A Truly Mystical Place: Bhutan

Most of us have heard about the small kingdom of Bhutan located near Nepal and India. A few people know that it is expensive to go there and a bit difficult to obtain a visa. But did you know that there is a great Australian tour company, Journeys of the Spirit, that takes care of all that for you? Here is the best part: you can go there this fall because there are a few spaces left. Check this out soon before they are gone. The dates are October 24 - November 6, 2015.

More about Bhutan - here's what one past participant had to say.

From the most warm and generous people, to the endless mountain tops peaked in the clear and crisp air, to the sound of the bells chiming with every round of a spinning prayer wheel, to the gorgeous echoes of nuns singing peacefully in the monasteries and to the young children's playful smiles and innocent giggles... my desires were to take in every blissful moment ~ and I did so gently and effortlessly.

Bhutan is a bit like the proverbial Shangri-la, that fictional place in the novel, Lost Horizon, that captured everything we want to see in paradise - happy, friendly people, little poverty, beautiful scenery and an isolated place that somehow keeps it from being destroyed by commercialism, invasions and exploitation. Is Bhutan truly like this? Why not explore it yourself and then let us know.

Here's what this trip will involve. Guide, Peter Bliss (yes, his real name!) will weave  "Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Mindfulness to your daily happenings". Then there are the hikes, the talks and the markets. Want to know more? http://www.journeysofthespirit.com.au

Spirit Skies Silent Retreat Center Reopens

Red rocks of Sedona, Arizona

Some readers may remember a past article about the man Bodhi Heart and his retreat center in the high pine forests between Phoenix and Sedona, Arizona. After finishing a third cabin, the retreat center has reopened and is available for a silence, yoga, meditation, writing, planning - anything you want to do away from the bustle of the modern world. The website suggests that you can also take a side trip to the Grand canyon or to hike near Sedona in the red cliffs. If you are looking for a good place to experience self discovery or relaxation, this is the place for you. You can contact Bodhi Heart by phone or e-mail, both of which are listed on the website. Here's what one of the past guests has to say.

"Of all the wonderful retreat places that I have visited, the private hermitage at Spirit Skies is my favorite. The elk are almost a daily treat to see. And the stillness and sounds of nature are sublime." ~ George M

"I traveled from Ireland to spend 6 weeks. The retreat experience is an open canvas that one can shape in whatever way spirit seeks." ~ Oonagh C

"I found myself settling easily in to stillness, taking time to meditate, to walk in the nearby National Forest, to do meditative dance and do yoga in the gazebo, and to talk to Bodhi about spirituality." ~ Emily M

If you tire of silence, Bodhi Heart will gladly talk to you. Here are some comments about his gentle way of helping others.

A gentle guide, an open heart, a place to find spirit and self. Bodhi Heart offers his land, his haven, his being to those who come to find peace in a fractured world. It is exactly what you make it ...and it is beautiful."   ~ Maggie D

Bodhi helped me clarify my intentions and laid the spiritual groundwork for my personal retreat. What started out to be a week of pure solitude ended up being a time when I wished for a gentle connectedness. Bodhi’s friendship was a gift.  I didn’t just stay at Spirit Skies; I brought it home with me." ~ Dawn D

"Bodhi Heart supported my process and fearless intention with integrity. He mirrored my spirit and helped me to release some fears and illusions and have a deeper experience of my true self and following the heart."     ~ Grace K

"This retreat was life changing. Time did not seem to exist while I was there. Bodhi gave generously of his time to help guide me in my purpose"       ~ Michelle B

Check the website for availability of the cabins. They do fill up so book one soon and enjoy this unique spiritual journey.

Retreats Online: Directory for Spiritual Journeys

With summer coming on in the Northern Hemisphere many of us are thinking ahead to a vacation time and wanting to find a special place. Here is a great site that might help you find just the place you would love for relaxation, inner guidance, to learn new skills or just to enjoy a part of the world off the tourist trails. The site is Retreats Online and they have organized retreats by location, date or subject. There is everything from a yoga retreat in Croatia to a desert magic retreat in Namibia. Probably the problem you will have is that there are too many enticing choices. Here is one of the descriptions of a weight loss retreat in Cost Rica.

Blended into a landscape of scenic mountains, palm trees and ocean - Birchcreek Costa Rica is located in the scenic seaside town of Playa Carrillo on the Pacific coast. Experience jungle, ocean, adventure tours, healthy eating, juice fasting and fat burning fitness with a structured, results oriented and highly recommended weight loss and wellness program. Your accommodations include your private room with private bath, bath amenities, pool towels, complimentary wifi.. Step outside to stunning views of mountain and beach scenery. Walk 10 minutes to the beach or chill on the pool sundeck and experience the unsurpassed Costa Rica sunset. Pura vida! To read more about this website click here.

How about a summer sanctuary on SaltSpring Island in British Columbia? July 10 - 14 of this year. It promises to have a good balance of Yoga and exploring this very active and interesting island. Here are some details of Paradise Found.

Enjoy our lake front slice o’heaven at our most relaxing-vibed retreat. Featuring yoga, aqua-size, chi gong, art play, amazing vegetarian meals and island excursions. You'll have an opportunity to visit Ganges, listen (and maybe even dance) to live music, kayak*, ride horses*, beach-comb, enjoy a massage*, or just laze in the hammock. This is your opportunity to co-create your Mid-Summer fun. We base our plans and schedule on your requests and suggestions. Because we are a small group, it is relatively easy to give everybody a chance to do something special that they want. So what do you want to do?

This website is a great one to bookmark and explore when you have time or want to go some place new. You can also advertise with Retreats Online with very affordable rates. Like most directories the staff asks for details and testimonials before any listing is approved. The site is very easy to navigate. Contact links abound. I was a bit surprised not to see more social networking, but perhaps I just missed it. Check it out for yourself.

Spiritual Travel to Tibet: A Meaningful Journey

Here is a travel company (actually a Tibetan Cooperative) called Tibet Travel Coop that uses a Tibetan staff of travel agents, tour guides, cooks, drivers and hosts who know the Tibetan travel industry and have been working in every part of Tibet. The picture of the Coop members is great - all the families too including the children. There are some very moving testimonials from travelers who plan to go back. This is definitely an authentic experience you won't soon forget. Here is some of the text from the website.

Knowledge

As Tibetans, we can share our communities, customs, history, and spirituality from our hearts and experiences from childhood live rather than from travel guidebooks. After all, we believe you come to Tibet partly to experience Tibet's culture and having a good Tibetan guide matters.

Responsible Tourism

We support local communities, use local services, volunteer in local villages, and donate a percentage of our profits to sustainable projects. After all, our bottom-line is not just measured by how much we made but how many Tibetans we are able to employee and how well we are able to protect the environment for future visitors to enjoy.

 The trips are divided into 3 sections: spiritual journeys, cultural odysseys, and trekking adventures. The cultural odysseys are further broken down into homestay, classic Tibet, spirit of Minyak and shangri-la! In this case I won't elaborate more. I urge you to explore this fascinating website yourself and find out the incredible journeys that you also could take with them. http://tibettravelcoop.com

Journeys of the Spirit Revisited

For those of you familiar with this website you might know that one of the regular listings under the heading, “Mystical/Spiritual Tours and Retreats” is Journeys of the Spirit. Sheri Rosenthal, a former doctor who was wealthy but not happy, found her focus in life through a spiritual direction and through journeys to sacred sites. She continues to create with her talented staff the journeys she herself calls, “transformational, soul-stirring and awe-inspiring”.

Upcoming journeys:
Heart Wisdom of Whales and Wild Dolphins, Panama, 9/15 – 10/11/13
Highlands and Mystical Islands: Sacred Scotland, 9/15 – 9/24/13
Reconnecting to Truth through Horse Wisdom, Tucson, Arizona, 9/18 – 9/22/13
Journey to Machu Picchu – Authentic Spiritual and Cultural Wonders, Peru, 9/26 – 10/ 5/13
Access your Dreams Retreat, Assisi, Italy, 10/12 – 10/18/13
Kindfulness – a Healing Retreat in the Himalayas, Nepal. 10/16 – 10/25/13

I like how this website is organized into categories such as By Region, By Trip Type, By Month and By Price. The home page features a map of an imaginary island with the types of trips such as Women’s Retreats, Mind-Body-Spirit, Spirituality in Business, Power Journeys, Volunteer Travel and Yoga Retreats. The option to plan your own retreat is also possible. Sherri has a recorded message for you which you can experience on this home page if you have Flash on your computer. Here a sample of what these trips are about.

Ready to move deeply inside yourself using ancient and indigenous spiritual traditions and ceremonies, meet local shamans, connect with other realms, trance dance or participate in a sacred plant ceremony? A Shamanic Journey is the perfect experience for you!

Is your business at a standstill, mental barriers and limiting thoughts blocking your abundance? You need a Spiritual Business Retreat to put you on the road to success!
Do you wake up wondering whose life you’re living? Feel like you’re lacking clarity? Find yourself short-tempered, frustrated or unhappy? Wish your relationships were more supportive and loving? Want to forgive and move on, but can’t?
If you crave freedom from your own life and mind you would definitely benefit from a Personal Intensive!

To read the original click here.

I understand from people who have gone on the Journeys of the Spirit tours that the service also includes travel and meals. Check out one of these great tours and let me know how it was. To contact them go to: http://www.journeysofthespirit.com or call 866-866-5566. If you mention MysticFare you will receive a discount on your trip.

Spiritual Retreat in South Africa

Now that South Africa is politically more stable it's a nice, warm, interesting place for a retreat. Please check out the Kurisa Moya Nature Lodge located near Johannesburg. The name, "Kurisa Moya" can be translated as enchanted wind or sacred spirit. The Farmhouse is booked to one group at a time and includes 5 bedrooms, a large living room, dining room and kitchen.

• The homely kitchen is fully equipped for self-catering although breakfast, lunch or dinner can be brought to your kitchen hot and ready to eat (book meals with our chef at least a week in advance).
• The Farmhouse is delightfully off-the-grid, and there are a gas fridge and freezer, 6-plate stove (with an oven) and hot-water geysers, as well as solar, candle and gas lighting.
• The Farmhouse is serviced daily and linen and towels are provided.
• There is a weber-braai and a sociable braai area in the garden. (Black Wattle firewood provided)

To read the original of this passage click here. The following one minute video will show you more. The activities include biking, birding, hiking and nature walks, fly fishing and massage sessions. If you are interested in this unique adventure please contact the owners at: info@krm.co.za or write to them: P.O. Box 280, Haenertsburg, 0730, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The phone: +27 (0)15 276 1131 Finally, the website: http://www.krm.co.za. Most importantly, if you go, please let me know how you liked it and what was the best part. Leave a message below this post or use: contact@mysticfare.com

Peaceful Retreat in Middle America

Some of my readers will know that I like to feature retreats that are off the tourist trail in remote or less-frequented places. However, you don't have to go half-way around the world to find such places. Here is a retreat center near Loveland, Ohio about 20 miles away from Cincinnati called Grailville. It advertises, "A place of tranquility, spirituality, transformation and respect for the natural world since 1944." The scheduled retreats are quite eclectic - everything from aroma yoga to writing as healing to meditation, all scheduled in April. They also invite you to plan your own retreat, either alone or with as large a group as the facilities will handle in their guest cabins.

Now, more than ever, the world needs haven like Grailville, a sacred place to experience the beauty of the natural world. A few hours or days at Grailville can restore and rejuvenate you. We host retreats, programs, meetings and events. Come with your group or individually to nurture body, mind and spirit.
Our guests, often spiritual, education, healing and arts organizations, are accommodated in our five guesthouses which can host up to 75 overnight. Space for day meetings, workshops, and special events (such as weddings or reunions) is available for up to 200 people.
We offer programs affirming our authentic selves, creating space for the sacred, transforming our lives and addressing the needs of the world. Join us for spiritual retreats and celebrations, arts workshops, retreats and performances, women-only retreats that inspire and inform, and hands-on skill building workshops.
To read the original click here.

The website description goes on to describe the name, Grailville.

We are a center of the Grail in the United States and further the Grail’s vision of a world of peace, justice and renewal of the earth, brought about by women working together as catalysts for change.Grail members are connected by their spirituality. An ecumenical community of women, the Grail supports and celebrates each other’s spiritual paths. The Grail is committed to a shared vision of peace in a global community.

To contact this retreat center, go to the website, https://www.grailville.org and explore what is available. It says something that they have been in existence since 1944, probably longer than many of their members' ages.

Guide to Solitary Spiritual Retreat Centers

Some of you might want some time alone for reflection. Maybe there has been recent life changes or you just need some time to unwind and recharge. I personally find time alone very beneficial as a way to reflect upon what has happened and future directions. Here is a post that lists "hermitages, cabins and other places of spiritual reflection", thanks to the TAT Foundation. It might be just what you need.

His listing of retreat facilities will help you find a place of solitude to spend quiet time in reflection. Places offering only communal meals are included, and noted as such, for consideration of those doing fasting retreats. Places with shared kitchen facilities are included and noted as such. Facilities requiring previous instruction, active guidance or a particular belief-system are not included.
Many facilities require reservations, sometimes months ahead due to popularity. (For a last minute budget alternative, try an inexpensive motel room with kitchenette, especially during an area's off-season.) The majority are run by religious organizations but welcome all guests. Also, many either operate on a suggested-donation basis or reduce charges for those unable to pay the full amount. Costs under $40/night or the equivalent are noted as "economical." Stays of a week or longer are sometimes discounted. Note: click on the facility's site link for additional information.
To read the original click here.

thanks to Phil Franta for this picture

The TAT Foundation is an interesting group as well. It was founded by Richard Rose "to provide a forum for friendship and the spiritual search". They meet hold events 4 times a year at their Headquarters in West Virginia, and there are also various study groups hosted by individual members in their own communities. for $40 per year you could become a member of this non-profit, totally volunteer spiritual group.

While TAT has no dogma or creed, it does have a core viewpoint. These core values were eloquently described by one of the founding and still-active members as follows:
  The search for Truth and Self-definition through self-inquiry and...
  Honest and open discussion of the ways and means for accomplishing this among friends and fellow seekers.
The original is here.

If you wish to know more about TAT or about the retreat listings, contact TAT at tatsociety@tatfoundation.org or online at http://tatfoundation.org.

Spiritual Trip of the Week: Bali with Guides

The Spirit Quest Tours staff have done it again and now they are taking a group to Bali June 22-28, 2013. The itinerary sounds heavenly - massages, great restaurants, well here it is:

•Visit with Ketut Liyer, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Balian and teacher
•Enjoy a vitamin lunch at Wayan’s tiny restaurant – you can also book a body reading and healing
•Stay in an incredible hotel in the heart of Ubud, right down the street from where Liz stayed (but nicer)
•Enjoy Balinese Hindu temples as the Balinese do – learn how the locals pray
Meditate or practice yoga each morning, or sleep in!
•Meet Yude Andiko, the musician Liz toured Bali with, and listen to him play his own “Yudele”
•Delight in dinner in “Italy”
•Shop for Balinese batik, wood carvings, art, and silver jewelry – all made by local artisans
•Relax with a Balinese massage
•Many meals and all activities are included

Price includes accommodations, most meals, meditations, and all specified itinerary activities (see itinerary).

* DISCLAIMER

This tour is not affiliated with or endorsed by Penguin Books or Sony Pictures.  Elizabeth Gilbert will not be leading this trip.  Julia Roberts has probably never even heard of Spirit Quest Tours. Javier Bardem will not marry you. Richard from Texas (RIP) will not give you advice.  James Franco will definitely not make out with you.  Still, you should come on this trip.

To read the original of this quote, click here.

The number to call in case you are interested is 877-406-5206. Many of the meals and accommodations are included in the total price of $3995 for the Pool Villa or $2995 for the Delux trip. Deposit is $300. Air fare is not included. I liked reading some of the testimonials such as the one: "I have been forever changed by Bali. — Kiya, San Francisco". Bali is a special place in this world, amazingly small but just amazing. Why don't you find out for yourself?

Retreat to a Franciscan Monastery

Fr. David Gaa

I try to feature retreats that are reasonable in price and a bit unusual, off the tourist path, so to speak. Here is one that fits this description, at Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California. People have been retreating to monasteries and hermitages since they were formed in the Middle Ages. This is actually an old idea brought to modern-day standards. Here is part of the description from the website: http://www.sanluisrey.org/Retreats.

The Franciscan Retreat Center at Old Mission San Luis Rey offers a place for solitude, healing, and revitalization with a wide variety of spiritual and educational programs. Create your private day away (Quiet Days), join us for a half day or evening session (Twilight Retreats) or treat yourself, or a loved one, to a complete weekend of spirituality and sacred space. The Friars and staff are here to assist you on your spiritual journey.
The facilities are available to religious and educational groups, non-profit organizations, civic organizations, companies and corporations. We do, however, reserve the right to refuse the use of our facilities to anyone whose philosophies diametrically oppose our mission and purpose.
To read the original click here.

The Mission offers silent retreats and short retreats with guidance by the monks if requested. They are also set up for large groups up to several hundred people with affordable lodging and a camp ground for tents.
If you are the type of person who likes scheduled retreats, some of the workshops for the near future include: Couples Retreat (2/8-2/10), Twilight Retreat with Fr. David Gaa (2/15), Quiet Monday (2/25), Spring into Serenity Retreat for Women in Al-Anon (3/15-3/17), Family Vacation Retreat (7/8-7/12) and Senior Vacation Retreat (8/5-8/9).
Sound interesting? Contact them easily by phone or online. And let me know how it was!

Featured Retreats of the Week: Wild Earth Journeys

Are you ready for a truly awesome trip, a memorable one you will remember always? Are you adventurous but would like to use a guide as you know you will see more that way? Then this is the company for you. Wild Earth Journeys is owned and operated by Carroll Dunham, a Princeton University anthropologist, writer, herbalist and yoga instructor and her husband, Thomas Kelly, a former Peace Corps volunteer, Care Program officer, photographer and documentary film maker.

Featured Retreats of the Week: Wild Earth Journeys

Wild Earth Journeys--pilgrimages to wild and sacred places of the earth. Where story, myth, culture, adventure and spirit come together. We love horses, we love to walk in the mountains, we love medicinal plants and traditional medicine, spirit traditions, stories, and we love healing and working with local communities engaging in dialogue between discovery, science and healing. We love the questions, and we love the journey, knowing that without exploring the furthest reaches of the last great wild places on this earth and in the elements, we can never know for ourselves. Come explore with us and tap on thirty years exploring Asia from the heart--foolishly. Come with us and meet extraordinary and ordinary people who could change your mind. Let us help you plan your pilgrimage or journey if you are ready to leave the familiar trail for the unexpected--if you are ready to explore more than just the surface.
To read the original post click here.

The trips are to India, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia or design your own trip. While I myself have not had the pleasure of going on one of these trips, from some of the testimonials it seems that the participants are very enthusiastic about their experiences. The guides, Carroll and Thomas (yes, they do these trips themselves) are able to take people into remote place few foreigners have gone but in a safe and comfortable way. These are not trips for people who want heated pools or room service; it would require some roughing it. I personally am re-assured that there are still wild places left on this planet for Wild Earth Journeys to explore.