Live near San Francisco?

Here I will announce regular events happening in the Bay Area. I hope to see you soon!

NEW GROUP: Every Monday, from 4-6pm, for ten-weeks, starting on February 27^th, at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalities (BFUU) Education Building, through the wooden gate at 1606 Bonita Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709. Fireside Room (Second floor).

RSVP to zacharyschlosser@adeeplife.com

Beginning soon: a ten-week meditation and wisdom-discussion group, meeting once per week, facilitated by Zachary Schlosser. Come if you are interested in meditation, or any other process of deepening self-discovery and expression, whether you have an extensive background in spiritual practice or none at all. During these sessions we will experiment with multiple types of meditation, including the basic and fundamentally important practice of mindfulness of breathing, more penetrating examinations of the various components of experience (sound, touch, thoughts, etc.), and the simple enjoyment of resting in and as that aspect of ourselves which is already free, satisfied, and quite at home, simple being. And, perhaps more importantly, each session will also include plenty of time for questions, reflections, and free-wheeling and wide-ranging discussion on all things wisdom: what makes a fulfilling life, investigating the complete spectrum of who we are, etc. We will certainly not forget that wisdom includes the whole human, and thus that discussions of relationships, jobs, family, hardship, ups, downs, and everything mundane are also welcome and vital here. Sessions will develop organically, depending on the interests and needs of the group. Together, we will engage and support each other, through the generous wisdom of the group, facilitated by Zach, and learn practices that can assist us on each of the particular paths of fulfillment and service we find ourselves on.

Each session will last two hours, and the number of participants is capped in order to ensure camaraderie, intimacy, participation, and benefit. The regular cost for the ten-week course is $100 per person total, and must be paid in advance. However, if you have a strong desire to participate, and are unable to pay this rate, please contact me. Regular, if not perfect, attendance is strongly requested, for all of us. After this ten-week period, participation in the group will be re-opened and a new course will begin. Please email zacharyschlosser@adeeplife.com to RSVP.

Update:

At times, people have asked me what value my presence as facilitator has, and why the group should cost money since discussion is organically driven and participant-centric. I would like to address these frank and very important concerns:

First, I would say that the participant-centric model is actually extremely valuable in and of itself. More valuable, in many cases and for many people, in the long-run, than more structured curriculum delivery models, which don’t provide opportunities for participants to digest, try out, and discuss their own recent experiences, insights, or difficulties.
Second, group discussion is not beneficial all by itself. It takes nuanced skill and a sensitive social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual perception to facilitate the group so that everyone is benefited in more than simply superficial ways. It requires strength of intent, and depth of caring, to make sure that everyone is both seen and heard in a significant way. And it takes confidence to hold open the pregnant and quiet silences, and not allow them to be filled with meaningless noise.
Third, in order to lead this group effectively, it is necessary that I apply my years of dedicated practice. In order that the group be safe to be honest enough to include dark experiences, as well as light ones, I have to be able to bring to bear my own experiences with depressive, grieved, frightened, or anxious periods. I’m not going to try to fix you because I know that these periods are innately some of the most valuable periods of our lives, and that, if met with sincerity, clarity, and dedication, they can be some of the most fertile opportunities for growth. Your deep-feeling and dark places will be met with respect, and even more profoundly, my own knowledge that basic fulfillment can be present even here.
Fourth, my last role is the most “under-cover” so to speak. This is simply to be an example (Transmission). To model, however quietly or obviously, extensive honesty, integrity, wellness, fulfillment, character, skepticism, and open-mindedness. To show that growth in these lines is possible, and that the investigation, sincerity, and sometimes difficulty required is absolutely worthwhile.