Latest:
Events

August 2026 TAT Meeting

Jim Gillespie

August 21st-23rd 2026

The Return Home

Since its founding in 1973 by Richard Rose, TAT has sponsored numerous events that offer a remarkable gathering of seekers, finders, and friends. Please join us for TAT’s annual August event for a weekend of exploration, sharing, and questioning. Together, we will look at…

The Return Home 

“There’s a vibrant longing that leads us back to consciousness of awareness. It’s reflected in our dissatisfaction, in our desire for unity, completion, wholeness, love, eternality….

“We try to fulfill the vibrant longing ‘out there.’ But its message is that an internal home is the place of completion, of eternality without conflict. When the excitement and adventure of traveling wears thin, it becomes more and more apparent to the weary traveler that fulfillment doesn’t lie over the next hill or around the next bend. As an old hymn intones: ‘Come Home, come Home, ye who are weary, come Home.’”  ~ Art Ticknor

“Home” is one of the most evocative of all words with which to portray the spiritual search.  And the “return” home points to yet another feeling, familiar, that we somehow lost our way to a place we’ve been before.  

This immersive weekend retreat is designed to awaken deeper insight, cultivate authentic connection, and ignite true transformation. Whether you are taking your first steps on the path of self-inquiry or seeking renewed clarity, this gathering offers a rare opportunity to explore life’s deepest questions in an atmosphere of support and sincerity.

Meet our featured presenters:

Paul Rezendes has a particularly compelling life story: leader of two notorious motorcycle gangs, becomes yoga teacher, spiritually awakens, then lives that awakening through his work as a renowned wildlife tracker, teacher, and photographer. Paul points definitively to the conundrum of the self, the seeker, getting in the way of what is sought. Paul is the author of The Wild Within.  See Paul’s video from the April 2019 TAT retreat: “A Session in the Now.”

Bob Fergeson is a teacher, writer, photographer, and avid mountaineer. In the winter of 2000, while skiing in the backcountry of Colorado, Bob found what he sought. In his own words, “something happened to me that answered my questions as to who I am and my relationship to life and death, the questions that had somehow haunted me—consciously or not—for most of my adult life.” He is featured in the film Mountain High: Touching the Void. Bob is also the author of The Listening Attention, a simple and profound teaching on finding the gateway to within. He is the co-author of the beautiful book of poetry and photographs, Images of Essence. See Bob’s talk from the April 2011 TAT retreat.  See Bob’s Listening Attention website.

Click HERE to register

The registration deadline for TAT’s June Spiritual Retreat Weekend is Wednesday, August 19th 2026.

Weekend Schedule

Friday, August 21, 2026

  • 5:00–7:00 PM — Setup and Arrivals
  • 7:00–7:15 PM — Welcome / Opening Session
  • 7:15–8:30 PM — Breakout Groups – “Nostalgia & Home”
  • 8:30 PM–? — Free Time

Saturday, August 22, 2026

  • 7:30 to 8:00 AM – Optional group meditation with Paul Constant
  • 8:00 to 9:00 AM – Potluck continental breakfast and open discussion
  • 9:00 to 9:15 AM – Break
  •  9:15 to 9:30 AM – Welcome with Jonathan P.
  • 9:30 to 10:30 AM – a session with Paul Rezendes 
  • 10:30 to 10:45 AM – Break
  • 10:45 to 11:30 AM – Q & A with Paul Rezendes
  • 11:30 to 12:00 PM – Break
  • 12:00 to 1:15 PM – Potluck Lunch
  • 1:15 to 3:15 PM – Group Inquiry: Through honest, open dialogue, we help one another clarify our understanding by turning away from untruths. Thus we turn from the illusion of life to Reality. Such questioning is at the core of Richard Rose’s Albigen System.  Led by Paul Constant, Shawn Nevins, Mike Gegenheimer, and Bob Fergeson (if a 4th group is needed). 
  •   3:15 to 3:30 PM – Free Time/Discussion
  •   3:30 to 4:30 PM – a session with Bob Fergeson 
  •   4:30 to 4:45 PM – Break
  •   4:45 to 5:15 PM – Q & A with Bob Fergeson
  •   5:15 to 5:30 PM – Break
  •   5:30 to 7:00 PM – Potluck Dinner
  •   7:00 to 8:15 PM – “Speed Inquiry” session with _________________
  •   8:15 to 8:30 PM – Break
  •   8:30 to 9:00 PM – The Journey Home through Douglas Harding experiments

Sunday, August 23, 2026

  • 7:30 to 8:00 AM – Optional Silent Rapport Sitting with Mike Gegenheimer
  • 8:00 to 9:00 AM – Potluck continental breakfast and open discussion
  • 9:00 to 9:15 AM – Break
  • 9:15 to 11:30 AM – ________ TBD
  • 11:30 – 11:45 AM – Break
  • 11:45 AM to Noon – Meeting wrap-up & feedback for future meetings 
  • Noon to 2:00 PM – Potluck Lunch/Open Discussion/Adjourn Meeting

Location, Facilities, and Lodging

Claymont's great barn meeting room

The event is being held at the Claymont Mansion near Charles Town in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The Mansion’s presence mixes perfectly with 350 private acres of forests and farmland. Sleeping accommodations include a mixture of single and double beds with dormitory style bathrooms. Claymont provides towels and bed linens for overnight guests (guests make and strip their own beds). During the registration process, we will do our best to accommodate room preferences, but all guests should expect to share sleeping quarters and bathrooms with other participants.

The Claymont Mansion is located at 577 Claymont Mansion Rd., Charles Town WV, 25414. Claymont is 50 miles/60 minutes from the Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C. Travel directions to Claymont Mansion.

Costs

The fees per person for TAT members are as follows:

$175 for members, which includes meeting registration and overnight lodging on Friday and Saturday in Claymont’s Mansion, or
$115 for members who arrange alternative lodging; this includes meeting registration and on-site camping if desired. Camping is informal—no hook-ups or restrooms.

The non-member fees per person are:

$235 for non-members, which includes meeting registration and overnight lodging on Friday and Saturday in Claymont’s Mansion, or
$165 for non-members who arrange alternative lodging; this includes meeting registration and on-site camping if desired. Camping is informal—no hook-ups or restrooms.

Full-time students should contact TAT Foundation events for information on discounted registration fees.

If cost is a serious issue that will make or break your attendance, please let us know. We do not want someone to refrain from attending for reasons of cost.

Event registration closes on the Wednesday before the event. To Register:

To register for the event, please click HERE ! This will take you to our membership platform where you can register for the event. If you have any trouble registering, please contact us directly so we can help!

If you would like to become a member prior to registering for the event, please visit our membership page where you can learn more and join as a member.

The deadline for registration is the Wednesday before the event. Upon receipt of your registration, you will receive a confirmation message with additional information. You may cancel your registration on or before this day and receive a refund minus processing fees. Cancellations less than two days before the event will not be refunded. Because ADA-compliant facilities are limited, persons with a disability should contact TAT Foundation events before registering.

Click HERE to register

Meals

Meals are potluck style for Saturday and Sunday continental breakfasts, Saturday and Sunday lunches, and Saturday dinner.  If you are already a TAT member, please help our meal planning team by visiting our potluck contributions page at PerfectPotluck. We ask that each TAT member bring 2 items, totaling about $20. A good rule of thumb is to bring enough food to serve 7 people with each item. 

All meals are included for non-members, but non-members are also welcome to bring potluck contributions by using PerfectPotluck. Sorry, we cannot reduce fees for those who prefer to bring their own food. TAT will provide coffee and tea.

Off-Site Lodging

For those who register using the alternative (off-site) lodging option, the following overnight accommodations are located near the Claymont Society:

  • Americas Best Value Inn, 807 Willow Spring Dr, Charles Town, WV (304) 725-2041
  • Carriage Inn Bed & Breakfast, 417 East Washington Street, Charles Town, WV (800) 867-9830
  • Hampton Inn and Suites, 157 Pimlico Drive, Charles Town, WV (304) 725-2200
  • Holiday Inn Express Hotel Ranson, 681 Flowing Springs Road, Ranson, WV (304) 725-1330
  • Northgate Inn, 106 Jefferson Terrace Rd, Charles Town, WV (304) 725-1402
  • The Inn at Charles, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV (304) 885-5800
  • Towne House Motor Lodge, 642 East Washington Street, Charles Town, WV (304) 725-8441
  • Turf Motel, 741 East Washington Street, Charles Town, WV (304) 725-2081

You may also try searching Airbnb or VRBO for accommodations in the Charles Town or Ranson areas.