I recently had occasion to look back into the video from one of the sessions of the very first Healing and Awakening retreat in 2013. I was amazed by what I heard -- so much of this is still fresh and true. The reflections I'm sharing is mostly about healing, more specifically about healing and Love, but I also get to how awakening comes into the picture towards the end of the talk, which is about 20 mins, the rest is Q&A. It's rather slow-paced -- it was part of a meditation session -- but still worth watching if the topic calls you. In the video, I refer to research about the healing power of Love, which I published on a separate website: www.heartoflovehealing.ca. Enjoy!  Blessings to you, grace

Almost four weeks have passed already since the retreat. I needed some time to rest and let the experience settle. And then I found that the Healing and Awakening theme continued to be very alive for me. So I started revising the website and creating 'digest versions' of the meditation and sharing sessions. The idea is for the retreat to be more permanently available on the website.
 
So here is what you will find on the program page now:

• Videos of the conversations with the speakers
  
• Videos of the meditation and sharing sessions:
  

You will find YouTube links to the entire sessions, as well as 'video digest' versions focusing on the theme of the session. The video on 'What is healing?' is definitely very inspired! Have a look, it's the first video of the Sunday program.

• Mp3 links for listening and downloading
  

for all the conversations with the speakers as well as for the digest versions of the meditation and sharing sessions are now also available. Many thanks to Rick Archer for his help with converting and hosting the files! 

Living the retreat experience:
If you haven't been able to take time for the whole of the weekend, or you have friends who may be interested, you can still do so now. The program page gives you a time schedule that you can follow as you create your own retreat at home! It won't be the same as the live retreat, but who knows, it may be just right for a weekend or a day. You can even invite friends to share the retreat with you!

 What's ahead?
I have some ideas about how to continue the Healing and Awakening offering, and I will be in touch about these some time soon. Here's what's on my mind:

• An online day event in 2014: I'm thinking of re-inviting Jeff Foster and Anita Moorjani for this, and one or more others. Your suggestions are welcome!
• Online meditation and sharing sessions once a month, starting in January 2014.
• Healing and Awakening small groups (also online), in which we can look more individually at how healing and awakening intersect in our lives.

Last but not least: thank you...
... for your generosity in donating!
39 of you made a donation, anywhere between $2 and $100. The overall amount (after Paypal fee deductions) reached the sum of $1,115. This covers all actual expenses and leaves a very modest amount that goes towards the work that went into organizing the retreat as well as the website, video and mp3 work that I've been doing since.
If you haven't made a donation yet and feel moved to do so now, please go to the donate page. All contributions are appreciated.

With much love and gratitude,

grace

PS: ... and I'd like to thank Wendy Ayotte for all her help 'behind the scene' during the retreat! I expressed my thanks during the retreat, but I wanted to do it 'officially', too.

Freed from Grief 

Become the prey of God and be freed from grief
Enter your own being, hurt holds you captive
Know your life throws a veil over your path
Linger with yourself, you'll only grow exhausted. 

- Jalal-ud-Din Rumi
(Translated by Andrew Harvey, A Year of Rumi)