“A hunting party
Sometimes has a greater chance
Of flushing love and God
Out into the open
Than a warrior
All alone”
Bring your pain, strength, power, weakness, glory, blessings or whatever else it is that you are to address at this moment in life. Council is a place for you to tackle life head on, as awake and honest to what is your reality as you dare. It is also a place to practice a radical form of listening to others and to the Spirit.
Our form of council is a communal contemplative practice where we do our inner work in a group. It isn’t a discussion group; it isn’t a place to debate ideas; it isn’t a place to get or give answers or advice; it isn’t a place to be held accountable by others. Council is a place uncommon to the rest of life where you are invited to put down the mantel(s) you carry, where you put down your many identities and roles you play, reconnect to Life itself, and sink deeper into your true self, using a variety of practices that have stood the test of time and come to us from wisdom traditions around the world. A large part of this practice is telling our own stories.
Illuman understands the Way of Council as a communal contemplative practice. It affirms the importance of listening and speaking from the heart within a circle of men, but it also recognizes the circle as being more than the sum of its parts. Illuman wants to be open to the mystery of the Spirit that arises within the wisdom and discernment of the Council. It recognizes that we run out of words in the presence of something larger than ourselves. This necessarily widens the circumference of the circle of men, extending our vision to a wider community to which we also have to listen.
“Guilt may be strong enough to motivate religious behavior, but only desire can lead you deeper on the spiritual journey. The absence of desire means the absence of spiritual life.”
Who:
We practice radical inclusivity, and welcome all men, regardless of religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status or anything else that may divide.
When:
An RSVP would be very helpful, but not 100% mandatory. Please contact us for more information! We have two meetings scheduled each month:
Third Sunday Evening of each month-Currently Suspended due to Covid-19
Time: 7-8:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
7005 Piney Branch Road NW
Washington DC 20012
Contact: Bob Sabath
Phone: 202-53107572
Email: bob.sabath@gmail.com
Directions: buzz entry pad at church office
Option dinner together at Mark's Kitchen 5:30-7 pm
Dinner Location: 7006 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Please RSVP if you plan to come
Fourth Saturday Morning of Each Month: -Currently Suspended due to Covid-19
Time: 8-9:30 am
Our Lady Queen of Peace
2700 S. 19th Street
Arlington VA 22204
Contact: Bill Casey
Phone: 703-568-3438
Email: b13909@comcast.net
Directions: enter through office door
About Council:
Council also is a form that is being used in schools, in prisons, in places of worship, in living rooms, in retreat settings, in board rooms, all around the world. To see how council is being used inside the California Prison system, watch this 9 minute video. WARNING: You will likely be inspired to go out and make a difference in the world.
Our Implementation of Council
The Way of Council is an essential practice of Illuman, implemented at all levels of our work, from rites of passage to chapter meetings, from our homes to our wider communities. We respect this process enough to equip men to do it well, but we also acknowledge that Council emerges apart from our efforts to control it. Circles have an archetypal life of their own. Council is the best teacher of Council.
You can download a flyer on the Illuman Way of Council by clicking on the button here: