This is one of those (meditation) bells and (eagle bone) whistles we’ve had blipping away at the edge of our radar screen for oh, years now. And it’s one of many works in progress that eventually will make a visit to The Higher Haven more fun and even more fulfilling. The ‘quick and dirty’ in the parlance of my Teacher Shinzen is that for the last six summers, our twenty wooded acres have needed a solid representation on a plane surface of our little region of earth, otherwise known as a map. And I say 20 wooded acres but am always fond of pointing out that it’s technically five acres of wetland, five acres of grassland, and ten acres of pristine, Midwest American deciduous forest. It’s all there roughly in this first pass above — the Black River boardwalk, the Great Blue Heron Rookery overlook, the Massassauga Trail - our signature walk that now snakes through the backwoods for almost a kilometer and a half, and our walk around the bucolic block, or Country Mile, actually 2.3., if you feel like checking out the rural neighborhood. More playful pontification on the lay of the land to come.
As to Happenings, I’m happy to say Hokahey that we are full and overflowing for May’s Way of the Contrary Weekend, June is a boon with only a few grassy, Lodge seats remaining, and at last count there are just a few openings left to join our Spring Comprehensive Spiritual Development Retreat with John Ashbrook Friday, May 20th - Sunday May 22nd. John will deliver a Sunday afternoon talk on the Fundamentals of a True Spiritual Life, open for anyone to register and join us for Spiritual Development Class 1101. Word on 63rd street is that some of the topics will include 21st Century Principles, Five Stages of Love, Measuring Spiritual Growth, Three Critical Spiritual Laws, Self-Esteem and Peace, The Source of All Pain and The Triangle of Balance. John is the Real Deal, as I’m not a big fan of folks tossing around the word “Master”, unless the title is well deserved. You certainly don’t want to miss an opportunity to cross paths with one of Michigan’s and maybe the world’s more capable, high-caliber counselors. But if you do, don’t worry, because he’ll be back. And you’ll only find him here, at The Higher Haven.