Opening to Spiritual Support, Wherever it’s From!
Opening to Spiritual Support, Wherever it’s From!
Following my own good advice, I went on retreat this summer. I headed to the country for three days, packing a hammock, journal, art supplies, my bike and bathing suit, good food from the garden, a candle and a bell. I keep my bees at beautiful Spirit Matters Retreat Centre outside of Almonte, also the perfect place for an inner journey.
This was a “follow your nose” retreat [see previous blog for the how-to]. Basically it’s about re-connecting with your own inner rhythms and remembering what’s most important. The main guideline is to sit in stillness until what you really want and need at that moment calls to you for action. You can support this practice by also setting an intention for your retreat, avoiding all media devices, and bringing along materials that inspire and support you. Your task in retreat is to discover your own pace and what is truly nourishing for you.
The retreat time was very good, but often I the find best part is returning home. While on retreat I’m usually focused on an issue that my intention has helped me hone in on. I spend time in “creative emptiness”, just asking to be informed about the issue; holding a general prayer that asks “What do I need to know about this?”. When I come home and enter back into my life, I notice how I’m more attuned to the present moment and in that state I see the workings of spirit more clearly. The guidance keeps coming and often in funny or unusual ways. Here’s what happened this time.
While I was away, the plumbing at home got backed up somehow. Once back, I called the plumber, Joe, a competent, nice fellow whose services I had used before. He arrived promptly on Tuesday morning in my driveway, and when I opened the back door to greet him there he was surveying my gardens. Then he says, “You know what you need here - a beehive!” With that comment, we bonded.
I’m a beekeeper of 15 years and Joe had just gotten his first hive. We had a lot of bee talk to cover, but shortly into our chat I became aware of his special energy. So here we were in the basement – him remedying my main stack, which he pronounced “severely blocked” (ha!) and me having just spent three days unblocking my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual channels. Me and my house were one.
As he worked he told me some stories. His main theme was the immense goodness of life, his gratitude, and belief that asking for what you really need will make it come. His message was great, but the spirit of the messenger was even better. I felt a healing just being in his presence. We chatted as he worked away, and I knew this was a direct response to my prayers during retreat and reminded me that spiritual support can come through the most mundane and ordinary circumstances.
The weeks following retreat have felt blessed. I’ve had more spontaneous spiritual awakenings and am reassured that this open flow is available in every moment. As Joe would say, “God is so generous”. But we have to have the eyes, ears, in fact all our senses, to perceive this gift. This is main benefit of retreat. It heightens our openness to support. It brings us in alignment with the generosity. But don’t take my word for it – try it on for yourself.
Next entry: Bringing the Sensuous Back Home
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“Loved the “slow medicine of it”