It started with a little flash in the library.
Happy and I were at the library and he was playing a computer alphabet game while I stared into space and the image that popped up was me, one-on-one, at the farm working with a woman on her specific, individual needs and wants.
It wasn’t that surprising of an idea as doing really specialized, individual retreats for women has been a long standing dream of mine, but as Happy kept clicking away on those letters of the alphabet, a crystal clear image of the framework for it came to mind.
Be passionate. Be purposeful. Plunge in. My tagline says, and it really gets at what is at the heart of my work. My mission statement is to empower women to embrace their authentic selves so that they can live their passion and purpose and give their gifts to the world. But what is it that I mean by that?
I believe that self-acceptance matters for so many reasons but especially because there is so much work that needs doing in this world and each one of us is part of the solution. We are each one part of what the world has been waiting for and we were put here on purpose. We were put here to solve the world’s woes– in a variety of ways from parenting the heck out of kids, if we have them, to offering a kindness to our neighbor to dealing with water run-off or educating the next generation. It all matters. And we all need to know that we matter so we can do what we are meant to do. And knowing that starts with mattering to ourselves and then putting matters in our own hands so we can go off and be our small part of healing the world.
And so as I thought about the type of retreats I would offer, I thought of Passion. Purpose. Plunge. Perfect words to summarize the journey you take to embrace self-acceptance and authenticity so that you can be empowered to find your passion, live your purpose, and give your gifts to the world. And how does that all translate to these three types of retreats?
The Passion retreat is all about filling your life with more of your “of courses”, the things you love that make time fall away and that are so natural to you that they are more than just an earned skill, they are a tangible manifestation of all of your best energy coming forward. Because having passion in our lives is just about having greater happiness. It’s about having greater energy, greater clarity, greater commitment, and great compassion. Some would say having a passion is frivolous, it is for the wealthy or the bored. But our passion is our energy source. It is our fuel. It allows us to alight through life. Not having passion is a slow leaching of our soul. We all, each one of us, needs a thing or two that lights our fire (even if it is not something we are able to do professionally right now or ever) because it is that fire that glows out from us that makes all the different. So the Passion retreat would be about finding and creating a path to have more of what you love in your life while understanding the obstacles that could come in the way and drawing a targeted plan to manifest your vision.
The Purpose retreat is all about empowering the client to name what her mission is and then identify and claim how she can give her gifts to the world. Purpose is the way we are manifesting how we heal the world; it is how we fulfill the mission we were put here to do. Some people are able to do that professionally; others do it in our personal lives, but we all have that cause that we are meant to meet (and sometimes it is a lot less traditional looking than we might think). Purpose is alighting on your authentic expression of your self, your passion, and your gifts right now. And that right now is not accidental. It is possible to have more than one purpose in our lives (and even a couple purposes at a time). So how do you hone in on your purpose and then how do you express it in your life? And with everything that tugs and distracts, how do you stay the course with it? That’s just part of what the purpose retreat tackles.
The Plunge retreat is all about self-love, self-acceptance, and self-care. It is where you come to move past your self-criticism or dislike and move into a space of gentle peace and respect of you and your body. It is where you identify your worth, claim your gifts, and move out of self-hate and into self-awareness and self-respect. You’ll learn how to create a space in your soul and mind that honors you and how honoring yourself changes everything.
And while these are the themes for the retreat types, the truth is that no two retreats will look like. Each retreat will be individually designed with the particular client in mind after we have an opening meeting that allows us to talk about goals, visions, sticking points, and possibilities.
In terms of structure, clients can choose a 1/2 day (3 hours) or full day (6 hours) retreat, and both retreat length comes with a one hour intake meeting that allows the client and me to review intentions and set some goals for the retreat and one hour post-retreat support. For the first three months, the retreats will be in person at a great neutral location. After that, I hope to offer on-line/ Skype one on one retreats as well.
Right now, I am working out the logistics fast and feverishly and because you all are so creative and just the type of the people that I would love to work with one on one, I thought I’d ask for your input. If you have a moment, will you share your thoughts on the three questions below?
When you think about the Passion retreat (this retreat will focus on empowering the client to embrace her passions), what words, images, ideas come to mind? What do you imagine getting out of the experience? What feeling would you want to have when you left?
When you think about the Purpose retreat (this retreat will focus on empowering the client to embrace her purpose so she can give her gifts to the world), what words, images, ideas come to mind? What do you imagine getting out of the experience? What feeling would you want to have when you left?
When you think about the Plunge retreat (this retreat will focus on self-love, self-care, and self-acceptance), what words, images, ideas come to mind? What do you imagine getting out of the experience? What feeling would you want to have when you left?
What questions do you have about this experience?
What other thoughts, suggestions, comments come to mind?
Oh Rosie, you made my day! As I was reading, I just thought “Too bad that I cannot come oversea” – and then, you propose an online participation?! How great is that!! Thank you so much for this wonderful idea! Please please go for it!
A short brain-storming on Passion-Purpose-Plunge:
Passion: gorgeous flowers, their perfume, heartbeat, and drums, percussion instruments, what makes me dance and sing
Purpose: where is MY Milky Way, MY shiny star-spangled way in this universe? sculpture of a block of wood or clay to let it reveal what it was intented to be.
Plunge: fountain (of youth), the feeling of water running on my hands, patio hidden in a secret garden, tree deep rooted in the earth and reaching for the sky, blind testing of diverse food in order to be not influenced by preconceptions.
I imagine all of them linked to 5-senses-experiences, to address not only the brain, but whole of the body and soul.
How I would feel afterwards? No better word than Shining…. feeling that fire burning in me, this so marvelous uniqueness, and totally empowered by it.
Great ideas, Cecile, and I just love the idea of DELIBERATELY making it a sensory experience. Thank you for your good, creative thoughts!
As someone in the heart of the “WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE?!?” frenzy, these retreats sound like a breath of fresh air. I would love to find out more information as they come to be. Just a few thoughts here.
PASSION – I think of fire, bright colors, a brilliant white light shining from the center of our being. I imagined the energy at an outdoor art festival or a farmer’s market, where so many people are living out the dreams of their hearts. I imagined leaving with a feeling like I get after a good spinning class – invigorated with endorphins and ready to take on the world.
PURPOSE – I imagined strong roots, the groundedness of tree pose in yoga, the sudden thrill of finding the missing piece you were looking for in a jigsaw puzzle. I would hope to feel authentic and whole as I left. I’d also hope to be able to verbalize the scattered fragments of my dreams and visions that are currently zinging around my head.
PLUNGE – When I read your description, I had a very clear image of diving beneath the waves in the ocean. There are so many choppy waves on the surface of our lives that jerk us this way and that. But returning to authenticity and self-acceptance is like slipping (plunging?) beneath the ocean waves to that serene and calm space that was there ALL ALONG…we just forgot about it when we were fighting the waves. I imagined feeling serene, rested, and deeply loved by the universe.
Love your visualizations, CJ. They totally resonated with what I’ve been thinking. And yes, yes on the plunge metaphor. We are so often too scared to go in (or dive under) but by going in, we actually get to the safest place of all, our core being. THank you for sharing your great thoughts!
Love love love. I am sure they will be brilliant.
Couldn’t help but think creating a 3 day destination retreat (full experience including lodging) to create an experiential learning experience for a small group could be extremely powerful. If done right a group could enhance the experience and create a balance for transformation. Also, doing a destination retreat gets people out of their environment which is often very useful when considering and expanding your understanding of the your ‘big’ topics. I would love to bounce ideas around with you on this beautiful mission. It speaks directly to my heart.
Teresa, You’ve thrown the gauntlet! It’s an exciting possibility, though one that would have to be a bit in the future given my teaching schedule. But I love it and we’ll have to connect when I am ready to move in that direction- I’d love to hear more of your thoughts! Thank you!
Sounds great so far, Rosie. Some of my comments below might repeat your own thoughts or what others have commented already.
For passion, I think of: that activity that sometimes slips through your mind which you think of as forbidden, unattainable, or just plain silly (but not because they are illegal or really that shockingly “bad”). Something that gets your heart beating faster, but maybe isn’t what “they” expect you to devote your time to. For me, it would be interior design, gardening and Zumba.
Purpose reminds me of my legacy. If I died tomorrow, what would I be glad I did in my last moments? What would make a difference to others on this earth, whether that is my family or the broader community?
Plunge is the hardest one…how to integrate these plans/dreams into real life.
Recently, I read the book “Discardia” by Dinah Sanders, and it really helped me separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. What’s the good stuff you aren’t dedicating enough time to? Sanders has some great stuff about prioritizing goals and making life go smoother by eliminating time wasters and unnecessary commitments.
At a retreat, I think there would need to be meditative time devoted to discernment and inquiry. I do yoga and tai chi and I am the most focused after that. After a great workout, I also usually have a surge of creative energy, or bolts of messages to myself about where to go next and what’s most important. I also think some type of creative activity (arts & crafts, etc) can help us find themes we keep coming back to.
Would like to attend a retreat in person and/or on Skype.
Great thoughts, Raquel. Loved your ideas and metaphors. THere will definitely be some creating in every retreat. Love the questions you posed with Purpose, too, and now have on Discardia on my list to check out– thank you!