Retreat and Rejuventate

My weekend was phenomenal. I attended a Prayer Retreat at the St. Charles Center in Moss Bluff, Louisiana, and instead of feeding my body, I spent time feeding my soul. The photo that I'm including is the only one I took, and it came out looking like my guardian angel was hovering around me head. Isn't it wierd?

The group of about 16 women were introduced to all kinds of prayer styles and techniques. As an ENFJ on the Myers-Briggs scale, I lean toward prayers that involve interaction of some sort like Lectio Devina or placing myself in a Bible passge and imagining what all of the people were thinking, then relating it back to my own world. The highlight and awakening experience I had this weekend was the drum prayer that we did. We were all told to remove our rings and watches and to follow the leader to the library where objects would be laid out on a carpet. We were not to speak, and we were to do whatever came naturally to us with these objects. I felt like Nancy Drew on a mystery tour.

Once we arrived in this room, laid out on the floor were drums of all shapes and shakers and tambourines of all kinds, homemade instruments and beautifully created ones. The leader quickly sat in the middle of the circle and began a drum beat on a drum that looked like it came from India or somewhere, and the beat captured us all. We picked up objects and started shaking or tapping or beating with drum sticks and making noise. The rhythms shifted and leaders emerged and the sound became gloriously loud and then soft and everything in between. We kept it going for at least thirty minutes when finally the last person put down her stick and her drum.

Afterwards we all processed what had happened for us in this drumming circle, and the reactions were all to the community feel of it and also individual experiences. I personally came to a place where I was beating a message to God, and I felt and heard him beating back a message. The dialogue was simple and very loving. I found myself smiling a lot during this exercise of the child within us all. The people who were uncomfortable with it talked of it seeming like a playground with toys they didn't want to play with anymore, and the rest of us just raved about the freeing spirit of the movements in the room. I truly felt God in our midst and have thought that something like this might be possible for ministering maybe in an old folks' home or somewhere like it. I'm going to tell my Theresian women's group about this kind of possibility.

I've come home rejuvenated in my being and soul. My body suffered a bit with the regular meals and too many choices, but I figure God is teaching me to be flexible about this kind of activity. I feel washed and refreshed and ready for more. I thought I'd just share it with all of you and hope you're finding your own pathways. God bless you all.... Linda