The Experience of Luminous Absorption
A 4-Day Silent Virtual Meditation Retreat
Jeff Carreira
with Jeff Carreira
Registration Closed
Thursday, January 4th - Sunday, January 7th, 2024
10:00am - 6:00pm US Eastern Time
Online via Zoom Video Conferencing
$350

This retreat is dedicated to the attainment of profound spiritual clarity. Many years ago I left a conventional life to pursue spiritual awakening. I knew that the way I perceived reality was shaped by conscious and unconscious fears, desires and limiting beliefs, and I wanted to see things clearly. I wanted to see reality unfiltered, as it actually was, free from distortion.

For decades I pursued the dream of clarity, and my time spent on retreat was such an important part of that journey that I am now compelled to create similar opportunities for others. During retreats I was able to engage in deeply focused practice and cast aside other concerns so all my energy could be directed toward spiritual awakening and deep meditation.

If you want to experience the true potential of spiritual practice, you need to have the opportunity for this kind of focused intensity over extended periods of time, at least occasionally.

If you practice diligently in a retreat environment you will discover a profound passion for clarity that detachment ignites. During a retreat our perception becomes increasingly liberated from the influence of fear, desire and limiting beliefs. We begin to see reality as it is. The majesty of life and the subtle inner workings of the cosmos open up before us. Life's challenges and suffering don't go away, but their grip on us lessens as the power of revelation grows.

An upward spiral toward ever-greater awakening is initiated. The more our consciousness clears, the more clarity we want. The more clarity we want, the more passion and energy we have for practice. The more passion and energy we give to practice, the more clear we become.

The growing intensity of our spiritual passion fuels our meditation, and our experience of awakening accelerates. We have become the source of our own inspiration, and we realize that nothing can stop us.

I’ve held retreats focused on the profound attainment of luminous absorption before, but this one will be different. During this retreat you will be guided step by step through a succession of states of consciousness that lead to luminous absorption. At each stage of the practice you will be instructed how to refine your practice to take yourself into a more profound experience.

Luminous absorption is the direct experience of the source of consciousness, and it is often thought of as the ultimate goal of spiritual work. Normally we perceive everything through the lens of our self-concept. We see from the perspective of the person we believe we are, and our perceptions are shaped by the ideas, aspirations and fears we hold.

The experience of luminous absorption occurs when our self-limiting beliefs fall away and we recognize the pure awareness at the source of our being. This realization changes everything. We suddenly see and understand exactly who we are and what we are capable of, not as an isolated human being on Earth, but as the conscious being-ness that animates the entire universe. For this reason the experience of luminous absorption can also be called cosmic consciousness.

For decades I worked in a spiritual tradition that saw the goal of spiritual life as making that heroic leap into luminous absorption and remaining there. There is no doubt that with diligent practice this magnificent shift in perception is possible, but stabilizing in it is much harder.

Over the past few years I've become increasingly convinced that stabilizing in luminous absorption is possible, however it takes more than individual leaps to rest there.

Between the exalted experience of luminous absorption, and the separation and isolation that we normally feel, there are many subtle dimensions of consciousness. And while it is possible to leap past these in-between states directly into luminous absorption, leaps of such magnitude seldom lead to permanent abidance.

The distance between our normal consciousness and the heights of our peak experience, is simply too great to be sustained. We inevitably find ourselves leaping into and falling out of these higher states, over and over again. We seem to be able to enter them in practice, but living from there can seem impossible.

In order for us to maintain access to the miraculous unity that we discover in our deepest realizations, we must establish and strengthen our awareness in all the subtle layers of consciousness. When we have created a well worn path between our normal state of waking consciousness and the heights of luminous absorption, a profound source of wisdom and love becomes continuously available to us.

During this retreat we will illuminate a path through the subtle layers of reality and create a direct connection between our waking consciousness and oneness. In order to accomplish this we will work on four different stages of higher development.

This retreat offers the opportunity to spend 8 hours a day, for 4 days receiving teachings, meditating in silence, and engaging in dialog with me.

Each day will take us more deeply into the depths of meditative peace. We will be following some of the insights contained in my book The Experience of Luminous Absorption, on a journey that will open our minds to a miraculous vision of reality while connecting our hearts to a deeper source of love and compassion.

I am thrilled to offer this opportunity to be on retreat, all the more so because you can participate virtually from the comfort of your own home.

Sincerely,

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Jeff Carreira
Co-Founder & Director of Education, Emergence Education
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Before the Retreat Begins...

You will receive materials that provide all the information you need to support you to create a true retreat experience during these 4 days.

These materials will include:

  • Detailed instructions for setting up your retreat space.
  • Information for using the video conferencing platform.
  • Guidelines for making the best use of the virtual format.
Schedule:

This is a full virtual retreat conducted live with Jeff Carreira for 8-hours each day.

Each day will begin with meditation, followed by an hour of spiritual instruction and guidance that will create context for that day’s practice.

Each day will end with a 30-minute session when you can engage with Jeff about your experience of practice and ask any questions that come up for you.

The rest of the day will be spent in silent practice with a 90-minute lunch break.

Recordings
Each morning teaching and each evening Q and A session will be recorded and made available to retreat participants in the protected online portal.
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Daily Schedule (in US Eastern Time)
10:00am to 10:45am
  • Meditation Session
11:00am to 12:00pm
  • Teaching Session with Jeff
12:15pm - 1:00pm
  • Meditation Session
1:00pm to 2:30pm
  • Lunch Break
2:30pm to 3:15pm
  • Meditation Session
3:30pm to 4:15pm
  • Meditation Session
4:30pm to 5:15pm
  • Meditation Session
5:30pm to 6:00pm
  • Dialog and Q&A Session with Jeff
Themes of the Retreat

During the The Experience of Luminous Absorption retreat you will explore insights contained in Jeff Carreira’s book of the same title. The spiritual guidance you receive each day will be based on themes from the book. A free .pdf copy of this book is included in the price of registration.

Thursday, January 4th: Consciously Shifting our Awareness into the Subtle Realms
When we first enter the lower levels of subtle consciousness, we do so through a state of consciousness that is like sleep, but not sleep. This is the state sometimes referred to as body-asleep-mind-awake in the practice of yoga nidra. Learning to allow our body to fall asleep while we remain awake liberates us from the limitations of the physical body and the material world and allows us to be consciously aware within the dreamlike experiences of the subtle realm.
Friday, January 5th: Liberating Ourselves from the Limits of Time and Space
As we continue our ascent into the higher realms of subtle consciousness, we release the limitations of time and space. In the initial dream-like experiences we encounter we generally experience ourselves as embodied and limited by the laws of time and space, but as we ascend beyond the memory of our material existence, we experience instantaneous shifts in location and time. We feel embodied but in a completely new and expansive way. This is the domain in which the phenomena of astral travel occurs.
Saturday, January 6th: Awakening to the Awareness that is Aware
As our awareness climbs even higher into the subtle realms of consciousness, our experience becomes increasingly less tangible and solid. In these etheral domains we lose any sense of a body and become a free floating awareness. We no longer have the sense of traveling anywhere because we experience ourselves as omnipresent. We are the awareness that is aware everywhere and always. This is the awareness that is known as Turiya in the Hindu tradition.
Sunday, January 7th: Merging into Luminous Absorption
At the highest reaches of subtle consciousness, a process of self-forgetting occurs that leads to the loss of any sense of self at all. This is when we enter the experience of luminous absorption. All that remains is a sense of existence, of I am-ness, but without a separate sense of self. There is awareness without anyone who is aware and without anything to aware of. There is pure awareness and nothing else. Beyond this point awareness merges with source and there is nothing left.
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The Experience of Luminous Absorption
The Foundation of Spiritual Life
In this book, Jeff Carreira describes a powerful meditation practice that allows us to discover our True Self. With careful guidance and precise instruction, you will embark on a journey to the pure awareness that is the ultimate source of who you are. That depth of awareness has always been alive behind every experience you’ve ever had. It is the consciousness you had before you were born and where you will return when this lifetime ends. This profound discovery is the beginning of a new life because the discovery of your True Self opens the doorway to a life lived in flow with Divinity. As we become free from limiting beliefs about ourselves, we discover that we are not separate from a universal source of wisdom and love. In this book, you will learn how your life can become a creative expression of the higher love and wisdom of the cosmos.
What past silent retreat participants said about their experience...

"We were able to only do three days of this event. But the impact for me was most profound. On our day 4, integration day an awareness of the Truth arose in me and left me totally flummoxed. Just what I have been working for, for so many years. I am truly a different person than the one who started the retreat last Friday. Profound gratitude to Jeff and the team."

~ W. Francis.

"The daily teaching, Q&A's and and meditation sessions were so powerful , they brought such calm and flow to me and in turn to my family. Jeff's teaching enabled me reach greater depth in my meditations as each day passed."

~ T. Bird.

"The retreat was eye opening and life-changing, giving me a new understanding of me as a soul, and deepening my relationship with it. Giving all day to meditation for a few days, rather than an hour a day for a prolonged period, has brought changes in me that are indescribable. I did not want it end!"

~ J. Aebi.

"This retreat was a wonderful and profound experience of sinking into the depth of Being. Experiencing blissful happiness and liberation, just abiding there, without needing anything. Even in the face of challenges from outside, like a noisy neighourhood."

~ J. van den Bogaard.

"The retreat came at the perfect time in my life. It was the calm at the end of an internal and external storm that led to deep insights and deepening Awareness of my True Self. Jeff has an ability to transmit deep truths that find a home in soul."

~ M. Earlenbaugh.

"Jeff’s instructions and felt his passion to lead us into a available view of the world and ourselves. My life is so completely different. I’m looking out with Cosmic Eyes now... Wow So simple and so wonderful. Thank you Jeff"

~ N. Torrence.

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The Most Frequently Asked Question
Can I still do this retreat if:
  • …there are other people living in my house?
  • …I will need to take care of my children?
  • …I won’t be able to do all of the retreat?
  • …I will need to do some work in the evenings?

Essentially, people want to know if this virtual retreat can be customized to fit their schedule and needs, and the answer is yes, it can be, and I want to explain a little more about how.

First of all let me explain how the retreat will work.

I will be online with you for 8 hours a day, from 10:00am to 6:00pm (US Eastern Time), from .

I will start the day with teachings and instructions, I will end the day with a Q & A session, and in between we will meditate together.

Now to give a more detailed answer to the question above:

If you can devote yourself entirely to the virtual retreat from , then I suggest you do. That means unplugging your phone, remaining in silence, and doing extra practice around the 8-hours with me. You will receive detailed instructions for how to best organize your time as the retreat draws nearer.

I realize that many of us just can’t devote that much time and attention, but you can still get tremendous benefit from the retreat while accommodating responsibilities and family.

Variation 1:
You can do just the 8 hours a day live with me for four days and take care of other responsibilities around that. You would stay in silence during the 8 hours with me, and speak as necessary outside of that.

Variation 2:
You can listen live to the teaching session and/or Q and A session with me, and do as much (or as little) meditation as you can in addition to that.

Variation 3:
You will get the recording of both the teaching session and Q and A session with me each day, so you can listen to them whenever it works for you, or do the entire retreat over again at your convenience.

Any variation of the retreat can be profound and even life-transforming, especially when you keep one critical guideline in mind - commit to the retreat you’re doing and don’t worry about it.

If you need to do work, or take care of children, or anything else while doing the retreat, just do it and don’t worry about it. Taking care of your responsibilities doesn’t have to have any negative impact on your retreat, as long as you don’t worry about it.

If there are things you need to do outside of the retreat, even if they involve talking, just do what you need to, as fully as you can, and then return to the retreat without giving it another thought. As long as you don’t make a problem out of it, these activities won’t mean a thing. In fact one of the great insights you could get from doing the retreat would be the realization that nothing can disturb your retreat if you don’t let it.

These thoughts should answer any questions you might have about accommodating this retreat to fit your schedule.

Registration Closed
All sales are final. No refunds will be available if you choose to cancel.
Jeff Carreira
Jeff Carreira
Jeff Carreira is an author, mystical philosopher, artist and meditation teacher. Thirty years ago he dedicated himself entirely to the focused pursuit of spiritual awakening. He began teaching meditation and awakening fifteen years ago, and today supports people from around the world to share the fruits and blessings of their own spiritual path. He is aware that many people today have established their own deep connection to the spiritual source of life and the unlimited creative potential it holds. He calls these people Artists of Possibility because they have so much to share with the world. He remains completely committed to teaching meditation and awakening, and in addition has dedicated himself to helping others gather their own tribe and share their own deepest realization. He wants to support you to create a platform to share from. That means deepening your awakening, learning to articulate it effectively, and setting up the means to reach people all over the world.
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