A New Dream for Sanctuary

I have a really big dream. And one of the most powerful ways to manifest big dreams is to socialize them with like-minded people. I don't know of anyone who is more like-minded than those of us who get together in spirit every other Sunday morning and talk about sanctuary. 

This dream dropped in more than a year ago when I wrote a post about starting a sanctuary community retreat center in the mountains of North Carolina. I knew I was on to something when so many of you (and other friends and colleagues) reached out in support and to share their enthusiasm for the idea. As I was developing my plans, my friend Ian (as in the hurricane) paid us a visit and I had to shift my focus on recovery. Everything else paused. 

So here we are a little bit more than 9 months later and at the end of a meditation this week, a new dream landed. I realized that while yes I do indeed want to develop that center in those beautiful mountains, I am being called home. I need to land with this intention right here where I live in Florida first. 

The certainty of it is so clear to me, it’s as if we’re already on our way and the dream is unfolding. 

I'm envisioning a space that is large enough to open to all of you and to anyone that is interested in learning about sanctuary and the power that our environments have on the quality of our daily lives. I’d like to create a series of sanctuary spaces to host classes, events, retreats and outreach programs where I can share the light and wisdom of sanctuary with everyone. A place where our sanctuary community can gather and share and commune with each other. 

What does the vision look like? 

I can see musical performances, a big library filled with shelves and shelves of books, a gourmet chef’s kitchen with fresh food and drinks, outdoor spaces and indoor spaces that flow into each other, twinkling lights, candle flames and cozy nooks with soft pillows and throws where we can escape and read and meditate. I can see huge, 2-story windows and a labyrinth to walk in the yard. I can see trees and orchids and a greenhouse filled with plants and ferns. A garden, maybe even a barn with some rescued horses, dogs and cats. I can see big tables stacked with notebooks for writing and jars of painting supplies, clay for sculpting and buckets of beads for mala-making sessions. A room lined in salt blocks for healing, and hammocks hanging in the yard. A studio for yoga and stretching, and maybe even a big, comfy room filled with seating for movie screenings and gatherings. There would be a Soho House kind of feeling to the whole place, but infused with wellness, healing, learning and sanctuary. 

What if, in this big world that seems to fracture and split a little more every day, we create a glowing beacon of Light that attracts like-minded people and kindred spirits — our brothers and sisters in sanctuary? We all have a place that we can touch down, get grounded and connect with each other, with the Divine and with ourselves.

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to go there right this very minute. 

SO. 

What’s the next step? We're working on that working on that. 

There are all kinds of retreat centers all over the world, but I don't know that there's ever been anything quite like this. Philip and I are scratching out a business plan, considering resources and locations, setting up our biggest ladder so we can start climbing up from the runway of our daily life into that higher perspective where we can see the possibilities more clearly, where we can think outside the box and find solutions to what seems thrilling and overwhelming at the same time. 

I found these images online (dearest Danny Garcia Design, thank you for designing this beautiful space and creating these incredible images) and was so inspired — they carry the kind of feeling I have in mind:

Sitting here at my desk, looking at the raindrops on the lake behind my house, I am so filled with gratitude. The deepest kind of thanks for being able to write to you today, to share my dreams with you in this safe space. Maybe, then, we can dream together and make something wonderful come true. 

With love and gratitude,

Lisa