Tomorrow I return home from this weekend retreat…at least I hope I’m not too tired for the ambitious drive! What a full, rich weekend.

When Beth and I lead the seasonal day retreats, we are always careful to remind participants of the gifts of resistance, and that it is not out of the ordinary to react or respond defensively to something that arises in the retreat content or through other participants. If we pay attention, these noticings help us see our growing edges rather quickly. I had to remind myself of that this weekend when resistance arose for me in different ways. I am reminded of how hard it is to stay with it without judgement, patiently letting it teach what needs to be known.

The theme of this retreat was CREATIVE PILGRIMAGE using expressive arts. Aspects of this weekend stretched me through resistance, showed me the edges of my comfort zones, and also burst forth with new learning and clarity.

The culmination of our creative pilgrimage was a gallery showing of our work. Due to a burst of late night creativity I ended up with a lot of art! Much of which I hope to repurpose or share as it is the process more than the end result that really speaks to me. See below: