Some dream projects take a long time to incubate.
Somewhere way back in the late 90’s or early 2000’s, I started going on retreats. Recently I found a poster I made on a 2011 retreat with her in Arnprior Ontario, which just happens to be the small town in which I was born.
I was drawing my life projects and using an image of a tree with a big heart behind it – all the book projects and classes I was teaching were the fruits hanging down. I added Inner Peace Center near the tree trunk. The next year, I trained as a SoulCollage® Facilitator and my projects started to have a clearer focus, as I transitioned from writing poetry to teaching journaling and SoulCollage® classes.
I mused on this with fellow teachers, wondering how we could jointly rent or buy a property to hold our classes and retreats in – the idea kept coming back, like an obsession, though in different shapes. I did vision boards and posters to imagine concretely what that would look like. I held small retreats with 6-8 women at our cottage, or in my backyard; I also spent lots of time researching Retreat Centers and going on retreats myself.
Every year in January, I look back over the preceding year, and ahead to the coming year. Planting dream seeds, making drawings and collages.
Flash forward to fall 2019, we finally found our perfect spot only a half-hour away from us; 8 acres of woods with a creek and a horse barn, which we wanted to transform into a multipurpose Sanctuary space for retreats; and for my husband to jam in. We took possession in March 2020, just as the world was hit with a global pandemic, shutting down construction projects everywhere.
That’s where the patience comes in.
We had an architect draw up plans, our daughter created the design details, yet the contractor was kept on hold for a year or so. Our dreaming seemed to be on hold as well. I just couldn’t picture it anymore. Would things ever get back to normal? Then we found out we had a high-water table level – we are in an ecological wetland (one reason the permits took 4 months to come).
It did not manifest physically until two weeks ago – now there are shovels in the ground, excavation going on, the removal of old kitchen in the current house (recycled). Last fall we had to dismantle the barn and move it to an Alpaca Farm; Equestrian Zoning obliged a rebuild of the “barn” structure. On top of that, one of our favorite features, the outbuildings in back with old weathered boards looking like a Wild West village (sugar shack and little cabin) were supposed to be demolished – too close to the creek. We discovered clouds of mosquitoes and tics– to cut a long story short – my dream of working in that little writing cabin got a little rusty and neglected.
So yes, we have been patient. But this summer, we are back in business. It will take longer than expected, prices are higher than we wanted, lumber and concrete in short supply, but we are going ahead.
All that to say, I was very heartened by finding these two posters I made, and remembering how distant that dream of building a retreat sanctuary felt over ten years ago.
Today I picked an oracle card from my Kwan Yin deck. The message said: There are other factors at play; you cannot see clearly yet. Let go of your fixed opinions and worries. Trust in the power of the Divine to work things out in the best possible way…you need to trust your inner guidance and allow yourself to be led. The path will take twists and turns before your success can come – trust that the natural coinciding of people, opportunities and events, according to a divine plan, will happen. It is all working out.”
It was just what I needed to hear today. Add to that my prayer: Help me have faith in what is happening. Help me find the path of light, of least resistance, to more effortlessly manifest the intentions of my heart.
Two other oracle cards, popped up this week: Divine Patience and Dream Seeds. They go together perfectly. It is the teaching I needed to hear.
Our dream seeds were planted long ago, silently, the roots have been growing, thin shoots are now apparent above ground. We are building a solid foundation right now – our contractor says he has never seen this much insulation to protect against ground freezing. “It will cost more”, he said. “But that’s where you want to spend your money”, I replied, “on a solid foundation”.
Maybe, if all goes well, by spring 2022, we will finally see our Dream Sanctuary and new retirement home taking shape.
My SoulCollage(R) Yes Card
Some dream projects take a long time to incubate, and of course, it takes more than will power to manifest – my husband is retiring this year and has some money to invest in this joint project. Once we move off-line and back to in-person gatherings, I think we’ll be ready with our Cozy Creek Sanctuary.
Hope to see some of you there next year on a retreat! :)
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