The Five Paths

be the change

We are facing a crisis.

Climate change. Pandemics. Extinction of species. Including our own. Globalisation. Trade wars. Impact of AI. Gross wealth inequality. Social injustice. The rise of nationalism and the alt-right. Divided societies. Loss of trust.

“With racism, cynicism and intolerance on the rise, wages stagnant and faith that progressive change is possible declining even as resistance grows. Things look bleak. The propensity to despair is strong, but should not be indulged. Sing yourself up. Imagine a world in which you might thrive, for which there is no evidence. And then fight for it.”

Gary Younge

But the crisis is not just ‘out there’. You are facing a crisis. 

You don’t like what you see yet you don’t know what to do to change it. You’ve lost faith in politicians, priests, banks and brands. You know there is a better way. You just don’t know how to make a difference.

Do you want to change the world?

Then start with yourself. As Gandhi may have said “be the change you want to see in the world” but he definitely did say “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.” Or as ‘Mr Nothing’ (John Butler) says, “To make whole, be whole.” We are not a camera … we are a projector. Gandhi again “As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him … We need not wait to see what others do.”

The time for waiting is over.

Now is the time to change … starting with yourself. The Five Paths experience on Lanzarote is a re-boot for the soul. You will see with fresh vision as the wave awakes to the ocean. Your goldfish bowl will be cleansed. As the saying goes “You do not see the world as it is … you see the world as you are.” Over five days on the exotic psycho-geographic landscape of Lanzarote and in the uplifting spaces created by César Manrique the retreat will inspire you to create a personal blueprint from surviving to thriving. You will be the change you want to see. You will make a difference. You will find your place.

“We need another way, another world, but it’s impossible if we cannot do that from a place of being at home with who we are.”

Johnny Sertin

what

The Five Paths takes you on a journey over five days to extraordinary places on the island of Lanzarote created by artist, architect and eco-warrior César Manrique from subterranean lava bubbles to cliff tops with spectacular views over the island of La Graciosa. Each place or path has its own specially created meditation to guide you towards the highest expression of your most authentic vision for your life.

where

On five different days in each space we complete one of the Five Paths:

Path / Theme / Location
Via Positiva / thankfulness – seeing with new eyes / Timanfaya ‘fire mountain’
Via Negativa / letting go – finding freedom beyond fear – El Cuervo volcano
Via Creativa / being open – discovering your fullest expression in the world / Mirador del Rio
Via Transformativa / being fruitful – re-connecting with your Source
/ Jameos del Agua
Via Integrativa / coming home to yourself – feeling beloved / La Fundacion (César Manrique’s house)

The Five Paths experience re-connects you with your deepest truth, stimulates your senses, activates your imagination, clarifies your vision and fires your enthusiasm for the journey. It is a jacuzzi for the mind, body and soul.

how

Each day begins before breakfast with a short walking meditation in Giuliana’s garden in the retreat centre in Femes which sets the focus for the day. After a delicious organic breakfast we meet together in the morning room for a briefing on the day’s activities. Then we all head off together to one of César Manrique’s creations and complete one of the Five Paths. Lunch is in the best tapas bars on the island. In the afternoon we rest, walk or play. In the evenings we eat out together. One day is a rest day – usually Monday when I lead a guided walk for local friends which, of course, you are welcome to join if you choose.

On the last day in the evening we share our experiences which usually ends up as a sort of party. 

who

If you are content with your life you should not go on The Five Paths – it will shake it up. If you are dis-content you should come. Discover what you are really here for. 

Here is what participants say about The Five Paths:

“I have had the most strange awakening – it is like a light bulb has turned on inside myself and I am seeing through a fresh and exciting perspective. Most importantly I am feeling everything deeply.”

“At the end of this magical week, I felt more connected to myself, and everything else, than at any time in the past. Five Paths has provided me with a toolkit for going forward with a clearer vision of where I want to be and why.”

“I came back ‘walking on water’; with clear goals and surprisingly joyful. I remembered how to play and the result is I feel more enthusiastic than I have since being a child.”

“I climbed, I laughed, I cried, I swam, I delved, I stared, I listened, I heard, I dived, I soared … “

“Words cannot fully express what the Paths are like, and they will be different for everyone because you bring your own dreams and your own intentions. All I can say is ‘GO, Just do it!’; I did, and it has made all the difference.”

“The most unique experience I have undertaken.”

when

The next Five Paths experience:

Arrive: Saturday 8 October 2022
Leave: Saturday 15 October 2022

how much

£1250 for the full programme including seven nights accommodation with breakfast.
Early bird rate (booked and paid 90 days prior to depart) – £1100.
Deposit of £100 payable when your application is approved and your place confirmed. The balance is due 30 days before departure.
You can pay the deposit here.
In your budget allow for flights (Lanzarote – ACE), transfers, lunch and evening meals out, entrances to César Manrique’s special places. The current entrance tickets are:
Timanfaya National Park – 12 euros
Jameos del Agua – 10 euros
La Fundacion – 8 euros
Mirador del Rio – 5 euros
Ferry to La Graciosa (return) – 26 euros
(full details will be sent when you confirm your booking)

Terms
Cancellation: If you have to cancel less than 1 month from the start date – 100%. More than 1 month from the start date but less than 3 months – 50%.
Make sure you have cancellation insurance if you think you need it.
If entry requirements to Lanzarote (Spain) change after you book or if you have symptoms (or have been in contact with someone who has) which means you cannot enter Lanzarote we will carry forward your booking to a future retreat date.

Spanish entry requirements
You should check the current Spanish entry requirements before you book and again before you book your flight. You can check Spanish entry requirements here. (Note: this site also has a link to a very helpful phone app.) If you are travelling from the UK you can also check Spanish entry requirements on the UK Government site here.
In summary: you must show proof of vaccination to enter Spain and complete a FCS Health Control Form and obtain your QR Code. Note: you have to show these at the airport you are departing from.

why

Twenty years ago I wrote my best selling book “Future Perfect – creating the life you want” which was my own prescription for a life fully lived. I followed my own advice and changed my life by following my dream to live on Lanzarote and host ‘The Five Paths’.

After two years, I returned to the UK. I tell people it was for business – I invented an app on the phone which I sold for a million pounds – and needed to close the deal. That’s not the real reason though. I lost my ‘mojo’. After a three month trip to India everything was turned upside down. I said I went to India “to lose my ‘self’ and find my ‘Self'” but only did half a job. I came back eviscerated of my old identity. There was no way I could have hosted Five Paths in that state. However, I never stopped searching for the new ‘Self’ which I’d had glimpses of in India. With my Christian convictions I couldn’t square the circle. Until … I met John Butler. I ‘accidentally’ picked up his book ‘Wonders of Spiritual Unfoldment’ at a charity book sale and devoured it. It was for me the Holy Grail – the integration of what I now know is called ‘non-duality’ (not two) or advaita with the Christian way. I had found the Pathless Path. I arranged to meet John in Bakewell in the Peak District National Park and we meditated together. I stayed overnight in a ruined stone shepherd’s hut on a bed of leaves and meditated with him the next morning. After, sitting by the river with a coffee, I was reading Elif Shafak’s novel ‘Forty Rules of Love’ about the friendship between Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. One rule is “sometimes it only takes a moment to make a decision that changes your life forever.” I decided to move to Bakewell and meditated with John in All Saints church twice a day for three years. Together with John we offer insights on the practice of meditation in a series of conversations on John’s YouTube channel ‘Spiritual Unfoldment’ which now has over 15 million views and 200,000 subscribers. I have found my ‘mojo’ and the time for waiting is over. It’s time to be the change you want to see.

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

be the change – request booking information:

Five Paths response form

* indicates required
Add me to:

accommodation

You will stay in a delightful studio apartment in Femes – a quiet village in the south of the island. Giuliana and her father have transformed a rural finca into a rustic retreat with the most comfortable beds you’ve ever slept in, elegant furniture and original artworks. There is a large yoga/dance studio with large gong, drums and several instruments to bang or blow that you’ve never even heard of.