Inner Wisdom Retreat – Part 1

I spent four full days of painting and “accessing inner wisdom,” October 4-8, with partial days on either end. The retreat took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the Dream Catcher Ranchito, which belonged to Mary Ann Andrews. This was a multi-dimensional experience and possibly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This week I will write about the place, my fellow retreat members, the ranch owner and the animals. Next week, I’ll talk about the painting and inner wisdom I experienced during the retreat. The retreat offered a number of overlapping dimensions.

The first dimension: Place

Dream Catcher Ranchito

In the rolling hills outside of the city, I was able to find Dream Catcher Ranchito with the aid of my GPS, nick-named Celeste. It’s the first time I’ve used the GPS without Jim in the car, and I was proud of myself. I left Buena Vista around 10 a.m., last Sunday. Made a stop in Salida to see Carol Cartwright’s photography show at the Salida Café. On U.S. Highway 17, I made a coffee stop in Moffat, and another stop on U.S. 285 in Ojo Caliente.

 

The guest house

I rolled in to Dream Catcher Ranchito at 4 pm. It was pouring rain, and I hadn’t brought an umbrella. Jeff, one of the retreat members, met me with his umbrella and kept me dry as we walked to the guest house. Mary Ann, the owner and host for the week, showed me to my room.

 

The second dimension: People

Hanging out on the patio

I met my roommate, Sandie, from Thornton, Colorado, and shortly after that, I met the other people who had arrived for the painting experience: Jeff (of the umbrella) from Santa Fe, Lynn also from Santa Fe, and Susan from Florida. We were a small band of five, housed in two locations—the main ranch house and the guest house.

 

Other players were Mary Ann Andrews, ranch owner and gourmet cook, who made it her mission to keep us pampered; Lindy Teresi, who had organized the event and was our painting coach; and Molly Stuart, who assisted us with accessing our Inner Wisdom.

 

Sandie creates her first painting

Because I shared a room with Sandie, we bonded quickly. I was hungry for the painting experience. Sandie had taken many intuitive painting classes and I was eager to hear more about it. We stayed up late two nights in a row, talking about art, and keeping poor Susan awake, since she was in the room next to us. The bedroom and bathroom walls in the guest house weren’t attached to the ceiling, so all sounds floated around our ears. By the third day, we three women had learned how to co-exist in an open-living situation.

Our morning walk

Sandie and I exercised as much as possible. We walked the 1½ mile circuit of the neighborhood every morning. Susan joined us at sunset for photo shoots.

 

The third dimension: Nurturance

Mary Ann prepares our breakfast

Mary Ann, ranch owner extraordinaire, took it upon herself to make us feel exceptionally well nurtured. I wish I had kept a list of the evening meals she cooked up for us. They included grilled chicken with baked zucchini, roasted red and yellow peppers, and salad; lasagna (both meat and vegetarian) with a big green salad and dessert; shrimp and rice with an out-of-this-world sauce; baked tilapia with green beans and salad. The lunches were hearty as well. Breakfasts included eggs and bacon, pancakes, fruit, muffins and yogurt. We had access to nuts and fruit any time of day or night. My worries about being hungry between meals blew away to the four winds. I had brought a stash of power bars, but never ate them.

Our evening fire

Mary Ann welcomed each of us with a gift basket of chocolates and bottled water. She provided wine, crackers, and guacamole or cheese every evening at 5 p.m. Dinner was served at 6:00, and we ate family style around an incredible hand-made table. On warm evenings, we ate our meals out on the patio. She provided wood for a fire circle. Dean, the ranch hand,  generally built the fire for us, while we sat there like princesses being waited on (and one prince—excuse me, Jeff). Mary Ann reminded us periodically that we were in a retreat, and our purpose was to do our art, not to lift a finger. The princesses (and prince) later stepped off their thrones and pitched in to help.

The rooms and beds were comfortable. Sandie and I shared an enormous bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi.

 

The fourth dimension: Animals

Horses boarded here

Mary Ann purchased the ranch five years ago. She is a dynamo. No one could believe how much she had single-handedly done to renovate the two houses, the out buildings, and started a ranching operation that she dreams will grow into a dynamic enterprise in the not too distant future. Today, Dean is Mary Ann’s right hand. He can do or build or fix just about anything around the place.

 

Mary Ann's alpacas

About the animals, I should have taken notes. This is a guesstimate.  Living on the ranch are about two dozen alpacas, two llamas, six goats, six sheep, two donkeys, five horses (boarded), a dozen rabbits, two dogs, and two cats. Mary Ann plans to sell goats, sheep (lamb) and rabbits for meat, so the animals we met were the breeding stock, not the ones to be butchered. Next year she will begin selling animals for meat.

 

Mary Ann feeds Bruno

The alpacas provide wool; the donkeys guard the other animals—they enjoy humans, but can be lethal to coyotes. The llamas are also guard animals, as is the Great White Pyrenees dog. The kitty cats also have a job – they are mousers. Let me not forget the earthworms. Mary Ann has quite the earthworm farm, which will eventually create saleable compost. Our group began naming the worms –Slimey, Oooey, Gooey, Wiggles, Squiggles, Squirmey, etc. We also wanted seven of the breeding rabbits named after each of us:  Sandie, Susan, Maria, Jeff, Lynn, Lindy and Molly. Yes, we were getting into the animals. Hearing Bruno the donkey bray in the morning was music to my ears.

Looking west

Our second day, Tuesday, turned sad. Mary Ann owned two white terriers, Kodi, 11 years, and Kelly, 13 years. The younger dog, Kodi, was dying of cancer, and it so happened that he became terminal while we were there. Mary Ann kept feeding us wonderful meals, but she was torn up over Kodi’s decline. On Tuesday, she decided to have him put down. She called the vet, who came out after dinner. It was a difficult day for Mary Ann. Molly, our Inner Wisdom facilitator, formulated a ceremony to accompany Kodi’s demise. After he had passed on, we all walked to the gravesite with candles and supported Mary Ann in her grieving. It seemed that all the animals on the ranch were aware of Kodi’s passing.

To be continued next week.