I have a friend Chuck who edits my blog posts. Being one of my best buds, my Kolas, Chuck is also a Christadelphian, inspiring some very colorful content conversations. I’m looking to Chucker mostly for typo corrections, but hope he’ll weigh in with an occasional “Good One!!” which Chuck is known to do, when he’s feeling it. Lately Chuck’s back has been hurting, so when I asked him how he was and for his review of the former post, his response was, “A little disjointed, but OK.” I knew he meant my writing but replied: “Your back? Or the post?” I say that jokingly (tôi đùa), with the hope that after a Fall retreat season that proved to be incredibly healing — and incredibly busy — we’ll find time now in our off-season to refine this space a bit, crafting some clearer, more consistent communiqués, to keep in touch while we’re away.
Alas, we’re still here, now, so Chuc Mung Nam Moi(!) Happy New Year 2024. I’m doing my beloved Teacher Shinzen Young’s Year-End/Year-Beginning Retreat from home this year and have no business currently being on-line typing this sentence. Xin loi (sorry) that we never quite put together our promised Holiday Silent Night/Holy Night gathering — look for that evening of calm brightness in December 2024. But after laying low for a very quiet Christmas on the farm. we’re planning some standout new classes and retreats for the new year and should have the schedule up within the next week or two, with scheduling well into summer. Quarterly Noble Silence Meditation Retreat Weekends, our monthly Way of The Contrary Ceremonial overnight, some new offerings for both new and experienced meditators, and a bit of time for more personal lessons and visits.
Soon, you, too, might take in the backwards teaching above, as it appeared to the November Way of the Contrary attendees. What does the lightning bolt on the side of a Heyoka’s mask represent? “With these eyes I see, with this nose I smell, and with this mouth — I tell the truth.” While it may seem the truth hurts or confronts when looked at from an uninformed perspective, held correctly, it can set you free. Whatever does this mean? According to the November tribe of Ceremonial attendees, sensations of Sunday morning liberation, similar to what some folks feel in church, had participants experiencing a host of positive, individual feelings, then sharing them collectively. From moving toward nature and away from institutionalized medicine, to experiencing real, natural, emotional healing, rooting more into one’s heart, finding one’s personal healing space, a sense of inner, energized calm, a deeper forgiveness for others and oneself, and a sense of downshifting to a more comfortable coasting speed. What would a deep healing, a true letting go, and acquiring an empowered ability to turn things around in your own life look like for you? How might you feel? What shifts or changes would you then make, taking possession of your life in new way?
We’ll turn it over to Tanya regarding her Fall visit to The Higher Haven, and look forward to seeing you this Spring — Toksha. "As I entered the retreat, I immediately felt at peace. No 'loud' signs, only beautiful art among the wooded drive that gave hints that you are in the right place ~ a true Sanctuary. The time spent here unfolded gently, like turning the pages of a great book ~ quietly, with pause and reflection, giving way to great conversation and connections. Paul is an excellent host whose passion for indigenous knowledge and healing and traditional ways of holistic health are deeply felt and admired. I will be back." ~ TVR