Our Final Summer Class - Meditation + Mindfulness 101

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one tells a great short story, that of how our Meditation + Mindfulness 101 class's aim to attract a “Parent or Relative with Accompanying Young Person “is gaining momentum. Just ask in-step Brooke and her Mother Mary to the left, and to the right, Father and Son. “You’re still young, that’s your fault, there’s so much you have to go through….” As we learned in class and practice at on Retreat, going through the Stuff that is Life is so much more pleasant and rewarding with the skills we adopt and hone through spiritual purification. We’ll be doing it again in the same class on Saturday September 25th, on our Fall Silent Meditation Retreat weekend October 1st - 3rd, with an Anthony Michael Blowers’ Fall Mushroom Hunt and Nature Walk Workshop next weekend on Saturday, September 18th, a drum-making workshop on Saturday, October 16th soon open for registration with super limited spots, as well as other Ceremonies and classes later this Fall.

Our August Ceremonial Weekend

O’Shimala ~ Oyates (Scott, Lila, Angela, Amy, Summerlyn, Austin, RoZie(!), Beckie and yours truly) Oyates zani chi cheapalo.

It gives me tremendous joy to share this post and pic of the crew from our August Ceremonial Weekend. O’Shimala - Oyate zani cheapolo translates to ‘Have pity on the people who are praying’, and given the expansive smiles, the shine of everyone’s love light, coupled with some immediate, positive feedback, we were all clearly in receipt. The best weekend of the month is also the hardest weekend of the month, hard in a Good Way, as we formed our mini, supportive community, stated our needs and intentions along with our pain, our loss and suffering, as well as our love and hope and dreams, then ‘Got Low’ as they say in Native America to bring it all into being. In the words of my Rock Man Austin (Powers), here holding my dog RoZie: “We’re one Ceremony away from a breakthrough.”

Of course getting down in the dirt to reach new spiritual heights, access a higher level of healing, higher than any feeble, fundamentalist ‘religion of the mind’ can offer, while at the same time gaining true, reliable resources in the face of death takes work, commitment, and courage. And this group had it in spades. We enjoyed a beautiful, uplifting summer ‘round here that had its equal share of challenges, and now have an eye on an even more elevated Fall. Of course there’s always our Meditation + Mindfulness 101 class this coming weekend, also soon available for registration Saturday, September 18th, along with a Saturday, September 25th Mushroom hunt with the mighty Anthony Michael Blowers, our quickly filling Fall Noble Silence Meditation Retreat Weekend October 1st-3rd, and other retreats posting soon. Remember too, that there’s always time and space for you here for a private visit. Speaking of that killer feedback, here’s Lilla’s lovely take on our recent gathering:

“The Higher Haven is a beacon of light in the darkness, a waypost for tired travellers seeking refreshment and new understanding, new connections and community. The tidiness, cleanliness, but also raw natural beauty of the retreat space mirrors the beautiful balance struck by the retreat itself, between finding chaos in order, and order in chaos. Every wanderer's journey is a different one, so I cannot promise you the nature of your individual results, but I encourage anyone searching for greater meaning and spiritual connection to visit the Higher Haven once in a lifetime. Many workshops and retreats promise a new start or fresh perspectives, but this was the first such event where I felt an actual "reset" of such cosmic proportions. Great magic dwells at the Haven quietly waiting to bless those who come in hope and good faith.”

Our Summer Noble Silence Meditation Retreat (NSMR) Weekend

What’s this latest happening? After going back in time, thundering over the steppes of The Great American Plains in previous posts, recalling some of the Ceremonial training and teachings behind The Higher Haven, we dove deep into our Summer Noble Silence Meditation Retreat (NSMR) this past weekend. This retreat combines our monthly Meditation & Mindfulness 101 class with practice periods of sitting and walking meditation, free time to relax, read, write or walk about, a bit of Yin Yoga (per our group’s childs’ pose above), and an overall refraining from speech. After only a day or two of fostering stillness, the tranquility becomes tangible, deeply touching us all. “The Higher Haven Noble Silence Retreat is a restorative experience unlike any other I've experienced,” said Tracy. “The gentle, mindful, honest approach Paul takes to teaching technique is a balm for any soul searching for care and quiet acceptance of their practice.”

According to Robert Weir, author of Journey - People, Places and Ponderings, pictured above with arms as wide as the world on a walking meditation inspired by teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh, our Summer NSMR proved to be, “Far beyond five stars. Paul Tootalian, the facilitator, presented a beautiful combination of Buddhist Vipassana meditation and indigenous way-of-life traditions while also honoring Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Paul organized the weekend well: starting simply and working logically toward greater knowledge and understanding of deep meditation.His guidance provided the means for each of us to tune into our individual self—our unique feelings, images and self-talk—and customize our “sits” and “walks” to our singular situations. This he augmented with beautiful singing of Ceremonial spiritual songs.”

“Then there was the silence … the beautiful silence. No talking from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon … with plenty of physical and energetic space for the seven participants to be alone in our individual thoughts and readings within a peaceful, communal environment of a lovely guesthouse and expansive, grassy property. I set five difficult goals and met them all. For that, I am grateful and joyful and blessed.” We echo Robert’s serene sentiment, happily announcing our Fall NSMR for the weekend of October 1 - 3, with registration and information up shortly, along with our entire Fall 2021 schedule, offering some surprisingly cool new retreats + Yoga’s triumphant return. Stay attuned and we’ll see you soon ~ Toksha