Join us for a weekend retreat focused on the luminous practice of Özer Chenma, guided by Julia Lawless, from Thursday 20th to Saturday 22nd June at Kunselling.

Özer Chenma – or Maritse in Sanskrit – is the radiant female deity of light, a manifestation of Tara known for her swift activity and the power to dispel all forms of darkness. Often depicted seated before the rising sun, holding a treasure vase, her practice helps remove obstacles, bring clarity, and fulfil both worldly and spiritual wishes.

This retreat is based on the Dzogchen transmission of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s family lineage, including teachings from his grandmother. As he said:

“If you have any kind of desire or wish that you want to attain then do Özer Chenma practice and you can obtain it! But you don’t need to tell Özer Chenma your specific problem … she already knows.”

The first session starts at 10:30am on Friday 20th, so we recommend arriving the evening of Thursday 19th. The retreat will end at 4:30pm on Sunday 22nd June.

Full retreat description is attached below.

Teacher

Julia Lawless has been a student of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu since 1980. Apart from being actively engaged in establishing Kunselling and Lekdanling retreat centres, she was Principal Director of SSIUK for 10 years. Julia is a writer by profession, and is accredited as a meditation instructor by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Since 2016 she has been teaching meditation and running study groups, mainly in London, and has led many practice retreats over the years.

Requirements

• Current member of the International Dzogchen Community
• Having attended a retreat with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu or Yeshi Namkhai

Costs

Prices below assume arrival on the evening of 19th June, and include dinner that night, accommodation, and meals for the full retreat.

Suggested donation: £30 per day

This donation goes towards supporting the teacher and helping subsidise other community activities.

We kindly request full payment in advance. If that’s not possible, a £30 deposit is required to reserve your place.

Payment and Registration

Payment reference: KSL 20.6.2025
(Please include this reference so we can track your payment.)

Bank transfer:
Dzogchen Community
HSBC
Sort Code: 40-02-03
Account Number: 01077384
IBAN: GB44HBUK40020301077384
BIC/SWIFT: HBUKGB4105R

PayPal:
When paying by PayPal using the button below, please enter the payment reference on the final page, where the “Donate Now” button appears.

To register complete the Google Form here.

Further information

For any questions,  contact the retreat organiser
tinghardingham@dzogchencommunityuk.org

Özer Chenma retreat with Julia Lawless

“If you have any kind of desire or wish that you want to attain then do Özer Chenma practice and you can obtain it! But you don’t need to tell Özer Chenma your specific problem … she already knows.”

– Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

Özer Chenma (or Maritse in Sanskrit), meaning “she who possesses the rays of light”, is a female deity usually depicted as rosy yellow in colour, holding a treasure vase, seated in front of the rising sun. Her wisdom is embodied in her brilliant radiance and infinite rays of light which eliminate all our negative karma. She is often represented as the 21^st Tara in the ‘21 Praises to Tara’ and can also be invoked by using the 21^st action mantra in the Guru Arya Tara practice. As a manifestation of Tara, she offers both relative and ultimate benefits, helping us to overcome any mundane problems in our daily life as well as guiding us to supreme realization.

This deity of light has the power or siddhi to dispel all darkness – the ignorance, confusion, sickness, fear, poverty or any obstacles which we encounter in our everyday life. Özer Chenma is similar to Green Tara in that she has a particularly active quality of wisdom, especially if we need to obtain something quickly. Her practice is very good for achieving wealth or success in business, to promote longevity, to overcome illness and as a protection whilst travelling. There are many Sutra and Vajrayana teachings on Özer Chenma, but this retreat is based on the Dzogchen transmission of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s family lineage, including those from his grandmother.