Peace, Power and Mystery: The Essence of Inner Stillness

Many of us, especially in these times, long for peace. 

World peace – where nations, peoples, races, religions, genders, species live in harmony, where the defining characteristics of our humanness are acceptance, respect and love. 

Peace in our personal lives, where we can find respite from the busyness, complexity and noise of everyday life. Time for rest and quiet – to be in nature, read a book, listen to music, sleep in. No schedules, no emails, nobody wanting anything from us.

We often see peace as being an absence of conflict, pressure and agitation and our sense of peace seems to depend on what is happening around us. At the same time, we know that moments of deep inner peace can happen in an imperfect world, while the next moment we can fill our unoccupied time, and our meditations, with ceaseless mental activity.  What peace actually is in itself is quite mysterious.

And what has peace got to do with power?  Power is usually seen either as something that can be abused, which destroys peace, or the “good” kind of power that can be used to change outer and inner conditions to create peace.  True power transcends our desire to control outcomes: it allows us to simply be, in alignment with the true perception of reality.

In this retreat we will explore the Black Essence, where true power and true peace are one, an expression of our deepest nature that is completely transformative and completely still at the same time.

On the Diamond Approach and the New Aotearoa Group:

Every spiritual path deals with our common human situation, and each path deals with it differently. The Diamond Approach is a relatively new path, for people living a full human life in the world, who want to know who and what they are beyond their usual stories and ideas about themselves.

It uses a range of powerful practices, as well as modern psychological knowledge, to help each person to explore their own experience in ways that bring deeper understanding, as well as the gradual revelation of our spiritual nature, in its vast rainbow of qualities and dimensions.

The Diamond Approach has been taught in New Zealand for over 15 years. There is a large, established group that has developed over that time, which is now closed to new members. Diamond Approach New Zealand is now in the process of forming a new group, for those with a sincere interest in inner work and spiritual discovery. 

Retreats normally involve meditation, a teaching, experiential exercises in pairs, threes, or small groups, and opportunities to ask questions, share experiences and inquire further with a teacher. 

Retreats will remain open to the public and new people can join the group for the next few years. When the group has reached a sustainable size and composition, it will close to new members. 

If you have questions about DANZ2 and the Diamond Approach teachings in New Zealand, or are interested in private sessions with a Diamond Approach teacher, you can contact Vivienne Leahy at vleahynz@gmail.com

Retreat Details:

Dates and Times:

Friday April 17, 6.30-9.30pm

Saturday April 18, 9.00am - noon and 2.00 - 5.00pm

Sunday April 19, 9.00am - noon and 1.30 - 4.30pm

Included in the cost of this retreat are three follow-up zoom sessions: 

• Small Group Meeting: a weekday evening or Saturday morning in the week after the retreat, dates and times to be announced

• 2 Interim Teachings in May and June, dates and times TBA

  
  

Cost: $495

Current ongoing DANZ1 students repeating material pay a reduced fee of $195. 

Accommodation:

Simple and comfortable accommodation is available at the venue. You can choose a room for one or two people for approximately (2026 prices TBA) $100 per person with meals, or $70 per person with breakfast only. Most rooms have their own bathrooms, some have shared bathrooms. Groupings of up to 8 rooms share a kitchen/dining area with stove, microwave etc for those preferring to prepare their own food.

The venue doesn't accommodate specific dietary requirements. Meals are simple, usually non vegetarian. Lunch is called dinner and is the main meal. The evening meal is a crockpot, quiche, or similar.