Andrew Sharp on Soulful Masculinity: Men's Weekend Retreat London
Conor is one of those rare souls who manages to 'walk the walk' of what he teaches. His ability to hold space, to explore difficult emotions with sensitivity, compassion and bravery, and the way he models the very journey he encourages us to walk is genuinely inspiring. This weekend came at a time when I was facing a number of challenges, and I came away with a sense not just of palliative relief, but that something important had shifted in me - insights into the forces that shaped me, and a clarity about where compassion and bravery are needed to grow as a man. I'll be back for future courses.
Super safe and super fun
What’s the Big Deal About Sex? Birds do it. Bees do it. And when you turn on the television, log on to the Internet, or watch a movie, you can’t help but notice that everyone else seems to be doing it too. Our culture has embraced the message that sex is just a basic bodily function, as irresistible and harmless as satisfying your hunger and thirst. But is it? The truth is that sex is more than just physical, it involves all of a person – their mental, emotional, social, spiritual, AND physical parts. When it comes to sexuality, you can’t ignore the Manufacturer’s directions. This compelling retreat provides an antidote to what we have been told, what we think we know and have been conditioned to believe, and rather pushes you to find the answers yourself, to go where it is uncomfortable and understand the reasons for resistance. The course is hard work, exhausting and exhilarating. It opened my eyes to a lot of what I've been hiding from myself and really shook up the way I connect with other human beings. Expect to push and explore yourself, heal and grow. Expect to meet lovely people.
Amazing experience. The connection and emotional vulnerability that Conor and Jules are able to facilitate so easily is amazing. Leading by example, they took me through some really deeply intimate parts of my emotion and really felt like it made a change in me.
This is the second Sex Club I have attended and the only way I could describe the experience is profound, intensely moving, and just beautiful. Profound because you are invited to look inside and and dig out deeply buried feelings and experiences, all shared in a safe environment where vulnerability, honesty and openness are celebrated. Intensely moving because self-inquiry - amazingly facilitated at these retreats by Jules and Connor - is hard and bound to make you experience a wide gamut of emotions. And absolutely beautiful because you get to meet amazing people who are all on the quest to understand themselves better. At the end of each of these events I felt just so lucky for having met so many interesting people! Thank you so much Jules and Connor for what you do!
Dear Conor and Jules, This course far exceeded my hopes and expectations. I am so grateful for your expert holding of such a potentially tricky subject. I am also so touched with the efforts you both went to to hearing and remedying the early issue I had with the course structure. The course was fun, deeply serious, dealt with toe curling stuff head on, unashamed and gripping. Despite reservations and trepidations that this course was “for me” I was really quickly on board, and totally engaged throughout. I have learnt and discovered so much, but the biggest take away is that my “issues” were not as dire, big or unusual as I imagined them to be, but pretty mundane and normal for the culture I grew up in. This is such a relief to know this. I am so delighted I took the plunge and grateful for you both. I look forward to working with you again, hopefully next year with part 2. Huge gratitude.
In connecting with others as I have done this weekend, I have re-connected with myself, my needs, and my wants. And in connecting with others I've remembered, as I do whenever I share in a well held communal space, how much I learn about myself by listening to and witnessing other people's experiences of themselves. Sex Club is a well held space thanks to Jules and Connor, and their empathy born of experience. It's such a blessing to have this space to learn with and from others.