The Restory is a Retreat Centre nestled against Tafelkop, a singular mountain head near Wakkerstroom, South Africa. Here we live a simple life as contemplatives.
It is a place of re-connection: with ourselves, people, Nature, Silence and Creativity. Our retreats are aimed at this. Our conversations, writing and art centre around the univocity of life. We need a place that reminds us that we are all one. The Restory hopes to be such a place and space.
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Open To The Year Retreat - Evening Meditative Experience 2
As always, be here, be present. Breath deeply, becoming aware of your body. Whenever your mind wanders, ever so gently bring it back to this present moment."
Returning to Friday evening and most of Saturday, we listen once more to Mary's question:
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
Her poems Wild Geese and The Journey give pointers, helping us to grow into our own answers. We start with Mary, but very soon we are totally involved. And by we, we refer to ourselves, other poets, people all over the world.
The wonderful poet in his own right, David Whyte, reads Mary's The Journey in the following recording.
(It must be Melanie Lutz's little dog, that sometimes seems to be dead. The Melanie who was listening to David Whyte, was busy recording him while watching her little dog and posted the video. Mary would've loved the little dog, filling the screen)
In the latter part of the retreat the focus was on prayer as an element in Mary's poetry. It is good to hear her reading one of her poems on the subject, I Happened To Be Standing:
(A lady from India posted the video, with the images as background to Mary's voice, attesting to that. Her poems are being read all over the world)
Mary's advice on praying:
"Just Pay Attention, Then Patch A Few Words Together And Don't Try
To Make Them Elaborate..."
Paying heed to her, prayers from retreatants:
Words
Walking through words on white This language takes us to another place New ideas And other landscapes Unthought of possibilities
Gazing outwards We see the world All beauty, joy Pain and devastation Our gaze turns inward We see the mess and chaos Mixed up with light and music
All is loved
Perfect in imperfection
- Estrella Paterson
~ ❖ ~
Enoughness
I bend to weed
between the flowers
and slowly slide down
to lie between Zinnia towers.
My arm under my head
I inhale earth into
the weight of me
warm sun caressing.
Insects song
wondering about
this strangeness,
lull me to slumber.
The Enoughness
of just This
- Monique Winn
~ ❖ ~
- Heather Griffin
~ ❖ ~
What is mine to do..
to step out of the margins of my heart,
over new thresholds and into beckoning spaces
that are calling me
to love more, trust more and live more
- Gesine Buiten
~ ❖ ~
- Matilda Angus
~ ❖ ~
Watching the early morning raindrops fall...
I catches the curtain softly moving and I am aware of You...
- Lindie Bunton
~ ❖ ~
You change
a silent night into
a holy one
quiet compositions stir my heart
You change
everyday washing water into
a most special wine
slowly, mysteriously the inward must out
change also
my silence, my everyday into
a wild and precious life
bursting with grateful awareness
- Anne Pretorius
~ ❖ ~
The swallows at our bedroom window are old fashioned.
They still have one of those rotary phones.
While making the bed, I hear them dialing.
They must be phoning someone they love,
somebody with whom they share the joys of life.
They usually do it when they are happy,
sitting in the early sun.
In standing still, listening to them,
I dial the number.
- George Angus
~ ❖ ~
I don’t know if animals & trees, and rivers and stars can pray.
But I do know that when I pay attention,
prayers just bubble up & I realise that actually all of life is a prayer
- Heather Davies
Heather adds:
This song, ‘Creator God’ (one of my favourites) also just backs up the awareness that God is in every part of creation & our lives.
~ ❖ ~
Our prayer for you on your journey, the beautiful blessing from Deut 33:13-16 (The Message)
Blessed by God be [your] land:
The best fresh dew from high heaven,
and fountains springing from the depths;
The best radiance streaming from the sun
and the best the moon has to offer;
Beauty pouring off the tops of the mountains
and the best from the everlasting hills;
The best of Earth’s exuberant gifts,
the smile of the Burning-Bush Dweller.
The grace, love and intimacy of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, will be with you.
Die Week Na 'n Dood Sebastien op sy gelukkigste - by water, besig om vis te vang Die Gesprek Elemente Uit Die Gesprek Musiek Sebastien het altyd gesê, "I like old music.' Hy het. Billy Joel se Piano Man was vir baie lank die ringtone op sy foon. Dat ons só gelukkig kan wees, dankie Sebas. George & Matilda
'n Duisend Hande Die Gesprek Elemente Uit Die Gesprek ~ ❖ ~ "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative [or creation] there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have believed would have come his way." W.H. Murray, Skotse ontdekkingsreisiger ~ ❖ ~ Cause of Death Uitstalling Ariana in vervoering Musiek Wanneer jy dinge nie so krampagtig probeer beheer nie, jou oorgee aan die vloei van gebeure en oop is vir die onverwagte, kan jy saam met Ian McKellen sing. Ian McKellen gee nie om saam met wie hy sing nie, solank hy dit net kan doen.
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