Tips for a Solo Retreat?

[Celestial]

I've got a bit of time off work coming up and I'm thinking of doing a small solo retreat/ solo camping. Thinking like 2 or 3 nights.

 

Was wondering if you guys have any tips and tricks or suggestions to get the most out of it.

 

Thank you.

[Phil]

What’s ‘the most’ look like?

What wanted? 

[Celestial]

@Phil

Most healing, most purification. Also just general enjoyment of the experience.

 

Absolute peace

[Phil]

Well, so to speak, the body is always purifying naturally. 

If the day to day is typically ‘busy’… with screens, people, responsibilities, etc, that can be subtle & unnoticed attention getting distractions…

Just sitting alone in the solitude & peace of nature allows residual thought activity to naturally calm or fizzle out, and discord or contraction held (but unnoticed) often naturally comes up & out. 

 

A more minimal trip, like a tent & campfire, has a certain ‘return’ to the primal aspect which can also help in releasing much ‘societal’ conditioning / contraction. 

 

A trip within a solo trip can expedite purification. Also, so can meditation, yoga, breath-work, and even just writing whatever arises. 

The combination of is tough to beat. 

 

Fasting, or semi fasting with raw foods such as with a couple Loophole shakes also purifies and couples well with the other activities mentioned. Three days prior of just raw foods can clean out in preparation for the retreat, getting more out of it so to speak. 

 

The emotional scale can also be really helpful in terms of consciously allowing the purification. The scale in conjunction with emotions that might arise, and writing letters to anyone emotions might arise about can be very releasing and purifying. Even a letter to the ‘inner child’. For any ‘stuckness’, short sweet Improv Writing is very effective. Helps with discovering or maybe solidifying, or ‘remembering’ (feeling) the Yesness of creator-creating-creation. 

 

Also, flipping the script on the body comes to mind. Rather than looking for pleasure from ‘it’ (not to presume, assume or imply in any personal sense here), caring for & loving the body, even just via thoughts, and or again yoga, breath-work etc is arguably most connective and also encouraging / allowing of releasing. Meditation  /  ‘staying with’ the breath / mindfulness is key when contraction / discord comes up & out, in terms of not ‘getting sucked into’ the thought-story-barf. 

 

Also, what do you love that isn’t screen related? Any activity ‘you lose yourself’ in? An instrument, singing, painting, carving, fitness, etc, anything like that?

 

Sometimes different healing modalities the day before a trip or the morning of, on the way, can really kick the ‘depth’ of the trip up. If you’ve never experienced a reiki session / energy work / all chakras aligned, that’d likely be ideal. 

[Mandy]

I tend to do much longer meditation sits and or a lot more sits than at home. Whenever I feel like I'm efforting too much, I sit. Don't pressure yourself of hype it up or anything. I do a lot of walking, beach combing, sometimes go for a long run or a swim or generally get outside. I bring a creative project that doesn't seem to get any air time at home. I also bring stuff to write with. A lot of stuff will likely come up for your dream board or ideas for stuff like routines you want to change or implement for your return home so write it down. Make sure to bring plenty of drinking water, more than you think you need. 

[Celestial]

@Phil

Thank you, all wonderful tips. 

Definitely thinking of including a trip within the trip, probably towards the end. 

13 hours ago, Phil said:

 Also, what do you love that isn’t screen related? Any activity ‘you lose yourself’ in? An instrument, singing, painting, carving, fitness, etc, anything like that?

I would say playing the keyboard but I won't be able to bring that. Or books but that might not be the best option for a "solo" retreat maybe.

I will probably bring an acoustic guitar to play around on and also things to draw. Also running solo in the forest or woods sounds awesome. 

13 hours ago, Phil said:

Sometimes different healing modalities the day before a trip or the morning of, on the way, can really kick the ‘depth’ of the trip up. If you’ve never experienced a reiki session / energy work / all chakras aligned, that’d likely be ideal. 

I've been meaning to get a Reiki session done for a while now, I think I'll plan to get one just before the trip.

 

Would you cut off contact from the outside world and using any technology for the duration on the trip?

 

@Mandy Great tips, thank you. Definitely just want to enjoy myself without a lot of pressure. Sorta just wanna go with the flow during this adventure. It's hard not to hype it up though 😅. Maybe it's just excitement.

[Phil]

50 minutes ago, Celestial said:

Would you cut off contact from the outside world and using any technology for the duration on the trip?

Yes. Imo the ideal would be no screens, all nature. 

[Celestial]

@Phil Just had some questions about Chakras, are there ways to align them day to day? 

Do psychedelics align them? 

What does it actually mean to align the chakras?

 

[Loop]

The Taproot for Source,

The Tree of Soul,

& The end of your world. 🍏

🌳

🌏

[Phil]

5 hours ago, Celestial said:

@Phil Just had some questions about Chakras, are there ways to align them day to day? 

For sure! Reiki! 

 

5 hours ago, Celestial said:

Do psychedelics align them? 

Not that I’m aware of or have ever experienced. They can make the light more visible though. 

 

5 hours ago, Celestial said:

What does it actually mean to align the chakras?

 

All of the vortexes spinning the same way essentially. 

[Mandy]

@Celestial @Phil Have you checked out Barbara Brennan's work?

[Phil]

@Mandy

No, why? 

What about it came to mind?

[Mandy]

@Phil Her work is all about energy healing, and in her books she illustrates the auric field and the chakras as vortexes. Been enjoying this one a lot lately. https://www.amazon.com/Light-Emerging-Journey-Personal-Healing/dp/0553354566/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1673985568&sr=8-3  Her original book is "Hands of Light". 

[Phil]

@Mandy

Oh, awesome! 

[Celestial]

@Mandy  I havent, but i'll check her work out. Sounds very interesting.

[Celestial]

23 hours ago, Loop said:

The Taproot for Source,

The Tree of Soul,

& The end of your world. 🍏

🌳

🌏

😊

[Blessed2]

On 1/17/2023 at 5:31 PM, Phil said:

For sure! Reiki! 

 

All of the vortexes spinning the same way essentially. 

 

So you can see chakras and the aura?

 

What does my (Blessed2) chakras and aura look like? Did it change with the Reiki course?

 

Is there any consistent imbalance here, something that might be good to take a look at / do reiki on / etc. ?

 

What is a chakra / vortex?

 

What is an aura?

 

How to "see it for myself"? The 'third eye'? How to open it?

[Phil]

51 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

So you can see chakras and the aura?

Without getting nit picky about the wording… yes. 

 

51 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

What does my (Blessed2) chakras and aura look like?

A colorful spectrum of light. 

The chakras & aura come / appear before the thought Blessed2, and therein aren’t Blessed2’s. 

 

51 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

Did it change with the Reiki course?

Yes. The alignment / spin changes. 

 

51 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

Is there any consistent imbalance here, something that might be good to take a look at / do reiki on / etc. ?

The third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus and sacral are spinning one way. The crown & root are spinning the other way. When the spin of the crown & root are aligned, spinning the same way as the rest, then the rest will be intensified. They’ll be more aligned and more in serving or servitude of the crown & root. More nuanced distinctions & clarity will be experienced in regard to life, as it relates to ‘the rest’. 

 

There’ll be less resistance and what you want will flow more easily into your experience. There’ll also be ease in appreciation and joy in manifestation. 

 

51 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

What is a chakra / vortex?

What is an aura?

Love-Light. Self.

 

51 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

How to "see it for myself"? The 'third eye'? How to open it?

Less believing of thoughts. So, meditation, inspection of beliefs, and looking at any ‘monsters in the closet’. 

 

Allowing loss is key. As in allowing the loss of what is unwanted results in ‘seeing through’ loss. 

 

Replace man made foods with naturally occurring foods. Specifically, replace a snack with preservatives, additives or toxicity relative to the body with purple fruits and or vegetables. 

[Blessed2]

@Phil Awesome. Thank you.

 

41 minutes ago, Phil said:

Yes. The alignment / spin changes. 

 

What changed? Was the diarrhea realted to this? Any other effects to see in the future?

 

41 minutes ago, Phil said:

and sacral are spinning one way.

 

I wonder... Is what the Reiki teacher(s) call 'hara' the same as the sacral chakra? 🤔

 

41 minutes ago, Phil said:

Less believing of thoughts. So, meditation, inspection of beliefs, and looking at any ‘monsters in the closet’. 

 

Allowing loss is key. As in allowing the loss of what is unwanted results in ‘seeing through’ loss. 

 

Replace man made foods with naturally occurring foods. Specifically, replace a snack with preservatives, additives or toxicity relative to the body with purple fruits and or vegetables. 

 

Will see what happens 👍 Thanks.

[Phil]

50 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

What changed?

The spin. But the spin is prior to all interpretations. Like how the spin of an electron is prior to the ‘things’ electrons are being so to speak. All of the chakras are favorably effected by Reiki, but the most significant change was to the solar plexus. A significant change chakra wise is very subtle, but again, a most fundamental change. Like how putting just a pinky finger in a river creates a ripple which effect the entire river in the direct it’s flowing. Interpretations adjust somewhat slowly over time from the chakra work. Which is kind of ideal. Otherwise folks be shitting their pants left & right at Reiki centers. 

 

50 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

Was the diarrhea realted to this?

Yes. Indigestible interpretations ‘come out’ when the chakras are aligned, and the bodily experience is the manifestational representation. It’s like there’s no place for certain interpretations to be in the body anymore, so it comes out. It’s more common that they come out emotionally / energetically / verbally / expressively. But sometimes people experience diarrhea, gas, hiccups, vomiting or even electric jolts.

 

50 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

Any other effects to see in the future?

The root chakra is very related to the third eye opening. The less busy work / resistance / discordant beliefs as it relates to the root chakra, the more ease of opening in the third eye. The more energy is naturally available for the opening of the third eye.

 

Small simple changes ripple too. If there is a ‘big change’ you want to make, skinny it down to the smallest simplest step or change, and do that. It compounds, making the next simple change easier, and it’s all adding up in a sense. Metaphorically, if there is a ‘monster in the closet’ so to speak, maybe don’t jump into the closet. Today, look at the door. Tomorrow, touch the door handle. The next day just take a peak inside. As Osho said,  ‘make your stomach your best friend’.  Less is more. 

 

50 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

I wonder... Is what the Reiki teacher(s) call 'hara' the same as the sacral chakra? 🤔

The hara refers to the abdomen as apposed to the stomach, but not the organ, the energy field. So yes, very similar to saying ‘chakra’. Hara is usually associated with diagnosis and seeing what’s going on energetically in the rest of the body / chakras by chase in the hara. Certain practitioners and certain doctors who are energy workers can see what’s going on with the entire body / energy system / chakras, but checking one ‘part’. Like, I know a medical doctor who is more more of an energy practitioner who diagnosis what’s going on in the body simple by a picture of one’s tongue being sent to him. Initially stuff like that sounds like quackery, but it’s quite the opposite. I think he just has people send the tongue pic so they aren’t freaked out that he actually doesn’t need to see anything of the person at all to know exactly what’s going on in their body.  

 

Btw… all this ‘stuff’, energy work, siddhis, etc, arises of expression as compared to conceptualization, aka ‘knowing’, spiritual ego etc. Simple honesty, integrity & humility really are key to allowing such experiences and or unexplainable ‘mystical stuff’ which could otherwise seem like ‘big’ ‘attainable’ ‘achievable’ “powers” or something along those lines.