Friday, September 30, 2005
the one day retreat
so, i've been talking about how my friends and i went to breitenbush hotsprings near detroit lake here in oregon last sunday . . . it was amazing!
me, two of my friends, and my sister all went out to the hotsprings for the day. the first thing we did was jump right into one of the sacred pools. these are little pools that were built to catch the flow of the natural hotsprings. the water was warm and the pool was in the shade. for being late september in oregon, the day was surprisingly warm. it felt wonderful to be naked out of doors. breitenbush had a women's only retreat that weekend so it was nice to sit and visit with the women who had come for the retreat and hear their stories about the different meditation exercises they had tried that weekend.
after soaking in the pool, we dressed and went to the main building for a delicious organic vegetarian meal of curry and cinnamon rice.
we were so full after lunch that we sat out in the grass for a while and gave each other stomach massages for a while. once we got over the imsosleepybecauseiatetoomuch feeling, we went for a "hike."
we hiked through the grounds. breitenbush is a community of people who live together and work together year round. i thoroughly enjoyed wandering through such a peaceful and welcoming place with my three close friends.
after following the inner path, we walked past the sanctuary where a statue for each major religion had been set up in a shaded area. there was a quiet bench on which to sit and meditate. people had left offerings for the statue of their choice as a symbol of whatever it was they had sat on the bench and conversed with the higher power about.
it was one of the most peaceful moments of my summer--sitting there in silence.
we wandered down toward the river and the ground turned dusty. we found the labrynth there in the hot sun.
we each made our journey in silence. i carried a small rock in my hand on the way, symbolizing my current burdens. as i walked i recited my self-given mantra "i am a healer." arriving in the middle, i placed my stone with the others that created the path and joyfully made my burdenless journey back out of the maze. it was encouraging to meditate on my desired future as a healer through massage therapy.
coming over a rise in the ground, we arrived at the river. an earie site awaited us there. along the banks and in the shallows of the river monuments or remembrance markers had been erected as reminders that water has spiritual qualities.
we each set up our own marker as well and sat in peace near the river.
hot and tired from our journey through the labrynth, we made our way to the medicine pools and sat mostly in the very hottest pool (autumn). each taking turns in the cold plunge pool. shrieking in shock at the coldness of this hydrotherapy practice.
rejeuvenated, we dressed and made our way to the office to each buy a bit of delicious organic chocolate for the ride home.
even if you aren't keen on such a "hippy" place, i highly recommend finding a place where you can have your own rejeuvenating retreat once in a while. a place for you that is sacred and brings healing and peace and new perspective.
for me, breitenbush offers just that.
say it don't spray it 7:35 PM
11 i heard that
