October Women's Retreat Full - Next Retreat Being Scheduled - Christine Kane

I’ve just arrived at my office to find that the air conditioning unit still hasn’t been installed, and my little new-agey froo-froo fountain is spilling water out the back and onto the credit card machine below it (thereby defeating its purpose, which is to relax me and keep me peaceful.)

But there’s good news

It seems I have won a million dollars from the International Promotions Prize Award Department (known to us all as the IPPAD). I got an email from Raymundo Mack, (a distant relative of Tony Madrid, my go-to guy for better erections) who works in the IPPAD offices, letting me know what I now have to do to claim my million dollars. I’ll need to be emailing many “agents” and the like. You can just imagine how I’ve set aside my schedule today.

So, WHILST I’m claiming my fortune and deciding how best to use all that money, I thought I’d make you, dear reader, aware that my October retreat is full. We have a waiting list (which I encourage you to get on, as there are always changes and things that come up in people’s lives.)

I’m also considering facilitating one more retreat this year. This would be my favorite one, which is Setting Intent for the New Year. It will tentatively be December 28, 29 & 30. For some this is an inconvenient time of year, and for others, it’s the perfect time of the year. (Much better than getting drunk and screaming on New Year’s Eve.) If you are among the latter, please let Nelda (embryomom@cox.net) know now so that I am able to plan ahead. If I need to book a bigger retreat center, then I’m happy to do that. I just need to know first if there are people wanting to participate! Nelda will send you all the details. I’m going to post the same information below that I’ve already posted before in case you’re new to my blog and haven’t seen it.

So what is this retreat thing? You’re a songwriter! Why are you doing this?

A few years ago, I had taught a bunch of writing and songwriting workshops all over the country. Several people who had seen these on my schedule had written in to my website to ask if I ever taught non-songwriting workshops.  I had also been invited to be a Keynote Speaker at a conference called Following Your Passion.  I realized that I had a lot to teach and to say about the many things I have learned from doing just that. Things that had nothing to do with songwriting or performing.

So at one point, I put a note out to my mailing list that I wanted to facilitate a retreat where I helped women get clear with their own lives and passions and intents. The response was big, and my first retreat had 23 women. It was amazing. The retreats have continued ever since. I fit them into my schedule when it feels right.

I do it because I’m good at it. And I love the challenge of it. It’s different. I’m not just standing on a stage performing for an audience. I’m able to sit down with people and share what I’ve learned. I also do it because when I first decided to take a leap and follow my dreams, I had very little encouragement. I found most of my yesses from books and from random people who came into my life briefly to help me. Slowly, more and more encouraging people entered my life. And now, I want to be that presence for other people.

What is the average age of participants?

The age span has ranged anywhere from 17 years old to 66 years old. There’s not really an average. (I also tend to think everyone’s my age  so my guess is that there’s lots of people in their thirties.)

What do you do?

There’s lots of space and silent time. I don’t like retreats and workshops where every last minute is filled with some new and distracting activity. This is really time for you. And so, I allow for lots of reflection and journal writing in between activities. I do some discussion on topics from creativity to forgiveness to setting intent to goal setting. I try to allow for both the practical and the spiritual elements of daily life in my lectures. (You might want to know that my use of the word spiritual embraces all teachings, and all viewpoints.) The group participates in writing exercises and sometimes guided meditations. Because the numbers allow for intimate discussions, many individuals have a chance to get input from others about challenges they’re dealing with in their own lives. The site is surrounded by woods and rivers and streams, so lots of people take walks.

There is a massage therapist on site. Many of the participants get a massage at some point during the three days.

The food is phenomenal. The chef uses all organic veggies from her own garden. The menu is carefully created to promote healthy happy retreaters who aren’t loaded down by fat and carbs! Vegetarians are always welcome! (I’ve just become vegan this year, so I’ll be sure there are lots of options.)

On the second night of the retreat, I perform an unplugged very intimate concert. Sometimes participants will read poetry or do some other performance that evening after the show.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Nel at embryomom@cox.net. She is the organizing force behind all of these retreats. She’ll send you all the info you need.

3 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • christine

    Hey PTC, Really and truly…these retreats are amazing. And I’m very blessed to be able to work with groups of wildly powerful women. Especially at the beginning of your dreams, it usually IS the people who don’t know you very well that will support you the most.

  • Palmtreechick

    That sounds like a GREAT retreat. You’re right, it seems like the people that support your dreams the most are the ones you don’t know or your friends. My parents (who are very supportive) laugh at the fact that I want to be a country singer. I can understand that because there are SO many talented people out there and I’m not half as talented as they are, but still, a girl can dream.

    As for someone who doesn’t drink at all and thinks New Year’s Eve is so overrated, I think it’s a good time for the seminar.

    Good luck.

    Ptc