I wrote a few weeks ago about a recent conference that I attended. The organizers were unwise enough to ask me for my opinion little realising that I would write voluminously but this is my contribution to get things as good as they can possibly be.

Greetings Dear organisers

I’m going to give you my considered opinion on a possible future path of your interactions bearing in mind the great number and variety of courses and seminars I have attended over the past 60 years or so plus of course my direct experience at our beloved weekend back in Jan/Feb.

I’m not trying to be  dogmatic or authoritative but just to give my impressions so that this missive is not to be seen as a forceful thing but a reflective thing. The points are not ‘in order’.

# You were discussing a possible follow up to the course we enjoyed earlier this year. I’m very cautious about trying to repeat something because nothing can ever be repeated.

# For future iterations I think we need to take the essence of what was most successful in the event and update and turn it in a direction determined by your new learning in the intervening period. I never repeated the same lecture in my public exposure times.

# There are many determinants of success of  a venture most of which are determined well before the course ever starts.

# I cannot overemphasize the importance of self-discipline and integrity of the speakers and of course that includes those who speak from the audience

# I note that many courses are too ambitious and they typically fail for that reason.

# It’s all very well thinking of a catchy title but if people have overriding mental emotional and spiritual problems, they will not be able to hear what you are saying.

# The key is to have an advertising  filter which will automatically exclude those who are not up to it. By ‘up to it’ I mean able to appreciate the nuances of the subject matter. Having said that and it is very difficult to find a subject with no nuances. Everything leads to everything else.

# The worst courses are those who promise to help you develop your psychic ability, power to make a friend or friends and worst of all how to make a million bucks. ‘Dream catching’ I call it or ‘wish exploitation’ would be more accurate.<

# I reflect on courses that I’ve attended in America where there is no after sales service. The lecturer had gone off to the next event. I think if you’re going to stir people up or exercise them you need to be available afterwards for the answering of questions.

I’m not saying taking on someone’s life and healing them but just being there to point them in the right direction. Being available on the phone can be helpful and most people will respect your privacy, certainly those who attend your courses.

# With regard to the crowd we had and of which I was a part I did feel that a few people were inhibited and had longer term emotionally embedded problems which prevented their spontaneous communication but having said that the conversation at the meal tables was quite good but not what I would call ‘in depth’.

# David and I were the only men there and if something could be done to attempt to change the ratio between  male and female that might be good. From my own perspective I did not mind because everyone has male and female within them but some men not used to the idea could have felt a little bit overwhelmed especially if they are coy about their own spirituality.

# Maybe we need a ‘conference to prepare for a conference’ so perhaps the first evening could be a ‘getting to know you evening’ without jumping in at the deep end so that people can at least release themselves from any difficulty of problem that is troubling them.  i.e. better out than in.

In other words, we need a minimum  level of clarity and focus so that we can all be on the starting line together irrespective of where we finish.

# I think extending the course by one day would exclude people who just about found the time to sneak off on Friday afternoon but have to be back on duty Monday morning.

Françoise and myself are free to do what we want but we are one of the lucky ones. If you want other than pensioners and want to include people with children or family demands, then I think you might be fighting a bit of a losing battle but it may be worth a try. People can always leave early.

#  I know you had Q and A but is it worth having something that is a little bit more challenging in terms of provocative questions for example how do you see the role of women in the society today and do you feel repressed?  What about your religious upbringing, or lack of it?

Overload – when you are familiar with this subject it is all to easy to go at a faster rate than people can deal with,  even those with good will and I think it’s a skill that few have achieved and I include myself in this ‘pacing’ challenge. You could argue the less said the better and if it is a catalyst then it’s done it’s job. When I go to a therapist I don’t count the number of words,  I aim for content to heal and change my  mindset.

# I measure a success of a conference – bearing in mind those I have run – on the amount of information that has been incorporated into the psyche of the people so far as a world view is concerned. Is a change manifesting in any form? We will never know what we do. Possibly a good thing !!!

# At the conference itself it is impossible to estimate benefit bearing in mind that us English people tend to be rather secretive and conservative with our emotions and I’m sorry to say rather lacking in honesty, preferring to paper over the cracks and make a good presentation but as we saw with one or two responses to my journal the effect of honesty and openness is not always welcome so I think this should be factored in.

# I would take the key ratio as the  input that you give versus the active contribution that the delegates make at the event itself. In other words they claim it for their own by making statements, asking questions, or being challenged in some way. Quantum entanglement you could say.

# We used to call this sort of thing an encounter group back in the 80s and 90s but I think it’s a bit more subtle than that. Encounter groups tended to be dominated by a personalities and they were often quite brutal in their desire to persuade the delegate to be honest about themselves. We have moved beyond this.

# Also don’t underestimate the blessing that the environment gives. At the Friary, we benefited from a 19th century environment where nature could take its rightful place and I won’t even go into the wonderful library in which I could quite literally live for one year and gobble up as many books as I could cope with.

#  The topic of introducing people or getting them to introduce themselves is tricky because with the best will  in the world people want to present themselves in a positive light and therefore  you very rarely get the unbridled truth, for example

‘ I have split up with my husband due to our differences in beliefs.  I am faced with looking after our child on our own and I don’t know about any financial difficulties that I will come across. My accommodation is not suitable and I must look for somewhere else to live which is affordable at the same time as juggling with my work’. 

British people tend to not to want to ‘bother’ others with their matters. I am unusual in that I regard this as meat and drink,  and interestingly I get on best with those who have hit the bottom, contemplated suicide, and have somehow reinvented themselves.

#  It is up to the delegates to proactively take advantage of the time together and I think you could put some words down on paper encouraging people to be forward and open.

# People have got to feel accepted in order for this to happen and this can take a couple of days, by which time the event is nearly over so I think the first exposure should be carefully crafted and a balance struck between the theme, and the need of attendees to work out their own problems and viewpoints in a timely manner

# As regards the cohort, indeed all cohorts, we should not forget the considerable damage to the soul done by the lock downs, Covid, killing your granny by visiting her, the wearing of face coverings. The damage has not disappeared but simply sunk beneath the surface and I’m sorry to say that this will remain for many years to come.

# Our Marxist Prime Minister is creating conditions in which the humanity and dignity of people is being destroyed and the nature of the United Kingdom is being changed by the influx of a vast number of unsympathetic illegal immigrants. This is taking a toll no matter how subliminal on everybody.

# Christianity and all it stands for is being marginalized in some sort of two tier system in favor of minorities i.e Muslims, not known  for their love of Christians (Infidels).

# Artificial intelligence is being proposed as a substitute for our own God-given intuition, our intrinsic levels of consciousness, with resulting loss of confidence in ourselves and our divine power

# Our job is to shine the light of eternity on whoever we come across in whatever circumstances and if you can maintain this for two days or three days or whatever then you have done your bit so far as the almighty is concerned. I don’t think God has a productivity meter on us, more an orientation meter.

And there dear fellow human beings is where I rest my case.