Retreat Sweat Lodge Disaster

I was on retreat myself when the tragic sweat lodge deaths occurred in Arizona.  Shocking and saddening, the details that describe the event are unlike any that I have experienced in the sweats I've attended over the past 8 years.  Beginning with my initiation on the Fort Peck Reservation with the traditional Sioux and Assiniboine natives, to the deserts of Utah with only three of us non-natives in the lodge, to the sacred womb of Donna Emma's lodge behind the Pyramid of the Moon in Teo, I have experienced sweat lodges in a wide variety of settings.  Besides one exceptionally hot sweat with the Lakota in Bozeman, all pushed my limits but were tollerable and highly transformative.  All were safe. Even with the hottest sweat, those who needed a rest, including myself, were respectfully allowed space.

My heart goes out to all involved in the tragic sweat lodge deaths.  For an insightful article about the recent catastrophe, see Carl Hammerschlag's article on Reality Sandwich: Sweat Lodge Tragedy.

Ascension, Entheogens & Inter-Dimensional Exploration

Hiking Wolverine Canyon - photo by Mike Quinn

Down the Rabbit Hole

I'm pretty certain that most who attended The Supernatural: Exploring Other Dimensions -- the retreat held at the Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch in Southern Utah this October -- didn't quite know what they were getting themselves into (or out of).  I was one who, as the fool, has stepped merrily off the cliff a nd glided down the rabbit hole without any expectations but to enjoy the desert and get to meet the Reality Sandwich crew.  What I got was so much more.

With three main presenters at the retreat, the participants could just about be divided into three equal camps: those who love Graham Hancock, those who love Lisa Renee, and those who love Daniel Pinchbeck.  Though Daniel is what motivated me to drive 11 hours into the desert, all three inspired my journey home.  I floated away with renewed energy and inspiration, feeling awakened on a deep level, alert, and armed from the heart-center for mastering the 2012 transition.

The Supernatural Retreat was billed as an exploration of "dimensional shifts, veiled realms a ccessed through altered states of consciousness, ancient myths and sacred sites, and intergalactic communication." Um, OK, whatever that means...perhaps to keep from  fully freaking out my left-brained, rational, quantitative partner who was holding down the fort while I took passage into the unknown, I didn't even begin to consider where the creators of this adventure might be going with that statement, nor suspect where it might lead me. "I'm going to network,  Sweetie, I'll  see you in a few days. Ta-ta!"


For the full article visit Reality Sandwich:  http://realitysandwich.com/Boulder_Mt_Retreat_09

Cheers!
m