Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

During the course break at the beginning of August 2004, Gnosticweb Trainees and Teachers from Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco, Wisconsin and New Jersey attended a retreat at Mont Tremblant, Quebec. We were fortunate to have the retreat run by Belzebuub, today's foremost Gnostic teacher, author, and expert on Gnosticism and spirituality.

This was a great opportunity for many of the students in North America to meet Belzebuub in person. Everyone benefited immensely from their interactions with him and his wife Edith, as well as from each other. Belzebuub was a motivation to all who attended as he emphasized what we need to do to progress in our esoteric work. The talks were deeply meaningful and touched all the students who were present, encouraging everyone to investigate thoroughly and make the best use of every moment for the purpose of awakening.

One of the main things emphasized, which was to be everyone's goal for the retreat, was to be aware and look for the state of inner peace at all times, no matter what activity we were involved in. We went on many walks - up a mountain, to a waterfall, to a lake and around the beautiful forest trails of the resort - with the main focus of achieving at least one moment of blissful stillness that is felt when the constant train of thought is stopped, the consciousness is activated and one is free of any egos. The natural environment and the group strength generated were very conducive to this. We also participated in some powerful group practices and nightly astral practices.

Special appreciation goes to Bianca from the Montreal Centre for organizing the whole thing and making sure we all ate well during our stay. Also, we are hugely grateful to Belzebuub and Edith for making this retreat a treasured memory for us all.

Below are some pictures and comments from students and teachers.

Walking through the forest

Waiting for the others to catch up

An informal discussion about last night's astral exercise

Belzebuub and Edith admire the sunset over one of the many lakes of Mont Tremblant

Contemplating a quiet river

Through a narrow path

The sun is about to set

Many walks were taken to practise awareness and find inner peace

Group shot at the waterfall

Student Comments

I had a bit of a breakthrough in understanding at this retreat, which made it a very special occasion for me. Its focus was on ‘Inner Peace', taught in person by Belzebuub himself, which made the event all the more profound.

If only everyone in the world would aim to be peaceful within, just a little bit, this world would be so different. I see now that aiming to walk through life in a truly peaceful way is making a difference, even if there are so few people trying to do so in these times.

When sincerely searching for inner peace, you quickly realize that there is always a thought or an emotion amongst other psychological states manifesting within at any given moment, which continually causes us to make the mistakes that we do.

Momentarily searching for inner peace and trying to maintain it in daily life was taught on this very special gathering of Gnosticweb students. Some peaceful and pleasant moments were experienced amongst us all in just a few days. I learned how to check if I am aware (internally clear and vigilant), which is a great tool to use in escaping from and dealing with the deceiving perceptions of the psyche (the fears, angers, pride, etc).

The search for inner peace is a pursuit of a life time, but the rewards are awesome: bliss, compassion, love, wisdom and understanding are a few virtues to be gained from doing the inner work taught here. This brings a heartfelt meaning to life, something many of us are searching for.

Bianca

The retreat was very impactful for me. I'm glad I went. As everyone knows, things can become very routine in life and so it's always good to spend some days dedicated to spiritual work in nature. The setting was quite exceptional: beautiful mountains, ever-present greenery and quiet lakes. Having the opportunity to sit and listen to Belzebuub was, as always, tremendously enlightening. His encouragement, insights and strengthening presence were a great help to me. I couldn't really ever hope to capture in words what it's like to hear him teach. He has a way of teaching that makes you 'get real', so to speak; to become aware of your actual state as well as the potential you have - and importantly, the ability you have to actually achieve it. It's really quite extraordinary.

A lot falls into perspective on a retreat, I find. The issues of life that are often mistakenly put to the forefront take a back seat and the really important issues come clearly into view. Of course, coming back to daily life can make it difficult to hold that perspective so much, but the clarity the retreat enabled me to reach is helping me do that now. All the many walks and activities that we engaged in as a group, all in what seemed to be an ever-increasing ascension to greater inner clarity, have allowed me to come back to city life with renewed stability and purpose in my inner life. For that, I'm very thankful.

Retreat participant

The Tremblant Park retreat was an amazing experience. The teachings we received from Belzebuub were very to-the-point and emphasized the need to have a clear goal, namely: peace. Peace was a key goal in the retreat, and we took awareness walks to try to find this. Many people had experiences with it, and though I didn't, I gained a lot of strength from trying and saw several things that I was doing incorrectly and can now work to get right.

We also tried to astral project to different places each night and these exercises were strengthening as well. I didn't astral project during the retreat, but had an amazing experience while sleeping the night when I got back. There's no doubt that the strength the retreat generated led to that.

I felt I learned the most from the informal chat on the last night of the retreat where we could all freely ask questions. Belzebuub's responses were very encouraging and clear - throughout the entire retreat, it was obvious that he has a great sense of humor and a real desire to help others understand the work. He's very direct and made me see the need to approach the esoteric work single-mindedly, not making excuses or trying it half-heartedly. One thing he said sticks with me:

"I felt that if I was going to try this work, then I should at least give it a really good go and not be half-hearted about it."

I also enjoyed meeting other Gnostic students and the interactions that we had. Meeting people in person and/or discussing Gnosis is totally different than interacting online - the conversations are alive and in the moment.

I hope to be able to participate in another retreat like this in the future and to attend a gnostic centre, or start up a practice group, as well.

Kevin

This retreat gave me a renewed strength to really strive for the benefits that this work can bring in every moment. Though I still made many mistakes, I have never made such efforts to succeed in all aspects of the gnostic practice from waking hours to bedtime. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to meet with many fellow students and instructors from North America, as well as the author of the courses and his wife. I hope the momentum we gathered throughout the weekend carries on straight through to the next retreat in the future!

Jordan

What I got most out of this retreat was an emphasis on the need to get the basics right. We have our minds filled with so many ideas about spiritual things, but what is really needed is very simple. When I put all my effort towards these simple things, I remember the reason why I am fighting in the first place and it gives motivation to move on. The many awareness walks we went on taught me about the need to really break out of the chatter of the mind, and just be present in the moment. The difference between living through subconscious states and living through the consciousness in each moment became much clearer to me directly through the practices. At times it felt as though we were being taught how to walk for the first time. Belzebuub slowly guided us as a group so that individually, through our own efforts, we were gradually able to break out of the mind more and more with each walk, until we each had our own understanding of what needs to be done moment to moment to keep ourselves afloat in the rushing waters of life.

Andy

This was a very valuable retreat for me. Having the Master Belzebuub leading the retreat and guiding the activities that the group did created a strong push to move forward with our spiritual exercises; not being content with doing things in a half-hearted way to get mediocre results. I was really motivated to get past the inner obstacles I was confronted with and with the strength generated, I experienced an inner peace that I hadn't had for a while; that I forgot I could have. I was also able to take the strength and personal insights gained back to daily life in the city where they were very useful in overcoming those hard times in city life.

Retreat participant

My spiritual work gained a real forward momentum on this retreat. I received great strength from focusing on exercises like awareness so intensively, especially in the company of so many others who had the same goal. I learned a lot from many people during these few days; in particular I felt myself getting back to basics and finding a renewed sense of simplicity and peace.

While sitting as a group up in the mountains, taking in an awesome view of the Mont Tremblant region, a special kind of stillness came over me and I felt a real harmony with nature and with those people around me. The colors of the trees, the rocks, the sounds of nature - everything was very fresh and alive. It was the sort of thing you can't really put into words.

For me, the whole retreat reinforced the value of seeking spiritual experience and of trying to learn about and change myself. It made me see again how important these goals are and inspired me to keep striving towards them.

Justin

This was my second opportunity to attend a retreat and as with the last one in Perisher in 2001 it was a valuable opportunity to understand both new things and old.

I've found that when doing things online you can gain a certain understanding. Then by practicing you learn more about the activity. Then there are just some things that you don't get quite right until you hear it spoken or see it demonstrated in just the right way that helps everything to click properly into place. So it was with this retreat. I learned how it is possible to go deeper into my own inner work when before I had been still wading around in the shallows, figuratively speaking. Of course the effort still needs to be applied by me to get going but now that I can see the way forward it helps.

The place chosen for the event was very nice. The forests in the North American continent are very green and picturesque. The weather varied from light rain to full sunshine so we got almost the full spectrum of weather for the area. The general temperature also was pleasant, which was a concern of mine. Coming from Australia and now living in California, I'm not used to snow and the cold but Canada, in summer, is very nice.

As with the Perisher retreat, gentle walks made up a large part of the time. Practicing being in the moment and aware and using the techniques given on the courses gives you a much greater appreciation of nature and life around you.

The gentle directions of the Master Belzebuub on what to be aiming for and how to achieve it as always were simple and clear and I believe everyone came away with their own little piece of understanding. Opportunities were there for people to ask their own questions and learn about their own problems from both the instructors and the Master alike.

Even though it was only short, it was a worthwhile experience, which I hope we can repeat on many more occasions.

Brett

This retreat was strength gathering for me. Having moved from Australia to California and feeling a bit isolated until we grow a strong group here; this was like an oasis in the desert. Of all the retreats I've been to, this one was particularly special having Master Belzebuub give us teachings directly. His way of explaining the things related to the Work really hit the heart and fired up the determination within me.

I was also happy to meet other teachers and students who I normally communicate with online and enjoyed being surrounded by quietness and nature.

Patricia

The retreat in Mt Tremblant was a very unique and wonderful experience for me. Away from the noise of the city, I found the peace and beauty of the natural surroundings we were in to be very inviting to awareness and the inner work.

This retreat reminded me how necessary it is to take time out from the worries and hassles of everyday life in order to spend time and focus on the esoteric work and exercises - having the group strength and support was very helpful in keeping focused.

Being in the presence of the Master Belzebuub, listening to his guidance and teachings was very inspiring and insightful and brought about an indescribable strength within me. I felt like this short but intensive retreat replenished or recharged me with the strength to keep fighting and pushing forward with my work.

Retreat participant