TAT FOUNDATION


TAT 2017 November Gathering
The Treasure Within our Lives Unconnected to Experience

Friday through Sunday
November 17-19, 2017
at the Claymont Society Mansion, WV


The enso, or calligraphic circle, represents an opening of the mind to That which is beyond experience and beyond imagination.

Richard Rose wrote "Beyond the mind is a golden find" in a poem beginning "I come to you as a man selling air" (Profound Writings, East & West epilogue).

Self-realization—finding our true identity, the golden find beyond the mind—is the underlying focus of all the TAT Foundation gatherings and of the sessions for our November 2017 weekend as described below.

The enso, or calligraphic circle, represents an opening of the mind to That which is beyond experience and beyond imagination.

Meet our presenters:

  Anima Pundeer: Obstacles

In June of 2004, Anima Pundeer had an experience where she realized her All-ness and One-ness.... She finally knew Freedom. She feels immense gratitude for all the help and guidance she got from her fellow seekers. She feels she couldn't have made this journey without her Guru and her friends—and the only way she feels she can help anyone is by sharing her own struggles and obstacles.

Anima is highlighted in the documentary film Meetings with Remarkable Women. She is a super busy mother of two who lives with her family in Houston, Texas. When she has spare moments, she weeds her vegetable patch.

  Bob Cergol: Forces of Adversity

Bob Cergol was 19 when he met Richard Rose in 1972 and soon after attended the April 1973 meeting at Rose's house in Benwood, WV where TAT was conceived as an organization. He lived with Rose at his house in Benwood, WV, on Rose's farm, and in the local area on and off over many years. Twenty years later, after living in isolation for a year in a cabin he built on Rose's farm, and feeling his spiritual path had run its course, he moved away to pursue a secular life. He married and started a family, but soon gravitated back to the path, participating in group work with other TAT members. That group work led to a series of events that triggered a spiritual realization that for Bob was an absolute, and final answer to the existential questions he had been asking for all those years. Listen to his story in an August 2016 podcast interview on SpiritualTeachers.org.

Over the past decade, Bob has delivered a number of poignant presentations during TAT events and has authored numerous TAT Forum essays that were ultimately published in Beyond Mind, Beyond Death, a TAT Foundation Press book. Bob currently lives with his wife and works in the Information Technology field. One daughter is graduated from college and the other is attending college.

  David Low: Dreams—Messages from God/Self

David Low, MS PhD, is an author, former Adjunct Professor of Religion, drug counselor, and former entertainer (juggler) who today does dreamwork, teaches meditation, and speaks on topics in popular spirituality and religion. After some powerful meditation experiences, Dr. Low travelled extensively and visited different Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Sufi, Jewish, Christian, and Orthodox Muslim groups. Soon after getting initiation from his major teacher, he began having psychic dreams, often involving "angels" and other spiritual guides, which directed major decisions in his life. An epiphany in 2014 led him to write his first book, Universal Spiritual Philosophy and Practice: in Informal Textbook for Discerning Seekers.

David's greatest passion is getting people to tune into more profound dimensions of spirituality, at both the personal and political levels. He has been involved in TAT for about six years.

  Paul Constant: Navigating Our Spiritual Waters to the Greatest Treasure of All

Paul Constant became a student of Richard Rose in 1985. Currently, his fascinations and explorations are directed toward uncovering the mysteries of life and ourselves. Of late, his spiritual interests include balancing the natural intelligence of our body, the wisdom and resourcefulness of our mind, and the feeling-sense of our Heart. Listen to a September 2016 podcast interview of Paul Constant on SpiritualTeachers.org or visit searchwithin.org.

For the past 30 years, Paul has expressed his love for Truth by facilitating retreats, leading rapport sittings, serving as a TAT Foundation member, and studying with Richard Rose during 1985-1995. Paul and his wife live in Pennsylvania. They were adopted by two kittens in 2013.

  Shawn Nevins: By His Logic Man Can Do Nothing

Shawn Nevins "fell onto the spiritual path in 1990," had an enlightenment experience in 1999, and since then has enjoyed making films, writing, and working with the TAT Foundation. His creative endeavors include the book The Celibate Seeker and the film Closer Than Close—an acclaimed documentary on Self-realization. Shawn is also the co-author of Images of Essence. See his work at poetryinmotionfilms.com.

Shawn and his wife currently live in the San Francisco Bay area.

  Tess Hughes: Hide and Seek with Yourself

Tess Hughes, an Irish woman who lives in Ireland, came across the TAT Foundation one Autumn evening in 2003 while Googling an old boyfriend whose name was Richard Rose! This serendipitous event eventually (7 years later) led her to "the golden find beyond the mind" that Richard Rose—founder of the TAT Foundation—referred to.

Tess attributes the direction, encouragement, and knowledge she found at the TAT community to forging the way for this transformation in herself. Nowadays, she likes nothing better than to pass on to others what she was given.

The registration deadline for the November Gathering is Sunday, November 12th.

Weekend Schedule

Lonely Tree

Friday, November 17, 2017

  5:00 to 7:30 PM - Set-up and arrivals

  7:30 to 7:45 PM - Welcome session for early arrivals

  7:45 to 9:00 PM - Dreams: Messages from God/Self by David Low
From the standpoint of mystically inclined Jungians and other therapists, David will discuss "dream basics" and his own extensive experience of guidance from them. He will look at Richard Rose's and some other TAT member's understanding of their value, compared to how dreams are generally understood in orthodox versus mystical spirituality. His session will include plenty of opportunity for participants to share experiences, and he will give pointers on how to remember dreams more effectively.

  9:00 PM to ? - Informal conversation

Saturday, November 18, 2017

  7:30 to 8:00 AM - Optional group meditation

  8:00 to 9:30 AM - Potluck breakfast and open discussion

  9:30 to 9:45 AM - Welcome and introduction

  9:45 to 10:45 AM - Obstacles by Anima Pundeer
"What do you think is your obstacle now?" was a question that was asked frequently during Philosophical Self-Inquiry retreats with Art in Pittsburgh. I found that though my answers changed every time, there are core reasons that most of the obstacles we perceive are based on. I found Desire, Pride, Fear and Attachment (to self) is what keeps our attention away from our Self. I want to share with you what I found in myself and in my fellow seekers, and how these manifest and keep us sedated.

  10:45 to 11:00 AM - Break

  11:00 to Noon - Navigating Our Spiritual Waters to the Greatest Treasure of All by Paul Constant

dead reckoning: "Beginning at a known position, the navigator measures the heading and speed of the ship, the speeds of the ocean currents and leeward drift, and the time spent on each heading. Errors tend to accumulate in dead reckoning, so its accuracy depends on the length of the voyage and the ability of the navigator to limit error. But above all else, dead reckoning depends on reliable instruments." ~ courtesy of nps.gov

In yonder days, seafaring treasure hunters gathered resources for the journey: a sturdy ship to navigate perilous waters, supplies for sustenance, fellow explorers who offered various skills, and tools to remain on course and steer clear of rocky shores—tools such as a compass, nautical charts, and maps of the stars.

As explorers in the spiritual world, we undertake a grand journey with the hope of finding the greatest treasure of all—one that fully satisfies our desire to know who we truly are. Like ancient mariners, we face perilous waters, but our rocky shores are of a different nature. Likewise, we must muster the appropriate tools to maintain our direction. In this session, Paul will look at our spiritual dead reckoning and the art of navigation, and offer navigation tools to help seekers in their grand journey inward.

  Noon to 1:30 PM - Potluck lunch and open discussion

  1:30 to 3:30 PM - Breakout groups for self-inquiry led by Anima Pundeer, Art Ticknor, Bob Cergol, Paul Constant, Shawn Nevins, and Tess Hughes.

  3:30 to 4:30 PM - Free time, with optional movement sessions

  4:30 to 5:30 PM - Break

  5:30 to 6:30 PM - Potluck dinner and open discussion

  6:30 to 7:30 PM - Forces of Adversity by Bob Cergol
There is indeed a "treasure within" unconnected to, and quite beyond, experience. Richard Rose rightly wrote: "Beyond the mind is a golden find." So why then isn't this treasure, this golden find, plainly and easily visible?

Richard Rose spoke of and wrote about the forces of adversity. It was his tag-line for all of the unseen or unrecognized factors that influence our thinking and our behavior in a way that is directly counter to our desire for the truth and our declarations of commitment to finding it.

It is a mistake to assume that merely by desiring a spiritual path, and declaring that you are on one, that it will unfold that way. Have you ever considered that the reasons for NOT being successful might go beyond simply your lack of "due diligence"? Perhaps you are being thwarted by things you do not see, and have not taken into account. Do you believe the recently popular notion of cosmic evolution? – That man-kind is destined for spiritual growth and expanding consciousness? That sort of ego-centricity is the very "Penny That Blocks The Sun" of which Alfred Pulyan wrote about – and is a manifestation of the forces of adversity that keep you ensnared. Rose once quipped that God himself would have to get out of the way to make room for all these egos' expanding consciousness. Equally plausible is that evolution on earth favors the viruses, bacteria, and other unseen life-forms feeding off of mankind, and that the evolutionary end-point for earth may be a culture-bed-based ripening of the planet having nothing to do with an earthly pedestal for human extolment. Truly, what is your place in the natural order? And how might that run counter to some conjured, spiritual world in which you appear as an expanded version of you, a super-conscious and aware you, with no dependence on a body and immune from the laws of nature? In his final years, even while suffering from Alzheimers, in a not unheard of moment of coherence, Rose, looking down and shaking his head, broke the silence and uttered to the aging seeker sitting next to him: "It's a damn shame...you took the bait!"

  7:30 to 7:45 PM - Break

  7:45 to 8:30 PM - Rapport Sitting by Bob Cergol
Rapport means "harmonious relation," which is allowing yourself to open up through rapport with others, your self, and with what is. It is the meaning behind the saying: "Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am present." Bob will facilitate this silent group session.

  8:30 PM to ? - Informal conversation

Sunday, November 19, 2017

  7:30 to 8:00 AM - Optional group meditation

  8:00 to 9:30 AM - Potluck breakfast and open discussion

  9:30 to 10:30 AM - By His Logic Man Can Do Nothing by Shawn Nevins
Richard Rose followed that preceding statement by saying, "By himself he can do nothing. Unless. Unless man can, through some faculty of feeling, pick up a downward emanation from man's Real Self, or from God, or the Absolute, or from that which you wish to call It…." We'll explore what this means in our day-to-day lives.

  10:30 to 11:00 AM - Break / check out of mansion rooms

  11:00 to noon - Hide and Seek with Yourself by Tess Hughes
In "spiritual" circles we hear statements such as: "You are what you seek," "We are hiding from God," "You are not what or who you think you are," "You are not your ego," and so on. All point to the human conundrum of us not knowing what we are. Identity confusion is the human problem. Tess will share some understandings and pointers as to how to tackle this personal identity problem.

  Noon to 12:30 PM - Meeting wrap-up and feedback for future TAT events

  12:30 to 1:30 PM - Potluck lunch and open discussion

  1:30 PM - Clean up and adjourn

Location and Facilities

Claymont Mansion

The event is being held at the Claymont Society Mansion near Charles Town in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The mansion's historical ambience mixes perfectly with 350 private acres of forests and farmland. Sleeping accommodations include a mixture of single and double beds in 12 rooms and 6 shared 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 mansion guests should expect to share sleeping quarters and bathrooms with other participants. On-site camping is available in the lawn area near the mansion.

The Claymont Society Mansion is located at 577 Claymont Mansion Road, Charles Town, WV 25414 [GPS coordinates: N39.26740, W77.90390]. Claymont is 50 miles/60 minutes from the Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C. Travel directions to Claymont Mansion.

 

Costs

The November Gathering fees per person for TAT members are as follows:

The non-member fees per person are:

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

American Express Discover MasterCard VisaUse PayPal to pay with these credit cards (PayPal account not necessary). PayPal is "fast, free and secure" and allows payment by credit card or electronic withdrawal from a bank account. Checks (in U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank) or money orders (domestic only) made payable to the TAT Foundation are also accepted if received by the registration deadline.

Support TAT by becoming a Regular, Sustaining, or Lifetime Member.
Visit our membership page for information about TAT memberships.

Registration Fees*

Please enter your name and email address in the boxes below and select your meal preference from the drop-down list:

Name:

Email:

Vegetarian meals?

From the drop-down list below, select the registration fee that applies to you. Select "no lodging" if you will either camp on site or arrange off-site lodging on your own.

Fee:

Note: 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.

2018 TAT Membership - $40*

Become a TAT member for $40 and register at the discounted member prices. Or, renew your annual membership. See details on our membership page.

Name:

Email:


* The TAT Foundation hosts four public events each year. Registration fees vary depending on the event location. Because we are an all-volunteer organization, please allow up to 5 business days before receiving confirmation of your payment. See our membership overview or email if you have questions about registration fees.

Space is limited, so registration is required. The deadline for registration is Sunday, November 12th. You may cancel your registration on or before November 12th and receive a refund, minus a $5 handling fee. Cancellations after November 12th will not be refunded. Because ADA-compliant facilities are limited in the mansion, persons with a disability should contact before registering.

 

Meals

Meals are potluck style for Saturday and Sunday continental breakfasts, Saturday and Sunday lunches, and Saturday dinner. We ask that each event participant bring 2 items, totaling about $15. A good rule of thumb is to bring enough food to serve 7 people with each item. All meals are included for non-members. Sorry, we cannot reduce fees for those who prefer to bring their own food. TAT will provide coffee and tea.

 

Lodging

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

For more information...

email:
TAT Foundation
P.O. Box 873
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-8873
(336) 933-0295

What is the TAT Foundation?

A group encouraging people to think rather than believe. A group determined to help people find ways and means to answer their deepest philosophical questions. A gathering of friends who are not afraid to be honest with one another. An island of hope and sanity (or at least the hope for sanity!). Last, but not least, TAT is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization chartered in 1973.

 

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