Way of the Peaceful Warrior

4-day retreat (english-spoken)
Tomar, Portugal

When?

AUG 6-10

Register

What?

Welcome to this special summer retreat for men, in which we will explore the Way of the Peaceful Warrior. We will do this in the beautiful setting of Tomar, the ancient capital of the Templars in Portugal. This retreat is a follow up of our online course ‘sacred warriors’ in 2024, and the men’s gatherings in Sinai in the last 3 years.

 

The time has come for the peaceful warrior. The warrior that doesn’t use violence or war to reach its goals, but the warrior that acts from the heart. Its ‘weapons’ are compassion, love and wisdom. And its enemies are ignorance, judgement and hatred. Its arrows are not pointed at any specific person or group, because the peaceful warrior knows we are all human beings trying to find our way out of the claws of illusion. We are all caught in the web of ‘samsara’ and to free ourselves we have to liberate first our own mind and release our negative emotions.

 

This is no easy practice. That’s why it takes a warrior’s mind: To be sharp, relentless and yet compassionate and wise. Each one of us has a favourite enemy: someone or something that we want to fight. Could be our father or mother, our leaders or any other authority figure; could be our neighbours, other people, the system, the bad guys, another religion, another race. We can even want to fight ourselves and fight an inner battle. To get out of the fight- and survive modus it takes a lot of courage, wisdom and strength. But in the end it is rewarding on many levels.

 

To bring peace to the world, we first have to bring peace and healing to our own mind and soul. Yes, there is darkness, injustice, war and suffering. Yet, how can we avoid to contribute to it, knowingly or unknowingly. This is the Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

The Program

We will use the principles of Open Space as a way of ceremony to delve into our inner world, explore who we are, discover what holds us back and make a leap forward: into the unknown and into ourselves. We will have 2 sharing circles a day, exercises and body work. The whole program will be a powerful ceremony of personal change and transformation.

Practical

€ 550 (including: the costs of the workshop, 4 x lunch, 5 x dinner, and a visit to the Templar Castle & the Convento de Cristo / excluding: your journey towards Tomar, accommodation costs, breakfast, drinks and other excursions + transport decided on the spot).

Accommodation, lunch and dinner need to be paid separately. We advice to book a hostel or airbnb in the old town. We will organize lunch and dinner and share the costs.

Tomar  can be easily reached by plane to Lisbon and a direct 2 hour train drive to Tomar. You can walk from the trainstation to The Gate (the location where we will be working) and hotels inside the old town in 10 minutes.

Suncream, a hat or cap, yoga clothing, swimming suit, sandals, light walking shoes, slippers for in The Gate, notebook, instruments if you have them, a personal symbol to put on the altar…

This retreat is organised in partnership with Ton’s initiative Connecting the Dots in Tomar, Portugal. Therefore for general condition we will refer you to their website.

 

PLEASE READ OUR GENERAL CONDITIONS attentively before booking.

Registration

Your subscription is definitive by paying the full amount of the retreat to bank account: IBAN: NL90 INGB 0008216143, BICcode: INGBNL2A, Tree of Life, Laurierstraat 122, 1016 PR, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Please mention the name of the retreat: “THE WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR AUGUST”.

 

Finally, please send an email with your subscription to [email protected]

 

NB. In case of cancellation, there is a fee of € 200 two weeks before the start of the event. After that the whole amount has to be paid. Hotel cancellations should be checked with the hotel itself. Your registration to the retreat will only be confirmed once the payment is received.

Facilitators

Ton van der Kroon 

Eran Markose

Testimonials of men who came before

I have done several men's retreats with Ton and Jan. And oftentimes I have thought: "I'm leaving right now!" Every time the retreat called upon me to stand for what is mine. For what I feel is important, for that which is close to my heart, and to bring that to the group. It calls for courage and boldness. And the little child in me often rebels. "You're not going to say something like that!" The connection and brotherhood that grows in just a few days time has brought me so much. Friendships, insights, serenity, more authenticity, ... That I am allowed to be man amongst men in equality.

Armand

I vividly remember my first Heart of Men. To dare to speak in front of all these men that I didn't know, and even more, to be vulnerable in front of other men that I didn't know. To be allowed in such a group that we all grapple with insecurities, doubts, judgements, and the feeling of not being enough. To honor and see each other in those feelings. Without wanting to be right, and without trying to change anything about it. That it is allowed to just be there. That is brotherhood. That is strength. That is authenticity. That is love.

Mich

Years ago I felt a need to 'work with men'. The Return of the King retreat was my first confrontation with myself on a personal level, but also brought me clarity about who I am and what path I travel. After this I participated in Heart of Men a couple times, spread across several years. Every single time I can reach a new depth in myself which results in more balance in who I am and what I stand for. Working with other men, the stories, the experiences, and the openness with which men can and dare to share, are a tremendous added value. Every time is a search for yourself, but once you open up to it, you'll come out a better person and a better man.

Peter Van den Broucke

Confronting, inspiring and enriching all at the same time. To be surrounded by masculine energy is so healing. To be seen and heard without judgement and to be allowed the space to be myself gave a the chance to grow as a person and as a man. Words are insufficient to describe this, you have to experience it.

Ken Devaere

Every time I am impressed by the amount of space that can be created in a men's group by slowing down and intention setting. Pain and confusion are shared there in openness and are allowed to be healed and receive insight. Pure alchemy!

Tim Van Den Broeck

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