Reiki, Retreats & Spiritual Alchemy
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“Retreat” means different things to different people. For some it will conjure up images of sanctuaries and silence, for others ashrams in India, and for others solitude and withdrawal from everyday stimulation and routine, whilst some may imagine a space shared with like-minded people.
A retreat normally offers a restorative break, away from our usual environment. It can take the form of alone-time, to take stock, reflect and prepare for another phase in our lives. It can be a group experience where there is a joint focus of interest, a theme, a question to explore or a practice to follow. It often includes forms of meditation, prayer or worship.
Above all, a retreat provides time and space for what we generally find difficult to fit into our busy schedules: our relationship with ourselves.
When I organised the first Reiki Retreat in Cumbria, in April 2004, I invited about 12 people to come together for three days, to share Reiki and also reflect on the journey that Reiki had taken them on. It had been my personal experience that engaging with Reiki was raising as many questions as it was answering, inasmuch as it had gently but profoundly led me down a path of personal change, the depth of which I had not anticipated. I had been teaching Reiki for four years in 2004, and the idea for the Retreat emerged from meeting with Reiki practitioners, some practising professionally, others attending to their own healing, who felt that, as Reiki had solved some problems, it was bringing other questions to their attention. Awakening to energy is a delight. And it often comes with challenges too. Many of us have experienced a shift in vibration in the form of clearing after attunements or empowerments. Sometimes the challenge is profound, inviting deep and radical changes. So, for the past few years, in the format of a residential retreat, a group of us has come together to practise Reiki, share experiences, articulate some of the challenges, find like-minded companionship and support – and sometimes even answers!
The sharing that takes there place is enriching, inspiring and transformative. A group of like-minded peers generates an energy that is greater than the sum of its parts. The healing potential goes beyond the group as we take new insights and a different vibration back into out ordinary lives.
We all know that change happens whether we are ready or not. While we cannot always manage the outer circumstances, we can manage our internal chemistry, our response and hence our vibration. People tend to agree that we are living in chaotic times. Chaos manifests in different forms and affects us individually and collectively in different ways. To retreat from chaos, confusion or overstimulation is to give ourselves an opportunity to find our spare capacity and develop resilience in times of such upheaval. This retreat allows you to deepen your practice of Reiki, explore your spiritual nature and contemplate what really matters to you . . . explore holistic spiritual tools that may help you dissolve “stuckness” . . . and reconnect to your core. It is a wonderful opportunity to allow your armour to melt and your heart to sing.
Spiritual Alchemy occurs when we recognise, accept, and integrate what we spend a lot of energy denying, controlling or repressing. It starts an act of self-acceptance. Although Reiki does work its magic, the magic doesn’t always come in the shape, form and timing that WE or our clients want. What Reiki requires of us is that we relax into it, let it flow and let it change what needs changing. We are invited to participate in allowing the energy to work through us, thus allowing necessary change to happen.
The 2010 Reiki & Spiritual Alchemy Retreat
Our 2010 retreat has been designed with great care to provide a blend of mini-lectures combined with Reiki and energy-work practice, and facilitated ‘non-doing’, offering a flexible range of options each day. In a safe and holistic space, mind, body and spirit are honoured with equal attention. In short, this retreat offers a space to seek understanding, find acceptance , ground transformation in the body and practice Reiki.
Where: The Haybergill Centre, near Appleby in Cumbria
When: 22-25 April 2010
For how many?: 12 Reiki Level 2 or above spiritual seekers
Former participants said:
“Many thanks for the wonderful opportunity you gave us all, not only to heal and change what needed healing and changing, but also a chance to meet so many loving and kind people. I now firmly believe there are enough loving kind people on earth to make it a safe and happy place”
R Kumar, London, April 2007
“The retreat made me take stock of some of the things in my life that needed to be faced or changed. By the end, I was feeling much more relaxed and had resolved some issues. I wish I had started the retreat in the frame of mind in which I finished it.”
Liz Denton, Scotland, 2008
“As expected (previous visits to retreats/workshops in 05 and 08 for Reiki and EFT respectively) I found relaxation, stimulation, kindness, humour and a lot of positive energy. Martine and Mandy offered a supportive and seamless experience. Haybergill is a lovely building, the fresh air glorious and the food very tasty. I enjoyed meeting people with different careers and experiences, learning from everyone, as well as making a contribution. I love giving and receiving Reiki. I appreciated the calm space to recharge my batteries, to give ‘my shoulders of care’ renewed strength and resilience. I also truly recognise that I had become much more confident about my practice of Reiki, with the thrill of intuitive channelling a significant ingredient. I feel that I have renewed energy and directed intention to carry through actions to sustain and develop my professional and spiritual aspirations. Big thanks to everyone”
E Rosser, Essex, 2009
For futher information about Martine's Retreats, and to book your place, visit this page: Reiki & Spiritual Alchemy Retreat.
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