THANK YOU is the best prayer that anyone could say. 

When I first saw this quote, I felt a visceral truth in every part of my being. The quote is by Alice Walker, Short Story Writer and Poet. (Photo by my daughter from one of her hikes here in the Pacific Northwest.) 

Our last group inquiry together is coming up soon -- Dec 8th. The topic is Surrender. Scroll down to see the details.

The way our groups explore topics, any topic, is we show up with whatever we already know (or think we know) AND whatever we do not know and we're curious about. 

One of my favorite quotes that I feel points to surrender is by Adyashanti: "Enlightenment is the complete absence of resistance to what is. End of story."  When you read that quote, did you wonder what "enlightenment" has to do with surrender? For decades I think most of us thought "enlightenment" was a one-time event that ends into bliss forever (or something equivalent). Remember how we believed that?

Every time I see or hear that quote, it makes me smile, probably because it reminds me of the many (oh so many) times in my life where surrendering happened and there was no remnant of resistance for some period -- moments and sometimes days. Recognizing that the heavy tightness of resistance is absent is an amazing experience of lightness and spaciousness. I've often described the experience as an experience of being space with no clutter, no mind chatter. Maybe in your experience of surrender you've noticed that the familiar "I" that does the resisting is not the "I" that surrenders? When surrender happens, the nervous system softens into an uncertainty that's actually an invitation to trust the mystery of life.

Here are the details (date/time) below:

Be sure to email me to let me know if you want to participate with us. I sincerely hope you will join us.

Topic Inquiry: Surrender

Monday, December 8th at 4 pm Pacific

On-line: Zoom

Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes

Fees and Details: $40 (free for monthly Private Inquirers)

Note: If you have not already received a confirmation with a Zoom link, be sure to email me just to confirm.

Hints of 2026

Group Work/Exploration/Play

I'm working on the Calendar for 2026. I've got the dates and the type of inquiries. More detailed descriptions will be provided on the website soon. 

Here's a preview of what I've got so far. 

Two Topic Inquiries: 

January 12: "Recalibration in Awareness" 

July 13: "Embodiment: A Gateway to Presence." 

We meet on the date shown for 1 hour 45 minutes over Zoom.

Two Series of Monthly Dialectic Inquiry Groups

The dates below are the popular Monthly Mondays at 4 pm Pacific. 

Winter/Spring Series (Feb 2, Mar 2, Apr 6, May 4)

Summer/Fall Series (Aug 3, Sep 7, Oct 5, Nov 2) 

NOTES for Potential Groups: 

• I have a couple of people who are interested in a monthly inquiry group on Thursdays at 4 pm Pacific. I need at least six people for these groups, so see if there are others that would like that date and time too then let me know so we can add it to the calendar.
• There's interest in starting an inquiry group that starts earlier for East Coast and Central Time zones. Let's set up a Zoom meeting to discuss what works best for those of us interested in exploring this possibility.

Two Gestalt/Voice Dialogue Inquiries:

April 20 & Dec 7

October Intensive Weekend  

"Living with Paradox"

We're still in the process of choosing the weekend where most people are available to participate. Email me to let me know if you're interested in joining us and which of the following weekends in October work best for you: 9-11; 16-18; or 23-25. Typically, we spend about 10-12 hours total on Zoom. You can go check out how we worked the days/times for our last Intensive Weekend here.

If I don't see you or talk with you before the new year, I hope we will connect with each other early in the new year. Even though our geographic locations are distant, we can experience being together even if by phone or video call. 

With gratitude & love that you are in my life

Deborah

www.alivinginquiry.com