Inevitably after I return from facilitating one of my Time Out 24 hour Personal Rejuvenator Retreats in San Raphael, someone would ask me “how was it?” and usually my answer would be “don’t ask me, ask the participants” or “why don’t you try it and see”.
Well Time Out August 10th-11th 2012, was certainly different. Friday night dinner was filled with good food, vibrant and open discussion that led to early emergence of the clarity. I awoke at 3.00am on Saturday morning to the rhythmic sound of heavy raindrops upon the rooftop, interrupted by the loud bursts of thunder and the shudder of my log cabin. I decided to remain awake and enjoy it. I looked outside to see the rain pouring off the trees and leaves and the security lights squinting between the sheets of rain. As I looked out at the lake I could see the clear definition of where the raindrops entered the water. As the day dawned, the birds began to compete with the sounds of the rain drops until the rain clouds did in fact recede. It was magnificent! I was tempted to go back under the covers, but decided to text the participants to ensure that they were ok. The response “Blissful” captured how we all felt that Saturday morning.
By 7.30am, not even the phone call that I received about the flooding could break through that aura of bliss, either in me or in the participants. It seemed ordained that we were here at Hacienda Jacana and we did what we had to do. Clarity found itself swiftly and safely into our nest.
I returned to Petit Valley on Saturday night, with a sense of fulfilment and keen awareness of what was unfolding before me. What I saw and heard were people who for the moment had forgotten all their differences and become one, as strangers and rivals reached out to help each other, with no regard for race, religion, age, gender, economic status – just pure love and care, recognising that from the dust we all came and to the dust we shall return.
I understood then that the bliss that I had experienced during the Time Out in San Raphael, was not mutually exclusive, but integrally whole with the traumas being faced by the flood victims. The bliss was the ultimate acknowledgement that the note I left on facebook on Friday was uncannily timed. It read, “Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose, there are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.” ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
Namaste – may the lessons of this experience act as a sail to set the course for our future relationships.
Judy Joseph Mc Sween is the Business Intuitive/CEO of Meredith Mc Sween International – using Untapped Knowledge to facilitate internal transformation in individuals, teams and organisations. Contact Judy for information on her “Time Out 24 hour Personal Rejuvenators” and “Time Out Corporate Interventions” Email judy@meredithmcsween.com or call 684 9827
are you ready for a time out? 