Weekly Reflection: The Things That Shape Us
The Things That Shape Us As I look back, there were crucial times I was locked out. Early on, my father locked the screen door when the bully chased me, wanting me to fight and be a man. I thought he didn’t love me. Later, my first wife, so pained by being here, tried to run me down with a car. So cutting were her chains that she lashed out at everyone. After that, it wasn’t safe to go back in. And when I kept throwing up on chemo in a Holiday Inn, my parents wouldn’t come. So great was their fear. Our cord was cut. This all made the welcome of friends and strangers my chosen family. This is why I welcome everything and everyone, why the deepest thing I keep learning and teach- ing is the mystery that waits in the garden of welcome. A Question to Walk With: In your journal, describe your own history of welcome. Who or what taught you to be welcoming, or not? Do you feel you are welcoming now? Why or why not? This is from my book of poems in progress, In the Clearing.
Upcoming Retreats: The Fifth Season
This summer and into fall, Mark is bringing The Fifth Season: Creativity in the Second Half of Life to two very different corners of the country. Whether you find yourself in the east or west, both gatherings offer the same invitation: to slow down, listen inward, and discover how creativity deepens.
East Coast
Omega Institute | June 19–21, 2026 | Rhinebeck, NY | In person
A three-day retreat at the Omega Institute devoted to creativity as a lifelong companion. Through poetry, storytelling, and shared inquiry, Mark guides participants in meeting life more fully — embracing change not as an ending, but as an opening into deeper presence and creative vitality.
West Coast
Hosted by Sebastopol Community Cultural Center | September 12, 2026 | Balletto Vineyards
Reserve Room, 5700 Occidental Rd, Santa Rosa, CA | 9am – 5pm
A one-day retreat at a stunning new venue among the California vines. A full day of reflection, conversation, and creative practice. Registration required. Books available for purchase.
The Language of the Soul: A Weekend Retreat with Mark at Mercy by the Sea, CT
August 28 - 30, 2026 | Mercy by the Sea | Madison, Connecticut
Words are not just tools. They are vessels, carrying within them centuries of meaning, memory, and medicine. This August, Mark brings his newest work to life in an intimate weekend retreat at Mercy by the Sea in Madison, Connecticut, exploring the original, forgotten roots of 228 words across 31 languages and traditions. It is an invitation to return to language not as habit, but as portal.
Over three days, participants will discover how everyday words, when met with care and wonder, can carry us back to ourselves and forward into the world with greater clarity, compassion, and grace. This is Mark’s first retreat with The Language of the Soul! Rooms have filled, but 35 commuter spots remain.
**The Mercy For All Scholarship Fund is open to those experiencing financial need, for more information please click here.
Upcoming Events with Mark in 2026-2027
June 19-21: The Fifth Season: Creativity in the Second Half of Life, Omega Institute, Click here for more information. – IN PERSON
Aug 28–30: The Language of the Soul, Mercy by the Sea, Madison, CT. Click here to register. *Mercy by the Sea only has “commuter spots” available. Once again, their ministry is willing to offer partial scholarships to those in need. Learn more and apply here. - IN PERSON
Sep 12: The Fifth Season: Creativity in the Second Half of Life, Day Long Retreat, Balletto Vineyards, Reserve Room, 5700 Occidental Rd, Santa Rosa, CA | 9am – 5pm | Sebastopol, California, Click here to register – IN PERSON
Sep 13: @ 1pm PT: The Language of the Soul. An intimate afternoon conversation with Mark and Brooke Warner at Book Passage Corte Madera, California. Click here to register. - IN PERSON
Sep 15: The Language of the Soul. An intimate in-person gathering with Mark at Godmothers Bookstore near Santa Barbara. Register here for this ticketed event.
IN PERSON
Oct 11: @ 11-noon PT/2-3pm ET The Language of the Soul. A conversation with Mark Nepo and Joel Fotinos, presented by Banyen Books & Sound. Zoom link to come. ONLINE
2027
January 10, 17, 24, 2027: The Language of the Soul, The Power to Awaken, Connect, and Heal. A 3-session webinar guided by Mark Nepo. 1-2:30PM ET | 10-11:30AM PT. Click here for more information. – ONLINE
February 8-13, 2027: The Fifth Season: Creativity in the Second Half of Life, a Mastery week, The Modern Elder Academy in Baja, Mexico, Click here to sign up
IN PERSON
April 2027: Weeklong Retreat with Mark Nepo in a castle outside of Milan, Italy Click here to learn more and register – IN PERSON
This brought tears to my eyes. I feel a belonging that I needed to feel today. I feel a welcome through my own pain of needing to choose chosen family. Thank you🙏
Living a caregiver-defined existence means my energy is a finite, precious currency. Every ounce of mu heart, patience, and stamina is already spoken for, poured entirely into holding up the fierce protective scaffolding my spouse. There is simply nothing left over. To say "I don't let people in" isn't an act of coldness; it is an act of survival. When you are bone-tired, you don’t have the luxury of entertaining guests at the door of your inner life.
But maybe welcome doesn't have to mean letting people in. Maybe, when the energy just isn't there, true welcome is found in the places that demand absolutely nothing from you in return. It’s the quiet solidarity of a fellow traveler who passes by without needing an explanation, or the silence of a rugged mountain summit where the wind beats against your back and the earth simply lets you exist. When the human world feels like too much work, those quiet glimmers are the only sanctuary we need.