| I’m busiest during the weeks of the holy days. Last week (Autumn Equinox) I taught a bunch of classes, facilitated two live rituals, and welcomed in a brand new roster of Archetype Academy students. This is the norm, but what’s different is the shift in the season. At Autumn Equinox on Monday, we tilted into the dark. And because I know myself so well, I can predict how this will influence my energy. In the dark half of the year, my energy ebbs inward. I like to honor that. So, in the dark seasons, I plan lots of time to restore and integrate. Last Friday night after a deeply potent ritual on the island in Marshall, I went on retreat. I dove (and drove) back into the hollers of Madison County and holed up at an enchanting little inn lost in time. I watched the grey light of dawn seep through lace curtains, sipped coffee out on the 2nd story veranda and imagined the sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels, and spent time with a dear friend who speaks the same quiet language of the heart as me. I slowed down, got very gentle, and allowed the membrane between the world and me to soften. Have you ever paddled out into a tidal marsh in a kayak? Have you ever timed it wrong and had to work like hell against the tide to get back home? It’s a lot of work. But if you know the water & how it’s flowing, you can ride the tide out and back with almost no effort. For me, a retreat is riding the tide back in; an effortless collaboration with a natural cycle. Tomorrow, the tide is bringing 6 women to my apothecary for a 3 day retreat. I’ll be holding space for them to ebb back into themselves, rest and restore, reflect, and receive nourishment on many levels. Like our sisters the whales, we breath up in the light, but we feed down in the depths. I’ll be guiding these women to these nourishing depths. We’ll do this with our senses. We’ll intentionally un-intellectualize, allow our “thinking” selves to rest while our “feeling” selves take a turn at the wheel. We’ll leave these 3 days rested and inspired, relaxed and aligned, slowed down and fired up. We’re flowing with a tide that’s gonna heave and drain whether we’re riding it or not; might as well ride it. So, where are you? Working like hell against a current, or going with the flow? love & retreat-glow, kv |
