Guidance for Life:
An Immersive Six Day Online Experience
With Stephen Busby, assisted by Susan Miles
The Findhorn Foundation, 31 May-5 June 2020
Here is some information about “Guidance for Life” which we hope covers most questions. Do contact us if there’s more you need to know.
1. What is it?
An opportunity to explore your inner guidance, through simple practices, dialogues and teachings, based on inner experience. How might your own guidance be available to you, or more available to you, and what might that feel, sound or look like? That’s one part. The other, more outer part, is often neglected: how to bring our experience of guidance, our inner sensitivity, outwards into daily life. We’ll be practicing this too, between participants. This will help to ground our inner-life in the ‘real world’, meaning that our guidance becomes applicable in the world, where very often it is useful and potentially of great service.
2. What if I already work with guidance in my life?
This will provide further practice in working with both the inner and outer aspects. You’ll be encouraged to develop guidance further, or to apply guidance if you feel that’s what you’re being invited to do in life. Most people have inner experiences which they tend to keep private, for a variety of reasons. You won’t be pushed to do anything that doesn’t feel right, and if there’s a personal ‘edge’ which you’d like to explore then this will be a great place and way to do it. There will be those with some experience in guidance and others who have little, and the immersion will aim to serve all of us.
3. What is inner work, or subtle energy work?
We all have an inner world, or a world of inner experience, which is common to keep separate from our outer daily life. For some people, our inner world can be a connection to aspects of life which, unlike us, are not in physical form. These can be forms of non-physical intelligence, or subtle life (as opposed to physically-formed life). Subtle work refers to creatively exploring these inner relationships, where often much nourishment and support is available. Also often, this inner support isn’t for us only but is appropriate to bring out into life, in whatever form or way is right for us, uniquely. Guidance often invites us to bring our inner intelligence into service in the outer world. Subtle energy is simply energy that doesn’t have physical form or expression. It is possible to learn to work with subtle energy in creative ways, through our inner senses or sensitivities, which are available to us more than we may think and, for some of us, are waiting for more practice. This immersion is a way to explore your inner senses, in ways you may not allow much in regular life. Many people use subtle energy work in their lives, and in their daily work too. Many who aren’t yet so used to this, or so confident, can benefit from opportunities to practice in exploratory and nourishing ways together, with others.
4. Stephen works through guidance and has written a book, will this be part of the immersion?
His book won’t explicitly be a part of the immersion, and his guidance will. The teachings and practices suggested come through his guidance and he draws on his experience in modelling this to others.
5. What does online mean, practically, and what will be the form of our work?
This is a six-day long immersion, much of which – though not all of which – will be online. The three elements described on the webpage show the format. We’ll be together as a group, on screen, for some hours every day, with breaks, and for some of that time will be as a whole group, in dialogue with Stephen, and sometimes will be in smaller groups (“breakouts”), to practice or dialogue together. In the second element, you’ll be meeting with other participants as small groups, online, either before or after our whole-group session, depending on your time-zone. These small groups will change, through the six days. In the third element, you’ll be by yourself, not online, exploring inner experience through simple suggested practices, in your own time according to your own rhythm. You’ll have the opportunity to share your experience of this inner work with others the next time we meet online.
6. What does it mean to be online, or on-screen?
While we do require you to be visible on our shared group-screen, through the camera on your computer, so that we can all relate to each other visually, there will be periods when, in our inner work, you’ll be invited to work with eyes closed, so as to sense inside differently than through outer contact. On-screen may mean as a whole group, and sometimes, especially for the practices, it will mean as part of a small group, for example with one other person (as a ‘dyad’) or with two others (as a ‘triad’).
7. What if I am not so confident with the technical aspects?
You’ll be walked through all the technical aspects you need to know beforehand. There aren’t many and the system is simple to use once you’ve practiced with Scott, our friendly technical assistant.
8. Does immersion mean full-time?
This is a commitment, for six days, to devote yourself to this experiment and to know that others are doing that too, in support of each other and our whole group energy field. While there will be breaks and variations in the format (online and offline, large and small group configurations), you should be willing to commit to all six days and therefore not schedule anything else in your life for that period. You’re expected to be present through all the daily whole-group sessions, and we will have breaks for mealtimes and rest of course, and exercise will be encouraged too. If you have other daily commitments which require a lot of time or attention then this immersion may not be right for you. You might find that the subtle energy work continues, too, when you’re off-screen and away from others, sometimes ‘working’ in us during the nights when we sleep. It can be an intensive experience, an energetic immersion, and a life-changing one too. You’ll be in great company and well supported.
9. What if I need individual attention, or have questions?
Questions will be welcome, and are an important part of guidance work. Some questions could be asked in the whole group, while some may be more appropriate for you to ask to – or discuss with – other participants. There won’t be individual time or sessions with Stephen, though he will make himself as available as possible to respond to any questions arising, on-screen, and in the Facebook group.
10. Will there be a build-up to the six days?
Yes, we want to begin building or growing our subtle energetic container, in which we can sense each other and our work and intentions, well before the six days. This container will be formed in outer ways, for instance, through a private Facebook group which you may join if you wish, and in inner ways too, for instance through meditation for those who wish, at agreed times. The build-up will be important and your presence will be encouraged, as it will help us to deepen the whole field of our work together, before, during and after the immersion too. This is why there will also be the option to share your email- address with other participants, so that – apart from the Facebook group – you may feel and be connected to others ahead of time. This will be helpful in arranging to form small groups before we begin, so that on 31 May some groups are already in place. Information on the Facebook option and on the email-address option will be provided once you are registered in the programme.
We’re much looking forward to being with you,
Stephen Busby & Susan Miles