TheLeaderInside.com

Going Away to Go Within

Jun 23, 2006 @ 12:02 pm by Ron

“We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been — a place half-remembered and half-envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we need it.”

~~~Starhawk

Every so often, we just need to take a break. We need to get away from all the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. We get to the point where we can’t seem to find the forest because we’re lost in the trees. We’ve lost touch with the inner wisdom of our heart, soul and mind.

One way to do this it to go on retreat. This is more than a vacation. A retreat offers us a time to reflect, to rest, to heal, to renew our spirit. It’s a way to allow us to block out all the externals that are interfering with our ability to go within to the leader inside. We can come out of a retreat renewed, refreshed and ready to return to life with a new perspective. We can find the time to be with ourselves.

I’m off to do that myself for a few days. The retreat will give me the quiet, solitude, and for some of the time, silence. I will be going to a humble dwelling and enjoying simple fare and the sounds of nature.

When at retreat, we find that the days of contemplation make it possible to hear our heart when it speaks to us — to be able to really listen to the bird songs — to be unburdened by the pressures of timing and schedules — taking the time to smell the flowers, the grass, the earth and feel the breezes against our face. Being on retreat will give us the time to take long walks in the woods and to come to know and understand our life path more deeply.

Without the pull of deadlines, relationships, the Internet, or other media, we give ourselves time to go deep into our own solitude where we can fully reflect on our joys, sorrows, and fears, owning and releasing them as needed.

Hopefully, when we return home, we can take a little bit of this time alone back with us and create the space for deep reflection on a daily basis. We also may come back to our life renewed and ready to take on our leadership roles and the world with new insight that has arisen from within.

The beauty of going on retreat is that no matter where you go or how long you stay, you’ll always meet yourself when you get there.