Director's Message for October 2011

Greetings beautiful people of the Sacred Path Community,

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.

These persons have an appreciation, sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

We are a little under 3 weeks away from the kickoff of the 24th Annual Fall Sacred Path Men’s Retreat. There are some exciting updates to mention that assure that this retreat will be another extraordinary event.

Last month I announced that we were bringing Grandfather Soldier Bear back from the Lakota Reservation in South Dakota. He attended last year and shared the wisdom of the tribal elders. We plan to welcome the men that are 55 and older into the Elder Clan, and Grandfather will officiate that initiatory blessing. We also intend to honor the young men and those in the middle of their life spans who will be with us.

Andrew will be pouring water for our Inipi (sweat lodge) ceremonies and introducing the teachings of the Medicine Wheel. It’s my understanding that Andrew’s cousin, Thomas, will be with us again to pour water and, along with Andrew, offer traditional Lakota doctoring of the men. If you have a health issue (mental, physical or emotional) that has been plaguing you this is a good opportunity to gain some relief and healing.

I’ve also invited my friend, Dr. Ron Holman, to participate. Ron is another remarkable man. He has recently returned from a month-long journey through parts of India visiting teachers and Holy men that are remarkable in their own unique ways. Ron will offer a presentation on Friday night at the retreat chronicling his travels and sharing the intriguing experiences he had along the way. He is also bringing a gift to us that I can attest as being quite powerful. Read in this newsletter about Ron and his last trip to India.

Master drummers Christo and Grant will be maintaining the beat and enlivening the energy. We had one of the most extraordinary drum circles surrounding the fire and fire walk activity last October. We are planning to create a fire ceremony on Friday night that will incorporate elements of traditional Puja ceremonies held in other cultures.

Steve Branker will facilitate the “Love Letter” process to clear 5 areas of emotional congestion. This is especially helpful in getting unstuck, attaining clarity and moving from anger and resentment to forgiveness and loving compassion.

John Mafrici will facilitate the Sacred Breathing (aka Rebirthing) process to offer men an opportunity to move through grief and clean and balance their energy bodies as you release emotional energy pollution and attain a level of bliss. We’re all prone to have to deal with stressful situations these days so it’s great to be able to de-stress and attain a deep state of relaxation and rest.

You will be able to practice Yoga, Mindfulness Meditation and Martial Arts. We will be working with spiritual purification practices featuring the elements of earth, air, water and fire. I believe Herb Rubinstein will be on board once again with his remote controlled planes. Several men have experienced the fun of learning to fly the planes during past retreats. There’s nothing like being able to be a kid again. And, of course, the best part of the retreat is the collection of men that gather together for the purpose of bringing out the best in themselves and each other. There will be men flying in from several areas of the country.

This is just a sampling of what you’ll experience when you join us on retreat commencing October 20th through the 23rd. I hope you’ll favorably consider participating and if you are planning to attend please register now. I know that it’s tempting to wait until the last minute but it does create a lot more work for Annette when we get a flurry of enrollments during the week before the retreat. We have information to get back to you so please send in your registrations now.

On another note, mark your calendar for February 18 and 19. It appears that we’ll be presenting an event for men and women at Holy Spirit Retreat Center. As we work out the details we’ll let you know more. Also, mark your calendar for June 9 and 10. Leonard Orr will be returning to facilitate a day of training for those wanting to become more proficient in Rebirthing others and a day for those that want to experience the Rebirthing process. We will have a public evening on Friday the 8th in which Leonard will present on Spiritual Purification. All of us that participated last June and have altered our lifestyles to incorporate the practices that Leonard advised will have a chance to share what we’ve experienced over the year between his events.

In the spirit of brotherhood I wish you my best,
Stephen

To download the flyer for the Fall 2011 Sacred Path Retreat, click HERE
To download the fill-in application for the Fall 2011 Sacred Path Retreat, click HERE