Weekend Getaways
Spiced with the beauty of nature in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains, MQI Weekend
Getaways focus on critical thinking and shifting perceptions. Getaways are offered
dependent on requests and the questions and needs that emerge through the dialogues
underway at the Institute. Descriptions (include learning approaches) and baseline agendas
are linked to the titles below.
Exploring Reality through Many Perspectives
An important first step in harnessing the power of self as an agent of change is to
understand the different perspectives and theories about how we as humans create our
reality. During this Weekend Getaway, we will explore reality from the perspectives of
literature, living systems, consciousness, science and spirituality. Each of us participates
daily in the process of creating our reality as we share our thoughts and feelings with
others and, in turn, stay open to the thoughts and feelings of others. No matter what
approach we believe drives our thinking and behavior, we create our reality. (See the
paper "Creating Our Reality" in the Consciousness area of the Publications section.)
There are many aspects to this process of creation that help our ability to effectively
promote this reality. Some key aspects that will be addressed through exercises and
dialogue are: the role of emotions, discernment and discretion, balance, trust, sharing,
context and flow.
Into the Myst: An Exploration of the Unknown
Nestled between Earth and Sky, Day and Night Lives a mystical realm where past and
present meet the future. For each of us there is a Gate to open, a Threshold to cross,
where timeless truths remind us we are not alone. With 430 acres of rolling mountains,
trees and pastures, Mountain Quest is a perfect setting for the Myst experience, which
represents a deeper look into the natural energies surrounding each and every one of
us, energies that often invisible and rarely capture our attention. New technologies
enable us to photograph these energies and produce pictures that are truly beautiful,
engaging and unique.
This Getaway experience combines dialogue on the mind/body relationship with
experiential sessions on opening the heart. Sound will be used to support stronger
connections between the conscious and unconscious to explore the inner landscape.
There will be opportunities to capture your own amazing photographs of the land, the
animals and, when the weather conditions are right, possibly the Myst phenomenon.
See the Spiritual area of the Publications section, with specific focus on the two Myst
eBooks available from Amazon. See also the Myst-Art website.
Learning for Personal & Professional Growth
In this highly participative Getaway & Grow weekend attendees have the opportunity to
reflect on their own basic questions that matter and at the same time take a big step
in learning how to learn. Few of us are aware of what research has found that can help
us learn, increase our knowledge and be able to use it better. The weekend begins with
developing a common language to talk about data, information, knowledge, wisdom,
intelligence, meaning and understanding. The weekend continues with a review of
classical ways of learning and then proposes a new model called "Learning from the
Inside Out." This model helps us understand what happens when we learn and how we
can make better use of the potential of our brain/mind for learning.
Each attendee will select one or more areas they desire to learn about and, using the
Institute's library of 26,000 non-fiction books, the Internet and working together, have
the opportunity to begin a learning project and report their results to the group. Several
learning techniques such as dialogue, conversation, lucid dreaming, intuition and
perspective shifting will be briefly presented and used in exercises.
Considerable time is set aside for personal reflection and relaxed conversation with
others. The goal is to provide a path and an environment where each participant can
think about their goals and begin their own personal journey. See the Learning area
and the "Human Knowledge System" paper in the Consciousness area of the
Publications section.
New Ways of Thinking and Knowing
Knowing can loosely be defined as hearing beyond words, seeing beyond images,
sensing beyond appearances and feeling beyond emotions. This Weekend Getaway will
focus on methods to increase individual sensory capabilities and the ability to consciously
integrate these sensory inputs with our tacit knowledge, that knowledge within each of
us that is created by past learning experiences but cannot be put into words. More and
more in a changing and complex world we have to rely on "gut" instinct, or an internal
sense of knowing, to make decisions and take actions. This session will address the
cognitive capabilities of observing and perceiving, the cognitive processes that transform
our observations and perceptions into understanding, and the use of Self as an agent of
change. See the papers in the Knowing area of the Publications section.
Human Relationships in the Professional World
Relationships provide the foundational network for learning and the growth of
knowledge, and are our medium for functioning in the world. As our understanding of the
importance of knowledge and knowledge sharing in our organizations increases, we
begin to recognize the important place of personal and professional relationships in the
functionality of our lives. This Getaway Weekend will explore ways to build our
relationship networks, with exercises and personal reflection exchanges focused on
sharing what each of us has learned in and about the complex web of professional
relationships. This rich pulsing of feeling and reflection will be focused on developing new
perceptions and opportunities for building future professional relationships. See the
paper on "Relationship Network Management" in the Social Knowledge area of the
Publications section.
Contact Dr. David Bennet directly at 304-799-7267 or email Dr. Alex Bennet at
alex@mountainquestinstitute.com for more information. Weekend Getaways can also be
arranged through Cindy Taylor (Event Manager) or Andrew Dean (Inn and Retreat Center
Manager) at 304-799-7267 or cindy@mountainquestinstitute.com
All rights reserved. Mountain Quest Institute LLC 2013
