"Sail away from the safe harbor.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― Mark Twain

Greetings!

I hope your summer is off to a great start. I'm in Italy this week at Villa Il Poderino near Lucca with our Writing To Awaken retreat group. We're having an amazing time; the venue is a pristine 17th century estate complete with grape arbors, olive groves, and serene views of the Monti Pisani Hills. These folks have come from all over the world to explore their creative lives and ask themselves deep questions. A lot of strong work is being done.

Travel is an aphrodisiac for the muse. Unknown places have the power to enlighten us. Leaving safe harbor, we face new horizons, expand our vision, open our minds, feed the spirit of the imagination.

Exploration, adventure, and discovery are goals in all my work, whether in foreign lands or working with people drawn to surveying their inner wilderness, learning from what they find there. In the coming months, I'm leading a number of workshops -- at Hollyhock, Esalen, and Omega -- that are invitations to entering this secret world and discovering what awaits you there.

I hope to see you somewhere along the way! Summer is the best time to wander. Tanti auguri till next time!
Mark Matousek
Five-Day Retreat at Omega
Writing To Awaken:
Memoir As a Path of Transformation
Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY
September 8-13, 2019

When memoir is used as a path of self-discovery, it becomes a spiritual and artistic pursuit. Come explore your untold stories and write honestly about your greatest challenges, hidden gifts, secret wounds, and deepest yearnings. Learn the fundamentals of memoir writing and witness the liberating power of truth-telling in a focused, criticism-free atmosphere.

Summer Workshop at Hollyhock
Writing to Awaken: Memoir as a Path of Transformation
August 23 - 28, 2019
This inspiring program introduces students of all levels to spiritual memoir and writing as a path of self-knowledge. When we learn to tell the whole truth about our experience and to discern our own soul’s journey, we come to understand the mythic dimension of personal struggles, triumphs, confusions, longings, digressions, and so-called mistakes.

Labor Day Weekend at Esalen
Writing to Awaken:
Memoir as a Path of Transformation
August 30 - September 1, 2019
I look forward to returning to Esalen for my annual Labor Day weekend workshop. Esalen is an ideal location for deep creative and spiritual work, and we'll be exploring the stories of our lives and how they define us. Whether you're writing for publication or self-inquiry, these penetrating exercises will reveal the contents of those personal narratives, and the behaviors they cause, in ways you have not seen before. This will help you discover the untold story" that can transform you in the telling. It would be great to see you there.

The Seekers Forum is a global online community dedicated to exploring spiritual questions that prompt awakening in our own lives. Created by Mark in 2013, TSF provides a dogma-free, open-door fellowship offering curated monthly programs that explore personal growth, ethical awareness, creativity, and spirituality.
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June Program
Pathways to Intimacy: Be Silly. Be Honest. Be Kind.
Intimacy and humility go hand in hand. Without the ability to let down your guard and tell the truth – revealing yourself for who you are – you cannot love another person or know genuine closeness with your spiritual source. In this month’s edition of The Seekers Forum, we explored pathways to intimacy – emotional, physical, and spiritual – and the essential role of humility in personal development. 

MARK RECOMMENDS
Amy Klobuchar

I was watching Judy Woodruff's interview with Amy Klobuchar on the PBS NewsHour and thought, she could be the dark horse, she could win. Polls show her at number six in Iowa. She's smart as a whip (and has some edge, which gets her in trouble, which only makes me like her more), is intellectually solid, undramatic, and totally determined to de-Trump the homeland. I'm watching and interested.



Writing to Awaken is an inspirational exploration of the self through expressive writing, guiding you along the path of awakening through radical truth-telling and self-inquiry.

 "Filled with powerful stories and revealing exercises, this books opens the craft of writing as a way to dive into the art of self-reflection. It will restore meaning and change your life."
~Mark Nepo
[MarkMatousek.com] [contact@markmatousek.com] [631-324-6391]