Saturday was our last day - we were going home Sunday - so we took a last chance to go to Uluru and a walkabout with another aboriginal guide.. Valerie - here she is on her way to the Waterhole
she told us the dreamtime story of her ancestors and how they chased evil spirits away - [here Valerie was pointing out snake markings.. a snake was nearby - fresh snake tracks... eek!!]
to the right of Valerie I am sure is a spirit of some kind - hazy white.. can you see it?
Valerie was very shy - but she was happy to have her photo taken with menow the thoughts:
FROM MY JOURNAL - I found Uluru to be a very foreboding place - not welcoming at all - like stern Saturn - an unapproachable energy.. but that said, I was in awe of the magnitude of the rock itself. and how small I was compared to it.
at Kata Tjuta, I felt a softer energy, which confuses me as this is a place of secret men's business. NOTES TAKEN WHILE ON TOUR: Uluru is 500 - 600 billion years old. there is also another large 'rock' south of Uluru - Mt. Connor (home of the Ninya men [the ice men] who cause the cold winds to blow) which is 750 - 800 billion years old. it is a mesa. at one stage the whole area was covered in glaciers. Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Mt Connor are 3 tors and there is a place where you can go that they line up in almost a dead straight line - there is something very sacred and spiritual about this fact.. not sure what though.
LIFE: what have I done!? last week at my centering prayer group, the priest gave me a brochure about retreats. I came home, read it and the next day I booked in for a weekend retreat - which is next weekend! a silent retreat to boot - no talking after our first meal on the Friday night til Sunday afternoon. I am going into total panic.. it wells up inside.. fear of being alone without Joe, fear of having no outside contact..fear of having to be silent - usually I would back out of this.. I hope I don't this time. I know that this is a big part of my spiritual journey & will be fantastic for me... so please cheer me on.
not long ago, I wished that I was a nun in a silent order... be careful what you wish for....
9 comments:
I did a silent weekend retreat a couple of years ago. The first evening was hard and seemed endless. But it was like a "detox" period. The rest of the silent retreat was fine as I slowed down, turned inward and lost the need for outward expression. I read, wrote, took long walks on the retreat centre grounds and bonded with the wild rabbits who were around. I got to know their habits and schedules because I was quiet like them.
Do go and experience blessed contemplative silence for yourself! You won't regret it, I'm sure.
enjoy the peace... I am a talker and would find this retreat daunting but cleansing too! enjoy!
I'm sure you will love it. I live my days like this and I revel in the quiet. The forest is always quiet.
You will probably find that you will like quietude more after this weekend.
Don't back out...
I find it amazing how certain "places" can make us feel spiritually afraid, happy, whole, broken. It's as if we can somehow read their past. You must have been that way at U.
Don't be concerned about the retreat. I believe you will find more strength within yourself in the silence. xoxoxo
Silence seems daunting to me as well.
Although Listen is my focus word this year.
You are blessed to have all of these spiritual
experiences Robyn. Your soul must be ready to receive them. It will be amazing to hear what you learn from silence.
xx
I promise - you will love this experience. You will come home refreshed and at peace. The silence is a great teacher.
Good morning, Miss*R! There's a Clucking Great Blog Award for you over at my blog today (Nov 8th)!
I went on a silent retreat at Glastonbury once and we spent the whole weekend nattering about ghosts ;-)
oh, dear, it seems that everyone else has found how this privatization works but me. Took me awhile to realize that your posts were not going to show up. Well, I am here now, and put you on my favorites so I don't miss a thing anymore. Hope you are not too mad at me for not being here.
Mary
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