Perisher Valley, NSW Retreat - December 2001
We held our first retreat just after Christmas at Perisher Valley, Australia.
Lots of students and teachers came together for an intensive period of spiritual practice and investigation. It can often be difficult when many are studying in isolation or don't have access to gnostic centres and practice rooms, so this retreat helped to bring intensity and direction to everyone's efforts.
The days were spent walking in nature, participating in astral practices, group discussions, cooking and leisure activities. All exercises were done with the focus of the Esoteric work in mind, much was gained and experienced by all who attended. We hope in the near future to extend our welcome to students from all around the world.
Below are some pictures and a guestbook from the students who attended the 2001 retreat.
Edith with Students at a discussion on a Mountain Lookout.
Students at the beautiful Rainbow Lake on a walk.
A scenic picture of Rainbow Lake.
A walk through the forest.
Discussion with Edith at a nice grassy clearing.
Back at the lodge, where in-depth discussions took place.
Student Comments
Without a doubt, the retreat was the most profound experience I've had to date. The two key issues that were very much highlighted for me, were firstly the reality of the work, and secondly the pressing urgency to work much harder, putting aside other things so as to live for the work. Certainly, I'd have to say the most important fundamental thing I gained from the whole experience was a much deeper understanding of the awareness and self-observation. The heightened awareness gained from the walks, and the powerful experiences and insights gained from the practices have been a tremendous boost to the work. In addition to this, I gained great inspiration from spending time with the other students. People who are not merely involved in the work, but have been working in a very committed way for quite some time. They shared their experiences, speaking frankly about situations they'd been in, that were similar to things I'd either gone through, or was going to be dealing with in the very near future. It was a heartening experience, seeing the similarity, how they'd triumphed, and how they'd grown as a result. Finally, a huge heartfelt thank you to Edith for such a wonderful experience. That also goes out to all the others who did such a fantastic job in organizing everything, particularly to Layla for such a mammoth job with all the magnificent food.
Tony
With so many people gathered together in one place, with the goal of discovering more about their spiritual quest, how could the result have been anything less than strengthening, revealing and inspiring? A truly unique experience. Thanks to everyone who was there.
Sabrina
The retreat was a great opportunity for me to review my internal state and the level of my spiritual work. I was able to focus entirely on the internal work and do intensive practices without the distractions of daily life. I gained a lot of strength from the group and it gave me a boost and an insight into what I need to do in order to progress. I can't wait for another one as I find it really beneficial to have that space to regroup, refresh and reassess what it is that I'm really doing, as I tend to get very consumed by life. Thanks to everyone who went and organised it.
Jessica
Once you have a chance to step out of the everyday environment and work on something all the day, then obviously in a short space of time you can accomplish a great deal. This obviously becomes more difficult to maintain when you return to a busy life, however it gives you a chance to see what is possible and what level is really needed to be conscious, aware and in self observation all day everyday. I didn't really appreciate how much I had achieved in five short days, until I got back to the city and found myself in a very heightened and aware state, watching (and dying) to egos from moment to moment for long periods of time. It was definitely a good opportunity for a break through and to step beyond a rather mediocre level that I had allowed myself to become accustomed to. I also had some excellent astral experiences, projecting into a practice room with 30 people in it, during a sitting up practice is normally quite difficult. It was good to prove that it can be done. Thanks to everyone who attended who gave a good 'vibe' and a good strength. Can we have 10 days next time ??
Rupert
There were many aspects of the retreat that made it a truly unique experience. The fact that so many people were there and were focused on experiencing the astral and many other techniques, really boosts your own energy levels and allowed me to learn from both new and old students. Many things were highlighted to me about the spiritual path, about what needs to be done to find and walk it, the sign posts of the path and much more. On a personal level it really helped me to be away from the usual routine and allowed me to pull back from the life I was living and look at what I was and wasn't doing right. I look forward to the future retreat and the new people I will meet.
Kurt
The retreat shook off a lot of dust that had gathered internally. It refreshed, revived and clearly guided my little self to the path I needed to take. As I have experieced, going off on a tangent is easy, staying on the track is difficult. If you get the opportunity to go to a retreat like this in the future, do take it! Well worth the experience!
Layla
The good thing about the retreat for me was that it gave me a chance to step back from my life and take a look at what I've been doing and what's most important to me. It's so easy to get swallowed up by life and forget the big picture. But at the retreat, there was a lot of strength and clarity to put everything into perspective. So for me, the most important thing I got out of the retreat was a clear decision. A decision that improving myself spiritually is far more important than anything else. So now when I'm caught up in all the stresses of everyday life, I try to remeber that decision I made at the retreat, when everything was clear and in perspective. It gives me strength to keep going.
Matt
I've been looking forward to this type of gathering since I started Gnosis because I knew it would give all of us a lot of strength and guidance and I wasn't wrong. The 2001-2002 retreat was an amazing gathering with lots of practices and walks, lots of valuable teachings and the chance to meet others that are trying to achieve the same goal.
Patricia
The whole thing was done really well. If anyone gets the chance in the future to go to one I would highly recommend it. Everyone is there trying to learn from the instructors and each other. Even though it may sound cheesy I especially liked singing the Christmas carols together. The best part is I went in thinking I was doing this work more or less - I came out with the understanding that I need to work a whole lot harder to even get to where I thought I was
Brett
