Finding Peace and Connection: A 16 Guidelines Retreat at Land of Joy

Featuring: Wendy Ridley

In the first weekend of August, FDCW Facilitator Wendy Ridley led a 16 Guidelines Level 1 retreat at Land of Joy Retreat Centre in Northumberland, UK. Surrounded by peaceful countryside and supported by a dedicated volunteer team, participants were invited to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what truly matters.

The weekend offered educators, parents, and seekers alike a chance to discover how the 16 Guidelines for Life can bring more meaning, balance, and compassion into daily life.

One participant, S. Crombie, shared how the experience exceeded all expectations:

“As an educator I was intrigued by the 16 Guidelines retreat and signed up in the hope that it might equip me with some tools to help me in a professional capacity. The retreat fully exceeded my expectations. The 16 Guidelines are universal. They can be applied to any situation and are relevant to everyone — I’ve since been teaching them to my children.

From the moment I arrived, I felt welcome and at home. The setting and the volunteer team created an atmosphere of well-being and belonging. Over the weekend I had the privilege to genuinely connect with others on a spiritual level and the contents of the course allowed me to deeply examine my own thoughts, words and actions.

Wendy is a joy to be around, her energy and clear dedication to the 16 Guidelines is inspiring and uplifting. She facilitates in a way that makes every participant feel valued. Her compassion and ability to really listen made everybody feel at ease and begin to unwind from busy to-do lists, demands and the overstimulation of the ‘real world.’

I cannot recommend this course highly enough. I would happily do it all again. I now feel armed with strategies to face whatever life throws at me with love and understanding of myself and others. It reminded me of the things that truly matter. I am ready to embrace the next school term with a new perspective, knowing that I have everything I need already — the 16 Guidelines being there as a helping hand to support my day.”

Another participant, Helen H, reflected on how creativity and contemplation meet through her art. During the retreat, Wendy invited her to share her creative practice, and she offered the group “Mother Julian,” a piece inspired by Julian of Norwich, the 14th-century mystic whose words “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well” continue to bring comfort centuries later.

Helen shared:

“Mother Julian’s words have been a mantra for me for some time and she is a ‘role model’ in 16 Guidelines ‘speak.’ My creative practice is often my spiritual practice. Making Mother Julian was my way of living her words, of feeling my way into peace through drawing, cutting, stitching, adjusting, sitting… the slow and repetitive movements of hand stitching calming my nervous system. When my visual sense takes over, my thoughts, those uninvited visitors, stop clamouring for a moment, and I am content.”

Helen’s beautiful creations, including her depiction of Mother Julian, capture the gentle, reflective atmosphere of the weekend, a reminder that creativity can be a path to inner stillness and connection.

Moments like these, where reflection, creativity, and community meet, capture the spirit of the 16 Guidelines. The weekend retreat not only offered practical tools for everyday life but also a space to reconnect with one’s values, purpose, and sense of inner contentment.

Interested in taking part in a 16 Guidelines course?
Find upcoming trainings and retreats on our events calendar

Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW)

At FDCW, we are committed to a more compassionate, wiser world. We provide resources, courses and training to develop qualities such as kindness, patience and honesty – qualities that are essential for meeting the challenges of the world we all share.

The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) was established as a global charity based in London in 2005. Since then, we have provided secular training, programmes and resources across many sectors of society – schools, universities, hospices, workplaces, healthcare, youth groups and community centres. Our courses have reached thousands of people across the world through our dedicated and growing network of facilitators in more than 20 countries.

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