Silent Retreat ‣ Crizalia

Silent Retreat

Typically, the silent retreat is an opportunity to experience a distance or “withdrawal” from your day-to-day life so that you may return to, or discover yourself. The intention is to offer you a place to explore deeper aspects of your self-development, discovery, and growth through the practice of a Silent Inner Journey.

My teachers explain that the natural world is a direct communication from Spirit; with no separation between humans and nature. In today’s modern world we have lost this connection and with it, the understanding of who we are, where we come from, why we are here, where we are going, & what truly makes us happy. Thus, an alternative way to re-connect to our deeper truths is through the practice of a Silent Inner Journery. This is an attempt to recognize or develop our place in the big scheme of things, rising above the day-to-day details like paying bills and managing our social calendar; an opportunity to find or remember who we are so that we can structure a life that is representative of that which makes us truly happy and which brings meaning to our life.

What is a silent inner journey?

The Silent Inner Journey is an ancient practice to mark and move on from one life transition to another. The ancients knew that by crossing these thresholds out in nature, we face our fears, see our life pass through, and gather deeper realizations & the understanding to move into the next phase of life.

The silent inner journey invites you to remember yourself! The land becomes your mirror, ally, and fertile container that brings you closer to the roots of your life, to what is important, and what so easily can be forgotten in the fullness of contemporary life.

“Nature mirrors all that we are; it shows us the many faces of dark and light”
Elders

My teachers explained that their roots were connected to the Earth. They knew that the sun and the stars, the wind, stones, trees, and every creature, season, and cycle of nature are integrally connected to our very essence of being. Thus, the primal seeds are held in the cells of our bodies, in the birth of our images and the fire of our emotions.

Why Practice A silent Inner Journey

This is part of an ongoing search for the meaning and purpose of your life. Many ancient cultures around the world believe that we were put on Earth for a special reason, but we often do not know why, and without this knowledge, we feel lost and confused. Practicing a Silent Inner Journey is meant to open the door to the deeper aspects of yourself to find greater balance and meaning in life. Going Into the Silence is an attempt to meet yourself through the process of fasting, isolation, meditation, and introspection. Going Into the Silence allows one to tap into the higher self where deeper truths and realizations dwell. It is an opportunity to have clarity of hearing, listening, and seeing.

We all have a story. The story of our lives is held in our bones and blood, our childhood and history, the patterns we create, and the relationships we make from birth to death; the first and final initiations. Our soul/spirit is not somewhere else, but right here and now, waiting to grow and expand; each breath is an initiation, an expansion into life and death.

Nature embraces and beats us, blows right through us until the dawn of our being stands true, naked and free…free to just be!
Elders

In modern times, many of these old traditions and rites have been forgotten or lost. We live in challenging and sometimes turbulent times with periods of confusion, alienation, and lack of focus. We struggle to identify what is important and what has true meaning feeling separated and alone.

This Silent Inner Journey is for those who aspire to wake up and rediscover the natural world as a guide and teacher; where the inner and outer cycles of self, seasons, and nature reflect each other and are full of meaning and life. We are not separate. The world is an eternal mirror and our true nature is to know and own our inner truths and values beyond what keeps us confined and small. To ask the questions: “Who am I?” and “What do I have to offer?”

The challenge and commitment of this practice offer an opportunity to mark, celebrate, expand, and move forward in life.

We can’t thrive if we don’t know who we are or how we want to be in life. If you’re at a crossroads in your life or just want to connect deeply with nature, a Silent Inner Journey might be the answer. This journey can help you tap into the unseen wisdom all around and inside you. It opens you up to answers about life’s purpose and how to move on from old, difficult, or traumatic experiences or patterns. But it doesn’t just start there – you need to prepare properly for the experience on all levels.

The Process

The Silent Inner journey is practiced as a 4-day, solo, fast out in nature seeking personal truth, emotional release, and self-knowledge.

You do this by stepping into your silent circle to step out of your everyday life and into the vast unknown; offering a clear invitation to the mysteries of life – yours, and the greater life you are a part of. Specifically, it’s a journey into the wilderness to seek life clarity through exploring, identifying, and understanding your internal processes to discover the deeper aspects of yourself.

You will go into a privately rented wilderness area alone, with my support and supervision, to seek the truth as it relates to you and/or your community/ family/ society/ spirituality. In this experience, meditation and fasting are practiced to connect with a state of emptiness that makes space for your realizations and self-discoveries. You do this by switching off the Stimulation Button & Connecting with the silence within you and the wisdom found therein.

Specifically, you will be fasting for four days and nights, drinking water & tea three times a day. The place where you sit, out in nature, will have a protection circle about ten feet wide. I will monitor your Silent Inner Journey, from a base camp, the entire time that you are in retreat. You will also participate in two sweat lodges: at the beginning and end of the retreat.

At the end of the retreat, I will help you understand what you have learned and realized through your meditations and introspections. These retreats are a powerful way to mark big life changes and shift you into a place of self-knowledge and clarity about your life. Thus, a huge emphasis will be placed on preparing you, through Zoom conferences, prior to your Silent Inner Journey.

Note: It is possible to do an intermittent fast.

The stages:

Departure- Starts with your first intent and commitment to make this crossing, the time of physical, emotional, and personal preparation; a time of ‘separating’ from your family, friends, community, and the past, both physically and psychologically. “The symbolic cutting of the umbilical cord”
The Turning Point/ Threshold– Stepping across the threshold of your former life and its limitations into your Silent Inner Journey. The alone time where you will fast and meditate to navigate your inner processes working with tools and teachings of your life. Nature will be your teacher with the voice of the stars, sky, rocks, and rivers.
Integration– Following ancient tradition, you are united with those you left. Stories of your time in the wilderness are shared and witnessed. With deep listening and mirroring, you will be supported and helped to understand the vision and possibilities of the new life you have just stepped into.

Choosing to embark on this journey is a sign that you are ready to let go of the old life- which no longer satisfies you- to step into the unknown dark mystery to find the sparks of life you have been craving; gently bring it into your life. It is a transition between stages of existence that must be passed through to discover the next level of being.

Do not try to save the whole world
or do anything grandiose. Instead,
create a clearing in the dense forest of your life
and wait there patiently,
until the song that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know how to give yourself
to this world so worth of rescue
Martha Postlewaite

Preparation is Crucial

In going into the wilderness alone, you will face your fears and practice a high degree of trust and self-reliance. Being alone with the elements for several days is challenging– but every experience of the Silent Inner Journey is different. One thing is sure, you will face your demons, which is all part of the experience of becoming stronger in yourself, letting go of what no longer serves you, and gaining clarity on who you are. You’ll observe everything with a receptive mind and be open to whatever comes – both in waking life and in your dreams, which you will record to be interpreted during the integration period.

Other things you will learn

Shaping your Intent as a foundation for threshold experiences
The nature of self-generated meditation and introspection and the role of threshold crossing.
Nature as Mirror
Physical safety during the Threshold time
How to understand your internal processes

The First Step: Decide if you want to do it

Practical Information

When: New dates coming soon!!
Duration: 6 days
Cost: 1200 euros
Location: Soon to be announced
Arrival Time: 10 am latest, no exception!
End Time: 2 pm

Zoom Meetings: New dates coming soon!!
Time of Zoom Calls: 8:00-10:00 pm Paris Time

Description of Time Table

Day 1: Arrival and preparation

Silent Retreat days (Day 2-5): Each person goes alone into a privately reserved wilderness space (with the support of guides at base camp). This time allows you to become familiar with your internal mazes so that you may work on your pre-set intention. It is a time for self-generated meditative contemplation to become intimately receptive to your life; It’s the moment to allow yourself to experience both the challenge and the beauty of taking your place amongst your relations as a simple human on this Earth.

Day 6: End of the silent inner journey at sunrise and Purification sweat lodge.

Day 7: We end with a light lunch. The retreat Ends at 4 pm.

On the last day, we share the stories of the Silent Inner Journey and explore its gifts and implications for the life we return to. We sit in ‘Story Council’, sharing our stories and having them mirrored back to us by all the participants present; offering the opportunity to see our individual narrative in a wider context. This can be one of the most touching and heartening parts of our time together: being witnessed and listened to by those who have come to participate and create this journey.