A spiritual retreat is a significant detour in how I previously lived my life. A different perspective and vocabulary is needed.
The decision to go on a year long retreat includes a disengagement from chaos and constant stimulation of the five sensory apparatus of physical life, and turn attention to the inner world, and examine what I do and do not believe. These are not every day questions like what should I eat and what should I wear?
A retreat has the potential to inspire a whole new life and reveal deep recesses in our psyche requiring Inner silence, a clearing of the debris of the mind.
In this act of excavation, a change is needed in our every day habits that imprison us. A retreat is not meant to solve problems. It is a time to examine why we perceived the problem to begin with. Therefore, prayers for insight are necessary.
The need to seek the inner life is a part of all religious and spiritual traditions. The pandemic has made mystics of those who accepted their quarantine as an opportunity to change everything.
The retreat is an attempt to restore balance in our lives. The body requires equilibrium. Illness results when balance is not met in soul and body. The soul responds to our needs with sudden clarity of insight. When we don’t listen to this inner direction, we suffer. Reflection and deep inquiry are critical for the needs of the soul.
Retreat restores us to the interconnectivity of all living things. So far, I am committed to avoiding all crazy making and crazy makers, fear mongering and fear-based thinking.
Who is in charge? Not I. OM
