For Coaches Living in the New York Area: The Gift of Soul: a conversation with Thomas Moore
The Gift of Soul will take place at: Marble Collegiate Church
29th Street/Fifth Avenue
New York City
Saturday, May 10, 2008
11:00 pm to 2:00 pm followed by a tea reception and book signing
from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul,
Soul Mates, Dark Nights of the Soul, and Original Self will be in three conversations with Nina Frost, Rev. David Lewicki and Dr. John Killinger on how to re-enchant every daylife and recover a lost sense of soul in work, relationships and communication.Thomas Moore is a seeker of the sacred in the ordinary.
For more information on Thomas Moore:
http://www.careofthesoul.net
The program is $48.00 and the first 100 people who register on line will receive a free copy of Thomas Moore’s new book: “A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born To Do.”
There will be an opportunity to ask questions.
This event is one in a series celebrating 2008- The Year of Uncommon Conversations, underwritten by a generous contribution from The Harnisch Family Foundation
and produced by Katherine Gotshall English
To register and for more information go to:
http://www.marblechurch.org
Popularity: 14% [?]
Comment by Barque on 8 May 2008:
Additonal information about this event may be found at http://barque.blogspot.com , a regularly updated blog about Thomas Moore’s public appearances and activities. It points to a recent post by Nina Frost about losing one’s life to find it. There are several features at this site that you may enjoy.
Comment by Chris on 8 May 2008:
Despite knowing I live in the best place in the world, it’s moments like reading this post that make me wish Australia was just a BIT closer to the rest of the world!
Lucky you, New Yorkers! This sounds fabulous!
Comment by Christine Heinrichs on 9 May 2008:
What a wonderful program! Will a report be posted?
Comment by Barque on 13 May 2008:
Great idea, Christine.
Perhaps a number of coaches who attended Moore’s presentation could share their impressions of the event and let the rest of us know what he said. Any links to follow-up descriptions also would be helpful.
Comment by Nina Frost on 14 May 2008:
Thanks for your request for some comments. As one of the people who interviewed Moore, a favorite author, I was struck by his adherence to mystery, paradox, to not knowing. He continually took himself off any pedestals and called people back to their own authority–a natural coaching aspect, no?
One thing that really struck me, and there were many. (Indeed, I would recommend you stay in touch with Katherine Gotshall English re: the eventual CD of this event.) He wound up his reply to one of my questions by saying that in his many years as a psychotherapist, one common denominator with troubled folks is that they ignore (at their peril) the “flow of their own river.” They get in the way of what is trying to happen organically, even if (especially if) that thing is disruptive, or strange or “not them.” This really landed.
For more on these “antithetical” yet crucial parts of ourselves, I commend to you his new book, “A Life at Work,” particularly the chapter on the daimon.
Thanks for inviting this post. Blessings to you all.
Nina Frost
The Vocare Group
New York City
Comment by Rick Raymond on 14 May 2008:
What a wonderful opportunity to listen to conversations with Thomas Moore last Saturday, May 10 at Marble Collegiate. Sitting in the sanctuary I felt perspectives that resonated with and transported me with my deeper beliefs, infrequently spoken, now affirmed and reassured. He spoke in metaphors - the river as the flow of life, a constant stream and yet full of uncertainty. Some of the wonderful and strong messages that I enjoyed were:
In the stream we can best be who we are, which is the ultimate expression of creativity. Love our work, and be loyal to our genius and what he called our “law” – that which we must do. Be passionate about our problems, which are ours uniquely. Doing so may bring us to a place beyond our problems. Being in the flow is about lack of (self) judgment.
Speaking about relationships he said that eccentricities are the connections that make a relationship exciting and alive. He also stated some perspectives that we might find controversial. He would rather be in an interesting relationship than a healthy one; and be you over being truthful.
It was a wonderful time of having the mind stirred like a rich Italian wedding soup simmering on the back burner of the stove.
Comment by Barque on 15 May 2008:
Thank you Nina and Rick for taking the time to share your impressions of Moore’s talk last Saturday. The Barque forum [thomasmoore.ning.com] is in the middle of a free 40-day course following Moore’s “A Life at Work.” We haven’t reached the chapter about the daimon yet. All are invited to register to participate in this online exploration of Moore’s approaches to life work.
Comment by Thomas Moore on 15 May 2008:
I enjoyed the day at Marble Collegiate church very much: excellent music, a well-designed program, very fine conversations, and a beautiful setting. Nina Frost zeroed in on key themes and allowed me to rhapsodize about the river, an image I first explored in an essay on ritual many years ago. David Nowicki concentrated on the process of the conversation. I particularly liked looking for the hidden narratives deep in our talk. John Killinger surprised and delighted me by bringing up Jean Genet’s The Balcony. John and I share an interest in theater of the absurd. In my graduate school days at Syracuse University I took an independent study on these plays with Stanley Hopper. Appropriately Stanley and I met in a stock room full of empty boxes. I’ve always enjoyed Eugene Ionesco’s line in The Bald Soprano where a doctor says he always operates on himself before doing surgery on a patient, and a line in The Lesson where the student is going for her “total doctorate.” She adds perfectly but can’t subtract. A common problem for us all.
Thomas
Catherine Gotshall English choreographed the day perfectly.
Comment by David Lewicki on 16 May 2008:
Dr. Moore, nice of you to join in!
Of course, I am now going to have to think about what narratives we’re hiding within our time together! Hm… (chin scratch)
It was a really nice day.
Dr. Moore is as lovely and interesting in person as he is in his books. I was a bit surprised (and pleased) about how self-effacing and even contrarian he was. What other speaker have I ever heard who will stand up and say “don’t listen to me?” In a world that demands simplicity and clarity, Dr. Moore tells you he will offer complexity and disorientation and if anyone is still listening at that point, he invites them to see and acknowledge that there is “more” to their life than they are probably admitting. And that “more” is probably painful, unlikeable, and strange, but ultimately meaningful.
Dr. Moore’s work challenges my inner pragmatist. As a pastor and a thinker, I’m drawn to mystery (as he is), whether in the sacraments or in good theology. But often when I’m in a counseling or advisory role, I tend to focus on “solution-based” outcomes: ie, what are you going to DO about your problem? Dr. Moore insists that what seems irrelevant is probably not and what seems important may not be as important as we first think. He encourages people to think and reflect, not simply “do” as a means of addressing life’s challenges.
Most importantly for me, Dr. Moore seems to do a nice job of truly caring about his work, while acknowledging its futility and unimportance.
I find that refreshing! None of us in the helping professions are nearly as important or wise or useful as we feel.
Comment by John Killinger on 16 May 2008:
I thought the Saturday with Tom Moore one of the finest events I’ve ever been to. Everything Katherine put together for the occasion, from the mood music at the beginning to the shofars at the end, was splendidly, artistically, esthetically done––a perfect setting for the jewels of Tom’s thought, scattered profligately through the day. As I told Tom afterward, he has a unique gift for listening––REALLY listening––to a question and then responding in perfectly crafted thought-paragraphs. The rich experience in the end, for me, wasn’t merely what was said or heard (including the beautiful poetry, music, questioning, and comments) but the presence of Tom Moore, which for the space of a few hours was a thinly veiled visit from the Spirit of God.