The Gathering Place
The Gathering Place is a retreat centre with a contemplative focus and with a particular interest in our Australian heritage. Its simple living space, hospitality, and beautiful garden and grounds make for a welcoming and reflective environment.
Why a Gathering Place?
Within all humankind there is a yearning that pulsates through every human culture to seek truth and to honour the sacred. Just as monasteries have been communities of seekers, places of learning, writing and theological study, places where simplicity of life, hospitality, contemplative prayer, silence and work are the rule of life, so the Gathering Place offers some of these elements in a contemporary way.
The Gathering Place was founded by Meryl Bollard and Lorraine Gatehouse in 1994. From their life experience and intercultural experiences at home and abroad, they believed it timely to give spiritual seekers of diverse backgrounds opportunities to gather together in a contemplative space.
Australian Heritage
At the Gathering Place particular attention is given to claiming the rich spirituality of our Australian heritage. We do this by listening deeply to the voices of our Australian mystics. A mystical and poetic vision is needed to release the soul-life of individuals in an increasingly secular society. Poets, artists, songwriters and musicians often speak of the sacred in a language too deep for words. Collectively they help us to grow in appreciation of who we are becoming as a people and to better understand the many different expressions of the sacred, in this ancient land of rugged and gentle beauty.
Philosophy of the Gathering Place
The facilitators of the Gathering Place are formed in the Christian tradition but encourage those who come to draw wisdom from the well of their own tradition and experience, as well as the timeless stream of universal wisdom. We have to travel on many roads and invite many perspectives to see life in its totality. No one path can give us the full picture. Reconnecting with our ancient past and mystical source may be the way to transform our fractured world.
Incarnate Word in whom all nature dwells,
Cast flame upon the earth:
Raise up contemplatives among us
Men (and women) who walk within the fire
Of ceaseless prayer. impetuous desire.
Set pools of silence in this thirsty land.
Australian poet, James McAuley
This is a critical moment in the history of the world when the wisdom of the world's great religious traditions needs to be respected. At the Gathering Place it is possible to be refreshed in the contemplative stream through the Scriptures, the riches of tradition, wisdom texts and the great literature of the world. Voices from St Benedict to Dom Bede Griffiths; from Eckhart to Merton; from St Brigid to St Francis of Assisi; from Thomas Berry to Charles Birch; as well as the voices of our contemporary prophets, scientists, environmentalists, sociologists, etc also invite our attention. Voices from the Orient, like Lao Tsu, Rumi, Ghandi and the Dalai Lama, equally have their place in the contemplative stream that leads back to the mystical source from which belief systems emerge. We also acknowledge that our Indigenous people have rich insights to offer from their culture and we are only now beginning to learn about their traditions and spirituality.
Various religious traditions advocate different approaches to the spiritual journey. With that in mind our experience cautions that we move gently in these matters. Deep insight, wisdom and experience are necessary to really appreciate the interplay between our various traditions.
Certainly there is great wisdom in the oriental ways and benefits to be derived from studying some aspects of it, like meditation and yoga. Perhaps the real benefit that comes to those who seriously dialogue with the East is that it reminds them that they may already possess something similar in their own culture which they have already forgotten! To be grounded in one's own tradition seems sound advice and the good news is that there is a deep mystical stream to be accessed there, if one needs to seek it!
Spiritual Guidance and Retreats
Directed retreats & group retreats
To live reflectively requires going apart from the busyness of life occasionally to attend to the needs of one's deeper self, to the paradoxes of life and the unanswered questions we carry. Solitude and silence are vital elements of such an experience. Such reflection enables us to develop a wiser set of priorities and cultivate a deeper sense of what really matters. Silence enables us to reach a dimension of reality that is too deep for words.
Many people come to the Gathering Place to enter into a time of personal retreat to attend to the needs of their deeper self. The simple beauty, comfort and hospitality of the Gathering Place ensure seekers of a caring and reflective environment that leads to stillness and the absence of distractions. Spending time in nature is also an essential part of a retreat experience. Some who come to the Gathering Place are pilgrims grounded in the Christian tradition but a growing number of seekers on the spiritual journey these days come from outside any formal religion. All seem to carry similar questions about life and its meaning. This particularly applies to those dealing with grief, terminal illness and other major happenings in their lives.
The opportunities for time away may vary in length according to the wishes of each person. Some just come for a day, others several days. During their visit, those who come are encouraged to articulate their own quest and are offered spiritual guidance grounded in the contemplative tradition so that they may discover their own answers and grow into a response that is right for them.
The great religious traditions have always emphasised the importance of a spititual guide to accompany people at certain times in their lives. The art of in-depth listening that reaches into the lived experience of others is the principal task of the spiritual guide. In this way the contemplative journey is carefully discerned and one is encouraged to respond to life with integrity.
Formation
From time to time some people arrange to come to the Gathering Place for a time of formation or discernment about their vocation in life. The do this by contacting us ahead of time and we endeavour to tailor a program to correspond with their needs. Some live in, others live out and we tailor their formation around the practical realities of work and/or other responsibilities. These arrangements are carefully discerned and negotiated alongside other day-to-day commitments and the overall purpose and spirit of the Gathering Place.