A spiritual retreat contains two seemingly contradictory elements: withdrawal and immersion. On the one hand a retreatant is freed from everyday concerns and can stroll about, smell the flowers, admire the trees, and relax under an open sky. On the other hand, it is also a journey inward with no escape. All those masks used as a matter of course begin to dissolve, personal ego thrashes about for survival, and a sometimes-painful examination of self weaves together events both past and present into complex patterns and, if one is fortunate, unfolds into a new view of reality. At times such a retreat can be a messy process, like blazing a trail toward an uncertain destination, but as one clears away inessentials, the nature of the path becomes increasingly clear.
Although this book is framed around a specific five-day retreat offered a generation ago as part of a specific spiritual tradition, the steps it follows and the insights discovered by the participant are complementary with those of spiritual retreats within all traditions. The Sufi Order, which sponsored this retreat, is one of a galaxy of groups, or schools, that welcomes people from a wide variety of traditions and that honors the spiritual essence at the heart of all religions.
A spiritual retreat contains two seemingly contradictory elements: withdrawal and immersion. On the one hand a retreatant is freed from everyday concerns and can stroll about, smell the flowers, admire the trees, and relax under an open sky. On the other hand, it is also a journey inward with no escape. All those masks used as a matter of course begin to dissolve, personal ego thrashes about for survival, and a sometimes-painful examination of self weaves together events both past and present into complex patterns and, if one is fortunate, unfolds into a new view of reality. At times such a retreat can be a messy process, like blazing a trail toward an uncertain destination, but as one clears away inessentials, the nature of the path becomes increasingly clear.
Although this book is framed around a specific five-day retreat offered a generation ago as part of a specific spiritual tradition, the steps it follows and the insights discovered by the participant are complementary with those of spiritual retreats within all traditions. The Sufi Order, which sponsored this retreat, is one of a galaxy of groups, or schools, that welcomes people from a wide variety of traditions and that honors the spiritual essence at the heart of all religions.
Richard Danforth Wright (1933-2012) earned a BA from Williams College, majoring in psychology, and two MAs, including one from Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English. He was a lifelong student and a teacher of many different subjects, including English. He also led library reading groups for the Vermont Council on the Humanities and the Vermont Center for the Book, read widely, wrote many reviews of new books, led meditation classes for the Wellness Center of the local hospital, and as a Representative of what was then known as Sufi Order International (now the Inayati Order), for thirty years taught classes on meditation and a wide variety of nondenominational spiritual subjects at his nonprofit center. Richard also had been a trustee of the American Society of Dowsers and an editor of their journal, The American Dowser. In the mid-1980s he and T. Edward Ross 2nd developed a dowsing school focused on mind reach that attracted participants with scientific and medical backgrounds. Richard wrote articles, gave many talks on dowsing, and chaired dowsing and consciousness symposia he and his wife organized as part of three national dowsing conventions they planned. Richard had a great interest in music, played several instruments, and had been Executive Director of the North Country Concert Association. He was very much attuned to the natural world and took great pleasure in nature and from the companionship of wonderful dogs. He was a loyal, hardworking, humorous, and kind man who was valued very highly by those who came to know him. As the Irish say, "His like will not be seen again."
I am grateful to Dick for including us in his very personal journey. Such accounts are rare. We are all just human beings, and we are on a great journey of return. We read to know we are not alone.Kabir Helminski, author of "Living Presence" and "The Knowing Heart," as well as "The Pocket Rumi,"' "Love's Ripening", and "The Rumi Daybook."Whether you're a spiritual "beginner" (ultimately, aren't we all? A point made in this book) or have experience with spiritual retreats, you'll learn, grow, and be inspired by this brilliant book!Thom Hartmann Author," The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight"A wonderfully expressive story of the journey through the planes experienced on retreat with the late Pir Vilayat Khan, a modern-day dervish, related with self-effacing humor and playfulness. I recommend this book to those who are curious about the alchemical retreat process and those experienced pilgrims on the path exploring the ecstasy found in meditative states. I found this tale to be full of insight and reflection and I was intrigued by the author's sharings.--Aziza Scott, Vice-President Emerita of the Inayati Order Esoteric School and its Retreat Guide Training Program
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