One of our “caterpillars”, i.e., a newbie, has kindly suggested that posting a schedule of some sort would be helpful to anyone that hasn’t yet attended. Having led this retreat since 2010, I still marvel at the wonder of how the weekend flows on its’ own, and so up to now have left it at “Whatever Source leads us to do”, but here’s what generally happens:
- While you may arrive any time after noon on Friday, we officially (“official” is not in my regular vocabulary, so I use it loosely) begin with our first meal together, dinner at 7 p.m. (it’s all good if you need to arrive later).
- Should you arrive early on Friday, once you get yourself settled in, feel free to explore the grounds, head to the beach (if applicable), meditate, get to know your new pod members, relax… It is always possible that Source will request some work be done that afternoon, so we will see.
- Our opening ceremony will be sometime after dinner.
- In the mornings, we usually have a “wake-up” piece, getting ourselves centered for the work ahead, and after breakfast we begin in earnest.
- While the whole weekend flows together, there are definite segments, addressing particular persons & issues, which we call “focuses”. Source will determine what these are, as well as the sequence. Who – or what – ever the focus is will be worked on by the group, each of us holding various energetic aspects of the piece in order to bring about a healing shift (the header photo depicts in a whimsical yet realistic way what we do: we support each other, work with each other, no holding back). No two focuses are alike, and they can be very calm and settled or more emotional; sometimes they include music, sometimes not; some are inside, some outside, etc. I’m guessing there will be a water ceremony at some point.
- We do have breaks between most of the focuses, and our Kitchen Queens prepare the meals from the wonderful array brought by all of us (you will have provided them with any instructions for your dishes upon arrival). Clean-up is service lovingly shared by all.
- In the late evenings, after the work for the day is done, we gather and enjoy one another’s company, some bringing their divination or healing tools, crafts, or games, etc. to share with everyone. While it is totally up to you, feel free to bring a book or poem or music or anything else you feel moved to. Often someone brings a project for everyone to work on, should they so choose.
- The two-night retreats end around 3:00 in order for folks to get on the road, so we have our closing ceremony on Sunday after lunch. For the three-night retreats, there will be often be a class of some sort at 3:00, followed by more work (if you are leaving Sunday but would like to take the class, let me know ahead of time), and then departure Monday afternoon.
The aftermath:
Allowing ourselves to swim in the soup of Source reveals and allows layers and layers of healing, much of which is beyond our human understanding yet deeply felt by all. Everyone involved gains benefit, regardless of whether they were the focus or not.
You will have stepped more deeply into your capacity as a healer, as a lightworker, as a force for good in the Universe; working within the group dynamic, always embraced in Source, causes shifts that reverberate for weeks, months, years. Often we don’t even realize within our conscious selves what has happened until much later.