Genius and the Koures have to do with

inner qualities, with one's natural

connection to the realm of nature and

with ways of touching the divine. The

Koures part of our own being remains

ageless and timeless, therefore open to

mystery and able to respond to a 

genuine calling at any period in life. The

Koures is the inner pupil, ever ready to

learn, the inner initiate always seeking

further, and the ageless devotee ever
 
ready to find and grasp again the

invisible thread of life.

 
The core faculty will be joined by

'practice teachers', who represent

various spiritual art and practices such

as: African song and dance, devotional

chants, meditation, dream work, yoga,

poetry, healing arts and diverse forms

of traditional ritual. 

Genius, Koures and the Old Mind
A Mentoring Retreat for Younger and Older Men
Mendocino, California ~ August 18-23, 2009
Mendocino Woodlands Camp, Mendocino, CA

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Join storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade, social activist and poet Luis Rodriguez, activist and community builder Orland Bishop and a talented group of additional teachers for a retreat based in the living practices of many cultures, the traditional arts, and the honesty of genuine conversation.
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While the culture at large enters a dark time and a troubling economic recession, youth suffer a "recession of cultural imagination." Modern, mass cultures increasingly diminish the value of the individual and this devaluation falls heavily upon youth who are naturally seeking to find their value in life and become of service to the world. Both the violence and the alienation increasingly found in youth involve a separation from their inner nobility as well as a rejection of their natural genius or spirit for life.

Meanwhile, genuine "maturity" does not occur simply by aging, but by finding connections to timeless qualities of the soul which alone can seed the wisdom required to deal with great cultural problems and troubled times. If a person matures in meaningful ways, they can also find ways to sustain the invisible threads that hold this troubled world together with the eternal world behind this world.

In troubled times both the genius of youth and the wisdom of the old soul are needed. For the wise sage and the eternal youth both find a home in the depths of the old soul and in the practices of the Old Mind. While the troubles deepen something ancient and knowing secretly tries to catch up to us.

The Old Mind refers to an unseen heritage, a multicultural lineage of poets and philosophers, artists and necessary dreamers who descend into darkness in order to find elements of the "timeless knowledge." Genius and Koures refer to a person of any age who through the intensity of longing seeks beyond time and place for genuine knowing; who finds a taste of that which never dies and lives for that.
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RETREAT DETAILS
DATES: Tuesday, August 18 to Sunday, August 23, 2009
LOCATION: The Mendocino Woodlands Camp is nestled within a beautiful, rare redwood forest. It is approximately four hours north of the Bay Area. After registering, you will receive a confirmation letter including directions and other pertinent information.
COST: $695 includes simple cabins, healthy food and all events. A deposit of $250 will hold your space. Final payment is due August 1, 2008. Proceeds from this event support work with at-risk youth.
DONATIONS: Your donation beyond the conference fee will support the Mosaic Scholarship Fund, Voices of Youth and other cross-cultural and inter-generational projects.
Register

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RETREAT FACULTY
Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller,
author, scholar of mythology and ritual. He
has the ability to synthesize this material and
connect it to the stories we are living today.
Michael is founder of Mosaic Multicultural
Foundation, author of The World Behind the
World, The Water of Life, editor of The Rag
and Bone Shop of the Heart and adjunct faculty
member at Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Luis Rodriguez has won prestigious awards for
both poetry and non-fiction. He is the author
of Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in
Violent Times, Always Running- La Vida Loca:
Gang Days in LA, Concrete River, Troche Moche,
and other books. As a community activist he
works with prisoners and at-risk youth. He is the
founder of Tia Chucha Press and Café Cultural.

Orland Bishop combines an extensive study
of medicine, naturopathy, psychology, and
indigenous cosmologies with a deep dedication to
human rights advocacy and cultural renewal. He
was a research fellow at the Center for the Study
of Violence at Drew University and is director of
Shade Tree Mentoring, where he combines new
ideas with traditional ways.