Somehow I managed to fit the important bits of a retreat day into a very short amount of time. Rather than split my retreat between two days, I wanted to see if I could really do it in one workday. Although I was successful, I don’t think I would do it again unless I had to.
On Tuesday, I began by waking up slightly later than I had intended. Not a good thing. I did do my morning charm and performed a shrine devotional. I hadn’t had a lot of time to read Ian’s writing beforehand so my understanding of the new morning work was not complete. In retrospect, I know I didn’t really understand what I was supposed to do until I read it again. Still, doing a morning ritual invigorated me for my work day.
After returning home, I prepared dinner for my hubby and I and gave an offering to the ancestors when we were done. Certain occurrences and my own instincts told me that the ancestors would like to get the offerings before we eat. I will have to remember that for next time…
The best part of my retreat was my nature walk. It was raining again, but that allowed me a serene, undisturbed walk in the woods. It’s amazing how much green has erupted from the Earth since last week! I was giddy to see so many fiddleheads spiraling out of the soil. I must have stopped to inspect over a dozen! I also tried to identify some of the saplings as their leaves unfurl. There are plenty of maples but the challenging trees have the spade-shaped leaves. They aren’t very distinguished at this size. I will continue to study them. They could be apples, black cherries…
My ritual that evening included some trance work. I was instructed to go outside of myself and look at me and my altar. I always have a difficult time with that. Seeing me in the third person is just trippy. If I focus too strongly or touch my body, my astral self just goes right back inside. I need to practice with that more. Heck, I need to practice trance more often anyway. I feel so easily distracted these days…
Author M. A. Phillips 