In February, our “Deep Philosophy” group met for our second philosophical-contemplative retreat. The retreat took place in the tiny village of Brando near Torino, Italy, in a large house that belongs to one of us, Michele Zesse. The village is surrounded by nature on the side of a steep mountain, and this contributed to the special contemplative atmosphere.

It was a powerful retreat, and we all felt deeply inspired. Every day we had a morning session and an afternoon session of philosophical contemplation on a philosophical text, followed by personal reflections. The purpose of our retreat was to reflect on life-issues from our inner depth – not from our opinions, not from our abstract thinking, but rather from our inner depth.

As the name of our international group implies, philosophizing from our inner depth is the focus of our work. “Inner depth” is of course a metaphor, and although it is difficult to define it in words, it is easier to experience it.

Most of us have experienced moments in which an insight appeared in our minds, moving and inspiring us. The insight itself did not necessarily bring us new ideas, but it felt different from ordinary thoughts. It felt precious, moving, elevating. It probably felt unexpected and surprising, as if originating not from our ordinary mind but from some hidden source that is more primordial and central within ourselves. It may have been accompanied by a sense of inner silence, of wonder and marvel, of realness, or even plenitude. Clearly, a different dimension of our being has been touched and awakened – and this dimension is what we call “inner depth.”

Inner depth can be described as an aspect of our being which lies beyond our ordinary state of mind, beyond our normal psychological patterns of thinking and feeling. It is an inner source of insights which can projects to our entire being.

The notion of inner depth is central to what we call “Deep philosophy.” The vision that guides our group is that it is possible to do philosophy from our inner depth. It is possible, in other words, to reflect on fundamental issues of life from this deeper dimension within us. “Deep philosophy” is precious to us because it has the power to open us to broader horizons of understanding and to impact our life profoundly.

Sounds interesting? You are invited to contact us and join some of our activities!