Mark Green's Atheopaganism Blog

A reflection on Suntree Retreat 2022 by Summer LaJoie

From all directions, north, south, east and west, we came to gather in the meadow 

Circling round the suntree, with open minds and open hearts we clad the limbs with treasures

The sky took notice to our song and the forest quietly listened 

We spoke our words of growth and healing to set our intentions

With honor and respect, for ourselves and each other, we acknowledged the land and all of our ancestors 

And with a unified breath, we gently opened a sacred and beautiful container

And as it opened we could see the artistry of careful consideration in all of it’s grandeur 

This unique and lovely vessel held space for us to connect and express our true and authentic nature

We shared moments of examination of the brokenness of our worldly society, as well as our interconnectedness to all of this reality

And through a lens framed in science and deep thought, we honored the light each of us brought

With a rainbow of threads of unique qualities, we wove into the web of this loving community 

Transforming ourselves through ritual and creativity, we honored our vulnerability and vitality

We laughed and we cried and we danced and we sang, and we made cosmalas retracing events back to the big bang

We bore witness to rites of passage, of losses, releasings, unions and new beginnings

We howled at the moon, when the sun and the earth aligned, eclipsed in our hearts new gifts did we find

We filled the sacred container full to the brim, and we swam in the brew of new thoughts and emotions, drinking our dreams for tomorrow in

And when the time came for our departure, we embodied all of these beautiful gifts we had received, and returned to our beloved suntree 

With a promise that it would be opened once more, with another collective breath we gently shut the container door

And with a reminder of our intrinsic link to those who deeply feel and think, we set back off into the world, with our hearts filled with magic and gratitude