Previous retreat
The Spa
The rooms
There are four main room types to choose from. We have the Petite and Carriage, which are ideal for single traveler’s and couples. Then we have the Highway which are great for friends sharing (they have a pullout sofa bed). In addition to this, there are a few premium suits and the Lewis Cottage. We also have a family room, which can accommodate four.
11th - 15th October
Simone Weil drew a powerful distinction between will and attention.
The will is oriented toward doing. It’s concerned with movement, achievement, and progress. In this sense, the will sits at the heart of self-help, with its endless advice on how to change yourself, improve yourself, overcome yourself.
Attention, by contrast, involves a disciplined stillness. For Weil, attention names a sustained and courageous form of observation that resists the urge to intervene, correct, or resolve.
Spark is a retreat designed to cultivate this kind of attention.
Rather than intensifying effort or offering techniques for self-mastery, Spark creates the conditions for a sustained reflection on what already structures your life. Rather than focusing on who you want to be, Spark asks how you are already caught up in habits, fantasies, beliefs, and symptoms that both sustain and undermine you. An approach that encourages the possibility of a shift to occur in how you inhabit what you already are.
Over five days, participants are invited to develop a curiosity toward their unconscious: noticing the patterns, repetitions, beliefs, and desires that quietly organise their lives. Through the practices of Pyrotheology, Spark offers a concrete experience of grace; with its power to silence the demand to change long enough for a real shift to happen.
But perhaps more significant than any of this, Spark is an immersive experiment in a different kind of social relation. Not a bond found in community (with its shared beliefs, practices, values, obstacles and enemies), but something forged through communion: a relation that emerges from the mutual recognition of a fundamental lack that we all share.
Through a cocktail of teaching, group work, art, music, and reflection, Spark enacts a destabilising liturgy. One that does not resolve the tension of being, but that invites us to live with that tension in a more honest, enjoyable, and ultimately emancipatory way.
Where does it take place?
Spark takes place at The Old Inn, a centuries-old luxury hotel set at the edge of forest and sea, just outside Belfast. The inn sits within an area of rare natural beauty with stunning woodlands and coastline.
The Old Inn also carries a quiet intellectual and imaginative history. As a young man, C.S. Lewis stayed here often, walking the surrounding landscape that would later inform his vision of Narnia. He returned throughout his life and, in 1958, he honeymooned here with Joy Davidman, shortly before her death. Dating back to the reign of Elizabeth I, the inn has hosted figures ranging from Jonathan Swift and Charles Dickens to Peter the Great.
What’s included?
This is an all-inclusive event. Your ticket covers:
Accommodation
Minibar
Treetop Spa
Full breakfast, lunch and three course dinners.
The non-resident ticket excludes accommodation and breakfast.
TreeTop Spa
The stunning outdoor spa includes a large open-air hydrotherapy pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room, and relaxation area.
dates
Spark kicks off on Sunday, 11th October (in the afternoon there is just a chance to check in, relax in the spa and meet others, we won’t do anything official until around 5pm), and finishes around 12 pm on Thursday, 15th October.
What does it cost?
The cost starts at around $1,800 pp (based on two sharing). There are also a limited number of non-resident tickets that exclude bed and breakfast. If you want to attend with a group of four or more, reach out for an additional discount (either staying in the hotel, or a cottage across the road)..
What if i buy a ticket and can’t go?
Because of the cost of booking speakers, artists, and accommodation, refunds cannot be given 30 days after purchase. However, you can pass your ticket on to someone else or put it towards a future event.
should I come early or stay after?
Absolutely! There is so much to do in Ireland that I highly recommend extending your stay. I can help you think about where to go and what to book.
How do i get to the hotel?
The easiest way to get to the hotel is to fly into the George Best City Airport. From there it is just a short taxi ride to the hotel. Uber runs in Belfast and there is also a taxi rank at the airport (which will take a credit card). You might also fly into Belfast’s International Airport. From there you need to get the bus into Belfast, and from there, grab a taxi (you might be able to share with others). Alternatively you can fly into Dublin Airport and grab the bus (either Translink or Aircoach) up to Belfast, and again grab a taxi. I recommend buying the bus tickets in advance to ensure getting onto the bus (if you are late or early, you can still use the ticket).