When I reflect on the most nourishing experiences I have had over the last decade or so, I realize that most have occurred while I was leading retreats. I often relive those moments that brought such inner joy. I can close my eyes, take a deep breath, and feel the warmth of a sweet horse enjoying his freedom in Costa Rica, resting his nose right on my heart and trusting me with his sacred breath. I can relive the honor of leading women in “The Rite of the Womb,” a shamanic ceremony to reclaim the pure creative essence of their wombs, before it began to store fear and pain. And I hear the drums or rattles of the men who held space for these courageous women in New Mexico. Spectacular sunrises over the Pacific Ocean, whose rays I used to recharge my favorite crystals, become vibrant again. Jungle birdsongs come alive, as does the sound of rain on thick, tropical leaves. Desert air warms my face with just a thought, and the sight of thunderstorms across the distant mountains of the American Southwest thrills me again. The view from the top of an ancient Mayan pyramid is breathtaking once more. Ocean, desert, mountains, jungle…all of it returns to fill my senses again. My inner and outer senses are equally revitalized.
Teaching and Learning
I wasn’t always such an avid traveler, but I craved a connection to the flora and fauna of an exotic location. When I was an art teacher, I would take a tiny tent and camp solo in the jungles of St. John, USVI. I would fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean, and each morning I would awaken to the sun filtering into my tent. There, on top of my tent, I would be greeted with the silhouette of a sleeping lizard, with whom I would have a daily conversation. On some days, he was my only companion. That sweet memory still makes me smile. It’s no wonder that my business logo is a lizard! That was many years ago, but it is deeply etched in my memory. I realize now that I was creating my own personal retreat.
Being a retreat leader or facilitator is an extension of teaching. Teaching invites learning, and learning invites a desire to learn more. Being a lifelong learner is a beautiful, never-ending cycle.
Sometimes the classroom is more expansive and cannot be confined by four physical walls. A retreat is an immersive opportunity to grow and learn, spend time with kindred spirits, create a circle of trust and support, experience sacred sites and cultures, and heal.
More Than a Vacation
A retreat is not at all like an ordinary vacation. An opening ceremony on arrival night signals the formal retreat beginning. Mornings might start with a gentle yoga class, some energy medicine work, or a shamanic ceremony. Afternoons might include hiking to sacred sites, climbing Mayan pyramids or temples, or connecting with a herd of heart-healing horses in Costa Rica. Evenings might be spent in meditation or shamanic journeying, energetic cord-cutting, past life regression, palmistry, or dowsing with pendulums. A well-rounded retreat also includes some downtime…an invitation to journal, nap in a hammock, or visit a local marketplace.
Every place on earth holds a unique vibration and radiates it through the land, plants, minerals, animals, water, air, and people. Ceremonies and journeys are markedly different, often more noticeable closer to the equator. A change in elevation also creates an energetic shift. Human-made stone structures maintain the energetic integrity of the intentions behind their construction. When climbing an ancient Mayan pyramid in Belize or Guatemala, one becomes keenly aware of that ancient intention.
For many people, a retreat is a gentle crossing from the ordinary rhythm of daily life into a deeper relationship with the self, the earth, and the unseen. Away from familiar routines, there is space to listen differently, breathe more fully, and recall what has been quieted by responsibility, grief, or busyness. In that sacred pause, transformation happens.
What makes a retreat so empowering and transformational is how everyone experiences their time in a unique way and what they take home. Participants seem to receive exactly what they need, although few are aware of their needs in advance. Releasing, restoring, refilling, and recharging are common reactions, each a different form of healing. It is an honor to witness individual and collective healing on a retreat, especially when wrapped in the beauty of a new environment.
Joyce St. Germaine, M.Ed., CHt., RYT-200, is the owner of The Sacred Journey in Burlington, CT, and offers Shamanism and Energy Healing Practices, Sacred Sound Healing, Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression, Cord-Cutting, Soul Retrieval, Extraction, Spirit Detachment, and Yoga. She leads monthly study groups, workshops, children’s events, and Shamanism/Wellness Retreats in Costa Rica, Belize, Santa Fe, Sedona, and throughout the US. Call/Text 860.675-9706, email: jsgermaine@aol.com, or visit: thesacredjourney.biz.
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