These past eighteen months I’ve had the most fortunate experience of supporting Homeopaths along the east coast integrate Gemmotherapy extracts into the protocols they are now offering their clients. Last year I made several trips to the Boston area to teach day long seminars, each one warmly received and quite rewarding for me as well. At one point, however, I was struck with the idea of offering a deeper and more meaningful venue, one in which we could connect with one another and the passions we each carry to lead others to a healthier more fulfilling life. As months passed, the concept of a retreat began to form, one that would provide time and space to arrive, be in the midst of nature, share ideas, contemplate new concepts, and discuss further over delicious plant based meals. The idea grew over time until it actually became a reality last weekend.
From Friday evening on March 10th until Sunday lunch on March 12th, ten of us gathered just outside of Leyden, MA and immersed ourselves in the next levels of Gemmotherapy protocols and Plant Based Eating. While I came with hot off the press curriculum, each practitioner also brought his or her own magic to make it an unsurpassed weekend that was truly guided by a Universal Force far greater than us all.
We opened our weekend together with a candlelit circle at sundown on Friday in the cozy meditation room as the icy wind whipped and howled through the surrounding trees. We spent the next hour getting to know one another through a “giving and receiving” offering. Each individual brought a small token for their fellow participants of what they hoped to receive as the days unfolded ahead. This simple act provided a beautiful heart opening connection for all.
While we gathered, our retreat hosts Tim and Steve prepared a glorious meal we would share before the first teaching session. The dinner set a gold standard for what we could expect in the meals to come: pure, plant based deliciousness!
I would be holding out on you if I didn’t pause here to share a bit more about our location as it was absolutely sublime. I have my dear friend and fellow practitioner, Jhuma Biswas, to thank when she sent me the venue referral in my early planning stages. Spirit Fire Retreat Center is situated just on the northwestern border of Massachusetts and Vermont outside of Leyden, MA, on 95 acres of forested and meadowed grounds. The pristine beauty is breathtaking. What better setting to learn about the healing power of trees?
And so the weekend unfolded. We covered a considerable amount of new material, from a new intake process for clients who have reached optimal elimination (Stage Two), protocol formulas for the next stage of Gemmotherapy drainage (Stage Two), more on plant based eating for ourselves and our clients, and an additional intake process specifically designed for infants and small children.
In between, we were nourished ourselves with first class vegan meals from our morning smoothie to roasted veggies with pesto at night. We wandered in the forest, on our own or in groups, breathing the crisp March air, we did some yoga, and even sang to welcome the full moon. It was truly magical only due to the willingness of each participant to show up and open up to the moment in time we were gifted.
It wasn’t long into our weekend that the murmurings of an annual event began and, yes, I have to say that I agree! We need more of this in all of our lives and the world needs us to do more pausing and connecting for ourselves as practitioners and for those we serve.
“We are all souls who have met for a purpose on this mysterious journey;
each of us is here for the other and all that is required is to be present.”
– Elizabeth Lesser, Marrow