Gentle Action 2025

Ticket Prices

950.00 euros, which includes:

• a 7-night stay in private accommodation;
• breakfast, lunch and dinner at the local restaurant featuring locally sourced produce and traditional dishes;
• water, wine, and coffee served with lunch and dinner;
• programmed activities and materials.

The event starts on Thursday June 12 at 19:00 with a welcome dinner and ends on Thursday June 19 after lunch.

Download information, terms and conditions for this course.

About the event

A weeklong interaction through dialogue at the Pari Center based on F. David Peat’s concept of Gentle Action.

Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field and I will meet you there. Rumi

On Gentle Action

Undoubtedly, we are faced by problems of great complexity. The environment, society and even life on earth, is under threat and, as a result, the human race is struggling with feelings of anger, frustration and helplessness. Something, we urge, must be done; some action must be taken. Tomorrow, we sense, will be too late. Yet it is these very feelings and reactions that have become part of the problem. The urge to change and control, to analyze, priorize, plan and act are all aspects of the same pattern that, in the first place, drove us to the edge of this crisis. What is needed is a radical change in human consciousness, in organizations and governments, if we are to survive into the second half of the 21st century. This I have called Gentle Action.
F. David Peat

On Dialogue

In our modern culture men and women are able to interact with one another in many ways: they can sing, dance or play together with little difficulty but their ability to talk together about subjects that matter deeply to them seems invariably to lead to dispute, division and often to violence. This condition points to a deep and pervasive defect in the process of human thought. Because the nature of Dialogue is exploratory, its meaning and its methods continue to unfold. No firm rules can be laid down for conducting a Dialogue because its essence is learning—not as the result of consuming a body of information or doctrine imparted by an authority, nor as a means of examining or criticizing a particular theory or programme, but rather as part of an unfolding process of creative participation between peers.
David Bohm

Embracing the present and choosing to act more gently, allows insights and interconnections to emerge and bubble up in a natural manner. Such moments are often accompanied by experiences of openness, trust, joy, and a childlike sense of wonder. In the beautiful and peaceful setting of a medieval village, participants in our Gentle Action gathering will have ample opportunities to connect with nature, their fellow dialoguers, and—perhaps most importantly—themselves. Experience the power of dialogue, creative suspension, and active listening in an open and supportive atmosphere.

During out Gentle Action Gathering, participants are encouraged to explore the village and its surroundings. We will meet in the newly renovated palazzo for our dialogues which will include sessions with the whole group as well as participating in smaller groups. A variety of activities will be offered which might include taking part in a yoga class, exploring the wisdom of Tarot or I Ching, creating a mandala, walking in the countryside, visiting the local hot springs—or just relaxing with an espresso in Pari’s piazza.

Join us for a week of living in Pari—the alchemical vessel where transformations take place. Practice living in the moment for the moment, while acting and speaking in more gentle ways.

Our Story

Several years ago, a small group of us were sitting outside the bar in Pari, Italy when the idea came up to bring a group of very open-minded people together for a gathering without any agenda, topic, intention, or specific purpose. 

After leaving Pari, we continued to meet monthly through an online Zoom dialogue, where our small group of three individuals gradually grew in a most organic manner. More than a year of online meetings led to our first Gentle Action Gathering back at Pari in September of 2022. 

Our original group of Jena, Manfred, and Tom, who hail from New York, Germany, and Ireland has gradually grown into a thriving community. Members of our online community have traveled from throughout the world to meet one another in person. Similarly, new participants who meet during our in-person Gentle Action Gatherings, frequently wish to stay in touch through our online dialogues. 

Over the course of time we have come to discover that we have much to share with one another. Somewhat paradoxically, many of us believe that this is due to—rather than despite—our differing backgrounds. Throughout our interactions, we have also found that we have much in common. Perhaps most importantly, we all share a genuine interest in one another’s perspectives on the world, reminiscent of Rumi’s quote: 

Out beyond the ideas of right and wrong, there is a field. I will meet you there.

This June we have chosen to meet once again in Pari, Italy. The medieval village of Pari, nestled in the Tuscan landscape, provides the perfect backdrop for new insights and explorations. During our Gentle Action Gatherings, participants are largely free to roam around as they please. They can meet in the newly renovated palazzo, take part in a yoga class, explore the area’s hot springs, or just sit down to have an espresso at the charming and peaceful square. Many find that leaving their daily routine behind and setting aside the expectations of the outer world allows them to reconnect with their innermost nature. 

Taking the time to communicate and interact in the moment, for the moment, provides a unique opportunity to engage with the world in a much more playful manner—deepening the participants’ relationships with themselves, others, and the world around them. 

Many participants notice that an almost childlike curiosity tends to emerge, unforced and unbidden, ‘beyond the ideas of right and wrong’ allowing them to experience the innate beauty of the present moment. 

More than anything, our gatherings have given us a deep sense of connection and friendships that endure beyond the limits of time and space. 

This June we get to come home again. It would be wonderful if you could join us.

Jena, Lisa, Manfred, Michael, Todd, and Tom 

PARTICIPANTS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES

Manfred
Based on the ideas of David Bohm’s Dialogue, we had dialogues that included all the participants and in groups of four to five people. People sat in a circle with a talking stone in the middle. A person talks only when she or he has taken the talking stone. All others listen deeply without interruption. This gives the speaker the freedom to talk as long as they want, but at the same time to take the responsibility to stop when it is appropriate for the group. I’ve participated in this kind of dialogue for more than twenty years, but in this Gathering there was from the beginning an attitude which I had never experienced before. The level of sensitivity was so high that most of the time a talking stone was not necessary. 

Tim
The depth of integrated experience, wisdom and special talents of our lovely group became increasingly clear. There were moments of true Alchemy which were enduring, fruitful and uplifting. Love, generosity of spirit, deep listening, laughter, and pain became manifest. Five words coalesced for me: PRESENCE, OPEN-NESS, COMMUNION, INTENTION, ACCEPTANCE. Eternal thanks to you all.

Tom
Our get together of many people and nationalities in Pari was a joy. There are many positives to our Western ways, but deep human alienation is a price we often pay. I think in Pari we paid homage to Martin Buber’s great insight: I and Thou. In harmony with you…beyond our egos…we get glimpses of deeper truths.

Artur
It is always very difficult to describe a rich experience that impacts many different dimensions of Being. First of all because any kind of description will always be unfair, incomplete, and inaccurate…  With that in mind, the experience was extremely rich in connections with incredible people who were available to open up, exchange and think together without the obligation to agree or have to appear intelligent, smart or sophisticated to the Other.  Being present and simply letting your Presence happen in the way the Soul chose was what touched me the most. 

Ciara 
Some thoughts, but no words can really convey what it meant to me. There was something about the implicit nature to the information about the Gathering, an invitation, a Gentle one at that. It created a hope in me that this might be a gathering that would allow the time and space needed for truth (in all its complex beauty) to emerge. It was that and more. I am both changed and restored by the deep relationships that formed over the week. Relationships with each other, with place, with reality and with a way of being I thought had got lost in the noise of modern life. Eternally grateful, Ciara 

Daniela 
When I go to events, I often feel overstimulated and, in the end, flooded with information—often welcome or sought out deliberately—but when I go home, I carry with me too much data to handle. Such a relief to find a place, where something new can emerge merely by people sharing time together and being in dialogue. In the Gentle Gathering I have found a co-creative place of exploration where genuinely new ideas can come into the world just because they want to and there are people who are present with them.

Jena
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group coalesce so quickly into respectful dialogue; I’ve never seen a dialogue group begin with so few rules and definitions on what dialogue is. That may not exactly be a paradox but feels a bit like a Zen koan to me at the moment.

Angelica
I felt connected and present. I could be who I am, not trying to fit in, and yet felt that I was very welcome and appreciated. That gave me an inner space to go deeper into myself and understand more about me, without being taught or lectured to. The experience of love among participants was spectacular and that gave me confidence about a worldview I carry with me, which is: we are all loving humans who can express that love, be that love, be conscious and connect with consciousness, given the circumstances for that.

Alistair
My first response is that of gratitude. Firstly, to the six of you who have carried the flame and brought it to this point so others could share your dream. Thank you for drawing us in. It felt like sacred ground. And gratitude to all of you who were there. I gained so much from so many. In the dialogues, over meals, late at night after one more bottle of wine. Long conversations, snatches of insight, pithy one liners and stories, overheard conversations, moments of gracious input into my life, observing your ways of being, I absorbed so much. Thank you!