A retreat beside North St. Vrain River

Saturday, June 16, I spent the afternoon and evening participating in a session of Diane Dandeneau's Ignite Your Life Summer Intensive in Lyons, Colorado.

I arrived a little early and sat beside the river taking in the sound of the moving water and revisiting the calming energy it provides. It always feels as though I've forgotten something when I do this. Obviously, I don't take time for myself in this way often enough.

Diane Dandeneau

Diane arrived and greeted me with a smile and warm welcome. She went to get things set up and I remained enjoying myself. Slowly, other participants arrived and I joined the group in introducing myself. Soon after, she had us sit in a circle to get started.

Our little group

After some introduction of the process she was going to take us through, a program she calls 4 Steps to Divine Mastery, she guided a meditation and gave us time to do some journaling. I chose the same rock I found initially to do my writing. I found myself totally immersed, but occasionally my attention was pulled to see some rafters having fun and getting caught in the eddy cause by the water flowing over large rocks. It was fun to be distracted momentarily to watch and capture images. I found I easily returned to my exercise.

Later, as we enjoyed a healthy meal of homemade soup, bread, and salad, Diane pointed out the Golden Eagle babies in their nest high on the rock face. See below in the oval. Sadly, I just don't have the equipment to get better pictures of such wonders.

The eaglets in their nest

As we wrapped up and shared some of our experiences, Diane listens intently. She has a gentle, quiet way of making you feel cared for and acknowledged. As most often happens in these kinds of experiences, different little pockets of people emerged to go deeper and discuss what we experienced. It was really fun to meet new people, share our lives, and discover new tools for learning about ourselves. I look forward to seeing how things evolve as I continue my journey. Looking for breakthroughs, I am.

And finally, as I took some of my last pictures after the sun set behind the craggy rocks, I noticed profiles of two faces. See if you see them too.

It was wonderful to feel alive again and have the opportunity to think and talk philosophically. It's been a while since I've felt the freedom to do so.

Thanks for stopping by, my friends.
Have a great week!