28th Annual Fall Sacred Path Men’s Retreat
FALL RETREAT PROGRAM UPDATE
Hello Sacred Path Community,
We are fast approaching our 28th Annual Fall Sacred Path Men’s Retreat commencing next week on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 4pm. Preparations for a full and fulfilling program are underway, including a vast array of processes to allow and support the depth of the work that you’ll undertake on the mountain.
There is an update to the program that I want to mention here, and it’s that we will not be holding an Inipi Sweatlodge ceremony this time. Justen, our water pourer, will not be able to participate. When we were apprised of this last week we went into a mode of openness to determine if we were to make other arrangements for the ceremony to take place for this retreat. We did what we could and then through meditation, contemplation and prayer we surrendered to the clear message to let it go this time. Even though we have had Inipi Sweats on retreat for several years, this is not the first time that we have not had one.
We have learned over the years to not allow the plans for what we think needs to take place interfere with what truly needs to take place. We’ve learned to not make our program so tight that Spirit doesn’t have the room to create in order to meet the needs, obvious and more subtle, of those in attendance. One of the most important awarenesses learned over the years is to “Let” rather than to force. This is one of the central lessons of accessing “Authentic Power.”
We were wondering how we were going to fit all of the elements that we have into the retreat in comfortable fashion allowing for ample rest and relaxation. It’s clear that Spirit has just provided more space for us to relax into the schedule with greater ease. We also know that through Faith all things work out and there is a reason for everything even if we don’t realize the “why” at the time. Clarity and meaning may take some time to unfold and to be more fully realized at the right time.
One of my mentors, Leonard Orr, with whom I have studied since the mid 1970’s, teaches the awareness that whatever manifests “is always perfect,” even if at first we don’t see it. It’s a different way of defining perfection. In other words, there is a reason for everything, even with situations that are hard to accept and not to our initial liking. It’s said that there is a silver lining to every rain cloud, so we need to discover how even what may appear to not meet our expectations can, none-the-less, bring about positive and beneficial results. I’m sure that this retreat will manifest an example of perfection in action and go into the books as one of the best!
Now, if you haven’t registered, what’s holding you back? Take the leap, be bold, make the commitment to open yourself to receive the great gifts that will come your way when you gather with like-minded soulful men on the Sacred Path to expanding our Mindfulness.
See you next week on the mountain,
Stephen
Stephen J. Johnson Ph.D., LMFT
Executive Director
