the path of the warrior monk

Embracing the Warrior Monk Path in Times of Uncertainty

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We stand at an extraordinary threshold, where global unrest, rapid change, and deep questioning permeate our daily lives. Many of us are feeling stretched thin between the call to heal the world and the equally powerful urge to savor life’s fleeting beauty. It’s easy to lose ourselves in the noise, feeling uncertain about what our next steps should be. But it’s precisely now, amid this turbulence, that the Warrior Monk way offers profound guidance.

The essence of the Warrior Monk philosophy calls us to cultivate balance between mindful presence and purposeful action. As we face these shifting times, our training reminds us that clarity and strength emerge from stillness and compassion—from turning inward before stepping outward.

Assessment: Honesty in Reflection

Begin by pausing. This pause is not passive; it is a courageous acknowledgment of reality. Ask yourself gently and truthfully: Where am I right now? What fears, hopes, and beliefs are guiding me? This honest assessment, held with self-compassion, becomes your anchor, grounding your energy in clarity rather than anxiety.

Opening: Courageous Vulnerability

With clarity comes the opportunity to open ourselves courageously. What must we release to step forward authentically? Perhaps it’s an outdated belief, a lingering resentment, or a fear of failure. Remember, true strength lies not in armored rigidity but in the openness to transformation.

Challenge: Growth at the Edge

Warrior Monks embrace challenge as sacred territory. Lean into those edges of discomfort and uncertainty, supported by your community and the wisdom within. Here, amid challenge, our true capacity and potential reveal themselves. Each step beyond our comfort zone is a step toward our deepest purpose and most authentic self.

Community: The Power of Connection

In times of unrest, we remember that we are not alone. The Warrior Monk community is our cauldron—holding space for collective courage, clarity, and compassion. Together, we hold each other accountable, lift each other when we falter, and celebrate each other’s breakthroughs. This shared strength is invaluable in navigating uncertainty.

Fun: The Balance of Joy

Even amidst profound seriousness, joy remains essential. Joyful engagement replenishes our spirits and reminds us why we embarked on this journey. So laugh freely, celebrate small victories, and never take yourself too seriously. Balance your warrior’s discipline with a monk’s joyfulness.

As Warrior Monks, our response to this moment defines our path forward. Remember, the unrest we feel is not merely chaos—it is also an invitation to deeper awakening. Ground yourself in assessment, open your heart courageously, lean into life’s challenges, draw strength from your community, and never forget to savor moments of joy.

May we all continue walking this path together, awake, courageous, compassionate, and ever-growing.

My friends from Warrior Monk retreats past…

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Yesterday I scrolled through the list of souls this message is going out to.  I wanted to see, if in remembering you and our time together, I’d be inspired with what to say about this upcoming special Refresh Gathering for Warrior Monk grads.

Each of you included, I’ve been in circle with.  For many days, for uncountable deep, intense and rich times.  From ecstasy to sobriety; hilarity to humility.

I read your names and remembered each of you. (yet, I can’t for the life of me find my motorcycle keys I sat down somewhere just yesterday)  And, in many instances, where you sat in the circle or a snippet of your work; a smile or vulnerability or truth you shared that lifted or grounded or sharpened or sweetened the circle.

So, I admit… I’m now a little attached to seeing many of you.

As if that were not enough to open my heart and clarify my intent for this retreat, today I spent three hours with a dying friend and her family, supporting them in their intention for the best possible spiritual transition for all. Talk about ecstasy to sobriety…my eyes hurt from crying, my face hurts from laughing.
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As previously mentioned, I’ve wanted for years to bring a bunch of us back (envision a big sacred clump)  to explore how we might purposefully enliven, spark and sustain the taste we shared earlier in our Warrior Monk experience.

In the last weeks I’ve spoken with quite a few of you, and our (amazing and delightful) staff has kicked around what gold lies within this crazy opportunity.

Here’s a little of what stands out, as it relates to where many of us are, and that shall form the core of our approach to this retreat:

We could all use a little mercy now…

Self compassion and self-acceptance seems to be the first order of the heart in these challenging times.  It is critical that we learn to return — more often, with more grace and ease — to our felt remembrance of our Basic Goodness.

Befriending our unfriendly fears…..

I’ve been learning and working with the possibility that it may be more important and effective to understand and work with our fears than our doubts.  What are the core fears that we carry around, that maintain the old untrue myths about us, and birth the offspring of everyday doubt.  Identifying these and bringing them into the light can be liberating.  Some may need some work (solving) and some may just need some love and attention (dis-solving)

A new relationship to stress and presence….

The gig is finally up for most of us on the notion of creating a life without stress.  Becoming better able to corral and calm our over-active minds is a must. To slow our breath, to calm our nerves, to live in our bodies — all more than necessary.  The increasing number of distractions are  equaled only by the number of webinars claiming to address them.
We deserve the break –think: Holy Intervention !! — and the support from each other that allows us to return to life with new tools and the strengthened will to be authentically and wholeheartedly present to our life.  In some real, humbling and practical ways.  There’s no app for that.

As you already know about Warrior Monk and the learning circles we create, we’ll explore these pursuits experientially, with great safety and care for each other.  Because that’s just who we are together.

Dan McKeeThis approach – the intent of our time together – is designed to point us homeward to the pursuit I hear most longingly expressed these days:  “How might I more deeply appreciate and show up for this precious life and those in it, including myself?”  

Please consider joining me and your other guides for this time – Pam Algar, Harry Pepper, Jean Crowder and Ken Erskine.

Reach out with questions.

Love and blessings,
Dan

Here are the registration and the payment links.

http://warriormonk.org/registration/

http://warriormonk.org/payment/

If you are registering for 2 nights, fill in $290.00 and
if for 3 nights, $435.00.  (we hope you can make all 3 !)

The training is at the Whidbey Institute on Whidbey Island, Washington https://whidbeyinstitute.org/. It will start at 3:00 pm  and it ends Monday or Tuesday at 3:00pm (your choice to attend for 2 or 3 nights).

The link below provides details about travel to Whidbey Institute. If you are flying into SEA (Seattle) arrive no later than 11:00 am on Sept. 23 and depart no earlier than 8:00 pm on departure day.

https://whidbeyinstitute.org/visit/

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Michael Fortune
Warrior Monk registration

Refreshing retreat

Warrior Monk Refresh – For WM Graduates

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Northwest Mindfulness retreat near Seattle

My conversation with Dan McKee

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  • Northwest Mindfulness retreat near Seattle

2015 marks the 20th anniversary of Warrior Monk, and these two decades have encompassed more than 100 retreats. When the program returns to the Whidbey Institute from September 23—27, I plan to participate. In preparation for my time in the retreat, I recently spoke with program facilitator Dan McKee about what to expect. Here is that conversation.  —Marnie Jones

peoplehalosJulyAt the Whidbey Institute, we consider ourselves a “community of leaders.” To me, that means a commitment to being my best self and courageously seeking my own, passionate, engaged place in the work we share. How would a program like the Warrior Monk Retreat serve me in this effort?
DAn
It seems to me that regardless of our desire, and even our deep commitments, most of us can use help in evoking that “best self” and sustaining how well it shows up in the face of stress, busy-ness and doubt. In this work, we get to unwire some of the self-limiting beliefs about ourselves that hold us back from the level of impact our hearts and values call us into. I’ve seen hundreds of folks over the years come out of the retreat with much sharper clarity and resolution about what their “passionate, engaged place” is. Some are quite surprised that their “work in the world” has shifted once they come more deeply into relationship with lost and beautiful parts of themselves.
The deep work, combined with the restoration and support of an intimately engaged group over five days, seems helpful in finding the sweet spot of purpose and engagement. 
I’ve found it’s also a matter of time and how well and where we focus our attention.  Many of us have crafted our lives in ways that may have served us well until this moment, yet don’t leave us able to fully show up for what we find now matters most to us. This can mean devotion to our most important relationships as well as to our work in the world. This is part of the “Warrior” aspect of Warrior Monk—calling up the courage, discernment and action needed to live daily with open-hearted purpose. 
Our work creates inner shifts, supported by tools for limiting distraction and creating more focus. To this we add follow-up care to support each other’s mission and happiness practices.
peoplehalosJulyPersonal development work is just part of what we each need to do—we also need to practice caring for the needs of our communities at large. How do the two go hand in hand? 
DAnIn my experience they’re not separable. My favorite quote on our Warrior Monk website is “I awaken each morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”  ( E.B. White )
Sometimes we need the personal work that confirms our basic goodness and self-appreciation in order to really be effective at caring for community—bringing more focused power and grace to our service. 
Also, learning to not take oneself so seriously can go a long way in paradoxically making one’s work more impactful. So, we make sure to have some fun in this retreat, adding more humanity and playfulness to this important and serious existence.
peoplehalosJuly I feel a strong sense of purpose, and a strong alignment between my personal mission and my work, but I struggle with being in my body. I find meditation difficult . . . I squirm and my mind wanders. Would I benefit from a program like this? 
DAnWell, sometimes this happens for me, after nearly 40 years of meditating! Warrior Monk is not a full-blown meditation retreat, but we teach and use it enough to ground the deep work in the retreat and give a taste of the deeper quiet we each have residing inside us. Being able to access this on a regular basis is a critical skill—one which I believe most change-agents and just generally kind people possess. 
Many people report experiencing meditation differently during and after their Warrior Monk experience. Over 20 years, we’ve tailored this offering to include a certain amount of meditation, integrating with the other rich experiences, and inside a connected community over five days. We make meditation very user-friendly and practical—a true practice of self-compassion and empowerment.
peoplehalosJuly It’s the height of summer—the birds are singing, the trees are alive with color, and signs of life are everywhere outside. How does the 100 acres of Chinook connect with the inner work of Warrior Monk?
DAnWe only hold Warrior Monk retreats in beautiful and quiet natural settings like Chinook. Whether a participant is walking quietly in the woods while integrating huge shifts or simply looking out the window during a tender and deep moment inside the circle, the Chinook land is a necessary co-facilitator in this process.
peoplehalosJuly I’m a person who feels compassion deeply—for humans, for other animals, for ecosystems. Sometimes, I experience it as guilt, for not being able to fix the world. Does this program offer insight through which I might cultivate greater self-compassion?

DAnMost definitely, though I’d say that it has little to do with insight. It’s really a place I see folks arrive at in their heart and mind—a form of presence we find as a result of deep work and self care. 

The work, play, and quiet inner revolution that occur during this program not only feed this needed compassion and acceptance of self you speak of, but also serve to provoke and evoke our greater gifts and contributions. 
Combine that with the simple but powerful ability to just be more present, and a lot of the other chatter about whether we’re enough or doing enough significantly drops, or falls away. 
peoplehalosJuly Five days and four nights is a big commitment, in light of the needs of work, family, and community. What is the value in this stretch of time away?
DAn I’m very sensitive to the challenge you speak of. It’s a great privilege to be able to “retreat” from our lives to focus on ourselves, one that most people don’t enjoy. That’s part of what drives me to make sure we’re using this time to empower missions of service, in addition to healing and restoring ourselves.
Something different happens when we spend four nights in a full-immersion —something two or three day workshops and retreats can’t quite create. It’s part of what allows this work to be authentic, lasting, next-stage development work as opposed to a heightened state that fades away. We really are restoring and building our ability to return to work, family, community, and service to ourselves and others with greater peace, grace, joy, and effectiveness.