Our Fall Comprehensive Spiritual Development Retreat

The reds, yellows and L’orange of The Higher Haven’s wooded backyard backwoods trails make Fall the season of the Soul.

“Although I was born in April”, said Peggy Horton in Stop The World and Get Off, “I’m quite certain I was not fully awake until October.” We know the feeling, and believe it similarly shared by attendees of this weekend’s Fall Comprehensive Spiritual Development Retreat. Yoga practice, meditation instruction, healthy farm to table meals, an ancient healing purification ritual and extended time exploring nature were all a part of the agenda, with a focus on relaxation, rejuvenation and renewal. Kelly Girl Kelly came through and helped lead us in healing and restorative yoga practices, with extended nurturing in a lovely Sunday morning Yin class. And Wild Heart Guide J. Scott Campbell was on hand to lead us in a Forest Therapy Walk, a Sunday afternoon slowdown where we were we invited to take part in some very simple, very original sensory connectivity activities that had us adopting nature’s pace and relating to ourselves, others, and the outer world in new and inspired ways. 

 Forest Therapy is actually the research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, translating to "forest bathing”. Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and mental cognition. And the walk participants can attest to the energy of the child-like, wildly-creative-adventure-vibe inspired during the shared session. “The forest is the therapist,” said Amos Clifford, one of the leading voices for Shinrin-Yoku-inspired Forest Therapy in the United States. “The guide opens the doors.” That said, we’re fortunate to have a backwoods best with Scott’s intuitive guidance, training drawing on the latest medical research, new developments in the field of nature connection, and ancient traditions of mindfulness and wellness promotion, felt deeply by all present.

 If you’re feeling it (or hoping to) and want to come out and experience the warm embrace & crisp connectivity of this Fall’s retreat season, check out our upcoming Pre-Holiday Female Empowerment Weekend with Henry Winia November 15th-17th or one of our monthly Ceremonial overnights, next up Nov. 9th-10th & Dec. 15th-16th. Toksha Matakuye O’yasin 

The New Age Woman

Girls We run this Motha yeah, who runs the World? Girls! Who Runs the World? Girls! This goes out to all my….

We are moving forward into the 21st century and the increased vibrational energy of planet Earth continues to raise the consciousness of all individuals, beckoning them to look inward, discover and express unique message into manifest reality, thereby furthering the spiritual escalation of humankind. The greatest symbol of this spiritual renaissance is the emergence of the new age woman. She is truly committed to a path of connection with her deep inner knowing, the powerful intuition of the divine feminine principle.

She approaches life with the understanding that she cannot express herself fully as a woman unless she is self-determining. She knows that she cannot activate the awesome creative principle within unless she is strong and self-responsible, accountable and willing to accept her mistakes and learn from them. This is the key for her to have the faith to surrender fully, letting go and allowing the divine feminine within to guide her. This inner guidance unlocks her deep spiritual beauty, freeing her to pursue the highest, most profound purpose. The magnificent, mystical creative dynamo that is her intuitively directs intelligence gives her the ability to achieve whatever her heart desires. This special connection to the unlimited universe makes her a veritable fountain of creativity, but the overwhelming effervescence of the divine feminine must be managed and focused otherwise its energy is scattered and ineffective. The New Age Woman knows this and applies a gentle but firm discipline of patience to calm and balance her natural exuberance.

Totally secure in her femininity, the New Age Woman is a tower of strength, but she is not rigid. Instead she is a picture of flexibility, retaining the natural, soft sense of yielding associated with the divine feminine and she does so without ever feeling weak or submissive. She is confident in her honest vulnerability and its power to persuade, knowing full well what it means to be a woman, basking in the immense quiet power of her connection to all that is.

The woman of the 21st century exhibits her independence, self-reliance, and personal freedom by pursuing a career path that gives her the opportunity to make her unique ideas a reality. She is very capable of and anxious to manifest her own prosperity; therefore she is likely to do so through some level of self-employment. This allows her to fully observe and enjoy the implementation of her uniquely motivated ideas. This woman trusts her inner guidance and requires no proof of its validity. The proof is in the making. She takes action on her ideas rather than question or reject them outright and she looks for business partners who do the same. She successful teams with these people to create a viable finished product – the result of their trusting partnership. The New Age Woman is conscious of the whole and always concerned with mutual benefits, therefore she designs her career endeavors to harmonize with her surroundings. She is very open to receiving life’s bounty but she is also always willing to give something significant back.

In matters of love, marriage and family, the New Age Woman is extremely patient. She understands the serious nature of these values and their ultimate power to fulfill her as a woman, but she also knows she can only reach the state of maturity that these things demand by exploring her independence and freedom to create a fulfilling life of her own. While she is intent on this goal, she is at the same time open to a relationship with any man who is strong enough, secure enough in his masculine role to honor her as a woman and add to, enhance her already existing state of inner contentment. A man who loves her for who she is; his equal and complimentary partner. This woman, in her strong self-reliance and self-created joy, will settle for nothing less.

The New Age Woman is never in a hurry, she totally trusts the process of life and understands that the divine feminine principle is an inner movement of faith that surrenders to a greater universal power and therefore is an integral aspect of creation, of equal importance to an outer force. She knows that she will see her dreams come true because she lives on a moment-to-moment basis in harmony with the benevolent Universe. This fully evolved spiritual woman is playful, adventurous and spontaneous, the world is her oyster and she herself is the glowing pearl of wisdom that points the way to everlasting joy and the spiritual bliss of total fulfillment.

If you enjoyed this article from the writings of John Ashbrook, consider joining our Fall Female Pre-Holiday Empowerment Retreat Weekend with Henry Winia November 15th-17th or look to a Spring 2020 Comprehensive Spiritual Development Retreat co-lead by John and open to registration later this Fall.

.KROW TRA RUO ERA SEVIL RUO

"Ce n'est pas qui vous êtes qui vous retient, c'est qui vous pensez ne pas être."

When I say Moleskin, what comes to mind? “Culture, imagination, memory, travel, personal identity?” So reads the brand imaging of the maker of nomadic objects: notebooks, diaries, tools for writing and reading, designed for modern people who are really going somewhere, as in inward. Considering several lifetimes of mine are inscribed in the plain brown paper bag covered three pack journals of their Cahiers Collection, I was especially inspired to share some thoughts on this maker of objects that help reflect the creativity and imagination of the world, when, on a recent visit to Cambridge, Massachusetts, I discovered an actual Moleskin store. They sold those old notebooks I adore - the ones bound together by a green paper band with a ruler and sun dial printed inside (genius) - but also offered some punked out, super esoteric side pieces, like the Jean-Michel Basquiat ruled notebook pictured above, with the primitive codes, texts, and collage imagery, dense with writing and symbols, that mark the artist’s work.

Jean-Michel Basquait was one of the best known artists of his generation and one of the most wildly creative of the 20th century. His career spanned the late 1970’s through the 1980’s, until his death in 1988, at the age of 27. Edgy and raw with a bold sense of color and composition, he maintains the fine balance between seemingly contradictory forces such as control and spontaneity, menace and wit, urban imagery and primitivism. He often incorporated words into his paintings, as his career sprang from his political-poetical graffiti under the his street name SAMO, his pieces covered in symbols and codes of various kinds. The fact that the Basquait brand embodies the values and aspirations of young, international, urban culture is cool, however, is actually NOT why I think The Higher Haven shares a similar world-class vibe. Why I like Basquait and cited him here is for his statement (printed on the inside cover of the little black notebook above) that embodies the spirit of the Heyoka or contrarian wisdom: “It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.”

If you’re confused, Good. That makes three of us. The Buffalo Nation being the heart of Traditional Ceremonial living, Heyokas are its weirdly calm, wildly comedic, otherworldly mind. Alas, we digress, but for those with an interest, you’ll learn more about it, or maybe you won’t, when you join our monthly Ceremonial weekend overnight, coming up weekends through the Fall - October 19-20, November 9-10, and December 14-15.

Back to Basquait, the neo-expressionist painter died tragically of a heroin overdose on Great Jones Street in New York City, August 12th, 1988. Although maybe not directly related, his dark demise reminded me of the reservation tenet that the Heyoka might heal you, but he might kill you, too. All that considered, both personal creative self expression and a compassionate, non-judgmental approach to relating to oneself and others are held here in the highest regard. And Our special version of Contrary Magic actually helps people turn things around when it comes to addictions and paralyzing, negative emotional attachments. That’s why I loved (and endured) learning about Heyoka Healing — because of its unparalleled Power in allowing a formerly disempowered people to take possession of their own lives in A New Way.

Of course, how each of us chooses to do so is our own decision, a truth of the wonderful world of free will we live in. That said, I appreciate recent visitor and returning student Mindy as she explains her own way:

"This past weekend retreat at Higher Haven was one of true peace and healing. Pulling up the drive, I felt a great sense of relief upon returning to such an exceptional place. Paul has a warm presence and made me immediately feel welcomed. The opportunity to explore the landscape and nearby running water made for a perfect afternoon. I relished my time in the garden, taking in the wide array of pollinators that were attracted to the blossoms. An overall feeling of serenity set in as the evening Ceremony took place. Our little community supported one another through the healing process and enjoyed the most wonderful meal after. I am incredibly grateful for the entire experience. Higher Haven holds a special place in my heart and I cannot wait for my next visit." Consider your next visit, especially for our upcoming Comprehensive Spiritual Development Retreat the weekend of October 12-14th, and discover what the heart of nature holds for you.