I have just returned from a retreat in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. These areas are filled with pristine spiritual energy and I enjoyed many days and nights of deep meditative immersion in the sacred source.
The first event I attended during this sojourn was the annual Gathering of Circles in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. This consisted of five days of camping on a remote mountain top, attending and presenting workshops, a Sweet Medicine Dance that was divine, sweat lodges and fellowship with others who are walking a path of spiritual consciousness.
I taught a children’s yoga class during the Gathering, and saw first hand the new awareness that today’s children are bringing to the world. It is so important for us to focus deliberately and consciously on creating a future that insures the realization of the gifts they bring to this earth.
I also hosted an adult yoga/meditation class that was held in a high mountain meadow overlooking the Guadalupe mountain range. This was definitely a most awesome and inspiring setting for mastering these spiritual practices.
The medicine dance was a unique experience of intense trance states, bliss absorption and deep prayer. For several hours we danced around a sacred fire to the beat of the drum. Into the night it continued as our prayers rose into the starry night. What a blessing it was to be able to take part in this ancient holy practice. The body is indeed the gateway to divine consciousness!
From New Mexico I traveled into Colorado, spending time in Pagosa Springs. One early morning I took a trail ride into the high mountains wilderness north of Pagosa. What a peaceful meditation can be had on the back of a horse in the midst of wild nature! During the ride I saw deer and a coyote appeared on the trail. The vistas were breath taking and the power of nature once again induced a state far beyond mind.
Heading further north I entered into the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains. There is a quality of energy unique to areas at elevations of 14,000 feet or more. In secret locations in these mountains there are yogi’s and yogini’s living in caves, their presence unknown to the world. They meditate blessings upon everyone from within their isolated sadhana, which links them to the forces of cosmic creation.
Several nights of sleeping on the earth and early morning meditations near crystalline streams healed body and mind from the wear and tear of city environments. In states of deep bliss I became aware again of the need to align more permanently with the energies of this special place. I came away from the mountain with inspiration and insights that will go far toward establishing a temple there in the year to come.
Heading down the mountain I passed through Sangre de Christo ranges and spent some time in Taos and Angel Fire, New Mexico. These areas are also filled with the vibrations of sacred space. The quiet is all encompassing.
Finally I returned to Austin, where they were still struggling with an entrenched heat wave and record breaking drought. Yet I sensed that some of the cool mountain air and rain had come south with me, and felt that it would rain and begin cooling any day. Within a week, there was a break in the 100+ temperatures, and now the rain has begun to return.
As the wheel of the year turns toward Fall, I am getting ready to begin a new Living Light detox group. I have also made arrangements to rent a studio space here in Austin where I will begin holding spiritual development classes. We will be practicing yoga and meditation, learning to activate more divine energy, and sharing sacred methods to create a more perfect life for ourselves and the world. Be sure to visit the Enlightened Life Meet Up Group to see all the details on these events.
Until the next time, I wish each of your all the best that life has to offer always!
Shalom!
In the midst of the devastation in Haiti, survivors huddle together in outdoor areas. One group has gathered and is living in a park near where the international media has set up to cover the disaster. There is no electricity and only a few candles glow in the dark as people settle in for another restless night. A reporter asked a man, “How have you all survived in the park with no water, no food?”. The man replied, “We pray and sing psalms.” In the background of the news report, many people can be heard praying and singing.
