Listening to Longings Retreat

Overview

Listening to Longings is a three night, four day guided retreat at Echoes of Eden along the banks of the Malewa River in central Kenya.  Sacred space is intentionally cultivated to facilitate your experience of deep peace, as beauty and Divine Love tend gently to your body, mind and soul. Gather some friends and come for an extended weekend of meaningful connection, deep soul dives and peaceful rest.

Using Eden as a metaphor for home, I invite you into an intimate exploration of universal human longings for belonging, beauty, wholeness, love and delight. I believe our longings are echoes that lead us along the inner landscape of our souls, to the freedom of our True Selves in union with Divine Love. As we allow ourselves the luxury and burden of longing for Divine Love, we begin to hear the echo of the Divine’s longing for us. Join me in exploring these longings within ourselves, each other, the earth, and the Divine. 

This retreat is lightly guided; meaning that each day will have some scheduled meditations and activities, as well as plenty of time for you to choose from a variety of options to enhance your experience: walking pilgrimages, individual soul friend sessions, group dream work and creative soul expression. Spend alone time in silence and solitude, reading and journalling or just giving your body much-needed rest. As evening closes in, spend evenings around a bonfire, sharing your magnificent journey with kindred spirits. Various healers and therapists can be scheduled to facilitate group or private sessions in yoga, body talk or massage.

In a world where humans are fractured from each other and the natural world, my hope is that listening to these echoes will cultivate in us a more compassionate way of being with ourselves and our hurting world. Each day I will invite you to explore the rugged intimacy of your inner landscape while also extending a hand of healing to the earth. You will have the opportunity to plant trees and participate in prayers for the earth as you join hands with Eden Thriving’s ongoing restoration efforts. As we seek wholeness for ourselves and our world, we can walk in peace and influence across our inner and outer landscapes.   

Activities

Campfires and Evening Gatherings: Unwind under the starry sky warmed by a crackling fire. Share the day’s revelations and create lasting memories with kindred spirits.

Creative Soul Expression: All that we are and long for cannot be expressed merely in words. Allow your inner truth to speak through creative expression and discover what your soul wants to communicate.

Group Dream Work: Process the wisdom of your dreams as you deepen into the symbols and archetypes in a safe setting with a trained facilitator.

Guided meditations: Enjoy journeying inward with the invitation to listen deeply to the longings of your soul and hear the echo of the Divine’s longing for you.

Spiritual Companionship: In this session you will sit with a soul friend, whose role is to listen and walk with you in discovering the unique music of your soul that is sometimes hard to discern in our everyday lives.

Trail biking: Enjoy riding mountain bikes off road around Echoes of Eden as you explore the landscape and feel the thrill of being so near African wildlife.

Walks & hikes: Enjoy the wild landscapes at Echoes of Eden on foot. There are hikes for every level of difficulty and we can provide local guides.

Wildlife watching: Observe the colorful birds of Kenya, as well as zebra, antelope and fascinating flora and fauna in their natural habitats. Get up close and personal with diverse wildlife in their wilderness.

These are just a few of the soulful activities available at Echoes of Eden. Whatever your interests may be, there are many unforgettable experiences to help you unwind in the beauty of nature.