In the past 3 weeks there have been a countless number of things I have wanted to write about… but there are some deep dark rabbit holes, or so it seems, whenever I open my computer! I haven’t actually made it to this page in weeks. Tonight I talked to my son Benjamin and we made a commitment to each other that we had certain things we wanted to be held accountable to. One of mine was writing a blog post every day. I know, I know… I’ve said it before. And here I am again, renewing my commitment.
So, I will pick up from 3 weeks ago- my Women’s Sound Healing Retreat which was held this year in Robbinsville, NC at a very beautiful venue. Here is a photo from the large room we gathered in, set up for our first morning sound journey.
Some of the highlights for me were witnessing women explore their creativity in new ways- some who said they didn’t think they were creative- they had never done a collage or made a mandala, and to see the beautiful creations they made, their total enjoyment of the process and how pleased they were with their creations- and the healing that takes place when we discover a seemingly new part of ourself that has been lying dormant, just waiting to blossom.
I had also purchased some very simple gourd rattles with wooden handles that were completely plain and unadorned, so one of our projects was for everyone to decorate their rattles. There were two ideas around this- one simply being another fun creative project, but more importantly (in my mind anyway) that each person had an instrument to bring home as a memento of the retreat and to perhaps add to a growing collection of sound tools, whether they would be used as part of a sound healing practice or just for the fun of it. The results of this endeavor were delightful!
Creative inspiration in a world of sound!
Besides the creative and artistic endeavors, of course there were many deep sound immersions that were very powerful in the form of healing sound journeys, a gong puja, a group sound creation, chanting, toning, and an evening dance groove.
Add to the mix that on April 17 the New Moon moved into Aries along with 6 other heavenly bodies-Sun, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Neptune and the asteroid Chiron. The overall message seemed to be new beginnings and letting go of that which no longer serves us- on a pretty intense level. Not gentle. Not subtle. So some energy definitely roared up for a few folks but ultimately I think it was very powerful and transformative for all who were there.
