Monday, July 2, 2012

Director's Message for July 2012


Greetings Sacred Path Community,

You may be aware that we didn’t publish a June newsletter this year.  In all the years since the conception of the newsletter and then the blog, skipping a month is a first for us.  Preparing for and coming through the two events with Leonard Orr the first week of June and then preparing for my Mother’s Memorial on Saturday the 26th required a lot of focus and time.  Both events went smoothly and were very inspiring, and yet due to timing and capacity, the June newsletter had to morph into the July newsletter.

I had been invited to attend the Lakota Sundance on the Reservation in South Dakota.  It commences on the 4th of July and runs through the 8th.  I was grateful for the invitation and openly considered attending to support Andrew, Thomas and the others who would be dancing.  I wanted to see Soldier Bear and Standing Cloud and connect with many others in attendance.  In meeting with my editor on Wednesday, I came to the realization of what is required to finalize my book for publication by late summer. With heavy heart I had to make the decision to not participate in the Sundance this year.  We do have some men from our community who will be en route to commemorate Andrew’s 7th time dancing.

I know that I am called to remain here and put the time and focus into completing my book so that it will be in print and available before the 25th Anniversary Sacred Path Men’s Retreat kicks off on October 18th through the 21st. Each of you who attend the retreat will be given a copy of my book and a commemorative t-shirt.  The sooner I can bring it to print the sooner it will be available and those of you who pre-register for the retreat may be able to get a copy in advance so that you’ll have a chance to read it before we gather on the hill.

Please think of Andrew, Thomas and the other dancers during the 3 days that they will be in ceremony.  Reflect on all that they do for us on retreat.  The gifts that they bring and the sacrifices that they make for our benefit certainly deserve the Wopila thanks that we can at least offer through our prayers and donations to support them and the Sundance.

We are commencing the registration process for the October retreat now so that you can be among the first wave of registrants to reserve your spot.  We know that this retreat will be very well attended.  We will cap the attendance at 100 and we have good reason to believe that this retreat will be full.  I have heard from men’s teams that have been meeting for years that they intend to come as a group.  I have heard from men who have moved out of state and those who have not attended a retreat in a while that they plan to participate. 

At the 20th Anniversary retreat I considered that it might be the last, but on the Saturday night when men acknowledged what they had received through their participation in the retreats and that the Sacred Path Community meant so much to them, I decided to stay with it for a while longer.  That while has added 5 more years to the lifespan of the retreats. A quarter-century of events supporting men on a Sacred Path encouraging Mindfulness, merging with the significance of the 2012 “Global Shift” as we approach the prophetic date of December 21, does warrant a powerful celebration.

For many years we have left the fee for the retreat at $395 even though we have felt that the value far exceeds the cost and that our fee was way under what many charge for a retreat of this nature.  Our costs have gone up and we have been informed that our camp is increasing our fee starting with October.  Due to this we are increasing the charge for the retreat to $450, a fee that is still at least $50 less than what most charge.  The deposit to pre-register to hold your space is $225. The flier and registration form are included herewith.

I invite and encourage you to register right away by sending in your deposit to reserve your spot. I know it’s tempting to wait, and many have often waited until the last minute to register under the belief that there is always room.  We have tended to not turn anyone away and yet we do expect to have an outreach to many new men for this upcoming retreat with the intention of increasing our numbers.  We’re looking forward to seeing the regulars and several that haven’t been back in a while.  This will be a powerful event and we know you want to be there, so we recommend that you make the commitment now.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 4th,
Stephen

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