I just spent two days and nights away on retreat. Even though I was the host and facilitator, I had plenty of time to soak in the rejuvenating power of nature and really hear my soul speak. She said something like this - it was telepathic so not exactly these words, but this was the feeling: "There's abundance. There's always enough. The world is full of riches and pure delight, laying them at your feet. Love is all around you." She was so calm, so shining, so bright. And I don't think she was talking about material riches, like gold or diamonds. It was much more about the abundance of beauty and life and love all around me. So much to appreciate. Would you like to hear your soul? All you have to do is close your eyes and imagine your soul coming out of your body and manifesting itself in a way you can visualize - maybe a person, maybe a glowing light, maybe an animal - it could be anything. Then feel its wisdom, its pure love, its complete acceptance of you. Feel it wash over you. Then hear what it has to tell you, as it sits or stands or floats before you. Listen to its message, then let it come back into your body in whatever way it does - maybe straight to your heart, maybe through the top of your head, or some other way. Then feel yourself fill up with the love and wisdom of your soul, and open your eyes and see the world from the point of view of your soul. This is a beautiful visualization to practice over and over. It's one of my favorites, both for when I'm feeling stressed and when I'm feeling peaceful.

What I love about retreats like this is that it was a weekend dedicated to pure rest and play. We had lots of time alone to rest and reflect, and time together to process, share and hike and explore in nature. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow, but here's one of my favorite photos from the weekend:

I've been drawing too - I missed my drawing time on Friday, but that's ok - I picked up again Saturday and today. I sat inside the small gazebo on the gorgeous grounds of the B&B where we stayed and drew the view through the lattice.