The Restory Retreat Centre

     A Wide Conversation  The Conversation  Elements From The Conversation  Music In this version of the well-known Stand By Me , the musical conversation takes place across continents and the diverse contributions make it beautiful and unique.  With our love. George en Matilda

   'n Wye Gesprek  Die Gesprek Elemente Uit Die Gesprek Musiek In hierdie weergawe van die bekende "Stand By Me " vind die musikale gesprek oor 'n paar kontinente plaas en die uiteenlopende bydraes maak dit pragtig en uniek. Met ons liefde George en Matilda

Notes from a different drummer Learning the unforced rhythms of grace The practical How Soul nurturing Treat-time Next up - FUN! And not just any fun, but tailor-made-for-you-and-you-alone fun. Sounds too good to be true? Read on. Again, we draw on the wisdom of Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, and introduce you to Artist’s Dates. We prefer to use the term Treat-time for the same concept, because we have experienced that many people’s immediate reaction when confronted with Artist’s Dates are to visibly shy away. They say something like: “I’m not creative”, “I’m no artist” or “I can’t draw or paint to save my life”. This is not about being a painter, potter, writer, dancer or actor. Nor will you need to take up any artist’s tool if it is not your inclination. This tool was created by Julia Cameron whose area of expertise lies in the unblocking of creativity, which she refers to as the inner artist or the inner child. We will in due course...

Notes from a different drummer Learning the unforced rhythms of grace. The practical How Soul nurturing Wake-up notes So let’s get started. For this game of hide-and-seek we need some writing paper and a pen or pencil, crayon, or whatever takes your fancy to write  with. Now, don’t take fright. This is no writer’s course. We are into soul nurturing, into seeking out the hidden child within. Only the most gentle and undemanding probing will be met with a favourable response.  So we start off by listening, pen in hand and paper to catch the sounds on. Julia Cameron, writer of The Artist’s Way is famous for the genius of her tools of creative recovery, which she calls Morning Pages and Artist’s Dates. We can do no better than her and having experienced the transformational potential of these tools for ourselves over many years, we give her the credit and share it as she so generously advises us to.     Morning Pages, in our context, w...

Playing with my food: Strawberry, black olives, french leeks and peperonata topped pizza. Inner artist treat deluxe! OK, I put my foot in it! When I wrote the post  Hidden in the heart of things , I confessed to having committed to a week of spoiling the inner artist with treats as prescribed by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist's Way. The purpose of this twelve step program is the unblocking of creativity and I have worked through it a couple of times already the past decade, always with astounding (and often totally unexpected) results.     As I was listing my heart's desire in my task book, the thought occurred to me that it would make a good post to tell how and if I had managed to successfully execute this truly difficult task. It would also be an incentive to see it through: I do not enjoy stating publicly that I had flunked a test! Then of course, an anonymous comment on the post prompted me, and I knew I had to come clean.     You want honesty,...

This morning, without deciding upon it formally, Mily and I took it reaaally easy and had a snuggle-in. Outside it seemed rather overcast and gloomy: perfect cuddle weather. She curled onto my lap, covering my first and second chakras with her silken body, while I lay dozing on my back. She later moved to where the sun started trickling onto the corner of the bed while I sat writing about the richness of this simple indulgence and tried drawing her catness in R-mode like I am being taught in Art class at the moment.        Then I spent time planning a week of personal treats. Read on, this gets even more ridiculously decadent. In my defence, I have to say that I am under orders to do so. (See Tasks of Chapter 11 of Julia Cameron’s Artist’s way). I struggle with especially this: treating my inner child, the true artist in me, to the things I need to fill my creative well. The reason, always, is a feeling of guilt. Guilt because there's a furrow seemingly per...

My sister Marinetha and I (left) during one of our annual seaside holidays. Strange forces are at work in the creative process. I often find myself buckling under the heavy hand of a dry spell that settles on the back of my neck and keeps my vision aimed downward. Downhill it rapidly pushes me and soon I find myself in a dark valley where I am convinced that no light ever reaches. No spark of inspiration seems possible as I don't really have the capability of NOTICING things to produce the necessary spark.       I know rationally that at such times the trick is to simply carry on creating. Even if it feels hollow or nothing much. To just keep going. But it is almost impossible to propel my inner artist to do this when there is simply nothing that excites.       At other times it is a subtler enemy that sneaks in and knocks me off balance. I get a commission to make a really special gift  for a really special person on a really special occasi...

This November a strange zeal took hold of me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are working through Julia Cameron's Artist's Way in a small group we started. The previous time I did that, my life took a whole new direction, which to me now, reviewing the seven years since, seem to have been the most chaotic, most demanding and most creatively alive years of my life. Two days prior to November 1, I stumbled upon a website, http://www.nanowrimo.org of The Office of Letters and Light, who has, since 1999, declared November to be National Novel Writing Month. A challenge is then made and roughly 300 000 people worldwide sign up for this crazy venture - to write a novel of 50 000 words during the month of November. I have one and a half days and 2600 words to go. In South Africa, November is the crazy month when everything has to be fitted in before the summer holidays. School exams are written, year-end parties happen while work deadlines loom, Christmas C...