November, 1998 Volume IX, Number 11
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Our December Retreat will be held at Knobs Haven the weekend of December 4th through 6th. Our theme for consideration will be 'Deepening Our Spiritual Life'. As the cycle of winter and dark bring us to the winter solstice and a return of the light, our year's end retreat will give us space to come into balance with nature, see our way through major and minor personal obstacles to a deeper appreciation of that light which is ever being born in our lives. When one places priority on the spiritual side of life, there is first the intention and then a growing commitment to spend time and give attention to this dimension of our existence. Depending on our beliefs and our own personal vision we all practice in different ways, but we share the wish that our conscious contact with the Mystery become ever deeper and our lives grow in harmony with this connection. This retreat will give time to look over what we are doing, what is working for us and what is not. It's a time to look at the experiences which give us motivating energy, a time to find ways to deal with the ever present roadblocks we find on the way. It is a good time of year to bring forward the clear insights of a retreat, anchoring them in our inner awareness to guide us every day. As always we will be sharing our experience, hope, and our understandings so that we may learn from each other. We will use journaling, discussion, as well as time apart for private reflection. If you wish to join us for this retreat please let Barbara Ballard know of your intentions before November 25th. Pre-register by sending $5 (non-refundable) of the fee to Barbara Ballard at 2961 Rio Rita Ave., Louisville, KY 40220, phone: 502-458-6022. The fee for the retreat, the cost of room and board, is $45 if timely, and $55 if late. If you need directions, more information, or financial assistance, please ask. On Saturday October 17th we spent a time doing shamanic journeying. I report as a beginner in this practice and only from my experience of that day, and so am open to correction. In the Shamanic view there are three levels of reality, the middle world in which we live, the lower world and the upper world. The lower and upper worlds may be accessed through shamanic journeys and are the home of more compassionate spirits who may be able to help us. During our day of initial practice, Dave Peck began by making a sacred circle in which we would practice. This was probably experienced differently by each attendee, but for me, I could see the spirit animal of each direction come to be present with us as it was called. Once the circle was complete we could try our hand at journeying. We learned to follow the sound of the drum and come back, always honoring the sacred cicle of the four directions when we returned to the middle world. Our first journeys were to the lower world to connect with our power animals, who would help us in many ways. Some of us could really feel the presence of these beings, others felt a process of initiation establishing a permanent connection. We also tried to journey to the upper world in search of a human teacher. All of our work was from our own experience. It is a system of practice which shares a common ground with cultures across the world but remains very unique to the individual who is called to this practice. A.S.
QUARTERLY RETREAT
MAILING LIST UPDATE
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