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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260611T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260611T200000
DTSTAMP:20260601T201947Z
CREATED:20260527T161410Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T201947Z
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SUMMARY:Free Info Session: Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics
DESCRIPTION:Free Info Session\nJune 11th at 7pm et\nRegister here\nMeditation changes us in ways we do not expect. \nWe may begin practice hoping to become less stressed\, more focused\, or more peaceful. And those things may happen. But over time\, many practitioners discover something else unfolding. A greater sense of connection. More compassion. More bravery. A deeper relationship with mystery itself. \nMy new book\, Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics\, explores these less conventional aspects of meditation practice. In it\, I share seven principles that run counter to much of what we are told meditation is “supposed” to do. \nThis is not about becoming perfect\, transcending your humanity\, or turning into some kind of spiritual wizard. It is about learning to relate to your life\, your mind\, your relationships\, and your world with greater intimacy and awareness. \nOn June 11\, I’ll be offering a free live webinar to explore these seven principles with you and talk more about the ideas behind the book. \nWe’ll discuss:\n• Why ritual matters in meditation practice\n• Why your ego is not the problem\n• How ordinary acts can become part of the spiritual path\n• What meditation may actually awaken in us over time\n• How mystical experience can arise within ordinary life \nI’ll also share more about the writing of the book and answer your questions live. \nI hope you’ll join me. \nAll who register will receive access to the recording\, whether or not you can attend live. \nReserve your spot here. \n 
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/free-info-session-inexplicable-magic-meditation-for-mystics/
CATEGORIES:Susan's Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260810
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260819
DTSTAMP:20260106T205714Z
CREATED:20260106T205357Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T205714Z
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SUMMARY:Proclaiming Basic Sanity: Living the Bodhisattva Path (A Retreat)
DESCRIPTION:Drala Mountain Center \nIn these turbulent times\, how do we live with wisdom\, compassion\, and courageous clarity? Join me and Michael Carroll for a week-long retreat dedicated to bringing the heart of practice off the cushion and into everyday life. Together we’ll explore what it means to embody the bodhisattva path now — through meditation\, community\, deep inquiry\, and discussion about sustaining an open heart in the world. \nWe’ll study the six paramitas\, clarify true compassion vs. “idiot” compassion\, strengthen resilience\, and learn practices that help us stay awake and engaged with suffering — our own and others’. This program offers extended sitting meditation\, yoga and qi-gong\, and opportunities to touch what it means to act with fearless kindness and sanity in a confused age. \nRegistration details here.
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/proclaiming-basic-sanity-living-the-bodhisattva-path-a-retreat/
CATEGORIES:Special Events,Susan's Calendar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260930T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260930T200000
DTSTAMP:20260929T141601Z
CREATED:20260915T152823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T141601Z
UID:10014629-1790794800-1790798400@openheartproject.com
SUMMARY:Free Info Session: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity
DESCRIPTION:Free Info Session\nSeptember 30th at 7pm et\nRegister here\nCrystal and I are offering a new program this fall called 7 Days of Fearless Creativity\, and we’re bringing meditation and creativity together. For seven straight days\, we will gather in community for regular meditation and creativity practice. \nWhen meditation makes us more available to the world\, creative practice gives us a way to respond. Some of you may be familiar with what Crystal has termed the “Artyana”: the idea that creativity can be a natural flowering of practice. I love this because it puts creativity right in the middle of our lives\, not as something extra. \nYou don’t need to be an artist or have any particular skill. We’re interested in what happens when you pay attention\, get curious\, and make something from that. \nOn September 30 at 7pm ET\, Crystal and I are hosting a free info session. We’ll talk about the program\, what we’ll do together\, and why we think this matters. We’ll answer your questions too. \nReserve your spot in the info session here. If you’re interested but can’t join live\, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the recording. 
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/free-info-session-7-days-of-fearless-creativity/
CATEGORIES:Susan's Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261018
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261026
DTSTAMP:20260915T152549Z
CREATED:20260915T152549Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260915T152549Z
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SUMMARY:7 Days of Fearless Creativity
DESCRIPTION:7 Days of Fearless Creativity\nOctober 18–25\n7 Days of Fearless Creativity\nWith Susan Piver & Crystal Gandrud \nA Week of\nMeditation. Creativity. Community. \nIt’s hard for most of us to get to our deepest work. Whether it is writing\, painting\, composing\, or dreaming\, we put it off. And put it off again. Why? \nCreative work is a kind of magic. Author of The Artist’s Way\, Julia Cameron\, said\, “the first rule of magic is containment”. What if meditation and creative practice within community created this container? \nAfter publishing a combined 13 books (and Susan teaching Fearless Creativity retreats for over a decade)\, Susan Piver and Crystal Gandrud have concluded that it does. \n\n\n\n\nJoin them for a 7-day experience exploring creativity as a way to be in deeper relationship with yourself\, your work\, and the world around you.\nThis is not a course about becoming a better writer or artist. It is an invitation to wake up to your own creative power and give that power a form. \nFor seven straight days\, through daily meditation\, dedicated time for creative practice together\, conversation\, and community\, we’ll look at what it means to center inspiration in daily life. \n  \n  \nMeditation teaches us to pay attention. Creativity compels us to do something with that attention. When we become more receptive\, we start to notice more: beauty\, difficulty\, contradiction\, possibility\, the things we might otherwise miss. Crystal calls this the “Artyana” (yana is a Sanskrit word that means vehicle)\, a way to understand creative practice as a natural expression of awakening. \n  \n\n\nWhat we’ll explore:\n\nMeditation and creativity: how awareness supports creative work and how making things deepens awareness\nRadiating Outward Incrementally by Crystal Gandrud: using lojong (mind training) as a creative prompt and exploring the relational qualities of creativity\nThe world around you: what happens when we let the world affect us rather than try to control our experience of it\nBeauty: not as decoration or perfection\, but as a way of encountering and participating in life\nFearlessness: what becomes possible when we stop trying to get rid of discomfort and work with it creatively instead\nCommunity and collaboration: how relationship can shift what we see\, make\, and understand\n\n  \n\n\n  \nThis is a practice\, not a performance.\nYour creative practice might be writing\, painting\, music\, cooking\, movement\, photography\, gardening\, working with your hands\, walking outside\, or something else entirely. All are welcome. \nThere is no particular outcome we are trying to achieve. Instead we’ll bring greater attention to what is already happening and give it room to take shape. Sometimes the thing we most want to get rid of is precisely the material we need. \n  \nWhat’s included:\nOpening Talk\nThursday\, October 15\, 7pm ET \nTwo Live Sunday Summits (meditation\, journaling\, creative practice and community)\nOctober 18 and 25\, 3 to 5pm ET \nDaily Spiritual and Creative Practice\nMonday through Saturday\, 10 to 11:15am ET \nCommunity\nConnect with other participants through Signal \nClass Forum\nJournal and creative practice prompts to keep going between sessions \n \n\nCome practice with us.\nYou don’t need to know what you’re making.\nYou don’t need to call yourself creative.\nYou don’t need to have a plan.\nYou only need curiosity\, willingness\, and a desire to see what meditation and creativity reveal when you practice them together. \n7 Days of Fearless Creativity is an invitation to pay attention\, make something\, and see what becomes possible when you listen to the inner voice. \nChoose the price that works best for you:\n$108\nSupporter of the teachers and the teachings \n$216\nSustainer of the Open Heart Project \n$324\nBenefactor for those with financial abundance who wish to make sure this work continues \nRegister Here\nIf you are unable to pay one of the suggested amounts\, please contact us to figure out a price that works for you. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/7-days-of-fearless-creativity/
CATEGORIES:Susan's Calendar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261105T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261105T200000
DTSTAMP:20261015T210841Z
CREATED:20261018T050037Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T210841Z
UID:10014634-1793905200-1793908800@openheartproject.com
SUMMARY:Free Info Session: How to create a meditation & writing practice
DESCRIPTION: \nReserve your spot for this free info session here. \nOn November 5 at 7pm et\, I’m hosting a free info session to talk about how to combine meditation and writing into a practice that works for your life. We’ll also talk about an upcoming writing and meditation retreat I’m leading in the Colorado Rockies February 18-21\,2027. \nHave you ever wondered why it is so hard to get to your writing desk? (Or sofa or bed or wherever you like to write and create?) \nI wish I could tell you exactly why\, but I do not know. \nHowever\, I do know what helps: dedicated time\, spiritual practice\, and a supportive community. \nThese are the tools I use to support my own writing process. Over the past decade I have shared them with hundreds of students at meditation and writing retreats I have led all over the world. \nI discovered these tools by accident when I was on a month-long meditation retreat in the Colorado Rockies. Our schedule was intense. We practiced sitting and walking meditation from around 7:00 am to 9:00 pm (including breaks for meals and an afternoon work period). It took a lot of commitment! (By the way\, if you ever have the opportunity to go on such a retreat\, DO IT. It is the best thing ever.) \nBefore I went\, I requested from the retreat leaders special dispensation to write for a few hours each day of the final week. I was on a book deadline and unless this was granted\, I would not be able to meet it. They very kindly gave permission to do so. \nI was shocked to find that it was the best writing experience of my life. I approached my work without hesitation. Ideas flowed. When I returned to the manuscript each day\, I was able to recapture the exact moment where I had left off and re-enter the flow without obstruction. Most notably\, writing\, which had always felt difficult and uncomfortable\, had an element of joy. I was not afraid. It was awesome. \nI remember walking across a field of July wildflowers one afternoon to rejoin the retreat. (Yes\, it was extremely idyllic.) I felt overwhelmed with happiness. Writing was so wonderful! Words were pouring out! I was meditating for hours each day! In my everyday life\, I struggled to practice for 30 minutes a day and write 1000 words. In this setting\, I was meditating for hours and words were just\ncascading onto the page. I thought\, it can’t just be me for whom this combination—meditation and writing—works. I bet it could work for others. \nNow\, more than a decade later\, repeated anecdotal evidence has confirmed that insight time and again. \nRegister to save your spot in the info session here. \nAll who register will receive the recording. \nWhether you think you’re a “writer” or not\, if you have a longing to say something…share something…craft something…express yourself in some known or unknown way…rest back into your creativity—this gathering is for you. \nI look forward to talking with you. \nLove\,\nSusan
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/free-info-session-how-to-create-a-meditation-writing-practice/
CATEGORIES:Susan's Calendar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261114T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261114T150000
DTSTAMP:20261106T221222Z
CREATED:20261012T050049Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261106T221222Z
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SUMMARY:Full Fathom Five: The Buddha Families & Creative Expression
DESCRIPTION:Full Fathom Five: The Buddha Families & Creative Expression\nwith Kevin Townley\nSaturday\, November 14\n11am–3pm ET \nWhat kind of artist are you\, and what does the way you make things say about how you see the world? \nIn Vajrayana Buddhism\, the Five Buddha Families describe five patterns of human experience: five ways of seeing\, sensing\, responding\, and making sense of the world. Each has its own wisdom\, its own blind spots\, and its own creative potential. \nIn this workshop\, Kevin Townley discusses all of them as a map of creative expression. \nThrough meditation\, conversation\, and making\, we’ll look at how each of us naturally creates. What do you reach for? What do you avoid? Where do you get stuck? What changes when you stop forcing yourself to create a certain way? You won’t leave as a different kind of artist. You’ll know more about the one you already are. \nYou can write\, paint\, dance\, compose\, bake\, make collages… and it’s okay if you haven’t made anything in years. During the workshop you’ll make something of your own in any medium you like\, with time to experiment and reflect. No artistic experience is needed\, whether you’re a working artist\, creatively blocked\, or someone who has never thought of yourself as “creative.” \nWhat we’ll cover:\n* The Five Buddha Families and the wisdom energies they represent\n* How those energies show up in creative work\n* Your creative strengths\, habits\, and blind spots\n* Using meditation to change how you approach making \nWorkshop Details\nDate: Saturday\, November 14\nTime: 11am to 3pm ET\nHosted by: Kevin Townley \nSliding Scale Pricing – Choose what’s right for you: \n$25  \n$50 \n$108  \n(Support at the highest level helps make scholarships and lower-cost programs available to others.) \nRegister Here\nOne scholarship is available for this workshop.\nThe deadline to apply for a scholarship has passed.\nWe will notify all applicants by November 9.
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/full-fathom-five-the-buddha-families-creative-expression/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270101
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270122
DTSTAMP:20261105T171006Z
CREATED:20261103T152800Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261105T171006Z
UID:10014636-1798761600-1800575999@openheartproject.com
SUMMARY:21 Day Meditation Challenge 2027
DESCRIPTION:Content is protected.
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/21-day-meditation-challenge-2027/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270218
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270222
DTSTAMP:20260929T141508Z
CREATED:20260929T141131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T141508Z
UID:10014630-1802908800-1803254399@openheartproject.com
SUMMARY:Drala Mountain Center: Fearless Creativity: A Writing and Meditation Retreat
DESCRIPTION:Register for the Drala Mountain Center retreat February 18–21\, 2027 here \nPlease join New York Times best selling author and Buddhist teacher Susan Piver for a creativity and meditation retreat. \nHave you ever wondered why it is so difficult to write? Longtime meditator and New York Times best selling author Susan Piver has! While there are no instant solutions\, she has been sharing her 3-step creative process at dozens of retreats over the last decade–and seen over and over that when these steps are taken…words come out within an atmosphere of joy. \nThe steps themselves are very simple: meditation practice\, journaling\, and a dedicated block of time for personal writing. It sounds simple\, but there is a secret fourth ingredients that helps it all come together: community. \nWhat to Expect\n\nTwo extended personal writing periods each day\nShort meditation sessions throughout the day\nReconnect with your voice\nLeave with a simple 3-step meditation and creativity practice you can do at home\nExperience the power of writing within a community of writers\n\n  \nRegistration details here\n 
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/drala-mountain-center-fearless-creativity-a-writing-and-meditation-retreat/
CATEGORIES:Susan's Calendar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270705
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270715
DTSTAMP:20261106T184931Z
CREATED:20261026T194201Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261106T184931Z
UID:10014635-1814745600-1815609599@openheartproject.com
SUMMARY:Drala Mountain Center In-Person Retreat: Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics
DESCRIPTION:Register for the Drala Mountain Center retreat July 5–14\, 2027 here \nWith Susan Piver and Crystal Gandrud \nAt a certain point\, meditation practice stops being something we do only on the cushion. It moves into the rest of life and informs the way we inhabit our relationships\, homes\, work\, creativity\, finances\, and all the ways we live. Everything from the way we keep house to how we express love becomes the practice. In the Buddhist view\, this is called the path of the householder. Rather than turning away from everyday life and hoping to escape the difficulties of being human\, our practice develops into a turning toward it all. As a consequence\, we come alive. \nThis is not a simple endeavor. The householder path involves riding waves of ever-increasing vulnerability and openness. To make sense of it all\, we need guidelines. \nDuring this retreat\, we will explore 7 principles that steady the householder journey. \nWhat to Expect\n\nDeepen your meditation practice in a supportive community.\nLearn seven principles for bringing practice into daily life including:\n\nWe Engage in Ritual. \nThe Personal is Not an Obstacle. It is the Way. \nWe Recognize Heartbreak. \nWe Are Boundaried. \nWe Clean Up After Ourselves. \nWe Dream on Behalf of Others. \nWe Live as Mystics\, Hiding in Plain Sight. \n\nEnjoy the beauty of the Colorado Rockies in high summer.\n\n  \nRegistration details here\n 
URL:https://openheartproject.com/event/drala-mountain-center-in-person-retreat-inexplicable-magic-meditation-for-mystics/
CATEGORIES:Susan's Calendar
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