The next day we were all pretty tired and luckily there wasn’t a ton on the agenda to do. We had a yoga class, and time for journalling or other stuff, or just time to hang out with others. But, in the evening, we had our closing ceremony around a bonfire that Tanner set up for us!
We took turns talking about what our journeys had been like – each person took a turn with the ‘talking stick’ which you can see River holding below:
The ceremony ended with a couple songs, and, thus, the retreat container was ‘closed.’
The next morning we had yoga, breakfast, group photo, and then it was time to get things packed and ready to go. I decided to walk around the property and make sure I captured photos of it:
They may be hard to see but there’s a bunch of chickens in the grass in the shadows
Area where the goats hung out
Wow, that’s weird – I just reread this and realized I ended it with just some photos and no commentary. And last night in the middle of the night it occurred to me that I did have a schedule of what we did, so I’m going to share some closing thoughts about our activities, in no particular order.
We had a Cacao ceremony. I had just tried ceremonial cacao once before, while I was in Hilo. The ceremony was beautiful and started us all on the road to change.
The following day there was an outing to Kaumana Caves. I wasn’t feeling it so I stayed behind with Chef Lindsey and helped prep food. After not cooking for at least 2 weeks, I realized just how much I missed it, so I was very grateful to have the chance to help out and get cooking and prepping. The place I’m staying at now as a kitchenette in the room but also a communal full kitchen so I cooked my dinner last night too.
That afternoon after everyone returned, I had a ceremony with River – kicking off another year of spiritual work with him. It was magical.
That evening we had a sound healing immersion with Kimberley – that was transforming and amazing. Wow!
Next morning we had a Kundalini meditation. I felt like I travelled through time and space with everyone. Truly amazing (I know, I’m probably going to use that word a lot) and awe-inspiring, honestly! That afternoon we had the tree planting mentioned in a previous post.
The next day was our trip to Kona – already posted about that one 🙂
Next day was another Cacao ceremony followed by ecstatic dancing. I felt more like being outside with nature so opted out of the dancing, but those who stayed to do it really seemed to enjoy themselves! That evening we had a Sacred Heart Vulnerability Workshop. I don’t want to describe it in too much detail, but there were many ways we learned to communicate – with and without words – and actively listen. Always good practices to use. After that, dinner, and then closing circle around the fire.
I also want to list the first names of the people that were there, that have become a part of my extended family. We all grew an amazing amount during our short time together, and we continue to be connected on a profound level. What a gift!
So: Adam, River (co-facilitators), Lindsey (chef), Kimberley, Lisa Rene, Morgan, Claudia, Dominique, Kjersti, Steve, Korinna, Matt, Karen, Brandy, Ray, and me.
Thanks to all of you for an amazing week of growth and love!