Clearlightseminars.org

Summer Solstice 2009
Fun, Fellowship & Spiritual Awakening

Dear Friends,
As the Spring Equinox rushes into the past, so the Summer Solstice looms before us, growing ever closer. To honor this time of great power, Shiva has proposed an outing as powerful and as fun as any we can imagine.

In the subduction zone of Northern California, Mt. Shasta rises from deep within the earth and towers above, radiating power over the surrounding landscape. Part of that landscape includes the serene waters of Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. This is the setting for our next spiritual outing, “Fun, Fellowship & Spiritual
Awakening”.

Beginning Friday, June 19th, at 5:00pm we’ll board our floating home for two days of lake cruising, formal morning and evening meditations, plenty of great food, shoreline hikes, daytime splashing and evening stargazing (if our communion with the weather gods is clear). On Sunday June 21, we will make a pilgrimage to the mighty mountain itself.

The cost of this amazing weekend, including accommodations and food, is only $350. If this outing appeals to your spiritual, adventurous side, it is vital that reserve your place by Sunday, May 24th. The number of RSVPs will determine the size and number of Houseboats we will reserve. A deposit of $100.00 is required before June 1 to guarantee your place.

Please contact Dorje (clearlight1@earthlink.net) for additional information.

James McAnulty (Dorje)
Clear Light Events Coordinator

Dear Friends,

I was my pleasure and honor to be the Events Coordinator for the Hilltop Retreat Center.  Today I would like to write a little about this amazing experience.

One week ago, the Hilltop Retreat Center (HRC) completed it’s incarnation in Gold Beach Oregon.  Like all incarnations, it passed quickly.  This HRC life, like most, began with becoming familiar with the new body, the house itself; where things were and how things worked.  Like most incarnations, there were remnants from past incarnations there, some out of place and some that just didn’t belong anymore.

So, with the energy and efforts of all who participated at HRC, we honored the intention of the incarnation, a retreat center.  We reconfigured the contents moving some and removing others.  We created a space for meditation. We shaped HRC into a place suitable for healing and empowering each other and ourselves.

Our daily morning and evening meditations were the source of that empowerment.  We maintained a daily discipline with unwavering intent.  Some days we were many and some days only one or two, but we kept the fire burning.

Just as we fed the incarnation of the HRC with Light, we also fed ourselves with blessed meals, laughter and fun.  Everyone brought their gifts to the table and we shared.   A wonderful sense of community developed.

No incarnation is without some difficulties.  As issues arose, we dealt with them the best way we were able.  Maintaining respect and tolerance for each other demonstrated our maturity and willingness to recognize that we are not yet immune to the influences of ego.

Routines developed and yet everyday was unique. Each day flowed into the next.  Some days we walked the beautiful beaches.  Some days we endured the wind and rain from inside.  The growing energy of the HRC incarnation flowed through all of it.

On March 16th, we learned that the HRC incarnation no longer had an indefinite lifespan.  Like all incarnations it would end and we knew when.  As we grew nearer the end, there seemed to be a sense of nostalgia as we reminisced.  For some of us, there was also a bit of anxiety knowing that the end was near and the future uncertain.  Moving into the unknown is often terrifying, and at the same time, exhilarating.

Like other incarnations that have ended, the Hilltop House Retreat Center is now a fading memory.  Even after a short time it is challenging to recall all that happened there.  Yet some of the memories are etched on our souls: the incredible view of the river and the ocean, the sound of the crashing waves and barking seals, the osprey and bald eagles flying by, the wonderful meals, the incredible community we were and most powerfully,  the meditations we shared.

Despite our fading memories, the transformation and empowerment of our experience there will stay with us into the next incarnation.  We just need to remind ourselves to honor the next incarnation the way we did the lifetime of the Hilltop Retreat Center.