The joy of silence

I spent the weekend on retreat - sinking into the beauty of silence and the Dales landscape.

It was a blessed relief to set off from home on Friday with just a staff and a small rucksack - no computer, no book except for the one I took to take notes, and when I arrived no phone reception to interfere with God-reception. By Saturday night I was desperate for something to read. It was probably good that I couldn't indulge in that escapism at the time, though diving into logospilgrim's book would have been appropriate and since my return I have been drinking from that well. Something that was said on the retreat opened my eyes to seeing my relationship with Lucius in spiritual rather than just psychological terms; when I've had more time to reflect on this, it is something I want to explore further with the person who gave the retreat, as in the last ten years Lucius has been a part of my life that I've never felt able to discuss with any spiritual teacher.

I missed the retreat last year due to family commitments, and my daily practice had long gone by the wayside. The weekend reconnected me and I pray that this time I'll be able to keep my feet on the road. I spend a lot of time in a vague sense of feeling I don't have enough time (even though by virtue of my unattached state and part time work I have more than most) and it is precisely then that meditation seems so difficult but is so vitally necessary.

Life is of necessity simpler at the moment anyhow, as I am paring my finances to pay off the Ascendio trip (and once that is done, to pay for various things next year). I'd forgotten how much freedom there can be in restriction - an unlooked for benefit!

The place we stayed is a 16-17 century farmhouse, which was adapted in the Arts and Crafts style into a home in the 1920s by a gentleman who left it as a retreat centre. It felt older than it is, rooted in the land and the gardens - which were open to the public, some of whom were undoubtedly a little baffled by our walking meditations!

Below the cut are some photos - may they bring you some of the peace that being there brought me.

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Alohomora

Well, colour me surprised. Alohomora 2013 in London has become LeakyCon London. Maybe it will turn out to be the biggest ever HP event in the UK after all.

Dates are given as 8-11 August. Theoretically I can go, but as it is I'll need a lot of time off April/May/July so taking a long weekend then might be pushing it - even if I can find the cash after Misti-Con, a family reunion in Canada and maybe starting a(nother) postgrad degree.

Whether I will go depends a lot on the program and whether anyone else I know is going. UK fandom has always felt more homegrown, and I found Ascendio rather large, and comments there let me to think that LeakyCons tend to appeal to a different crowd, as well as amplifying the disadvantages of size. But perhaps it would be different in London.

So I am more curious than excited ('twould be hard for anything to excite compared to Misti-Con). Good to hear it's defnitely happening, though.

Have any of you been to a US LeakyCon?