About this Event
Come close, come close, my heart calls, I want you near to love me.
Stay away, stay away, my fear cries, too close and you'll probably hurt me.
So what is the distance we already are? That honors my desire to be close and hope to stay far.
What is this distance that's already happening? That's already informed by the way we're connecting?
To look, to slow down, to really notice, is an act of faith that our connection can hold this.
And yet, I do find that small steps of faith are the soil from which great relationships are made.
We hope you will join us for 6 weeks of presence, where we'll explore our connection through loving the distance.
As Aaron and I were co-creating this event, we felt a sense of poignant, expansive, tender vibrance, as well as a subtle sense of holding back and sadness. We noticed how love and separation were both happening between us, and through welcoming both, we more fully arrived with each other.
Through this six-week journey into relational presence, we’ll explore what it’s like to be us together. Held in my cozy condo in Dilworth, you’ll have a chance to go deeper into the practice of Relatefulness with other committed practitioners.
What We'll Explore
Across large-group sessions, small groups, and pairs, we'll play in the field of connection:
- Bringing language to what's happening right now, in body, heart, mind, and awareness
- Exploring what seems to be in the way of connection, without needing anything to change
- Exploring the movement between closeness and distance, openness and protection, surrender and autonomy
Each session will include a mix of focus sessions, flow sessions, and guided activities that help us welcome what is here. Within that structure, you’ll have freedom to bring what is true for you and choose what and how you share.
What May Become Available
Each person’s experience will be different, and the group itself will be shaped by the particular people who gather. Some possibilities include:
- An expanded sense of what can be welcomed in connection
- More confidence that connection does not require overriding your own discernment
- Greater capacity to stay present with both warmth and discomfort without needing either to become something else
Aaron and I are in awe of how much this practice helps us bring the qualities of awareness, acceptance, and curiosity into our relationships with other people.
What Not to Expect
This is not a therapy session or group healing experience, although healing can occur. It's a group exploration of truth, love, and awareness, created by the people who are present.
These experiences can include disconnection, uncertainty, and discomfort. By attending you acknowledge you are able to take self-responsibility for your own physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing throughout the gathering.
You will never be required to share beyond your boundaries or participate in any exercise. We welcome both challenge and nourishment as valuable parts of being human.
We value honest expression, and we also stay attentive to its impact on others. This is a space for mindful connection, not expression at any cost. Facilitators may pause or redirect moments that move away from relational presence.
By attending you agree to the following Terms of Service: https://bit.ly/CLT_TOS
Details
🕰 Date & Time: Six Tuesdays, October 27th - December 1st | 6:45p-8:45p
🗺️ Location: 2610 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28209 (Exact location provided on registration, and Tuesday 11/10 will be held at Sacred Roots in Huntersville)
🙏 Price (Sliding Scale): Benefactor: $190 | Sustainer: $140 | Supported: $90
📝 Registration: Through Eventbrite. Capped at 9 participants.
📩 Questions: [email protected]
About Your Facilitators
James Dial is the steward of Relateful Charlotte, devoted to building local spaces of real connection where presence and growth intertwine. He is known for his clear, earnest, heartfelt presence.
Aaron Less is a psychologist, executive coach, and mindfulness teacher devoted to exploring how relationships can become a path for personal and spiritual growth. His work explores the tension between our sense of a separate self and the deeper self that emerges through genuine contact with others, inviting greater freedom, intimacy, and aliveness.
A Final Invitation
If you are interested in exploring the space between us, we would love for you to join.
AI transparency note: This event description was developed from my own writings, with AI collaboration only on the practical sections (What We’ll Explore, What May Become Available, etc.)
Event venue & nearby stays
2610 Park Rd, 2610 Park Road, Charlotte, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.