Facing Challenges

Dear Hermits and Friends,

This is a critical junction in the history of the Dwelling, and a time of transition for many of us in the world.  The gift of a moment like this is that it calls me back to my core beliefs.  Everything unimportant falls away and I can see clearly again what matters most, and this is what I know for sure:  There is nothing more important than having a practice of rest and retreat.  As we commit ourselves to the practice of retreat, we develop our inner capacity to face the challenges in our lives, and we have access to our deep wisdom from which we can create new sustainable possibilities.  Without rest and reflection, we will frantically patch together solutions that will be imbedded with the same problems.  We will miss the larger messages and lessons of our spiritual journey.  We will miss the joy of life.  Because I believe so deeply in the power of retreat and the sacred space of the Dwelling in the Woods to support you in your practice, I will do everything possible to ensure the future of our beloved retreat center.
I have an ulterior motive in my commitment to the Dwelling and to your journey.  I want more than anything for you to have the opportunity to know (remember) your unique gift and to give that gift to the world (to me!).  Imagine, if we all knew our goodness and could live it.
Next time, I’ll tell you more about my experience, but for today the most important thing I want you to know is that I am absolutely committed to this place and to our journey together.  This, my dear friends, is my vow to:

You and I
We meet as strangers,
each carrying a mystery within us.

I cannot say who you are
I may never know you completely
But I trust that you are a person in your own right
possessed of beauty and value
that are the Earth’s richest treasures.

So I make this promise to you:
I will impose no identities on you,
but will invite you to become yourself
without shame or fear.

I will hold open a space for you in the world
and allow your right to fill it
with an authentic vocation and purpose.

For as long as your search takes,
you have my loyalty.

- A Vow by Theodore Roszak

With deep love and gratitude,
Patricia

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