The Image Seminars: O'ahu

The Habit of Attention
Renewing the Heart in an Age of Acedia

Kathleen Norris
February 18–22, 2010
Honolulu, HI

Download the brochure here.
Download the registration form here.
Click here to request a printed brochure.

This coming February a small group of inquirers will gather with bestselling author Kathleen Norris for a long weekend in Hawai’i. The focus of our discussion will be acedia—the ancient term for spiritual indifference and the subject of Norris’s latest book, Acedia & Me—as both a personal and a cultural challenge.

As Kathleen has demonstrated so persuasively, the modern era has tended to reduce all ailments of the heart to mere psychology, forgetting the needs of the soul. In recovering the Christian understanding of acedia, Kathleen has provided us with a lens through which to see the culture of distraction in which we live.

During our time together, then, we will delve into the ways art and faith can move us beyond the culture of distraction and reawaken us to the world. No one is better qualified to help us do that than Kathleen Norris, who has written so movingly about the ways that the monastic life and its traditions of prayer, along with the beauty of poetry, can nurture our lives with the habit of attention.

Join Kathleen and the Image staff for a stimulating and renewing time of conversation and reflection, surrounded by the natural beauty of O’ahu.

Accomodations

The words Honolulu and Waikiki Beach tend to conjure up images of noisy, congested tourist spots. Since our goal at this event is quite different, Kathleen has recommended a place to stay that feels miles away from the crowds.

The Kaimana is located on San Souci beach—the beach most favored by locals—and the hotel’s atmosphere is low key and informal. Its Hau Tree Lanai restaurant boasts two beautiful spreading Hau trees, and was a royal retreat visited by Robert Louis Stevenson, who recommended San Souci for its “lovely scenery, quiet, pure air, clear sea water, good food, and heavenly sunsets”—a description that still holds true today.

The Program

The Image Seminars gather together small groups of people who care passionately about the ways that art and faith can renew our culture. As the name “seminars” signifies, we place a strong emphasis on dialogue and communion and make time in the schedule for meaningful conversations. The meals we share together also allow for more intimate exchanges that often become the basis of lasting friendships. Kathleen Norris will be our host and discussion leader. She will not only read from her work—in both prose and poetry—but will offer us exercises for meditation and reflection. As we worship together, Kathleen will introduce us to some of the ancient ways of praying and reading that she has done so much to make relevant for the present day. In addition to teaching us how to pray the Psalms, Kathleen will also invite us to learn the monastic tradition of lectio divina, or spiritual reading. Our worship time will involve what Kathleen refers to as “group lectio.”

Kathleen Norris

Kathleen Norris’s writing is rooted in ancient spiritual and artistic traditions, but it speaks with a lyrical urgency to the present moment. In Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Kathleen braids poetry, Benedictine spirituality, and the austere beauty of the plains into a rich tapestry, helping us to sense the presence of mystery within ordinary things.  The Cloister Walk offered more insights into the richness of monastic spirituality. Amazing Grace did much to open minds to the ancient vocabulary of Christianity, which for many has become a dead language.

As she reveals in Acedia and Me, she spent much of her childhood in Hawai’i, where her father was a musician with the U.S. Navy. She returned to Honolulu to nurse her husband in his final years, and remains there to care for her mother. She has a native’s knowledge of Hawai’i—as a place of historical and cultural value beyond the tourist trade. And she is eager to share this knowledge with us.

Registration

Registration for the Image Seminar in O’ahu includes four nights’ accommodation, all breakfasts and dinners, and transportation and entrance fees to all sites. Airfare is not included.

Fees per person:

Deadline: December 1, or until space is filled. Space is limited, and registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis. A receipt will be mailed to confirm your registration, followed by an informational packet.

Payment: A non-refundable deposit of $300 per person must accompany your registration in order to reserve your space. $1,000 is due by December 1 and the balance by January 15 (nonpayment will forfeit your space). Please make checks payable to Image, or phone us at 206.281.2988 to pay by credit card.

Refunds : Between December 1 and January 15, a 50% refund will be paid upon cancellation. No refunds are available after January 15.

Transportation: We will provide transportation for group excursions throughout the weekend. We’ll do a moderate amount of walking as we visit places of artistic and natural beauty.

Waiting List: If the seminar is full, we will contact you and place you on a waiting list. We will let you know as soon as space becomes available.

More Information

To download the brochure, click the graphic on the left.

To download the registration form, click here.

To request a printed brochure, please contact  Dyana Herron at 206.281.2988.