When Nadine arrived at the center, she was asked to replace her “street clothes” with a simple robe and sandals. Not a problem—great to get rid of the belt and the painful memories associated with coming to the office every day. Nadine also attended her first mediation session and dined on some very simple but tasty food at lunch. The afternoon was spent in quiet contemplation and walks through the California Redwoods on the center property. After another simple dinner (salad and soup), there was an early evening mediation session and then a long night of sleep in a Yurt. A peaceful and nourishing first day.
The rest of the days played out pretty much like the first day. This was all well-and-good. However, something else was also occurring. Nadine began writing in a diary she brought with her (having read Ira Progoff’s book on journaling before coming to the retreat). A whole “soulful” ladle of unconscious material was coming to the fore. Not simple like the soup she was served, but certainly quite “tasty” (rich metaphoric images and narratives from much earlier in her life). Furthermore, Nadine was joined on her daily walk through the Redwoods by another middle-aged women. They agreed that conversations about past work experiences was out of the question. Rather they talked about their childhood and, in particular, their mothers. What a different world this was for these loving and nurturing women of another era.
After a few days of walking, Nadine and her new friend also began to talk about their future. Without knowing any of the details, Nadine discerned that her walking companion had also been through a hard time—perhaps a divorce or loss of a job. The Redwoods represented resilience and longevity. Some of the trees had been assaulted by fire and their core was burned out. Yet, the trees survived and have grown around the burned-out area—they are stronger and taller. Nadine has even been told by some of the staff at the retreat, that fire actually is good for Redwoods.
Without saying anything directly about the analogy between their own life and that of the trees, Nadine and her new friend seems to be inspired (even if unconsciously) by what they saw regarding resilience in the forest. Nadine remembers reading several years ago about how a forest is actually comprised of deeply interconnected root systems and legumes that transfer information and nutrients from one tree to another. Redwoods were not just independently resilient, but also INTER-dependently resilient.
At the end of the month, Nadine bid farewell to her new friend and the center staff (including the cooks!). She was not sure what she would next do in her life and wasn’t even sure that she would stay connected to her friend of the walk and the forest. However, she was convinced of one thing. Like the redwoods, she would recover and would turn for support to many people she loved (including some of her old colleagues at the community hospital).
Joe Luft might have met her in the forest. He might have sat with her on a stump and draw (or carve) a window on one of the other nearby stumps. After all, the original window was drawn on a stump by Joe and his colleague, Harrington Ingram. Joe might have shown Nadine that material from her fourth quad was pouring into her third quad. He would note that Nadine had found expanded, safe space that not only allowed, but also encouraged, the movement of this unconscious material and early life experiences into awareness. This space was provided by some high-quality time devoted to meditation and reflection. Nadine’s mind was also cleared by good nights of sleep that were accompanied by her consumption of nutritious, non-toxic food. Her brain and gut were not distracted by stressful days, listless sleep and a digestive system that was trying to ingest “artificial” and quickly consumed meals.
