Commonly Asked Questions
Will a 5 day or even a 10 day retreat change my life so much that I am guaranteed to live happily ever after?
Unfortunately not.
Will I have an opportunity to make some dramatic changes?
Yes, if you come with an openness, a willingness, and a dedication to participating in shifting your life for the better.
Will the changes be life long?
If you work with and practice with the awareness's and tools provided. And if you keep connected to some like minded people so you can remind each other if you get off track, yes it is possible to maintain the changes.
Can I come and fully participate for 5 or 10 days, and then not follow through and still expect changes?
Yes you will experience many changes, but some may fade in time without ongoing attention or support.
Can a person come and fully participate for 5 or 10 days and get a taste of their strengths and talents that they can use to face upcoming issues in their lives, as well as use to support them in opening to more joy and success in their life?
Yes, definitely.
Can a person come and fully participate and feel that it was time and money well spent even if the impossible happened and they did not retain a single thing once they left?
Yes, just the experience of 5 or 10 days spent in the environment of loving support, where a person can relax into just being themselves, where the laughter and the tears flow freely, where the food is tasty and the environment is beautiful, where you get to play and have fun with some like minded people, where you get to experience the effects of deep and meaningful awareness's, where you get the contrast of an adventure outside of your everyday life, can leave one feeling fully satisfied with the experience.
Would 10 days be more effective than 5 days in getting the changes I hope for?
Yes, and not just twice as effective because what happens is that as the time unfolds each level of awareness achieved clears old blocks and builds a foundation that makes it easier to absorb the next awareness's. We become more and more capable of understanding and retaining the awareness's at an ever increasing speed.
The closer I get to actually dedicating myself to attending the retreat and doing my inner work the more I notice a fear arising in me.
You mentioned the fear that arises as you consider doing this inner work. I have found that fear is typically a good sign. I will explain why.
Our fears arise in the face of change (even when it is possibly change for the better). Our fears typically want to keep us away from the unknown. The present, even if it is crappy, is easier to control than the unknown. Our fears are tied to our desire to control, thinking control is the only way to safety. So the fact that a person has fears come up as they consider attending the retreat, is an indicator that the retreat represents some change for us, and our subconscious is already aware of this potential change and is kicking in the fear in response.
Of course this fear response can be very useful when it is warning us of real danger. Example: The sense that the driving conditions ahead are going to be risky, or the sense that the approaching stranger is dangerous. But as I mentioned before fear automatically reacts to any possible unknown change. It is up to us to bring our discernment into play and decide whether the unknown has potential for serving us or if it is dangerous.
Given that these retreats are all about serving us, the more fear that is aroused by contemplating attending a retreat, the better, as it is a sign that the retreat can represent a lot of changes for us. And in this circumstance the more changes the merrier.
I have some allergies including ones of nuts and nut oils. Can my needs be accommodated?
Your food concerns would be taken care of. The caterers would be informed of your allergies. If you plan to come please provide a list of the foods you can not eat and a suggestion for foods that do work for you. (For instance with no nuts or nut oils does that include seeds as well, such as sunflower seeds or sunflower seed oil?) The main food served will be vegetarian with the use of eggs and dairy products in some dishes. Outside of that we accommodate people with allergies or if people need to have fish, poultry, or red meat in their diet.
I have attended other peoples workshops where they presented exercises and then insisted that everyone participate in them. Is this how this event is run?
No. Your choice will be fully respected. All activities are presented as an invitation to participate. You are encouraged to honor yourself. Often you will find that the way to best honor yourself will be to fully participate, but that responsibility is up to you. You will not be pushed or dragged into something that you have chosen to say no to.
Is it best to come focused on a specific issue to deal with?
You might want to set an intention to work with specific things you want to address, but it is not necessary. I would encourage you to come with a willingness to stay open to anything that may be of value to you. Often people will get as much, or sometimes more value, from unexpected experiences. If you get too narrowly focused on your agenda, you may miss some of the awarenesses Spirit is laying at your doorstep.
I have a lot of issues to deal with. Will they all get addressed?
Through the course of 10 days a great variety of issues will be covered. There are opportunities to work with many different subjects in various ways such as small group sharing or exercises, one to one sharing or exercises, working directly with the facilitator in the big group, experiencing others in the group work through the same issues that you are dealing with, getting information from the facilitator or through the handouts presented. Most people experience that a big percentage, if not all, of what they wanted to work on gets addressed at some point. As well they find that they learn a lot about themselves that they had not even considered previously. You will likely find that some things get completely cleared and that other things will get partially cleared. Life is a long journey and even though a large step forward into more fulfillment can be accomplished within the context of the 10 days of concentrated support, life will provide you with lots more to learn and grow into.
I like to make time to exercise everyday. What are the times and opportunities available for exercise?
The river is available to swim in if the weather is warm enough. There are a variety of trails through the 55 acres of woodlands, or after a 20 minute hike down to the river from the lodge you can follow the river bank (no official trail just shore line) for miles if you want to. You can also hike on the back country roads or cycle them if you bring a bike along.
Sometimes people get together to do Yoga or Tai Chi in the mornings.
Table Tennis and Badminton also give opportunities for exercise.
The time schedule is not fixed as we go with the energy of what is going on in the group. Having said that, we start our formal sessions almost always at 10am. We typically have 2 hours or more for lunch break. With the exception of the first day, once we go for supper we rarely return for a formal session after. Supper typically starts around 7pm to 830pm.
This gives time for exercise in the morning, at lunch break, or in the evening.