The value of getting away

I spent this last weekend at the Stone City Pagan Sanctuary in California for the Answering the Call retreat lead by T. Thorn Coyle, Sharon Knight, and Morpheus Ravenna.  The goal of the retreat was to help us step up and deal with the changes and turmoil that are occurring in the world today.

I will admit that I was resistant to going to the retreat.  You see, there was camping, and it was supposed to be cold and wet.  I was not looking forward to rustic living for a weekend.  In my resistance, I failed to focus on the good things that would also come out of the weekend.

Going on the retreat with my friends was a fantastic bonding time.  I learned more about my friends that I could have if we didn’t go, and, more importantly, I learned more about myself.  I discovered that I had resistances where I thought there was done, and that some things that I thought were resistances, actually were old stories that didn’t hold true for me anymore.

I came away with a new direction, a purpose, and with new friends and companions to help me along the way.  While I don’t know exactly where my new path will take me, I know what the next few steps are and I’m confident that the path will be revealed in time.

Throughout it all, I froze, I got sick, I got better, and I had my community there to support me through it.  And I learned.  I’m tougher than I thought, and there is something that I believe very strongly in, strongly enough to fight for it.  And that’s something that I didn’t expect to find.

If you do get the chance to go to a retreat that calls to you, even if you think that the location is a problem, or the housing is an issue, or the facilities aren’t adequate.  I recommend that you look to your community for support and go.

You might be amazed at what you discover.