Q&A: Extreme Retreating
Q: I often do spiritual retreats in one room for several months (up to 1 year), not going out at all (the entrance door is strictly locked for that long time). Also, since this takes place in the high Himalayas, I cannot properly open the window in the middle of winter, sometimes snow storms last weeks and there is icy wind almost all of the time. Do you have any advice in such a situation? Also, does the local sacred topography (peak of a sacred mountain, holy cave above my hermitage) have stronger influence than usual Feng Shui directions? What would you advise? Thank you
A: Thank you for your inquiry. You describe extreme winter weather conditions and topography, both effecting your personal Ch’i. While the sacred peaks and cave hold the spiritual essence of your life’s purpose in place, the lack of air circulation needs correcting. I suggest that you open the window fully for a moment or 2 each day, no matter what the weather. When you do this, call in the essence of the peak and the cave to enter into your room, and ask them to enliven your environment like elixirs that you can breathe into your body for the rest of the day. Bring symbols – rocks, dried herbs, etc. – of both mountain and cave into your room to uphold their presence there, knowing that your room is a microcosm of the environment that lives and breathes outside.
– Terah Kathryn Collins
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