Important Information for Sedona Spiritual Retreat
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Nestled in Oak Creek Canyon along the lush banks of Oak Creek, the Briar Patch Inn invites you to nurture your relationship with nature. At the base of the surrounding red rock mountains, the spring fed waters of Oak Creek create a healing, magical oasis – the perfect setting for the Briar Patch – a quiet blending of 9 acres, 19 cottages, majestic canyon oaks, dappled sunlight, squirrels, sheep, and a caring staff.
Healthy breakfasts of fresh home-baked breads and muffins, crunchy granola, yogurt, fresh fruits and juices, eggs in the shell, coffee and herbal teas can be enjoyed by the fireside in the lodge, or on a tray at your cottage, or best of all, creekside!
What’s Included:
- 5 breakfasts are included in this itinerary.
- Five nights at the Briar Patch Inn your choice of single, semi-private double, semi-private single occupancy.
- All spiritual teachings, guided hikes, classes and meditations.
- Healing massage session.
What’s Not-Included:
- Personal items such as phone calls, laundering services and souvenir shopping!
- Your round-trip air flight to and from Phoenix, and your rental car or shuttle van to and from Sedona are not-included.
- Bring some cash for tipping for your room maids (we suggest $1.00 USD per person per night), additional fabulous massage services, facials, hot or cold stone therapies, healing energy treatments, and optional sweat lodge.
Regarding hiking: There is mild walking/hiking on this trip – but it’s not for the exercise or speed, as much as for the spiritual experience and challenge of what we can and cannot do. Level 2-3 activity rating (out of 5)
How to get to Sedona:
Regarding flights: Please fly into Phoenix early enough to be able to arrive at the Center by 4:00pm the latest that way we can have our opening ceremony by 5:00pm. If everyone ends up coming in later due to flight schedules we will simply start our ceremony later! Figure that it will take you approximately 2.5 hours to drive from Phoenix to the center. (The van companies are: Sedona Shuttle, Ace Express and Extra Mile.) Going home leave enough time for that drive plus 2 hours lead time at the airport. You can share rides if you get your flight info to us – we can see who is arriving and when and match you up if you like.
Feel free to make your own flights, but please confirm them with us before booking. If you need help – no worries, Ales in Custom Travel is our travel guru – feel free to ring him at: 604-204-0444, 866-866-5566 or email him and it will be his pleasure to assist you!
Keep in Mind:
The actual schedule of spiritual teachings and what we will be doing day to day is not published so we can be in the moment. Every day will be a magical experience for all of us, so keep your heart and mind open to the experience life brings us. Due to the remote areas we are traveling to, weather, bad roads and other unseen obstacles may cause us to make changes in our itinerary.
On this spiritual journey our intent is to create sacred space where we can learn and share in group for the purpose of deepening our spiritual connections. The power of our teachings (please make sure you align with the group leader’s philosophy) and ceremonies comes from our combined energy and if group process does not interest you, then this trip would not be your best choice.
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What's happening on Twitter?
What about lodging? Is that included? I did not see mention of it. Thank you
Dear Jamie,
This is a long standing question – do we pay for spiritual teachings? In many countries a spiritual teacher is supported by donations from students like in India at an Ashram – but this is not how it works in the west. We have homes and families and we have to live, pay bills, raise children, etc. – our social structure is different here than in the east. Our Rabbis, Priests, and Ministers receive a salary from their Church or Temple. If we do not get paid for what we have to offer – how do we make our living? I suppose I could get secular job – but then I would not be able to run spiritual journeys and teach in this way. Then I am not sharing my passion and purpose in life and that goes against my heart and spiritual path.
Our Sedona trip includes a sweat lodge that we pay a Native American to run for us. I am not getting paid for that aspect of the trip – he is and I feel his time, effort and beautiful teachings are well worth the “donation” that we made. The money he made that evening pays his bills and allows him to further share himself. From my point of view – everything in life involves an exchange of energy and I feel that is fair. I am sorry you do not necessarily feel the same way I do – but I hear you and do acknowledge your point of view. Thank you for posting.
Blessings, Sheri
Even one cigarette or an offering of a package of tobacco should be more than enough to enter a Sweat lodge. I find it very interesting that this pay for spirituality in this manner has taken such a hold on the world. Your package seems so appealing yet, to compare it with the experiences I have earned and entered that did not require a fee of this kind only the courage, faith and what I could give… time, work, effort, a gift.. this strips away important teachings and meanings. The main discerning factor is if the person can pay you. What you do is not the same as how I learned. I do not understand how you justify using a Sweat lodge this way. Could you please explain? I am trying to understand how this works for you. It sure does not work for me. A lot of people feel very, very upset by this kind of use of Sweat from the First Nations tradition.
Peace and awareness.