"We know what we are, but know not what we may be" William Shakespeare

All That We May Be

The All That We May Be programme builds on the insights of the four-day Discovery of Will, developing over the course of a year through a series of monthly standalone seminars. This course in personal development is designed to help ground and resource individuals, in Arleen Lorrance's words, to “be the change you wish to see in the world".

We anticipate that having experienced The Discovery of Will, many will want to integrate and deepen their learning through the year-long All That We May Be (ATWMB) programme. ATWMB provides participants with the chance to increase their understanding of psychosynthesis theory and the psychospiritual journey through direct, embodied experience. Participants learn to undertake a depth of self-exploration, examine how they navigate relationship and contemplate their inner experience, including an analysis of earlier life experiences and their impact on the present moment.

The longer programme structure allows a rich network of relationships to grow, and since participants have the opportunity to get to know their fellow travellors and establish their place in the group, safety and trust are able to develop. This enables the group setting itself to become a potent container in which people share their learnings and discover themselves through the ‘mirrors’ offered by others. Through this productive, yet careful process, participants gain a fuller understanding of how aspects of personal and collective identity interact, and how they can better manage and align with these dynamics.

The All That We May Be programme is aimed at people who want to participate in life more fully and direct their energies in the service of positive change. It is for those who feel called to express their values and make a difference, whether through leadership and/or by example, such as artists, community leaders and others drawn to social action, while similarly supporting those heeding callings closer to home, in areas such as by parenting, partnering, fostering, adoption or counselling.

Programme Structure

This part-time programme is spread over one year with nine x 2.5-day weekends (Fri-Sun) and one 5-day intensive. Commencing in October 2021, we will hold each of the 9 weekends in Bristol (one weekend per month) and conclude the year with a 5-day residential retreat. This format is designed to provide an opportunity for participants to study the holistic psychology of psychosynthesis in an accessible learning structure while maintaining existing work and family commitments.

The programme will centre on five principle directions of enquiry. Our exploration will consider these ostensibly simple questions in increasing depth over the course of the year:

Who am I?
How am I in relationship?
How can I give greater expression to all that I may be?
What limits me in this expression?
What supports me in this purpose?

All That We May Be is structured so that each weekend builds on the preceding weekend while being a coherent experience in itself. The psycho-spiritual context of psychosynthesis provide the overarching frame for the trajectory of the year and its 'journey of soulmaking'; an unfolding of the deeper reality of our being. Modules within this programme draw on a variety of experiential learning techniques, including reflective mediation, guided imagery, volition, creative imagination and archetypal expression.

Each two and a half-day weekend module will take place from Friday to Sunday at the Wild Goose Space at the Yard, Mina Road, St Werburghs, Bristol BS2 9YP on the following dates in 2021-2022:

Weekend dates

2021

Weekend 1: 22-24 October

Weekend 2: 12-14 November

Weekend 3: 3-5 December

2022

Weekend 4: 7-9 January

Weekend 5: 4-6 February

Weekend 6: 4-6 March

Weekend 7: 8-10 April

Weekend 8: 6-8 May

Weekend 9: 27-29 May

5-day residential. June 15-19 Wed evening to Sunday (provisional dates)

Weekend format

Friday 6.45–9.45pm
Saturday 9.00am–6.30pm
Sunday 10.00am–4.00pm

Self and the Seasons

The year-long programme offers a course of personal development in psychosynthesis grounded in ecopsychology. We will explore our place among complex adaptive systems as the focus for Friday evenings of each weekend.

While focus will be on the personality and developmental transitions, this is always viewed from a wider context that is transpersonal, ecological, existential and ultimately spiritual.

The Inner Journey

Major areas covered are the process and skill of disidentification: holding a point of tension with physical, emotional and mental process; boundaries and developing and protecting psychic space; integrating parts of the personality and needs; utilising the create energies of love and power; and using transforming systems in the psyche.

Will and Motivation

This course explores the nature of Will and agency. As participants deepen their experience of Will, they become more in charge of their lives. This is not through the illusion of being control, but by becoming more able to respond to life, even when it is at its most wounding, dark and difficult. Initially the focus is on the development and expression of personal Will, then alignment with and surrender to Transpersonal Will. As C.G Jung wrote, “The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego, the second half is going inward and letting go of it.”

Right relations

The right relations module provides a practical course in relational interaction that provides a context for individuals to explore intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics in action. It is a relatively unstructured day each weekend. The reflective keynote is opportunity – to experiment and play, to break habitual patterns of interaction, which may no longer be appropriate, and to take risks.

Rhythms and Crises of Self-Realization

This residential intensive is essentially a time of retreat. It is a time to focus on the depths and heights of the journey of Self-Realisation. The profound rhythms of living and dying, death and rebirth are entered into and anchored in each person’s unique experience. Participants learn how to co-operate more consciously with their process of soul-making, which also paradoxically involves surrendering to the unknown and acknowledging the mystery of life. This retreat is also about completion and endings as the group’s year-long journey comes full circle.

In engaging with the five directions of enquiry, we will cover the following topics:

Subpersonalities and Integration
The 'I' and the Sense of Identity
Childhood and the Unconscious
The Body
Sexuality and Gender
The Creative Use of Pain, Crisis and Failure
Self-Realisation and Psychological Disturbances
The Cultivation of the Will
Interpersonal Psychosynthesis
Principles and Practice of Meditation
Active Listening and Compassionate Feeling
The Will and Creative Expression
Identity and Personal Freedom

Cost and application

The fee for the 9 weekends is £2995, including all teaching, tutoring and materials. However, since the residential intensive includes catering and accommodation, it will need to be costed separately.

N.B. Attendance on The Discovery of Will course is a pre-requisite for the year-long All That We May Be programme.

Payment can be made in instalments by arrangement.

The support of a therapeutic relationship will be enormously beneficial to those beginning the All That We May Be programme. Since the work of this course can be challenging at times, we require that you attend regular one-to-one therapy sessions (a minimum of 30 hours). You will therefore need to budget for weekly therapy sessions (£35 to £50 a week).