There comes a time in life when the urge to manifest a dream far outweighs the
fear and procrastination of doing so. This is a story about the birth and manifestation of
a dream and an invitation to the community to now share in the bounty.
In 1978, I left south western Pennsylvania and moved to Monterey, California. For the
next ten years, I taught English to the many immigrants who were coming in after the
Vietnam war and the fall of the Shah in Iran. During this time I was exposed to new
ideas and new ways of thinking that profoundly affected my way of looking at the world.
The magnificent landscapes, shorelines, hot springs, mountains, blankets of fog, and
majestic redwoods were teachers and friends who opened up my senses to experience
Spirit and intelligence in nature. Finding centers of consciousness like Esalen
Institute in Big Sur, The Institute of Noetic Sciences, and Heartmath Institute had quite
an impact upon my sense of what was possible, of what could be accomplished in life,
in the community and in the world with a shift in perspective.
In the mid eighties I moved to San Francisco to complete a Master's Degree to teach
English as a second language for I had always wanted to live abroad and be able to
support myself. I had been attracted to Japan since I was a child and longed to go
there so when I saw a job opening in Tokyo, I applied and was hired to spend one year
teaching at the Language Institute of Japan.
My planned one year stay, however, turned into a six year sojourn during which time I
traveled extensively throughout Asia. I visited Buddhist temples, Shinto Shrines,
ashrams in India, Philippino healers, mountain tribes in northern Thailand, tiny villages
in China, festivals in Bali, and aboriginal sacred places in the great outback of Australia.
This exposure to so many different cultures greatly expanded my perception of the
journey and richness of humanity and helped to form a vision of creating a place where
some of the mysteries of the human psyche and our spiritual quests could be explored.
When it was time to leave Japan, I struggled deeply trying to decide where to return,
where to live next and where I could go to bring my dream into reality. It was at this time
the visions of Virginia began. At first, it was just a dream here and there about the land
and the history. Then the dreams became more detailed about families and their lives,
of farming and working. And after that, a spiritual presence accompanied each dream
beckoning and calling me to the mountains. What struck me most was the ancient and
wise quality I felt with each encounter. It felt like I had been caught in a beam of light
that continued to focus my attention on the land in Virginia. And then to add to the
intensity of the experience, I began meeting new people, in Japanese classes, at
gatherings, English conferences nearly all from Virginia. While studying Tibetan
Buddhism in Nepal for ten days my roommate, who could have been from anywhere in
the world was from Virginia. Books I was given to read from friends were published by
Hampton Roads in Charlottesville! What really did it in the end was a woman who
came to Japan every year from New Mexico to offer healing sessions called Guidelight.
After we worked together she suggested I come to her next training as I told her was
going to stop teaching English and wanted to study the healing arts. I was very excited
about the work and asked where the training would take place. And you guessed it.
She said, “Virginia.”
And so I began the journey to Virginia though I had never been there and knew no one.
In 1994 I left Japan and drove across the the US visioning and dreaming about creating
a healing center. I arrived in Charlottesville and attended the Virginia School of
Massage and The Barbara Brennan School of Healing simultaneously and began my
healing practice.
I also began to look in earnest for land to build the center but everything that could have
gone wrong on that quest did. I would find a place and the owners would decide to
move back in. Or a place that had been on the market for a year would sell as I was
driving over to look at it. Everything kept falling through. I continued my healing
practice and the search for land year after year and in 2003 when I had all but lost hope,
a call came from a real estate agent offering to show me a place. I declined thinking I
could not bear one more disappointment. He insisted and against my will, I went. I was
feeling sad for it was my mothers birthday May 15, and she had passed the year
before. As as we drove up the long drive I noticed the address of the house was the
same number as the house I had grown up in. Something stirred inside. I saw the lake,
the house, the privacy, the beauty and I knew I had finally found the place so long
sought after and laughed that it was when I had given up that it appeared.
And so I began to create Bridge Between the Worlds Retreat Center, a place that offers
beautiful gardens, healing workshops, walks in nature, a place where one can learn
about the role consciousness plays in healing, a place where people retreat from the
chaos of the outer world for a time so they can connect to the peace of their inner world,
the goal of all sacred traditions, to find the inner temple, the inner sanctum, the inner
holy chamber and live from that place sourced by the peace within.
There have been Buddhist meditations, women's retreats, Medical Intuitive Trainings,
retreats for the Unity Church in Richmond, Therapeutic Touch trainings, Healing the
Heart workshops , PSYCH-K trainings, Sound Healing Concerts , a six day series of
sweat lodges , laughter yoga, Tai Chi classes, men's group meetings, and many more
all of which have been archived on the website.(www.bridgebetweentheworlds.org) The
most recent was a very successful Level One Breath of the Soul meditation training
which luckily will be offered again soon.
A wonderful level of community building also takes place with people who come and
connect and help with the never ending projects bartering for a place in workshops of
their choice
.
As a residential retreat center it is a place where people can come on individual
retreats where they can design their own time out and receive a healing session, a
massage, enjoy the infrared sauna and the hot tub by the lake at their leisure staying in
the secluded cedar cabin if they choose. These are called Transformational weekends
and are offered through out the year.
It is a precious gift to be able to manifest a dream and it is one I hope to impart to
many. I have joked that I should win the award for accomplishing this feat while being
one of the least skilled to do so! But it is just that mix that has prompted clients and
visitors from all over the world to go off and write that book, start the business, take the
trip for as they have said, "if you can do this, I can do that!” Some become inspired
enough to create small places of their own like the couple who came from England, had
a dream already, saw what was happening here, went back to Exetor, sold their house
and bought an old olive plantation on the Greek Island of Lesvos and created a center
to teach Tai Chi.
I have shown by example that you don't have to be special to make a difference.
Goethe's words gave me strength many times. “Whatever you can do, or dream you
can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
I think this more than anything else, the power and awe of a dream, the incredible
amount of faith and the sheer tenacity that is required to follow through and bring a
heartfelt impulse into reality, this is manifestation and this is a kind of bliss unto itself.
Much time has passed since the seed was planted years ago in my heart. The seed has
been through drought, heavy rains, neglect, high winds, and finally fertility and fine
weather.
I believe I may have waited so long to write about this because the time is ripe now for
co-creating the new dream for the earth. We can all make a difference by collectively
dreaming the new dream by seeing, feeling, sensing the new earth in our hearts and
spirits and knowing we can manifest it here and now.
I extend an invitation to the community to learn more about events at the center, utilize
the space for workshops, and come out and visit the center. Thank you and blessings. |
