Creating a Peaceful Retreat: A Guide to an @Home Silent Meditation Retreat

Happy is the person who lost their boring old path but found an adventurous new path!

You won't gain anything new as you walk the path that millions have walked before. Create a new path, walk to a new horizon; learn new things, teach new things to others!

Mehmet Murat Ilden

Welcoming the LIGHT, Becoming the LIGHT

Winter Solstice 2023 Sunrise Ceremony

@Home Silent Meditation Retreat

for Loving Kindness for Self and the All There Is.

So I was fortunate enough to be able to create an @Home Silent Meditation Retreat for myself that was on the Winter Solstice (21st of December 2023). I had a goal to get away on a meditation retreat or yoga retreat or gathering of some kind so that I could fill up my cup, replenish my energy, really go deep inside to listen and hear my inner wisdom, a reset. I had been feeling weighed down, caught up in something that was not feeling good for me, energetically drained and I was having trouble putting my finger on it.

I usually celebrate the EQUINOXES AND SOLSTICES in a group setting, with my Community of Wayshowers and Lightworkers but this year I was being shown that I needed to do this by myself (also going away on retreat was just not possible for me at that time because of prior commitments and a few obstacles...but I got around it by creating my own!!) It was time to start closing-out 2023, the last 15 years really, which have been years of heartbreaks and heartaches, loss, healing, heart openings, mistakes made, lessons learned, wisdom earned. I began asking myself questions like, "What do I want for the next 20 years of my life?" "What do I not want to take with me into this next chapter or cycle of my life (you know about the cycle that is ending and the new 20 year cycle that is beginning?! January 20th 2024, Pluto moves out of Capricorn and into Aquarius and it will be changing up a bunch of things..more on that in another post!)

I wanted to feel into "why" I hold back from doing certain things still, even after all this healing work that I have done? How and why my triggers are still a "thing" even when I feel for the most part like I got it going on!? I am still feeling a bit of the "Crossroads" energy, reminding me of the Judgement card in the tarot, even though I did receive a lot of clarity. I was able to make "choices" change up or let go of some stuff and bring in some new things that were in the ethers! I am still processing. Stuff is still coming to the surface to be healed, my shadow and my light and IT IS ALL GOOD!

Ok, so back to the Creating of my @Home Silent Meditation Retreat...

So I did some research on the subject and I asked a couple of my mentors about the so called "Do's and Don'ts" and I realized that I had a way different concept in my mind for what a Silent Retreat looks like. So no distractions, zero. Think about the Buddhist monk, sitting for days, on the mountain top, deprived of all things, recieving the messages from that connection to Source, something greater than himself. It was explained to me about the "discomfort" that arises when all distractions are removed. That is the whole point, to get to that place and to be still and then become more still, sitting with it and getting past or through that discomfort and into your heart space of inner knowing, that place of stillness, the space that is so connected to the Divine, to Spirit or Source( whatever "it " is for you) your Soul Space. The space that can be difficult to get to because of the busy mind, circumstances, the ego, life experiences...distractions! That info didn't change my mind about doing it, but I did take some of what I learned and gathered and then made up my own way (still good but not as strict)

OK, the tips, right that is what this is all about, geez?!

Tip #1 Know thy self. Be comfortable.

Decide what you are capable of doing and what you can commit to. Decide on the duration. 2hrs, 4hrs or like me, I did a full day. You know yourself and what you need to be comfortable. Gather up all the stuff you need to be cozy and so you can have minimal to no distractions for the duration of your retreat. I dressed in layers because part of my schedule included Walking and Standing Meditation also (part of my process was to map out a route for the walking portion of my day, where it ended so that I could consciously stop at the end point, pause, turn around, pause, take intentional steps and then start walking back the way I came). I had blankets, my yoga mat, blocks for when I was sitting and for doing the body movement portion of my schedule (yin yoga, ecstatic dance, gentle stretching) Movement is an essential part of this kind of process. When difficult emotions arise it is important to "move" them through the body. Movement helps to dislodge energy that is stuck in our physical and subtle energetic bodies, changing up the frequency or vibrations (I always picture a dog when they shake or yawn and stretch, they are literally moving energy off of themselves, that's how they stay so present, why they live in the moment, they don't do past or future emotions, they just do the here and now and they do it by literally "shaking off" uncomfortable feelings)

I am also grateful to have a hot tub at my disposal so I incorporated that into my schedule as well. You don't need a hot tub or sauna but you could take a bath or shower, being that water can be very detoxifying and it can help you for the "washing away" process of releasing and letting go. Use what you have and make it work for you.

Tip #2 Create a formal schedule, where in your home you will be, let your people know that you are needing space to facilitate your @ home Silent meditation retreat (can help with accountability even if you don't share your space, less chance of backing out if you let people know what you want to do)

I wrote everything down that I needed, brainstormed in a way. I let my husband know, my son, and I told some of my people what I was planning to do (I think I even mentioned it in a YouTube video) partially to respect others time and space and for accountability purposes as well. Per usual my husband was like "Ok dear, whatever you want to do..(with an undercurrent of I don't get it but ok?!) I am grateful to have a Healing Space in my home, not everyone has that available to them but you can carve out some space for yourself even if it is just your bedroom (just no tv, social media etc. it's all about unplugging) Ultimately this is about making yourself a priority and making it happen. It can look anyway you need or want it to look, this is just my experience and not the only way.

This is what my "formal schedule" looked like, literally just brainstormed and wrote it all down on a piece of paper.

Tip #3 Make it Sacred.

I have been shown by my mentors how important "Sacred Ritual" is and how to intentionally set up a sacred space before starting any kind of healing or energy work. To have an "Opening" and a "Closing" to a ceremony of any kind. I have been taught to make every little thing sacred. It is all about Intention. You can take a scarf, a piece of material, a candle, a crystal, a smudge stick or spray, incense, essential oils, a tray or corner to create an altar. It doesn't have to be extravagant, it can be simple and still so effective. By laying your items out with INTENTION, the Intention of love and healing. Smoothing out the material or the sheet lovingly with your hands, seeing the healing happening, visualizing what you want to see, feeling the unconditional love, seeing and feeling the bright, white Universal healing light. Saying a prayer, a mantra or an affirmation, out loud or to yourself. Go with what resonates for you. There really is no wrong or right way but for me personally, sacred ritual is an important part of my process.

When you walk, arrive with every step. That is walking meditation. There is nothing else to it.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Tip #4 Schedule time for breaks. Eating nourishing food, staying hydrated and make time to rest.

I had my COFFEE! (yum!) breakfast and lunch scheduled for myself and I was able to make my food prior so I didn't have to spend too much energy on that. Resting for me included some reading. I did some Tarot and I listened to talks on trauma and how it can be stored in the body, inner child healing and the importance of self care. I already have Meditation playlists and playlists that I use for my Energy treatments. If you don't, these days you can put a playlist together on YouTube very easily by searching "meditation music" and if you don't want to do that there are many playlists that are already made by other beautiful people (I had mine pulled up on my iPad and hooked up to my bluetooth speaker, ready to go so that I didn't have to mess around with it too much because let face it ours phones/iPads and the internet are some of those "distractions" we can all relate to...I am not into social media, but I am currently in the healing process of "WHY" and considering the use of certain platforms for business purposes..more on that in another post)

I had my water all ready to go as well so I didn't have to go to the kitchen to get some and I have a bathroom in my Healing Room so I was pretty set up and able to be "away" from my house in a way, feeling like I was on a retreat from my life without having to go anywhere..it's possible!

One of my tarot spreads

Tip #5 Shift Happens!

Be prepared for possibly some intense feelings and discomfort but also for some beautiful Heart-Openings, Releases, Joy and Clarity too!

I did not speak, not a peep, for the entire retreat. Usually I hum or sing, talk to my animals (or myself even lol) but for this I was concious to not speak at all ( that was the Silent part of my experience) I cried a couple of times, sobbed actually but no talkie. I did listen to meditation music and some mind expanding talks, (which typically is not part of a "Silent Retreat") I created my own thing and you can do the same. Like I said this was my experience and I am just sharing it to maybe encourage you to to do the same or something similar.

These are some of the insights that I received from my time in retreat

(automatic writing is a big part of my process on almost a daily basis, but you could journal, have prompts picked out and written down before you start, do some writing or artwork before or after or some concious contemplation to help integrate and process the things that came up for you or do nothing...whatever feels right for you)

Tip #6 Be gentle with yourself.

So you go and put this all together and the timing is off, or something doesn't feel right. It "got real" real quick!? You were too uncomfortable with something that came up for you. You got distracted because you didn't turn your phone to silent mode or your forgot to tell someone and they showed up at your house! You thought you thought of everything but life is still happening. Deep breath. Just start again. Give yourself a break and start again. Do what you can but really feel good about taking the initiative to start taking care of yourself! It's a pretty big deal!! Maybe try and do it again if it is not working out for you. Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen right away. Try, try again and celebrate your successes, learning from your so called defeats!!

I can tell you that mine went really well. I realized it is possible to make an @Home retreat when it is not possible to go away on one. I was able to follow my schedule and I was able to go deep. I have had a lot of practice with sitting meditation, standing meditation and walking meditation but at one time I had trouble being still, feeling guilty for taking time for myself. I had trouble shutting down my busy mind and sometimes I still do but I just keep trying and you know like anything the more you do it the easier it gets!

I hope you try it and if you do I am sending you tons of healing, heart opening, releasing, letting go and LOVING energy to help you on your journey!!

BLESSINGS OF LOVE AND LIGHT

With gratitude 🙏

Lady Norway aka Lisa💖