OUR GATHERINGS
Local Councils
Council is a communal, contemplative practice where we do our inner work in a group. We use 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 while observing the four intentions of Council: speak from the heart, listen from the heart, be spontaneous, and be lean of speech (this doesn’t mean be short or brief, but rather getting to the essence of what we have to say). Council is not many things. 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. Rather, Council is a place uncommon to the rest of life where you are invited to put down the many identities and roles you play, reconnect to life itself, and sink deeper into your true self.
We offer regularly occurring Councils. An in-person Council happens in south Surrey on the first Tuesday, in Vancouver on the second Wednesday of each month, and a virtual Council on the fourth Thursday of each month. All currently go from 7:30pm-9:00pm. Please sign up to our newsletter or reach out to one of our co-conveners to find out more information and join us. All men are welcome!
Additional Offerings
In addition to our regular monthly rhythms of Council, Illuman of BC occasionally offers short retreats and days of wandering in the wilderness. The best way to find out when these are happening is to sign up for our newsletter.
Illuman Men’s Rites of Passage – May 22-26, 2024 (complete)
Check back in the future for our next MROP or see below for more locations
The Men’s Rites of Passage (MROP) is an experience that awakens men to the adventure and mystery of their own belovedness, their masculinity, their griefs and losses, their deep spirituality, their potential for leadership, and the process of transformation. Over the course of 5 days of soulful experiences, men go through classic steps of male initiation through simple and moving rituals and teaching. This process is facilitated by plenty of alone time, being out in nature, time with a small group of brothers, and time with the larger overall group.
Men are asked to come with a willingness to participate from beginning to end and not as an observer. Trust that this process, which has served others so well, will also meet you wherever it is you are in life and help you move into wherever it is you need to go.
Illuman of BC, with support from Illuman of Washington and Illuman of Oregon, is hosting Canada’s first MROP in Deroche, BC, approximately 90 minutes east of Vancouver. This will take place on May 22-26, 2024.
Applications are now CLOSED. For more information about other MROP events happening, please visit the Illuman US National site.
If you are attending the 2024 MROP in BC and need assistance, please contact mrop@illumanofbc.ca.
We look forward to meeting you and becoming a part of your journey!