Fall Retreat 2018: Recap

Location: Elohee Bald Mountain

Dates: September 21-23, 2018

Starshine & Clay: A Place for Women of Color To Be

Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming.- Alice Walker

My great grandmama, I called her Ms. Mama Evelyn, she quilted every single day the last few years of her life. A patch here. A stitch there. Undo that. Redo here. Let that “mistake” go. It turned out better for it.

It has occurred to me that her quilting, so deliberately, so consistently, and with such devotion – is the way our dreams are made.

We patch, stitch, and sew them together with our heart in our hands. We use what’s available to us to create something entirely new. We engage them every single day in some small way.

Rumi says, “what you are seeking, is already seeking you.” Or Toni Morrison puts it like this: “I dream a dream that dreams back at me.”

We are held and our dreams are close by, maybe just down the street or around the corner. We have to take small or big steps toward them daily. They are waiting for us.

And then, some of our dreams are already here.

Thank you for being part of this dream with me. Your magic and presence illuminates my vision, holds it up to the light, allows me to see farther up the road than my two eyes could perceive alone. Because of you, what I ~~believe~~ know is possible continues to expand.

1,000,000 thank yous would not be enough.

I bow deeply to you.

Love,

Octavia

“Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave…” – Maya Angelou

This work is personal and ancestral to me. Starshine & Clay is my great grandmama’s unwritten story. My grandmama’s unsung song. My mama’s unspoken poem. The hymnal trapped in their hearts, now free to manifest in my mind, body, soul. This is my story to own and tell. This is our story.

Octavia Raheem

I feel differently. I taught differently. I see differently. I am breathing differently. Because I was seeing, teaching, being taught by, and loving myself through reflection. My heart has expanded because I needed more room for the 42 women (including myself) who gathered. Starshine & Clay: A Retreat for Women of Color to Be has transformed me.

Dr.Chelsea Jackson Roberts

What are you dreaming for yourself… what are you willing to let go of in order to make space for that dream?

We experienced so much, together:

We gathered our resources, sacrificed, and made plans. And we showed up for ourselves.

We came from across the country and state.

Soulful Opening Circle

We exhaled. Named ourselves. We stated our intentions.

Restorative Yoga with Octavia

Give yourself permission to rest. Rest is fuel.

Special workshop with Dr. Chelsea Jackson

Joy is your birthright and requires tending to. You are worthy of joy.

Journey through the seasons of life

The wisdom of every season of our lives is available to us all of the time. Breathe. Connect. Access it.

Intentional quiet time

We listened to ourselves.

Guided Meditation

Some paths are easier, guided.

Sound Healing Session with April Taylor

Layers of intensity. Journeying. Questioning. Feeling. Healing.

Enjoyed the natural beauty of Elohee

Mountains. Waterfalls. Star-filled nights. Fire. Wind. Clear blue sky.

Ate good

And we didn’t have to grocery shop, cook, or clean! Ha!

Enjoyed the company of a truly magic squad of women

Beautiful reflections all around.

Shared our dreams

May we have the faith, courage, and devotion to see them through.

Offered one another prayers

Simply powerful.

A life shifting experience

Big or small- something shifted within each of us.

Photos by Channing Hixon

Will this happen again next year? No and yes. Each year is different, so am I, so are you. Each year presents it’s own magic. Fall 2019 dates are reserved for September 20-22, 2019 and I’m meditating on the intention/theme now- ha!

What remains the same is my commitment, love, dedication, and attention to the details and pieces of the entire process to make sure that we have an exceptional, affirming, nourishing, and restoring time together.

Can you share the prayer poems you read with us?

Prayer for the East:

Thank you for the breath and life within me. Hear my prayer, and honor my prayer. Each movement. Each breath, a holy incense, carrying my prayers to you.

This is a beginning and a memory. Guide my steps, order them, and give me courage to walk the circle of my life with honesty and dignity.

Prayer for the South:

I turn to the south as I grow. Help me to walk my path with joy, courage and love. Help me to trust that it right for me to make decisions from the deeper wisdom of my heart. Help me to grow in a way that serves me and those I love the most. Help me to know remember I am worthy. I am enough.

Prayer for the West:

As I face the west- be with me. Bring deep healing to me and the people I love. Bring the physical, mental and spiritual into balance so I am able to clearly see and know which life is mine to live . Heal my body, heal my mind and bring light, joy and awareness to my spirit.

Prayer for the North:

As I turn to face the north, be with me. As each day passes, help me to surrender, with grace, the things of my youth. Help me to listen to the quiet, and find serenity and comfort in the silences as they become longer. Give me wisdom so I am able to make wise choices in all things which are put in front of me. Teach me to live and love in a way that leaves no room for regrets.

Thank you is a complete prayer. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

By: Octavia Raheem

What are the dates for next year's fall retreat?

Next year’s Fall Starshine & Clay Retreat dates are : September 20-22, 2019 at Elohee’s Bald Mountain.

As a former attendee you will receive priority notification via the email address you registered with once registration opens. I plan to open early bird registration December 1, 2018 .

When will registration for Fall 2019 begin?