WINTER AT THE LODGE
It has been a quietly productive winter for us here at the Lodge. Over the season we have mostly seen familiar faces returning, both curious to experience teepees and the program in winter, and needing the refuge offered by the fire, the sleeping river, and hearts that listen.
Many past participants have indicated that they need a deepening experience, either in the form of a Healing Sweat or a Vision Quest/Fast. These are very powerful transformative experiences, and have only been granted to those who are prepared to let go and sacrifice their old attitudes so that the new can be born.
Last year Rick Brandl opened that doorway by requesting assistance for his Vision Quest, and was followed in the spring by our son, Nelson, who completed almost two full days of isolation in the bush with neither food nor water. A boy of thirteen became a man, and many came to celebrate this passage at the feast that followed the closing Sweat. It was a powerful and emotional time. This transition brought home how essential these ancient rites are.
Ned spent his fasting time by the river at the waterfall on the property we hope will one day become Jalbun Lodge. His was a four day time of reflection, waiting, reconnecting, and dreaming. He seemed kinder when he returned to us, and certainly lighter.
Rick spent four days in isolation again in the fall. When he returned his appreciation for the smallest things in life was very strong. He began to take delight in even the most mundane things.
Winter is a time of reflection, turning inward, regeneration, which is perhaps why some of those who had been once or twice to the lodge decided to embark on their Vision Quest this season. It has become a learning experience for us all, creating an intimacy even as the "Fasters" remain alone in a teepee with only the fire and Ned's support and direction as tangible threads to connect them to the outside world.
Others have requested Healing Sweats for release from deep injuries, illness, and issues. Here the focus by all participants is on the one who has called for the Sweat. These ceremonies are mostly arranged by the one to be "healed", including the potluck feast, giveaway items, invitees, wood, and the "Grandfathers". These are the times when Ned relies heavily on his "e mails from the Creator", as each person has unique needs, issues, and style.
In so many ways our family circle grows and at the same time tightens its bonds.OUR HELPERS
Jalbun Lodge has experienced many wonderful people who have helped in their own special ways. This summer Julie Hewitt took over the kitchen duties with great determination and sense of humour. We lost her to university in the autumn, but she continued to be part of the lodge by putting together a booklet for school group workshops. Her duties were taken over by Marsha Gwizd who brought a background of catering and Motherhood to the kitchen. Both guests and family members felt nourished and cared for when they sat down to partake in a Marsha meal prepared with love. Marsha has also been a dedicated force in promoting Jalbun Lodge and creating networking possibilities.
In the summer Amanda Donnelly came on board as our child care worker, bringing a love for children along with her skills as a caregiver. In October Amanda became officially part of the family, and continues to enrich our lives every day in countless ways. It's hard to imagine the Bensons or Jalbun Lodge without her sweet smile and good natured temperament.
Rick Brandl continues to offer his spare time to any number of jobs around the lodge, from wood chopping to being Ned's helper in the ceremonies, from putting up teepees to caring for and protecting Ned while he fasted and dreamed. Rick arrived one day a couple of years ago and said, "I'd like to chop some wood for you." And he never left. Blessings abound.
Vince and Beryl Simon came up from Scarborough to put in new flooring and brought armloads of food: bread, coffee, ketchup, tissues, and more crocheted blankets... got us settled in to winter perfectly.
We are honoured and delighted to have Esana with us for most of the upcoming season. She has offered to cook and clean - the most noble and most essential component of what we have here, in my opinion! - but I think our guests are going to find her energy reaches beyond the kitchen and into their hearts. She is a blessing! Esana is also an exquisitely compassionate yoga instructor who invites you to experience ecstasy in the union of body and spirit.INTRODUCING....
We are pleased to announce the availability of the healing services of two exceptionally gifted women, Daniela Frasson and Lina Razgaitis. Daniela is offering Shiatsu and Cranial Sacral treatments, and Lina is offering Pranic Healing sessions. Bookings for treatments should be made when you make your reservation with the lodge. One hour treatments are $65.00. DONATIONS
In our fall newsletter we mentioned a few items that the lodge needed, and the response was overwhelming. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the following for their generous gifts:
- Stéphanie Nelson for the Sears gift certificates. We haven't decided whether to buy a carpet for the stove room, cutlery, or pasta bowls???
- Kim Emmerton for the beautiful hand made rattle for the sweat lodge
- Janet Ypma for the much needed Laser printer. We had three and none of them worked! Now we have four and two work. Yay! Thanks, Janet. Also for the teepee photo we used in the last newsletter.
- Richard Brandl for the car. Yes, I said car. Our mechanic had been urging us to retire the LeSabre for some time, as even though the engine was strong, that was about it. He was even afraid to put it up on the hoist for fear it would crumble. Rick had retired his ailing Tempo in our driveway, as he had acquired a brand new Subaru, and told us if we didn't want it he would have it towed. We towed it to the garage to discover it needed minor repairs, and now we have a new old car added to the Jalbun Lodge "fleet".
- Chris Pathin for the great set of stainless steel mixing bowls. What a lovely surprise to find them in the mail!
- Pauline Barratt for the dryer. Ask and ye shall receive! What a difference a full size dryer makes with all those sheets, towels, and regular laundry of five people!
- Barb Gale for the supply of new foam mattresses. Now there's enough for all the teepees and Tibetan Pulsing, too. I don't have to steal from the teepees anymore!
- Daniela Frasson for lots of sheets and kitchen things, including a coffee thermos... very welcome on frosty mornings for Sunrise Ceremony.
- Michael Prozsak and staff at Stairs and Railings for the manufacture of the drum rounds and pieces for the drum making workshops.
- Les Clarke for arranging skids to lay floors in the teepees.
- Esana (Evelyn Lofty) for all the little beautiful gifts and donation of food items.
- Vince and Beryl Simon for all the goodies they bring every time they come.
- Anthony Subject for the big old turtle shell and the little new rattle.
- Kevin Vaughn for his tireless tenacity in getting our computers running and compatible to their best ability.
| Jalbun
Lodge's bringing in of the new millennium was, for me, a blissful event.
Ned, Benjamin, and I had all been laid flat with the flu since the 24th
of December, but these two days presented a separate reality. The group
that gathered seemed to be hand-picked by the Creator to make a luscious
mix of healers and mystics, with the perfect blend of those who came in
innocence and trust.
Guests began to arrive mid afternoon on Friday, and at about five o'clock we gathered in the Community teepee for introductions. There was an air of gentle excitement, and although each person may have been chewing away on their own individual issues, there was a tangible drawing together, and a setting aside of troubles to bring light and delight to the group. We had lots of blankets for the drum journey. As usual Ned's "bus trip" made unique stops along the way. Coloured ribbons fluttered and many creatures roamed the inner terrain of the participants. Insights were gained and understanding deepened. There was just enough snow on the ground for pretty and pleasant walks in the bush. The mood was relaxed, so people slipped away when they were moved to, for easy tramps through the pretty bush. After the feast we had rest time. Small groups formed to story tell and share. Others dozed in their teepees by the warmth of the fire. When the sweat Lodge fire was lit Ned presented Rick and Daniela with a Medicine Wheel hung with eagle feathers to honour their engagement to be married. It was a potent moment as they stood at the doorway to the Lodge, with the fire blazing to the east, and a host of glowing faces witnessed the union as they both held the small Medicine Wheel in raised hands. Later someone commented that it felt like at that moment they were married. At midnight I brought out the little candle that had been given to me by Sandra Fecht. It was eighth in a line of candles that had been lit by the flame of the Dalai Lama's peace candle. Everyone received a candle to light from it, and we stood in a circle around the Sweat Lodge fire holding our candles, and sang a song i learned in folk clubs in the early seventies:
Whisper the words. Please let it come soon. Whisper a prayer for the world. The Sweat Lodge itself was relatively gentle and I could almost use the word fun. Great energy and hope, the summoning of good and healing energies, rejoicing in the gifts we have been given, pledges to offer ourselves and our services in positive ways... prayers for the children, prayers for women, prayers for the men, prayers for the earth... A light bite to eat, and then as much sleep as we could manage. Brunch was marvelous: smoked salmon, freshly baked croissants, papaya, mango, kiwi, strawberries, cream cheese, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Afterward Lina led us in a Pranic Healing session, first using the techniques to find and heal places in ourselves, then an earth healing exercise. A mellowed out group flowed into the house to do a Tibetan Pulsing Healing stream by the fire using the energy of the heart. It was a beautiful mandala of bodies, all connected and peaceful. Even Ned participated in the stream, completing the circle beautifully. Everyone left in their own time, parting with lots of hugs and sweet smiles. A new era had been ushered in with respect, ceremony, laughter, and hope. |
| Deepam is now
offering both the Rebalancing Deep Tissue Bodywork and Tibetan Pulsing
eye reading and treatment at the Lodge .
Currently a Tibetan Pulsing Streaming workshop is being held every Wednesday evening in Orillia. Each session focuses on one circuit or organ and its issues and attitudes. The streaming process utilizes all of the participants bio electric energy flowing from the heart, and balances it out within that stream. Rebalancing
is a profound system of hands-on bodywork , utilizing several techniques
to restore the body's fluidity and ease of movement. Deep tissue , soft
joint release, and breath work techniques are used to bring awareness
to the holding patterns in the body,. Awareness facilitates release, bringing
balance to the individual, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
|
photo courtesy Bill Wadds
DRUM MAKING
Throughout the summer and fall there was considerable interest generated for drum building workshops, so Ned organized one in Toronto to take place through the winter; first building the drum, then learning the songs in a series of evenings, with a one day event at the lodge to bless and birth the drums. The response turned out to be too mild to go ahead with it as such, so he set up a similar series in Orillia. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that didn't fly either. The response he received was that people wanted to come to the lodge take part in events like that. So while we sought to provide convenience we learned that the more vital part of what we do is where we are, and what has been created here by all who have taken part. And so... it came to pass that we have held two drum making workshops here at Jalbun Lodge, and they have been so special. We learn not only how to build a hand drum and a song to take home, but that there is a teaching and a learning in everything we do. How we approach it, how we listen, how we hear, layers of voice and sound, our capacity to share and give of ourselves; all these are folded into the skin of the drum as we soak, cut, weave and stretch.
Now that our quiet, or "shoulder" season, is coming to a close we have been working on how to meet the demand for more drum workshops without sacrificing any of the weekend programs. What has evolved is that we are now offering the opportunity to partake in a drum building workshop on any Friday, with the option of participating in the weekend program starting on Saturday. The drum made on Friday can then go into the Sweat Lodge on Saturday to be birthed and blessed. To take part in this extended program guests would arrive on Thursday night, or early Friday morning, at their convenience.
This package has already started to book, so it seems we have come up with a satisfactory solution!
THE "NEW LAND"
| As
the number of guests coming to our lodge continues to grow, a piece of
land one kilometer west of us looks more and more like Jalbun Lodge. It
is ten acres with a custom home, big kitchen, very large heated shop, several
outbuildings, lots of river frontage with many beautiful spots for meditation
(the river is mostly smooth rock bottom), still swimming areas, waterfall,
and rapids. There are some very magical places with tremendous energy.
The current owners have been kind enough to let us walk this land again
and again, as well as allow Ned to put up the small teepee for his four
day fast/vision quest. The features of this place are too numerous to mention,
but we see indoor shower/toilet facilities, teepees situated in private
glens, separate cottages for individual therapy, group space for movement
workshops, yoga classes, Tibetan Pulsing Streaming groups, etc., the sound
of running water instead of road noises during Drum Journeys, staying on
our own land for the Nature Walk, warm indoor accommodation during the
winter months, and so on…
We are looking at ways to raise money to acquire this land, such as a raffle of Mel Benson's exquisite art, or perhaps an auction, either live or on the internet, of donated items and services. Marsha has made up a donation box already, and a little money has been squirreled away for a deposit. Suggestions are always welcome. Updates will be posted in the next newsletters. |
| As the
need for Amanda's healing Sweat Lodge became clear Ned received his "e
mail" that it should be a woman conducting it. He approached Lee Maracle
who graciously agreed with her delightful sense of humour. It was an honour
to have her here at the Lodge, and so refreshing to experience a woman
of such caring and lack of pretension.
The night before Amanda's sweat most of the family slept in a teepee, and at about midnight a family of wolves began to howl about half a kilometer away. It was a welcome, sweet sound, and at the same time a little mournful. The next morning, when we went to gather cedar for the ceremony, we saw their tracks all around the cedar trees along the river. We laid tobacco and gathered wherever their tracks led. Inside the sweat Lodge Lee led us on a journey that was full of wonderful unexpected turns and stops along the way. Each of the women offered their own special gifts and memories to Amanda. It became apparent that we were experiencing a major rite of passage, and many of the mature women wept as we felt how deeply that had been missed in our own lifetimes. Thank you, Lee, and especially thank you, Amanda, for your courage and your vulnerability... we see ourselves and we see you. This was more than an opportunity. This was a blessing. Take these gifts into your life as a woman who walks with dignity, grace, and self respect. |
705-833-2641
890 Monck Road, RR1 Sebright,
ON, Canada L0K 1W0
Comments, suggestions, articles are all welcome!
Please Note:2000 Rates:Weekend package: $245.00, all inclusiveWeekday accommodation: $125.00, all inclusive Rebalancing Deep-tissue bodywork: $65.00/hour Tibetan Pulsing Healing: $90.00/ 1 ½ - 2 hours |
