It was brilliant to plan a retreat just before the longest ever federal election in Canada…..even though avoiding pre-election coverage was not one of our stated goals! Always good to step away from our various screens and take time to be…. with ourselves, with each other, with the animals and with the natural beauty of Ravenheart Farms. Our rhythm was simple – horses, art play, eat, sleep….repeat a few times, add some walks for good measure, and don’t forget the cats, dogs and occasional black bear or bald eagle!! The black bears were imaginary but the bald eagle was not.

Carol Marriott welcomed us to Ravenheart Farms, introduced us the animals, and shared her gentle, respectful and curious way of being with horses and all creatures. Kate Hersberger gave us an opportunity to explore texture and movement with drywall mud on canvas (something like smoothing  (or ruffling) the icing on a cake) and walked us through the process –  drying the canvas, painting it white, letting it dry again, painting it black and rubbing off the black until only the cracks held the black. I offered some art play with watercolours and crayons to help us explore and express ourselves. Our pace was slow and relaxed, our rhythm was comfortable, our laughter frequent. Our absorption in being with the animals, in playing with mud or paint or in quiet mornings offered us a little zen time. Below are some photos to capture some of our time together.

 

Time to Play in the Mud with Kate

 

Art Play with Sue