Spiritual Retreat

[pharoah21]

Hey there guys,

Just wanted to hear different opinions on places you would recommend for a spiritual recharge/retreat? India, Nepal, Europe, South America, I don't care where it is, as long as it's filling, cuz I'm really running on flat these days.

Peace :yo:

[the trojan]

I wonder where will be suggested?

I feel the same sometimes and if I asked a forum about places to go ,i guarantee someone will suggest scotland.
Its all relative isnt it.

[Ethereal Blue Being]

I highlly recommend western US, Lake Tahoe ( HIgh Alpine Lake 8-12 mi wide and 22 miles long) on the border of Nevada and California.. go before there is too much snow. Also Grand Canyon National Park Arizona, Zion National Park Utah not too far from Grand Canyon. Large bodies of water with a forest are a spiritual retreat for me. If there is a particular spiritual teaching or religion you resonate with the nperhaps the country or area where that has been practiced for many millenium might be a start.. I see you are from Melbourne..Isnt that sea level? Keep altitude in mind even if you are an athelete. (Tahoe at lake level is 6,200 feet) Also if you regularly donate blood in you home country ..some countries wont let you donate for months or years once youve set foot in certain areas of certain countries. ..

[StateOfTheHeart]

Maybe somewhere with a few of these guys about?

http://i.imgur.com/qBObi.jpg

[Limor Wolf]

Might be too far from Melbourne ,Australia :)

There is a small Island called Sark between Great britain and france,wich is part of the Channel islands.
This is my favorit place ,no cars,small enough not to get lost and a strong smell of daffodils and onions.
its the most extraordinary small place in the world and the best kept secret...
heaven on earth!

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00672/channel-island-sark_672988c.jpg


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/tm/2008/01/sark2MOS1101_428x269_to_468x312.jpg


http://home.pages.at/maxifant/Frames/sark1.jpg


just please dont tell anyone

:-)

[PamelaB]

Brian O'Leary's place, Montesuenos Eco-Retreat...beautiful, spell binding, quiet....in Ecuador....

[Tony]

It will depend on your inclinations. Can I take it that you do not follow a traditional spiritual path?
Being with other like minded people can help, be it Christian, Buddhist or something else.
They will have organised retreats. Or you you could just go to India or Nepal and hang out,
and see how it feels. Nepal is cheap, and Boudhanath in Katmandu is full of monasteries, where
teachings take place. Soaking up some spiritual atmosphere does help.

Actually just a change of scenery helps.
It also depends if you want a temporary fix, or a change in life approach. If you meditated..
...you can stay at home, and recharge those batteries...it's cheaper!!!

Can you say more about how you feel?

All the best
Tony

ps. I forgot to say, that I do two retreats a year. One in England the other in Crestone Colorado.
Did you know that Crestone is on the opposite pole from Lhasa Tibet. Crestone is a small hippy town in the mountains, full of different types of spiritual centres.

[Corncrake]

Pharaoh21 - I have visited many beautiful calming places around the world including Sark which is very special but I would emphasise that if there is something troubling you it tends to go along with you! I would agree with Pie'n'eal here - meditation can be very helpful or, if it is nothing too serious and if you like reading, a good book can take you out of your head for while which can be a welcome respite! A long walk in the countryside works wonders too and even science agrees with this! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7417516.stm

[pharoah21]

Thank you guys, well I definitely don't follow any traditional spiritual path, although I love buddhism (past life connection). After looking at finances I realise I'll have to go somewhere affordable. I just wanna go somewhere and eat good food, meet good people, and get in touch with nature again. So I've decided on..............(drum roll):drum:...............Thailand.

The people there are very friendly (and Buddhist), I can rent a motorcycle ( I haven't ridden in a little while and I miss it like crazy) the food is good, and there is beautiful nature and scenery, lots of Elephants, and I think there are even monkeys! ;)

@Corncrake you're definitely right about this, I will keep it in mind.

@pie'n'eal I'd love to join you on one of those retreats one day.

Anyway, that's that, many thanks for all the replies, I'll be off in about a month.

Much love

[Mad Hatter]

G'day mate,

Too late too late she cried...

First off a little sarcasm...are not all spiritual retreats journeys inward? So why the need to connect that to external travel?

Secondly, some of my more profound spiritual moments have occurred in the geat outback. Your own backyard so to speak. Put a stay with the traditional owners of Arnhem land down for your next one or a walk through the valley of the winds (near uluru) apparently one of the planets chakras and an amazingly magikal place....

Having said that I know you will love Thailand, both the country and the people. There are however certain areas that are/were designated off limits to visitors and you'd be well advised to heed the advice. I look forward to a full report and the very best of the picture collection. ;)

cheers

[shijo]

Hi Pharoah, i find the Hawley Arms in Camden Town to be a great spiritual retreat,sometimes though i can sit in my front room think the right thought and everything just turns up at my place,this saves energy and money.Regards Shijo.

[mahalall]

To a tune you to the vibe in Thailand

http://www.aloka.dhamma.org/

lots of metta

p.s remember just across the boarder

psDvyMv-QLw

[Tui Allen]

It is a cool spring day and this is my very first ever post to Project Avalon. Delighted to be on board.
I am so lucky to live in the most perfect place for spiritual retreat. It is close to where I was born. Perhaps that is the reason why it feels so "right". Perhaps you could think about the place where you were born and consider it also. Though if you were born in the middle of a noisy industrial city it might not be appropriate.
My spiritual retreat is my home near Mt Pirongia in the rural Waikato of New Zealand. I can look out the window and see the mountain brooding under clouds, playing peep-shows with the mist, battling the thunder and lightning or bathing in the hot sun. Today my mountain is hiding behind rain-cloud and that rain is pattering on the roof over my head. To find spiritual rejuvenation here, I seek one of two favourite directions. I either seek stillness through meditation or I seek vigorous physical action. The mountain is ideal for this as I can ride or walk on its slopes. I can really sweat on the climbs and then riding down again I feel like a bird flying. The whole world seems spread out before me. I can see a distant city, miles of farms, forests, other mountains, a great river, and endless sky. On returning home, the whole world takes on a new radiance. I often have terrific creative ideas while I am riding, walking or meditating in stillness.
I think I appreciate my home so much because I was dragged away from it as a child and lived far away from it for forty years. Those forty years provided me with many rich experiences and without them I would not be complete, but oh how wonderful to return here again at this end of my life and appreciate it so much more for the absence.

[PamelaB]

visiting elephant stay is a must...a week if you can afford it....you will come away with a lifelong friend.......http://www.elephantstay.com/

[Ethereal Blue Being]

Tui Allen (post #13) Welcome to Avalon ..Thank you for the beautiful description of your homeland of New Zealand, What beauty you live in. Isnt this the location where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed? how fortunate you are to have such beauty right outside of your door.

[Cjay]

The book you lent me the first time we met - The Alchemist by Paul Coelho - comes to mind.

In these troubled times, it is no wonder your sould needs some real food. I understand and share your fascination with other cultures, particularly the most ancient cultures that are least affected by "modern"/"western" culture/influence/interference. I think everyone here is searching for something. We tend to look outside for answers when most answers can be found in our hearts. We seek guidance from whoever purports to know the direction. Sometimes we can be seduced by others' beliefs just because they are so refreshingly different from those we are most familiar with and those that have left us spiritually hungry.

Many spiritual retreats are like eating very expensive candy - they take your money, load you with sugar but don't have much real substance, so pretty soon you feel empty/hungry again. Often, the most profound experiences come when you are alone, especially when you are alone (all one) with nature.

Having said all that, I think we could all benefit from immersing ourselves in places and cultures that are completely different from our everyday lives. Wherever your heart/spirit leads you is exactly where you need to be. Journey safely, my friend. I look forward to hearing about some of your experiences when you return.

[pharoah21]

i thought this thread was dead a long time ago........I guess I owe some people and update.

I started to think long and hard about what it is that's weighing me down lately, having taken heed to the advice that my problems won't leave me when I go overseas. I realised a big majority of it was my job, so on 28/10 (the supposed end of the world) was the end of my job. Since quitting, I feel a bit of the light returning to me, and am now able to start smiling a lot more than previously.

There are many more changes on their way in my life, but it's better to deal with things now instead of just sweeping things under the carpet.

Many thanks for all the advice given everybody.

P.S Thailand trip has been cancelled. Although I am looking forward to a small trip to Healesville with Cjay in December ;)