The Haven The Haven is a centre for growth on Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1983 by Bennet Wong and Jock McKeen, The Haven offers a wide range of programs designed to help people live their lives more fully and with deeper awareness of both themselves and others.
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This is intended to be a daily record of the International Holistic Centres Gathering 2012 which is taking place at Finhorn in Scotland. It’s being written by me, Rachel Davey, representing The Haven at the Gathering.
Today is the last full day of the Centres Gathering. In some ways it feels like I have been here a long time, and at the same time it seems to have flown by!
It was also my birthday today, and I really appreciated celebrating in a completely different location. I am going to see the kids tomorrow, so I get a second celebration then, and a third when I am back in Canada and Toby gets back from China!
My special day started with a lovely walk through the woods to another small community about 15 minutes walk from where we are called Newbold House. We had time for a brief breakfast and then back to Cluny for the morning sessions. Before we started, instead of Happy Birthday to you I was serenaded with a Russian folk song from friends from the Kitezh Children’s Community in Russia. It was a real treat!
We started with the future of centres – what is our role in a changing world, and what major changes do we see happening in the future. Many other centres, like The Haven, are trying to find a balance between the essential work of bringing people together in groups, and also offering programs in other locations and using new technology to keep people connected. The second session was split in half and focussed on transition in the first half and fundraising in the second. It was very useful to share fundraising ideas with other centres and hear what they are doing.
During lunch we had our group photo (see below) and then straight back into afternoon sessions. The first was an experience of the ‘forum’ offered by ZEGG (Centre for Experimental Culture Design) in Germany. It was great to get out of our heads and into personal feelings and sharing. Then the last session was a lively discussion on Holistic Leadership and Conflict Resolution.
It’s been a jam packed five days, and I chose not to go to the ceilidh (Scottish country dancing) this evening, and instead pack and enjoy a sauna and a walk in the gardens.
The closing circle is tomorrow, and I have to leave before the end to catch my flight. I’ve enjoyed sharing my experience with you all, and thanks for reading and sending encouragement. I know that there will continue to be benefits for The Haven and partnerships with other centres as a result of this Gathering. I am excited at taking all this information back to Canada. And looking forward to a week of rest, relaxation and relatives!
This is intended to be a daily record of the International Holistic Centres Gathering 2012 which is taking place at Finhorn in Scotland. It’s being written by me, Rachel Davey, representing The Haven at the Gathering.
This evening all of the Centres Gathering participants gathered with the Findhorn community in the Universal Hall. I was struck by the similarity between the Universal Hall and the Phoenix Auditorium. Both are very interesting shaped buildings – the Phoenix is an octagon, the Universal Hall a pentagon. Both have beautiful acoustics and a big skylight in the roof. I would love the Phoenix to have a grass roof like the Universal Hall! Most of all, in both of these beautiful spaces, I had a sense that the walls had absorbed many years of words, music and creativity. Both are sacred spaces, and it’s no coincidence that both Findhorn and The Haven have created similar gathering places.
We got the afternoon off today, and headed into Findhorn village, which was lots of fun. A blowy walk along the beach and then off to the pub to warm up and enjoy a proper scottish fish supper. I’ve included a photo to make you feel hungry! There are more photos on The Haven’s Facebook page.
It’s been another rich day of learning. I facilitated a session on Governance and Decision Making today. I wasn’t expecting to, and enjoyed the experience. Even though the various centres have all sorts of different structures, we all face so many of the same challenges. It was great to share with other centres what I have learned from the process of transition since Haven Foundation was formed in 2004. I am left with a huge amount of appreciation for Ben and Jock and the way they created The Haven and engineered their retirement in such a way that The Haven was able to continue on. It was a hard path to follow and I am sure was painful at times. And I am clear that The Haven would not have been in the successful position it is in now, if they had not made the choices they did.
Last full day tomorrow. I’m both tired and energized. If there is anything you would like to know in my last couple of blogs, let me know by leaving a comment. Good night!
This is intended to be a daily record of the International Holistic Centres Gathering 2012 which is taking place at Finhorn in Scotland. It’s being written by me, Rachel Davey, representing The Haven at the Gathering.
I have finally managed to put some photos of our tour of Findhorn Park, not on this blog but on The Haven’s Facebook Page. They aren’t quite in the right order, but I have wasted too much time on trying to get the technology to work, so they will have to do.
Today’s sessions were focussed on Education/Programming and Marketing. All good meaty stuff! The great benefit of these Gatherings is the opportunity not only to find out what other centres are doing, but also to commiserate about the things that drive us all crazy! We also had a session where the more established centres were asked to share about the tools and techniques we use for communication and conflict resolution. It was great to hear how other centres do their clearings, meetings and facilitate appreciation among their staff, residents and volunteers. The Haven is in a minority of centres represented that does not have a resident community or work extensively with volunteers. I enjoyed talking about the Communication Model, how we do clearings, even the ‘appreciation board’ that staff requested and which is really well used. There are some ideas from other centres that I am looking forward to sharing with staff and faculty when I return.
I also had my first experience of taize singing, did some Scottish country dancing and went for a walk before the heavens opened, so it’s been a full day. More tomorrow.
This is intended to be a daily record of the International Holistic Centres Gathring 2012 which is taking place at Finhorn in Scotland. It’s being written by me, Rachel Davey, representing The Haven at the Gathering.
We spent the first half of day 2 touring the original Findhorn campus, known as The Park. It was here that the three founders started what was to become the Findhorn Foundation, 50 years ago in a caravan. I took some wonderful photos, which I am hoping to be able to share with you once I can work out how to post photos on this blog!
Our sessions today were focussed on Sustainability and introducing our mission/purpose as centres. It was fascinating to go round the room and hear from 27 centres all over the world. Even though we are organized in various ways and offer a range of programs, we are united by the aspiration to make a difference in the world.
One of the great pleasures of being in this kind of a Gathering is the opportunity to see how different centres are run. I have been struck by a number of things at Findhorn which I want to share with you:
- Each session begins with what is called here ‘attunement’. The circle of people join hands, take some breaths and focus. This happens not just in workshops or conferences, but also in all the work departments.
- Guests are expected to play their part in the work to be done. For our group that means helping cleaning up in the kitchen for one night after dinner. I did that last night.
- Silence plays an important role in decision making at Findhorn. No decision is made without including a period of silence and reflection. I’m fascinated by that concept and look forward to finding out more.
- There is a special department (called I think Spiritual and Personal Development) whose role it is to go to work with departments or groups of people working here to work through any challenges or anything that might be getting in the way of working harmoniously together.
- I am enjoying the food which is very simple. Even here in the north of Scotland they are able to grow about one third of the vegetables they eat. And I look forward to Haven desserts on my return!
I include these not because they are ‘right’, just because I have been particularly struck by them and I am enjoying thinking about these ideas and approaches.
I hope to be able to share the photos tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to showing you some of the amazing sights here. In the meantime I do know how to post one photo, so you will see below Cluny Hill, the old Victorian spa hotel where the Gathering is being held. More tomorrow, thanks for reading!
It’s now the end of day 1 of the Centres Gathering and it’s been a full first day! I had hoped to do the right thing by the environment and travel up by train, but it was so expensive it was not an option. So, after landing at Inverness airport I decided to catch the bus (two in fact) to Findhorn. Apart from arriving at the wrong place (they have two campuses – more on that later) the journey went well.
It’s been a beautiful sunny day, and I was so happy to come back to Scotland after nearly 20 years. What made it even more special was how much the north of Scotland reminds me of the west coast of Canada!
There are more than 30 people at the Gathering, representing 27 centres from 17 countries, including Kenya, Laos, Vietnam, Russia, India and Australia as well as Europe and North America. It’s a truly international gathering and there are some really interesting people here doing all kinds of wonderful work. I found out from Ralph White from the New York Open Centre that the Gathering had been international like this 10 years or more ago, then than changed when it took place almost exclusively in North America over the last decade. The Centres Gathering is Ralph’s brainchild and he has been to every single one for the last nearly 30 years.
If you are interested in finding out more about who is here and where they come from, check out the Centres Gathering web site.
There are two campuses at Findhorn: the Park (the wrong place I went to first) and Cluny Hill. We’ve just had a fascinating evening learning more about the 50 years of history at Findhorn. Cluny Hill is an old Victorian spa hotel in a lovely spot. It was originally built for visitors from Glasgow and Edinburgh and those on the ‘highland tour’. I didn’t manage to get outside to take a photo of the building, but I am including one of my room for the next few days. I love the high ceilings! There is a virtual tour of Cluny Hill on the Findhorn web site.
Today was all about getting to know each other and orientation. Also learning more about Findhorn. Tomorrow we are going on a tour of the Park and diving straight into our schedule, first session is focussed on Sustainability. Dinner was delicious and afterwards I was on KP (kitchen party). All the guests are put on a rota of helping out the residents in the kitchen to clean up after dinner. It took me right back to my student days!
Looking forward to more learning tomorrow. Good night!
It’s the day before I set off to Findhorn for the Centres Gathering, and I thought I’d write a post mainly to make sure that the technology works!
We (me and the kids) arrived in England a couple of days ago, and have been ‘adjusting’ ever since. We are staying with my mum in the house I was born and brought up in. Combined with the jetlag it makes for a very strange experience. Everything is so intensely familiar, yet changed at the same time. I spend my first 18 years here and swore I’d never come back to live, and so far I have been as good as my word.
My family home is in a small village to the north of London, handy for commuting and rural at the same time. It really hasn’t changed all that much, except that many of the old village ‘businesses’ – two of the corner shops, two pubs, the blacksmith at the bottom of the road and one farm – have been converted into housing. I realized last night, as I was trying to get to sleep, how much of my imaginative life is still played out in these surroundings. My best friend from elementary school lived in a big house at the bottom of the road and, half asleep, I wandered through all the rooms of that house and remembered that it had become the backdrop for many of the novels I have read. I hadn’t pieced that together before coming back here.
I’ve included a photo of the street where my mum lives. One thing I really appreciate about it, and what makes it very ‘english’ to me is the mixture of different types and ages of housing.
It is also my first visit back since doing ‘The Journey to Self‘ with Maria Gomori last summer. Those of you who know me have probably heard me whining about how I become a teenager again around my family (it’s no coincidence that I have chosen to live most of my life on different continents and in different time zones). Last year I figured that it was time to take a look at some of my family of origin stuff, and who better to do that with than Maria Gomori. What I came to understand was that I had been trying to get a different outcome to the reality of my childhood, and meanwhile everyone else had moved on! I realized it was time to ‘grow up’ and establish an adult relationship with my family. Einstein’s definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result – has a familiar ring about it now! That’s not to say that I haven’t had my teenage moments this trip, and I am also trying to do things differently. Anyway, if you haven’t done a program with Maria, I highly recommend you do!
Tomorrow morning I leave early for Findhorn. I had constructed an elaborate fantasy about catching the overnight sleeper (train) up to Inverness, only to discover it’s so much more expensive than flying that it’s no longer an option. Still trying to get my head around how that makes any kind of sense. I’m excited to go to the Centres Gathering and have no idea what to expect, either of the Gathering or of Findhorn. There are certainly a lot of interesting people going – check out the Findhorn web site for the full list of participants. More tomorrow, after I arrive.
It’s always great to see the kind of hard work and dedication that our Unplugged Volunteers put in. Here are a few shots of their work and previews of some of the improvements you’ll see after this Unplugged.
Thank you again to all our Volunteers.
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- Carolyn is giving the front door a new finish.
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- The hole's been dug, now just to put in some sand and tamp it down.
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- Simon from Haven maintenance is our master mixer.
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- The hard part's all done, now all we need to do is fill in the hole.
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- Now just to mix the concrete and it's good to go.
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- OK everyone, stop horsing around and pose nice.
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- Stig, Corey, Doug, Cheryl and Rose, taking a quick break while the rest of the form is made.
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- Sheila, Doug, Stig and Cheryl getting the new path up to Heron prepped for concrete.
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- Sheila was mending costumes, and Carol is making cushion covers
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- It's the Trench Team! Barb, Tom, Corey, Sandra and Elise
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- A worm's eye view of Corey digging "The Trench"
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- Elise, Corey and Tom working on "The Trench."
A Reading of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets by Jock McKeen
Nanaimo Harbourfront Library | May 4, 2012, 6.15 pm for a start at 6:30 sharp | Free admission
Part of Crimson Coast Dance Society’s Four Quartets performance and workshops
We hope you’ll attend!
T.S. Eliot’s poetry is often quoted, but usually in short renditions. Only rarely are his longer works presented in a public forum. More than 70 years after their first appearance, the Four Quartets is still immediate and relevant. A full reading of these poems requires nearly an hour, the length of a musical symphony. Dealing with issues of time and eternity, worldly dissatisfaction and spiritual yearnings, it can be seen as a lyric prayer for modern people.
Jock McKeen, MD, LicAc(UK), DLitt, who trained as a physician, has always had a passion for poetry, dance and music, along with a burning curiosity and concern for the human condition. While studying classical Chinese medicine and philosophy, he became fascinated with the art of living, which he has combined with his studies of the science of life. He combines his deep knowledge of people with a love for language and artistic expression. He is a dynamic and engaging reader of poetry; people are enchanted by his passionate renditions of his own work, as well as creations of other authors.
T.S. Eliot is one of his favourite poets. Jock says of Eliot:
“His language covers the entire range, from the commonplace to the celestial. His scope is comparable to a singer with an extraordinary range … the lows are deeply stirring, and the highs take one into the sky.”
Jock says, “This is a special treat for me, to really be able to dig into a full-blooded reading of this masterful work.”
Jock has worked with his partner Bennet Wong, a psychiatrist, for over 40 years. Together, they developed The Haven Institute, an educational centre for personal and professional growth on Gabriola Island. Besides their work at The Haven, these two men have presented their ideas and seminars throughout Asia and Europe, as well as in Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America. They co-authored six books which describe much of the germinal philosophy underlying their work with people. One of these books is a collection of Jock’s poems entitled As It Is In Heaven. Their most recent book, The Illuminated Heart: Perspectives on East-West Psychology and Thought, is a comprehensive distillation of their views; it has just been released by The Haven Institute Press.
In a recent article, Jock wrote, “We are involved in a much bigger enterprise than we usually realize. The forces of the universe flow through us. We are, in our deepest imaginings, linked with each other, and the larger picture.”
By Chris Finlayson
I hate going running.
I really do. And that’s a problem, because I love running.
 If he looks more tired than me, it's because he doesn't ChiRun. Let me explain. If I could be magically transported from the warmth of my bed, or the comfort of my very cushy (too cushy) office chair onto the road in full stride, I’d be apt to run every day. But alas, there is no magical transporter, and when I want to run I have to motivate myself to get off my duff and get out there.
But when I’m out on the road, oh the joy. There in a nutshell is my love/hate relationship with running. I love actually running, but I hate going running. I remembered the first year I took up running and how I would look forward to getting up early and going for a run, but not lately.
It was with this conflict firmly seated in my brain that I read the description for Donna Melville’s ChiRunning program. I signed up expecting to get a recharge and a new appreciation for running. Something that would make it easier to get motivated and improve my technique along the way. I was unprepared for what I was about to experience, and the things I would learn about myself.
Right off the bat Donna talked about Newton’s Laws. A body in motion tends to stay in motion, and a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted on by an outside force. While she intended to explain how we can use gravity in running, what I heard was, “Chris, you are waiting for an outside force to move you.”
Have you ever had an “aha” moment that felt like someone struck you on the forehead with their palm? I grew up out in the wilds of Surrey (yes, Surrey had wilds, and still does if you know where to look), with two brothers, so I had some idea of what a smack in the forehead actually felt like, and when I realized that I was waiting for that outside force, my brother Richard’s hand appeared out of the ether and gave me a good smack right on my third eye (fitting, as one aspect of the third eye is clarity on an intuitive level).
Now, please understand that I have had a lot of guilt around running, or rather, around not running. If I missed a day, or only ran once in a week, I had guilt. I should have run today. I should be running more. I should run further. I should improve my 10K time, I should… I should… I should…
I was “should-ing” all over myself.
This became clear to me after one of our first exercises about alignment. Proper alignment is the key to core strength, and Donna showed us just how strong we can be when we are properly aligned. She had one of our participants, Sue, stand up straight, and then leaned heavily on Sue’s shoulders, and predictably, Sue collapsed (don’t worry not to the floor or anything). Donna then spent a couple of minutes showing Sue how to achieve proper alignment and then did the same test, and it was like she was leaning on a bronze statue. No movement.
When we are aligned, body and mind, our true strength reveals itself. This alignment isn’t just about physically being straight, but about aligning the mind, and my mind and body weren’t aligned. My body loved running, but my mind threw up all these shoulds and I translated them into guilt.
I needed to body and mind to be in alignment. Rather than bring guilt into my body, I thought, why not forgive myself and just enjoy it when I can. Ha ha! “JUST!” That’s an inside joke. “Just” ask Donna when you come to ChiRunning at The Haven in November.
If I aligned my mind with my passion for running and not my guilt or worry and focused on the elation I feel on the road, my “shoulds” and guilt evaporate and all that is left is joy. As I accepted this, my form improved immediately and the effortlessness inherent in ChiRunning revealed itself.
ChiRunning is about efficiency and the reduction of injury. I’m one of the lucky 35% of runners who are mercifully injury free (and with what I learned, I expect to stay that way), which means that 65% of runners have experienced some kind of injury. That’s a staggering number.
We learned how to align ourselves to prevent injury, how children were running right all along, how to place our feet, how to focus our Chi, and then… to not worry about anything we just learned. Notice I didn’t say “forget”, I said “not worry.” We can be aware of our body, and check in with our selves and our form, but not actually worry about it.
As the man said in the song, “Don’t waste your time worrying, but know that worrying is effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.” Worrying doesn’t solve anything, action does.
So I acted. I ran, didn’t worry about my form, but was aware of it and corrected it when I could, and a few things happened:
- I easily ran almost 6 km. Normally I would have knocked it off before 4 km, but today I could have kept going even past 6 km.
- I actually went looking for hills. Donna taught us this amazing way to ascend difficult hills. I can’t describe it here, you’ll just have to come to ChiRunning at The Haven to find out, but for the first time in my life, I went out looking for hills. I found a couple, and blew them away.
- My dog couldn’t keep up. This was a real win for me, because he’s always been faster than me. Whenever we would run, I’d have to rein him in because he’d want to drag me along. Today, I could pace him fine, and ended up dragging him back up the hill toward home. I don’t think he was looking forward to the hills as much as I was.
- No pain, no soreness, no twitching, just sweat. The good kind.
- I had the most enjoyable run I’ve had in years.
Here at The Haven, we often talk how we do things as being a “different way” than what we’re used to. In many respects, ChiRunning is a different way. It’s a better way, and it’s a way to connect with yourself, your body and your fitness.
Running is the oldest form of exercise known to man. It’s one of the cheapest, if you go minimal with the gadgets (ie none), and don’t worry about numbers. When it’s done right, nearly anyone can do it. Anyone can excel at it and anyone can enjoy it.
Thank you Donna for helping me find my Love/Love relationship with running again.
Chris Finlayson
by Jock McKeen and Bennet Wong. Ben and Jock’s latest book The Illuminated Heart: Perspectives on East-West Psychology and Thought is available now from The Haven. Here Ben and Jock reflect on writing the book they describe as a “culmination of our investigations and adventures.”
 This book was conceived at the urging of our Chinese colleagues when we were presenting our extended seminars in Beijing in 2006. We have been steadily at work on this book ever since. We have been very invigorated by the opportunity to review our life and work together, and to discuss many ideas and concepts that have been central to our careers. We have looked at, discussed, mused about, pondered, argued, wondered, imagined, and struggled to put into words … what we have been doing together for the past four decades or more. We have been visited by memories of so many colleagues, many of them now deceased, and felt the solidity of our connections with them, and the influence that our relationships with them have had on us and our work. They appear in the book, sometimes named, and at other times in the flow of the words.
As we have done this, we have been reviewing our life and philosophy, and our perspective on the world and its people in this 21st century. This project thus has been deeply personal, and profoundly satisfying. We have clarified for ourselves what we actually think about so many topics, and we have a fuller appreciation of the integration of disparate topics from numerous disciplines.
The memories of past friends and experiences have been rich. And our appreciation of each other has been intensified by the hours of discussions we have had to get this book to print.
We are gratified to see that our basic perspective has not changed throughout our time together; we have always held relationships and human connection to be of paramount importance, and this shows itself to us as we re-read what we have created. We have learned a lot; and our long-held perspective is more deeply rooted through our re-examination.
We feel confirmed, fulfilled, at rest, and deeply, deeply satisfied with this culmination of our investigations and adventures.
The Illuminated Heart: Perspectives on East-West Psychology and Thought
Softback, 448 pages, $26.95 + HST and shipping
Order Your Copy Now!
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