Although the news arrived late, word spread quickly that there would in fact be a retreat in North America in 2008...

An amazing retreat was held at a last-minute picked and fantastic location in Oregon, USA, in order to steer clear of the smoke fires in California at the time. This story will be split into 3 parts - the facilities, the surroundings, and the moments. Hopefully it will give you a good sense of the NA Retreat experience.

Overall it was such a strengthening retreat, and gave a big boost to everyone in attendance. Luckily, Jenny and I managed to make it after all. Surely it will give us all a better sense of the possibilities with the powerful, yet simple exercises in Gnosis and spark some real activity at the Centres, the websites, and within from here on!

Jordan

Van drivers, Alejandro and Andy, get set for a long drive.

The Facilities

The main lodge - a meeting place and dining room.

Shot of the main lodge from the back...

Some of the smaller cabins.

The garden (where I assume that many of the fresh fruits and vegetables we were served were grown).

A true 'mineral water' well - open for tasting...

'T-shirts with inspiring esoteric pictures on them' sale.

More t-shirts, as well as books...

Close-up of the practice room (the 'Dodecagon' - built entirely out of wood from the property).

A wider view of the big circle practice room, where we held important talks and discussions, did inspiring practices such as mantras, concentration, meditation, and retrospection during the day, and tried numerous astral travel practices for better parts of the night.