Have you heard about the Feast for the Soul?
40-Day Worldwide Spiritual Practice Intensive: Jan 15-Feb 23
I cannot recall the first year that I participated in the ‘Feast‘ but it would have been at least eight years ago .. and each year since the offerings and community has grown stronger and stronger. New teachers. New practices and techniques. New technology to support access and practice. New friends made.
Valerie Skonie founded the Feast in 2006, and for many years there was a Winter Feast and a Summer Feast. Valerie was an American meditation practitioner in the Sufi tradition and in 2018 she passed the Directorship to Sarah McLean (McLean Meditation) and the Feast became an annual event in recognition of participants attending from across the globe
2019 marks the 12th year for the Feast .. and there will be well over 20,000 participants!
“The Feast for the Soul is a 40-day spiritual practice intensive that promotes self-discovery, mindfulness, meditation, and creative practices. You can think of it as a virtual retreat whereby you commit to 40 days of spiritual practice. Whether you meditate, dance, paint, practice yoga, or observe another spiritual practice, this 40-day intensive will help you to kick off a new way of living year round. The Feast for the Soul provides resources, support, and teachings that you can access free of charge.” Sarah McLean, Director
I am again participating in the Feast and you can follow some of my own experiences and learnings on my Facebook or Instagram pages – using the #FeastForTheSoul
The Feast is open to ANYONE .. all it takes is to commit to your 40-minute daily spiritual practice for 40 days and the website (www.feastforthesoul.org) provides daily guidance by renowned teachers from major religious and spiritual traditions – free of charge and available anytime. The Feast also honors all forms of spiritual practice and invites all who practice meditation, silent prayer, yoga, tai chi, chi gong, journaling, reading spiritual texts, or any other practice that brings your mind to stillness.
This is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteers with a mission to support individuals as they establish a daily spiritual practice and create a global community of people committed to personal peace.
The Feast holds a vision of a world at peace, one that surpasses the imagined boundaries of creed, culture, and philosophical beliefs. The organization was founded in 2006 by Valerie SKonie who was inspired by these words of Jelaluddin Rumi:
“A new moon teaches gradualness and deliberation, and how one gives birth to oneself slowly. Patience with small details makes perfect a large work, like the universe. What nine months of attention does for an embryo, forty early mornings alone will do for your gradually growing wholeness.” Jelaluddin Rumi
Your forty minutes of practice can be divided into two sessions of 20 minutes each to reach the 40 minutes of commitment. It can also be divided into four 10-minute segments where you experience the stillness more often, and thus integrate it into your day in another way. Each person can design their practice so that it meets their personal schedule and lifestyle.