The Road Les Traveled

Les and Beck at Playground

I attended a Spiritual retreat at the Heartland center in New Gympie, Australia.  It is operated by Les Dyer and is wife Trudy.  Hence the title "The Road (Les) Traveled.  Les is a non denominationally spiritual teacher.  He basically motivates you or inspires you to improve yourself.  This means,  helping you to overcome negative behaviors,  thinking in a more positive light and taking a good look at your life.  Llke any activity that we are drawn to, spirituality is just another activity for humans to participate and enjoy.
It is also like a camp for adults.

Spirituality encompasses a wide range from self help and self discovery to mysticism and higher states of consciousness to contact with spirits and the divine.   There is a wide range to it.  The people attend spiritual retreats for different reasons and everyone there do not believe the same things.

Ever Present Parrots

Heartland is in the country and on a small farm or compound.  There are some individual blocks that have guest rooms and I stayed in the main house.

It is a holistic approach and a combination of activities, community, meditation, art, lecture, music and written work.  All of these activities together produced a profound affect.

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We awoke early around 6:45 to Les singing and were given a glass of fresh juice.  One morning we had lemonade.   There is actually a fruit, called lemonade and the juice tastes like lemonade.  The food was mostly vegetarian and they served eggs from their own hens.  They really made you feel welcomed and were gracious hosts.  They were not going through the motions.   After juice we had a meditation session and or chakra dancing.  After each session, everyone hugged.  At first, it seemed very silly and a little difficult.  By the end it was fun and I had lots of laughs when I had to hug a big Frenchmen named Philipe.

Outdoor Dining Canopy

After morning meditation, we had a nice breakfast, complete with fresh eggs, right from the hens on the farm.  After breakfast we would have a lecture by Les.  If you have ever heard a great inspirational speaker on any topic, then you will understand that Les, was one of those speakers.  To listen to him in a small casual setting was real treat. 

Misty Hoola Hooping, I Did It Too

 Les was orphaned at the age of 5 months, had TB, is blind in one eye, has disease where he has tumors on his body.  He had success in the advertising business and then lost it.  Besides his compelling story he draws on the Bible, science, the Holocaust and Eastern philosophy.  His main focus on all is for one to be able to be proactive on their view points and dispositions.  Negatives can be turned into positives, it is all about perspective change.   I have to say, the week had a profound effect on me.  I did not realize that I really was a pessimist as I  saw the glass half empty.  I saw in myself that I always wanted more and was not content.   To see the glass half empty so much of the time, is self defeating.  That glass will never be full.  I found that this was a habit that needed to be changed and now I am able to see life through a new perspective.

All in all, I really enjoyed heartland.  It took some getting used to though. Besides what I mentioned, we also had art everyday and I made a collage and a painting of a labyrinth.  We had music and drum sessions and chakra dancing.  I especially liked the crystal bowl playing.  These are large bowls made

Me And New Friends

of silicone and when you move a soft covered mallett around them, they make a beautiful sound.  It is really mesmerizing.  I had some wonderful walks on the grounds, petted donkeys and had some great conversations.  I really liked and bonded with the Australians.  They have a down to earth sensibility, have good senses of humor and are very in touch with the land, having a great knowledge of the indigenous plants and animals.   I also had a massage and a chakra healing session, in which the practitioner was in contact with my guardian spirits.

The moral of the story is this.  Whether you believe in something does not matter.  Even if it is hokey and seems silly.  The truth of the matter is any positive thoughts, positive beliefs, positive behavior true or not is much more beneficial than any of the negative like.