genuinely transformative journey into living a bigger story than the ones told in our fears - sincerely, I'd love to have you with us.
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Meanwhile, the audiobook of How Not to be Afraid is out today. To family and friends who think my enjoyment of the sound of my own voice is already more than adequate (!), I'm happy to say that you can finally join this love, by having me in your headphones, in the car, in the bath, wherever audiobooks are played. Over eight hours of me reading my own book! Some of us have been waiting for this for a long time. Some of us are happy that I got it out of my system :). I'm grateful to the folks at Recorded Books for publishing it, to Brian Houston for recording it, and to the many of you who asked for it. Today is a great day to get it - it's currently $7.47 at this link. (And if you want to hear what I sound like, there's a trailer for the book here.)
I also want to say thank you. So many of you have reached out recently with words of kindness and affirmation of what I'm trying to do with writing, storytelling, and gathering folks together. I just finished leading one of our Medicine Stories weekends with David Wilcox, and it's an incomparable gift for me to be in the presence of folks seeking to bring what they have, and ask for what they need on the path toward serving a better story.
And I've been really moved by folks signing up for our Lent course on How Not to be Afraid. It starts on Thursday March 3rd and runs until April 12th, and you can register at whatever amount aligns with the resources you have available, the benefit you feel you'll receive, and a desire to support our work. I want to emphasize that this means you don't have to pay anything at all to join the course - we just ask for an appropriate energetic exchange, either through paying to register, or paying it forward. I've posted the details of the course below, along with a link to register, so you don't need to go to another website to read them.
One important note about this course: while I recognize the value of online video calls (especially during the pandemic) to help bring about connection and communication, I know also that many of us are tired of zoom, and we seek something deeper than the mere transmission of information. So this course has only two zoom calls, one at the beginning and one at the end, and each of them will include more of an experiential element than just words being spoken while we try to pretend we're not checking email :). The rest of the course is self-directed, and includes daily reflections, spiritual practices, music and readings, along with weekly exercises and movie recommendations**. You can opt in to participate as much or as little as is life-giving for you.
How Much Time Will It Take?
For the forty-day duration (just under six weeks), five minutes a day will be enough to touch the meaning of the course, fifteen minutes a day will be a deeper dive, and if you add the movie and weekly exercise along with reading The Seventh Story and How Not to be Afraid, you might end up so fully immersed in it that you won't know what to do with yourself :). But whatever you do during the six weeks of the course, the course materials can be used year-round. They are intended as the building blocks of a whole life, rooted in ancient and contemporary spiritual wisdom, and the experience of working with my own fears (and in community with others) toward the energizing action of living amidst beautiful, and difficult things.
However... In response to some lovely requests/suggestions, in addition to the opening and closing zoom calls, I'm going to offer a weekly video reflection as well, and there will also be opportunities for anyone who wants to connect with others on the course. As with everything on the course, those elements are entirely optional. Read on below for more on how you can join us - and remember, please pay only from the heart, knowing that financial need should not be an obstacle to participating.
Thank you friends - I hope to see many of you in the next few weeks.
Read on for more details, or click here to register.
JOIN US FOR A COURSE FOR LENT 2022
A FORTY-DAY JOURNEY TOWARD
HOW NOT TO BE AFRAID
Beginning Thursday, March 3rd, a journey exploring:
* our fears and the stories we tell about them
* where fear comes from, and why it can help us
* how to transform unnecessary fear into a better story that inspires us to live better
* the relationship between death and joy
* a simple but profound model to anyone who wants to build communities that promise mutual support, challenge, inspiration, protection and service to the common good
We'll offer the following:
* a daily practice which can be done at home in 5 to 15 minutes
* recommended music for deepening the experience, and connecting with a wide range of voices
* a weekly movie** reflecting on an aspect of fear and transformation
* a weekly exercise that helps turn our fears into energy for goodness
* a weekly video from Gareth reflecting on the week’s practices, music, movie and readings
* all building toward a "cleaning house" of some old fears, replacing them with a wiser story of ourselves and the world we are called to love, to serve, and be loved by...
Because we know that video calls have become a lifeline during the pandemic, but also need to be used sparingly so they don't tire us all out, the course requires only two Zoom calls, one at the beginning, and one at the end (you can participate live or watch/listen to the recording later).
However, we will also offer the option for anyone who wants to meet in a small group of between six to eight people to do so with a simple format, at times and frequencies that work for you.
We believe that money should not be an obstacle to experiencing community, wisdom, and healing, so this course is being offered on a pay-from-the-heart basis.
We hope you'll join us.
How to Register
We ask that you consider what you feel a forty day journey with the possibility of long-lasting transformation might be worth to you, along with the resources you have available, and opt-in at that amount. Because folk sometimes tell us that they would like a guide for the registration fee, we are setting standard registration at $150, which you can pay in one go or 12 monthly installments of $12.50 each); we offer a $75 registration fee if you need a 50% scholarship; and if you can give more to help us offer the course to anyone regardless of financial circumstances, we'll provide that option too.
If you need to pay less than $75, if you need a different installment plan, or if you would like to contribute more than the amounts listed on the registration page to help us provide the course to anyone who needs it regardless of financial circumstances, please just reply to this email and tell us what you’d like to pay - we'll point you in the right direction. (And if you want to share it with a group, please get in touch and we'll work with you to make it accessible for your community.)
Click here to register.
With registration you'll receive a free copy of the ebook of The Seventh Story: Us, Them, and the End of Violence, by Gareth Higgins and Brian McLaren
We encourage you to purchase a copy of Gareth's book How Not to be Afraid, available wherever books are sold.
** All the movies we recommend are available to stream on the Criterion Channel, which offers a 14-day free trial, and costs $10.99 thereafter, but you can cancel at any time.
