In May, I went to Lesvos in Greece to be with Karen Connelly at The Olive Grove Retreat. I felt invited to unwind, let go and rest into the land, the Olive Grove and to swim in the Aegean Sea. I arrived from Vancouver Island after a major change in my life. In the fall, I’d lost my husband to cancer after five months of illness. Our beloved dog died a month later.
On the island, there were six of us participants. We were/are all in major transitions or turning points in our lives. Too, we were also from vastly different backgrounds.
Yet the environment, the daily plan to gather under Thalia, the mother olive tree, worked its magic, bringing us all together. Each day, Karen led us in gentle, deceptively simple exercises in self hypnosis and eye-to-brain self-connection work (the eye work was simply extraordinary, like nothing I’ve ever experienced. This is part of her work as a psychotherapist and hypnotherapist.)
These practices regulated and calmed me. At the same time, they left me feeling alert and energized. They are part of the gift I brought back with me from Greece. These exercises were interwoven with story, much laughter, sometimes tears. Each one of us were invited to choose our own tree for the duration of the retreat, complete with a small table and chair, a mat for the ground, and for some, a hammock!
Every day we ate a sumptuous lunch in the Olive Grove prepared with local food, much of it grown on the land around us, and artfully prepared for us by Ieremiah, a wonderful chef and neighbour, or by Rob, Karen’s retreat and life partner.
The food! There is no equivalent to be found where I live in Canada (the west coast) for the freshness and taste of that food.
Each of ‘our trees’ have a view of rolling hills, fields, the sea below. One day, some of us walked up from the village of Skala Eresos to the Olive Grove, a slow incline on a country road past gardens, crops, animals and neighbours working in their yards. We gathered in the evenings in the village at various restaurants, most right on the sea (like our little hotel—sea views!) We also visited an ancient monastery high up on a hill on a wild windy day. We toured a natural history museum, went to a wild beach, a secret chapel . . .
Karen is an excellent guide to the Grove, to Lesvos, to its history and people, and equally seems at home in Greek myths (which often came into our time together**). She is at home with metaphor, to working with what interferes with our creative expression in the moment. I count my time on retreat with Karen as a pivotal part of my healing and creative journey.
What I remember vividly is the smell of oregano, the earthy scent in the olive grove, the filtered light through olive branches over my head as I sat or lay in the shade of my tree. Birdsong and long views across the fields around us. And a sense of freedom and ease as we were together there in companionable silence under our trees in the olive grove. Not exactly alone in the grove and yet free to explore ourselves and creativity each in our own way, each with our own tree . . .
And the food! The lamb, chickpea stew and that simple Korean soup Rob made were absolute standouts. So fresh, so flavourful. It’s almost like I didn’t know food could taste that way . . .
The first meal cooked for us by our chef, Ieremia! The flavors and textures were so varied, and the courses were paced out slowly and steadily. We were all relaxed and bouyant.
I loved the tree ceremony, the 'prayers' we hung there....mine still resonates and echos back to me. Personally, I found the pace excellent for my own unravelling of stress and trauma from Richard's dying and death.
Something magical and mystical happens when a group of high-intentioned individuals make the decision to gather together for a week with the purpose of uplifting their lives & expanding their consciousness into radical authenticity.”
Also there is something very powerful about surrounding yourself with people who don’t know the encyclopedia of your past. They see you as you really are and your potential for greatness. This helps to reinforce your willingness to change for the better.”
