Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Reiki retreat with Frans Stiene

Home from a four-day Reiki retreat with Frans Stiene and 12 wonderful Reiki women. We chanted in Japanese, meditated, did shamanic journeying, and shared hands-on Reiki. We met all day in a big room with windows all around and skylights too.

The retreat was held at a resort, 20 acres of woods on the Massachusetts-Vermont border: hilly, woodsy, old dairy farms, ravines, and rivers. There was a pool and two hot-tubs. Lots of flowers: roses, peonies, lilacs, irises, and columbine. Lots of birds: rose-breasted grosbeak, turkey vulture, cardinals, jays, and sparrows; lots of birdsong.

The food was fabulous. Vegan and vegetarian, delicious and plenty. We had tempeh reubens, kale smoothies, spinach souffle, and carrot-ginger soup. Chocolate flour-less torte, chocolate chip cookies, and strawberry-rhubarb pie. Hot coffee and tea 24 hours/day. Hot was good as the weather was cloudy and chilly.

I walked to a dairy farm one morning and found three dark pink crystals in the road. Dark rose quartz or rhodocrosite? One night after dinner Dusty and I drove out looking for a river. We found one, with a covered bridge and a waterfall. I picked up chunks of milky quartz and Dusty found sturdy round gray river rocks for herself and spotted dinosaur eggs for her son.

My room-mate told me about plant spirit medicine. Every woman had a story. Every woman had a story of injury, loss, and conflict. Every woman had a story of rebirth and healing. Every woman experienced visions of transformance and empowerment. We sang and danced. We sat in bright light.

Frans taught us lots of guided meditations. He told us stories of his teachers and travels.

My favorite meditation was stepping into a tree, becoming a tree.