Reflections on Retreat

[janbear]

Reflections on Retreat
by Joel & Michelle Levey
Consider Taking a "Conscious Vacation"

In traditional societies, individuals made time to think and listen deeply. Times for personal reflection, retreat, Sabbath days, or vision quests were considered essential for family and social harmony and for living a healthy, inspired, and meaningful life.
Such a lifestyle and rhythm to life helped people to stay in touch with themselves and their world, and to live in greater harmony and balance. It helped them to tap the well-springs of inspiration, to gain clarity, meaning and direction for living a truly fulfilling life.

As times have changed and life has increased in its complexity, it seems that few people really value or make the time for such reflection and renewal in their lives. Our evenings, weekends, and vacations are filled with so many activities that it seems difficult to find the time for some of the most important and rewarding aspects of our lives. Often it is not until some unexpected tragedy befalls us that we stop to think deeply about our lives and what we really want for our future.


We invite you to pause and reflect more deeply about your life, to see more clearly what is, and to envision a future for yourself that is truly worth living and working for.
Times and places of sanctuary and retreat play a vital role in helping us to advance in our busy lives and turbulent world. These times of retreat, reflection, and renewal are vital to our health, our clarity and peace of mind, and to the quality of our relationships and of our work in the world.

By surrounding ourselves with natural beauty...slowing down to the speed of life…and being in the presence of supportive community and inspiring teachers and teachings...we are able to nourish and renew ourselves at every level and dimension of our being. By stepping away from the mindless habits that drive our daily lives, we are able to clear and open our minds, rest our bodies, release our stress, rest and renew ourselves, gain vital perspective, and tap the well-springs of our inner wisdom, guidance, and inspiration.

Having gifted ourselves in these ways, when we do return to our lives we are likely to carry with us a deeper grounding in our true and authentic selves, to live our lives more "on purpose," and to carry inspiration and clear direction back into our family, community, and work life.

As we return from a time of retreat we are more likely to recognize the myriad of choices that are available to us. We are likely to be more in touch with our clarity amidst confusion, our peace within turbulence, a sense of balance, stillness, and presence amidst the rapidly spinning changes in our world.

Our capacity for complexity is directly proportional to our capacity for simplicity. Simplifying our lives for periods of time…cultivating a relationship with silence, stillness, nature, the simple deep, sweet, joys and pleasures of our lives helps us to have the space and openness needed to embrace the intensity, uncertainty, and complexity of our lives and world.