In beauty may we dwell.
In beauty may we walk.
In beauty may our male kindred dwell.
In beauty may our female kindred dwell.
From a
Navajo Prayer
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"Thanks
for a magnificent experience. You provided listening, space, silence
and words in this numinous place, Tse Gi (Canyon de Chelly). Your Diné
friends, Jon and Lupita McClanahan, shared their culture and
themselves. Their Beautyway entered into all of our hearts. You and
they helped build a strong group feeling that was a vital aspect.
Tenting, cooking, hiking, writing and listening together enlarged each
of us. A must experience!"
Ken Gorelick, M.D.
Washington, D.C.
"John Fox is the best facilitator I have ever had the privilege to work with. The way he responds deepens your experience of the poem and allows it to expand, both inside yourself and within the circle of the group. You are also held by the walls of the canyon, which is an extremely powerful experience. You can literally feel the energy emanating from the walls. I also appreciated John's ability to honor the different needs of members in the group. There was space for everyone to get what they needed."
Birch Thomas
Portland, OR
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The Nature of Poetry:
Exploring the Beautyway
The Tenth Camping, Hiking
& Poem-Making Experience
Canyon de Chelly
Northern Arizona
May 25 - June 1, 2010
"I know with utter certainty that my trip to the canyon with The Institute for Poetic Medicine was a pivotal life event - resulting in later major decisions."
Melissa Layer
Port Townsend, WA
You are warmly invited to join John Fox, Joseph Johnson, and Diné (Navajo) hosts, Jon and Lupita McClanahan, on their beautiful farm in the belly of this ancient canyon to weave
together sessions of writing and sharing, walking and contemplation.
We will
visit sacred sites such as Talking Rock & Spider Rock, White House Ruins
and the astonishing Ye'ibicheii Trail. We will have the chance to appreciate Diné and
Anasazi art - from ancient rock paintings and petroglyphs to present day artists
working with silver, turquoise and wool.
This retreat is a rare opportunity for
non-Native people to be welcomed for an extended period into this sacred
place. The wisdom stories of the Diné originate in and around the stunning beauty of Canyon de Chelly. Jon and Lupita honor the four elements and
directions on a daily basis, generously sharing the sacred stories and their way of life during the day and around the
campfire in the evening.
This retreat experience is a
cooperative camping adventure in simplicity. You will enjoy fresh, flavorful meals beneath the rustling cottonwoods. The light of dawn and dusk and the hum of the wind will heal, inspire and guide us. This adventure is appropriate for both
beginning and more advanced camper and writer!
If
you have previously shared this unforgettable experience with us,
please consider gifting yourself with a return trip to the canyon.
Former retreatants who rejoin us are eager to immerse themselves in ever-changing beauty, in silence and depth from which freshly written poems emerge. Revisiting favorite places, we discover new
territory in both inner and outer realms.
We, at The Institute for Poetic Medicine, are dedicated to remember and deeply honor that poetry as healer goes back long before modern theories and organized applications of poetry for therapeutic use. Transformational uses of song and prayer, poem and story are gifts of indigenous culture, and we are grateful to Jon and Lupita for making possible direct contact with their Beautyway tradition and this sacred place.
Anthropologist-writer Jeanne Simonelli worked at Canyon de Chelly as a seasonal park ranger. In her beautiful book Crossing Between Worlds - The Navajo of Canyon de Chelly (Second Edition, 2008) she interweaves stories of her personal experiences and friendships with canyon residents (including Jon & Lupita and their extended family) and fascinating discussions of native history and culture in the region.
 To View This Book on Amazon:
(CLICK HERE)
To Visit Wake Forest University's Website About the Book: (CLICK HERE)
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Date:May 25 - June 1, 2010
Retreat Fee:
$1,100.00
($350.00 deposit required)
Note: This fee does not include travel to the Canyon and a few optional choices.
Please Register by May 12;
Registration is Limited to 16 Participants!
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AFTER
Deep rock singing
Deep day
Deep amongst the rock art
I find new heart
in old ways.
Lines across my mind now
Call me forth
Call me home again
Call me to step forward
to climb up
to lean into the earth
to bend low
to trust foot against rock
rock against fear
to go up and down and along
to listen amidst
the canyon walls
the fall of words
the flight of sight
the striations and waves of water
carved as rock.
It's there
In the red and pinkish hues
I come home again.
Keith MacNider
Port Elliot, Australia
(Keith will join us for the 3rd time!)
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Please Share this Retreat Opportunity with Family, Friends & Co-Workers . . .
by Clicking
the "Forward e-mail" Link
at the Bottom of this Newsletter.
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