Colorado Retreat Committee AKA: The Magnificent Seven

“There is a magnificent turning point in all that Spirit reveals which is unconditional love, mercy, and a call to rise up and step fully into the Light, beginning with acceptance for all that is, seeing the good in all that is, and placing trust, complete trust in the presence of the beloved one.” John Morton, DSS

We began with a simple question among friends during the 2015 MSIA staff visit: “Why don’t we have weekend workshops or retreats here in Colorado?” Right there and then, we put our deposits on the table with the intention of creating Walking in the Light for Colorado in 2016. Hence, the committee was born with its first 3 members: Madonna Smyth, Lisa Boone, and Michelle Scott. Tom Smyth, Therese Mahannah, Dixie Clark and Steve Dreher rounded out our roster of willing and enthused ministers. The Magnificent Seven (a name given us by Traveler John Morton)!

From our very first meeting in August of 2015, we knew something miraculous was happening. We may have been the Magnificent Seven on the ground, but once we called in the Light we knew we were gathered for a divine purpose, joined and guided by many in the Spirit. The joy and laughter at each meeting since our first is palpable. The openness, sharing and ministering to each other is precious. We take the time before the business at hand to take turns sharing, not unlike that of an MSIA ministers meeting. That way, we are as clear as possible before we tackle committee tasks.

We believe that during our meetings we assist in releasing and clearing any community roadblocks in the retreat creation process (and by community we mean the MSIA community that reaches beyond Colorado) because they come up in the consciousnesses of each of us during our meetings. Some of the roadblocks have been, “It’s too far to drive. Nobody will want to do that.” “It’s too much money.” “We don’t have enough people in Colorado who will participate.” Each time we encounter a roadblock, we process it and expand above and beyond it by reminding ourselves that we are furnishing a blueprint to God and God ultimately has it all well in hand. Our blueprint for each event includes a mission statement and map of our intentions (see photos) which we read aloud at each meeting.

An example of how our blueprint of intentions works is in addressing roadblocks. As a committee, we came to understand the need to think globally rather than just locally in order to secure the requisite number of participants. So we simply added that to our map of intentions. It reads: “I am/we are delighted to welcome an ample number of participants from across the globe!” And we did! We had folks from St. Croix, Germany and all around the USA for our 2017 retreat.

Since there is a momentum energetically to this creation process, we make it a point to choose our next retreat once the retreat we are holding for is truly in-motion: the venue secured and requisite number of deposits collected. We collect deposits for the next retreat at the close of the current retreat. So, the committee is already looking at what’s next for 2019 and as of this writing, it’s now only 2017!

The committee meets monthly (other than July) and has since 2015. We are currently holding the focus for our 3rd consecutive retreat here in Colorado. We began with Walking in the Light in 2016, next came Initiates Retreat to the Kingdom of God in 2017 (we were at full capacity with a waiting list), and we will host When Are You Coming Home? in 2018. Stay tuned for 2019 and beyond!

It is a great blessing to serve on this committee. The experience truly exemplifies “For it is in giving that we receive.” St. Francis

Amen.