Ice gleams on the pond,
Dark water lies underneath ~
Mother plays with us.
01/03/2011
I've just returned from a 2 week Silence Retreat at Hope Springs Institute in Peebles OH. I'll be writing about it in my next few blogs.
It's an interesting challenge to agree to spend 2 weeks in silence. The options are reading and journaling and no talking; journaling and silence; no reading or talking at all! I choose reading sacred scripture/yoga texts and journaling. I reread the Upanishads, finished my biography of Swami Rama, and a haiku book I found at the retreat center.
Every morning and evening, we went to the round Spirit House and lit a fire in the copper fire pit and watched and meditated on the fire until it went out. It took about an hour for the coals to completely die. Fire is an important part of meditation and worship in India. Fire is the Supreme Consciousness/God/Divine Mother/Brahma. Interesting thoughts come while sitting at the fire.
It was cold, and I was bundled up in layers (the same ones) every time. Do I stay and meditate while my leg, back and knee are hurting--trying to withdraw from my senses by going within? Or do I shift my position and then finally leave before the fire is completely out, paying attention to my body? I did manage to stay at least 1 time.
There are beautiful trails at Hope Springs, which I walked everyday and took many pictures. I walked the labyrinth nearly every day. I journaled several times a day, and wrote many haiku, and began to think in haiku! We had warm weather, cold weather, and quite a bit of snow while I was there.
I walk quietly,
feeling peaceful in the snow ~
a chickadee chirps.
01/07/2011
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