TAKE ME TO: Our Next 3 Spiritual Journeys & Retreats
Sheri’s Article | Our Favorite Recommendations, Books & Videos
Ales’s Hot Travel Tips!
All Of Our 2010 Upcoming Journeys | Favorite Quote!

Dear Friends,

Join us in Kenya for the Wildebeest migration!

I’m happy to say that Spring is right around the corner and with it a sense that things are shifting and anything is possible. Now’s the time to get your mind into alignment with your deepest and most heartfelt desires!

So the question becomes – how are you nourishing your dream? When the world around us crashes, that’s the opportunity to turn lemons into lemon-aid. So what are you waiting for? What’s stopping you from expressing boldly? For me, it’s been a long journey – but a good one filled with painful realizations and admonitions. But pain never bothered me since I’ve always had faith in knowing that I’ll have a lifetime of delight later. I hope you feel the same way too.

BTW: This month’s article is: Creating your Best Dream! DO POST YOUR COMMENTS BELOW (they won’t show up right away until they are approved) and please Tweet us to others!

As for news, if you’re planning to join our spiritual journey to Teotihuacan or our Women’s Journey Sacred Britain – let me know ASAP! REGISTRATION IS NOW!

If you haven’t taken a moment to familiarize yourself with Ales Struna – our head travel dreamer and director of our new Custom Travel Division please do! If you need airline tickets, a custom designed trip, cruise bookings, or anything – he can do it! We realize that the timing might not be right for you to join us one of our scheduled journeys. But no worries – we can create a custom spiritual journey just for you, or for your family and friends – on the dates that you have available and to the locations you want to go!

Blessings and love, Sheri Rosenthal
Email: info@sherirosenthal.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sherirosenthal
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Sheri_Rosenthal

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OUR NEXT 3 SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS

IMPORTANT: REGISTER NOW!
TEOTIHUACÁN: Learning the “The Medicine Bag”
April 22-27th, 2010

Using the layout of the city as a model for transcendence, we spend four days changing our dream of frustration and suffering, to a dream of inner peace and heaven. On this journey we’ll be focusing our attention on “The Medicine Bag” – a powerful process that allows you to see your mental map and its limiting aspects (designed by my teacher don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements®). You’ll need to bring a couple of specific items with you on this journey to create your medicine bag – but you can bring your magical creation home with you so that you can continue your process there. 2010 cost: $1150.00 USD pp double occ, all meals included. Details for Teotihuacan here!

EARLY REGISTRATION AT THIS TIME IS A MUST!
SACRED BRITAIN & SCOTLAND: A Women’s Journey to Avalon
Sacred Britain: June 2-11th – extension to Rosslyn: June 11-14th

Within the heart of every woman is the desire for a grail quest for personal freedom and internal peace. On this sacred journey we’ll be visiting Glastonbury, otherwise known as the Isle of Avalon. Glastonbury Abbey, the birthplace of Christianity in England is often referred to as the “holiest earth in England.”

We’ll visit to the enchanted Dozmary Pool where we come into the presence of the Lady of the Lake at her mystical and watery home. Experience a private visit to the beautiful and tranquil gardens of Chalice Well, one of the true healing places in this land and a private visit to Stonehenge, plus so much more! This trip is being led by Madeleine Marentette and Sheri will be joining her. 2010 trip cost is: Approximately $3500.00 USD pp double occ for Britain and around $1300.00 USD for the extension to Scotland including the roundtrip flight from England to Scotland. Details for Sacred Britain here!

THREE SPOTS LEFT!
THE OREGON COAST: A Photography Workshop
June 10-14th, 2010

Please join us on this amazing photography workshop and spiritual retreat with award-winning photographer Catherine Just. We’ll be relaxing for 4 days in a beautiful oceanfront home set along the stunning Oregon beach.

Surrounded by nature you’ll have unlimited potential for quiet image making and communion between yourself and the earth, sky, mountains, trees and ocean. All are welcome – so don’t be shy! 2010 cost: A single room and workshop: $620.00 USD, or a double room and workshop: $530.00 USD, or a bed in the common room and workshop: $499.00 USD. Details for Oregon here!

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EVENTS & WORKSHOPS

Ladies: Join us in June for our Sacred Britain journey!

NEXT FREE TELECLASS!

Ladies – Join Madeleine and I, Tuesday night March 23rd at 4:00pm PT & 7:00pm ET. We’ll be chatting about the upcoming Journey to Avalon and getting all EXCITED about our upcoming adventure. (We’ll be visiting a crop circle too!) –>
Sign-up on the website for the call-in info!

LISTEN TO OUR ARCHIVED TELECLASSES!
You can hear our last 4 teleclasses and our archived monthly audio messages on the library page of the website.

A NEW OPPORTUNITY for 2010

Join me in 2010 for a personal intensive! These intensives will take place in my home in the mountains of north Georgia. It’s a very quiet place to take time to reflect upon your life and the local hiking is amazing. You’ll stay here during your intensive and have full access to your own kitchen and space. Figure we’ll spend around 3 hours together in the morning and then you’ll do your assignments in the afternoon. Then we’ll catch back up for 1-2 hours in the evening to re-cap. Details here.

THE FIFTH AGREEMENT WORKSHOP ST PETE, FL – Sunday, March 21 from 2- 5pm

The Fifth Agreement – Be Skeptical, but Learn to Listen – is a powerful awareness tool that we can use to determine what is mythology and what is truth in our lives. Join Sheri Rosenthal as she helps you navigate the intricacies of the human mind. In this workshop you will learn:

• How to use the power of doubt to question your symbology
• How you can change any Victim point of view to that of a Warrior’s!
• How to take your power back from symbols and agreements
• How to create your Dream of the Second Attention
• Sheri’s favorite tool for questioning beliefs

To register: Contact Wings Bookstore at The First Unity Church (4th St N) 727-522-6657
Meet Sheri at Wings Bookstore on Friday, March 19th from 7 -8:30 pm, where she’ll be signing her books!

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FEATURED ARTICLE

CREATING YOUR BEST DREAM

In our last teleclass we were discussing creating your dream for the New Year and some very interesting comments were brought up by the folks on the call. I’d like to share a couple of those thoughts and objections so that you can see if these are the same issues you are battling with in creating your best dream.

One common point of view is that creating our dream takes a lot of work and effort. Interesting! I think it takes a lot of work to be employed by someone who you’re taking orders from; doing things you don’t enjoy for someone else who’s benefiting from your energetic expenditure! Creation requires action. Action takes energy – however, you’re going to use that energy anyway – would you rather use it to create your heart’s desire or to help someone else create their hearts desire?

If you have faith in your creation and you truly feel the desire and passion in your heart, soul and body – you will pull the people you need to make your dream a reality into your life. However, if you keep vacillating mentally and you don’t believe in yourself, that’s the energy that is going to direct your life.

Another common objection is that it hurts too much when things don’t work out the way they “should” – the disappointment of failing is painful. First of all there is no such thing as failure. There are only actions that did not give you the reaction your mind expected and judged to be necessary.

Thomas Edison said: “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.”

This kind of negative thinking is sure to create the outcome your mind secretly wants – to fail. Most of us believe we are not worthy of a beautiful life, that we need to suffer, we’re not good enough, we’re losers, or that others have success – not us. All of this is simply nonsense. The key is to observe your thinking with neutrality and do a not-doing – take positive action even if you feel uncomfortable with it. So what if you feel a bit afraid or not like yourself? Fantastic! The idea is to get over yourself since that self is the main issue in your life – not anyone outside of you.

As an exercise, calculate how many hours out of every day you spend on your dream. Then calculate how many hours a day you work on nonsense that is not getting you anywhere. I would bet that you spend almost no time on your dream and plenty of time on a laundry list of actions that are getting you nowhere fast. Am I correct?

Only you can change those percentages. If you feel stuck, find someone who can light a fire under you who you trust and who is successful. Surrounding yourself with folks who are happy to confirm that you are not capable or that your dream is crazy is not going to be helpful. In the end, having faith that Spirit is creating through you and that you are worthy of all the loveliness in the world is key. And if you just aren’t there yet – fake it ‘till you make it!

With all my love, Sheri

photo by Michael Baird, www.bairdphotos.com

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RECOMMENDED BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Fearless Heart: The Practice of Living with Courage and Compassion

Pema Chödrön helps us uncover and transform the fundamental beliefs that cause us to suffer so that we can increase our capacity to love ourselves and others. Pema begins her teaching by declaring, “We live in a culture of fear and guilt, always feeling like we aren’t good enough.”

She then shows the way out of this trap by revealing how the entire spiritual path is really about cultivating fearless self-acceptance. She draws on five traditional Tibetan Buddhist aphorisms to frame her teachings:

• Reveal your hidden faults
• Approach what you find repulsive
• Help those whom you think you cannot help
• Anything you are attached to, give that
• Go to the places that scare you

Pema unpacks these aphorisms and helps us understand how they can form the structure for living a more courageous life. She also holds an extensive question-and-answer session and leads guided meditation practices on overcoming shame and guilt, staying open in the face of pain, transforming our relationships with difficult people, and increasing our feelings of generosity.

Pick up a copy today: The Fearless Heart

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SPIRITUAL CINEMA CIRCLE

If You Love Movies, You Are About to Be Inspired AND Entertained!

When you join Spiritual Cinema Circle you will be making an important contribution to your world. You are encouraging talented, visionary filmmakers to continue in their efforts to add life and meaning to our movies and to raise the consciousness of the world by supporting and experiencing truly nourishing entertainment.

One of this month’s shorts, Mr. Jimmy’s Birthday Challenge, is simply delightful! To celebrate his 80th birthday, Mississippi native Jimmy Moore attempts to run, walk, or bike 80 kilometers — one for each year of his life — in a single day. The former railroad worker, who “always sets his finish line over the horizon” inspires us to live life to the fullest.

Great news from our friends at Spiritual Cinema Circle – you can receive this full feature film plus 3 great short films for FREE when you sign up for a trial membership at no charge. (Just pay a small shipping fee). This is the only DVD service dedicated to films about love, compassion and inspiration: one of the many reasons we wanted you to know about them. Cancel your membership at any time. Join the Circle today!

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OUR 2010 SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS & RETREATS

NORTH DAKOTA: Vision Quest into the Badlands – NEW TRIP!!
June 26 – July 7th, 2010

This spiritual retreat with facilitator Samvedam Randles takes us to the Badlands of North Dakota where views are expansive and bison and coyote walk freely. Daily practices of meditation, breathwork, shamanic journeying and group sharing will prepare us for a powerful vision quest. Rituals such as sweat lodge and fire ceremony will help us purify and prepare ourselves for time alone in the powerful presence of this land. Participants may choose to quest alone for three days and three nights in the badlands or participate in an alternative guided three day retreat at base camp.

You are invited to step out of your daily routines and broaden your sense of Self beyond the horizon of what is currently visible in order to realign with the original intention of your soul. Trip cost: $1680.00 USD dormitory style occ. Details for Badlands Vision Quest here!

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SWIM WITH THE WILD DOLPHINS: A Women’s Retreat of the Heart!
July 11-16th, 2010

Ladies, come join us for a truly magical adventure of heart and spirit to the Caribbean Island of Bimini for an intimate and touching experience with the wild spotted dolphins. Connecting with their wondrous spirits can be a profoundly moving, deeply healing and life altering experience.

This week we will spend time looking at our communication skills, self-judgments and the limiting thought patterns which are preventing us from becoming the true manifestation of Spirit that we really are! The 2010 trip cost is: $1965.00 USD pp double occ or $2235.00 single occ in our 2 bedroom-2 bath condo suite (includes a full kitchen and shared living room). Single occ in a private studio condo unit is: $2375.00 USD. Details for Swimming with the Dolphins here!

HAVASUPAI FALLS GRAND CANYON: Living Fearlessly
September 8-13th, 2010

On this adventure you descend into one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, into the heart of the Grand Canyon at Havasu Canyon, where we will hike and explore this incredible landscape, swimming in travertine pools of turquoise blue, enjoying the evenings at our comfortable permanent camp searching for stars, having great meals and sharing our experiences during our adventure.

This journey will leave you with a sense of accomplishment, awe and a true appreciation and love of the grandest places on earth. 2010 trip cost is: $2095.00 USD pp double occ, most meals included. Details for Havasupai Falls here!

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SEDONA SPIRITUAL RETREAT: Embracing At-one-ment
September 16-21st, 2010

Join us for a magical and introspective spiritual retreat to the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. On the autumn equinox, day and night are of equal length reminding us that we too must honor the light and darkness within. It’s time for forgiving ourselves and bringing our regrets, sorrows, and resentments (our darkness) into the light so we can live our lives from a place of wholeness and love.

Healthy breakfasts at Briar Path Inn can be enjoyed by the fireside in the lodge, or on a tray at your cottage, or best of all, creekside! As part of this retreat we will engage in a fire ceremony, multiple ceremonies in beautiful locations, and a therapeutic healing massage. Shanti Gilbert is co-teaching with me on this journey. 2010 trip cost is: see the website for details! Details for Sedona here!

KENYA, AFRICA: Into the Heart of the Motherland
October 4-15th, 2010

Connecting with the energy and wildlife of the motherland of all humanity is the focus of this amazing spiritual journey to Kenya, Africa. Here we will have the opportunity to witness some of the most powerful animals on our planet, befriend members of the Masai warrior tribe, and give deeply of ourselves at the Kids Alive Children’s Home and the Kamatongu Primary School.

Traditionally, the Maasai rarely hunt and living alongside wildlife in harmony is an important part of their beliefs. From July to October, 1.3 million Wildebeest pour across the border into the Mara, making a spectacular entrance in a surging column of life that stretches from horizon to horizon. Truly, this will be a powerful journey for us. 2010 trip cost is: $5695.00 USD pp double occ 6-12 participants OR $52855.00 USD pp double occ >12 participants – most meals included. Details for Kenya, Africa here!

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DAY OF THE DEAD, Oaxaca Mexico – A Powerful Celebration of Life!
October 30th-November 7th, 2010

Mexicans love Day of the Dead, it’s a revered and festive holiday where folk celebrate their beloveds’ who have passed. Families create altars filled with pictures, food and items that belonged to the deceased. Together we’ll learn to enjoy life as it is – as true “Artists of the Spirit.”

We’ll be visiting the graveyard, and creating our own altars - whether they are to our own loved ones who have passed, or to a relationship that we want to let go of, or even an aspect of ourselves we’re ready to let go of. We’ll also go to the local market, visit the sacred ruins of Monte Alban & Mitla, and so much more. By the end of this journey you’ll have the tools to re-create your reality and to face your greatest fear – expressing your life with integrity, honesty, fearlessness and joy. Join HeatherAsh & Sheri on this spiritual journey of the heart. 2010 trip cost is: $2465.00 USD pp double occ, some meals included. Details for Day of the Dead here!

PALENQUE, MEXICO: 2012 Mayan Prophecies – Bringing in the Light
Dec 17-22, 2010

Here we’ll travel back in time from the remains of the Olmecs at La Venta to the incredible structures of the Maya at Palenque and Tonina. During our week together we’ll be preparing for the 2012 Mayan prophecies by using these sacred underworld sites to birth a dream of world peace into the light. In addition, we’ll have the opportunity to meet with a Mayan elder to talk more about what the 2012 prophecies mean for them.

We’ll immerse ourselves in the mythology of the underworld exploring the aspects of ourselves long abandoned or forgotten , leading to the rebirth of our integrity and oneness for ourselves and for the world. 2010 cost: coming soon. Details for Palenque here!

BHUTAN: Blessings of the Heart, Meditation & Service
December 9-21st, 2010

Not many people have actually heard about Bhutan – Land of the Thunder Dragon. These proud people are Tantric Buddhists who also have a Shamanistic background called Bon – and a fantastic history filled with legends and mythology.

We’ll have the opportunity to spend a day at one of the annual religious dance festivals, participate in a special prayer and blessing ceremony and hike up to Tiger’s Nest temple where Guru Rinpoche flew to on the back of a flaming tigress! We’ll also be giving of ourselves and helping the nuns by being in service. Through meditation, chanting, prayer and ceremony – we will expand our consciousness and cultivate the compassion of Buddha within us. 2010 trip cost is: $5195.00 USD pp double occ, all meals and roundtrip airfare from Bangkok to Bhutan included. Details for Bhutan here!

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ALES’S HOT TRAVEL TIPS!

In this month’s newsletter I’d like to talk about a destination that is literally very hot and very cool at the same time – Iceland. Did you know that Iceland sits on two tectonic plates: the Euro-Asian and North American Plate? Did you know that lava flows right through the middle of Iceland dividing these two plates, and did you know that because of this, North America and Europe are drifting a little further apart every year? Iceland is the only place on earth where the divide between these two plates is visible above sea level and you can drive right through it!

You actually can drive from Europe to North America in 5 minutes! Crazy!

To me, Iceland is one of the most highly underrated places on this beautiful planet. When I told my family and friends that my son and I would be going to visit Iceland for 6 days the responses varied from; “Why would you ever want to go to Iceland?” to “What’s in Iceland?”

The bottom line: Iceland is one of the most magnificent and awe inspiring places I have ever been to!

After returning from our whirlwind journey which included 7 countries, my son told everyone that Iceland was his favorite place of all! Even his teacher was surprised, especially when she heard that he had also been to Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany and Slovenia on this trip.

Truly, Iceland is the perfect place to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit – Icelandic spas are known to be outstanding. There are also great hiking trails, quiet and pensive. Glaciers cover more than 10% of the entire country and you can see them from every vista as you drive through the pristine countryside. And the coolest place of all (or should I say the hottest!) is the Blue Lagoon – jump in and let the healing waters take years off your life!

Happy Travels! Ales Struna – Director of Custom Travel Services

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WHAT I LOVE – LOVE – LOVE THIS MONTH!

Take a moment to watch this video!

FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Words of Wisdom for the Heart

“I am not the body, Nor is the body mine. I am awareness itself. When you know this, you have no thought for what you have done or left undone. You become one, perfect and indivisible.”

~ Ashtavakra Gita 11:6

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Here are this month’s suggestions!

If you’ve got something unique in mind, a place you’ve always wanted to go but don’t know how to go about planning it, just give me (Ales) a call or send me an e-mail. Nothing is too complicated!

Here are some destinations that are hot this year:

Natural Wonders of Costa Rica

Starting at $ 1,529.00 per person (airfare not included)
Costa Rica is a fabulous place for Yoga! Even if you can’t join one of the other Yoga tours we offer, this is still a great opportunity since many hotels will have their own Yoga and Spa services. You can enjoy the wonderful itinerary below and add a few days to relax and rejuvenate on one of Costa Rica’s amazing beaches or we can create a custom designed tour.

This incredible vacation lets you sample the scenic beauty of Costa Rica. Your trip begins in San José, the capital of Costa Rica, with a city tour. Visit the National Theater, designed as the opera house at the beginning of the 19th century, and the National Museum.

Tour a banana plantation before reaching Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica’s national park dedicated to protecting endangered turtles. During your stay, cruise through the Tortuguero Canals, view amazing flora and fauna in a remote section of the park, and enjoy a guided walk through the rainforest. Your guide will help you spot freshwater turtles, herons, toucans, monkeys, and more.

Next transfer by boat to Sarapiqui and tour the Corsicana Pineapple Farm. Travel through Tilajari Rainforest Reserve en route to Tilajari Resort, your home for two nights. Here, experience the Butterfly Garden, relax in the pools of the Ecotermales Hot Springs, view Arenal Volcano, or walk in the nearby tropical rainforest in search of 300 to 400 year old trees, poisonous frogs, monkeys, birds, and even small animals native to the reserve.

Then on to Poas Volcano National Park to see the magnificent La Paz Waterfall and Poas Volcano, where you’ll have close-up views of the enormous crater with its deep, green lake. Learn about coffee production at the Doka Coffee Plantation before returning to San José for the final night of your unforgettable Costa Rica vacation.

Romantic Journey through Italy – 12 days

Starting at $2,190.00 per person (including airfare, based on double occupancy)
This tour is available by car or train.

This journey will show you the best Italy has to offer. Historical churches, quaint cafe’s, the rolling hills of Tuscany, the fascinating history of Rome and the Vatican and the magnificent Amalfi Coast. You’ll have the best of both worlds, experience the rich culture and the exquisite Italian cuisine, and take time to sit and take in the serenity of one of Italy’s oldest churches. This journey is created so that you move at your own pace.  Enjoy each moment and take home an experience that will last a lifetime.

DAY 1:
You’ll begin your amazing journey, boarding your overnight transatlantic flight from your US gateway to Venice, Italy.

DAY 2:
Arrive in the morning from your transatlantic flight and transfer to your hotel. You’ll begin your journey in the romantic city of Venice. Once called home by Marco Polo and Napoleon, Venice still amazes everyone that visits. Enjoy a yummy Italian coffee at one of the many Cafe’s on the Piazza San Marco, walk across the Rialto Bridge and let history guide you through the quaint streets. Your hotel for your time in this magnificent city will be the Santa Marina, which was build in the 1500’s and used to be a convent. You’ll be right in the center of Venice and in walking distance to all that Venice has to offer.

DAY 3:
Discover Venice on your own. Walk across the Rialto Bridge, visit St. Mark’s Basilica or just walk through the streets of Venice and feel the energy and spirit of this beautiful city. We can also arrange short sightseeing tours affording you the privilege of skipping the long lines at the many famous and sacred sites.

DAY 4:
Gondola ride in Venice is a must! Sit back and relax as the gondolier takes you through the romantic canals of Venice and sail by homes where Marco Polo and Napoleon once used to live.

DAY 5:
After breakfast you’ll check out of your hotel and board the train or drive in your own car to your next destination: Florence. Upon arrival you’ll transfer to your hotel: Hotel Caravaggio. Spend the rest of the day strolling through Florence. I’d personally recommend sitting in of the cozy cafe’s in the Piazza della Signoria sipping a nice cup of freshly made Italian Cappuccino and munching a piece of homemade Tiramisu – my favorite.

DAY 6:
Today take a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. Both cities will give you a feel for Tuscan lifestyle. When walking through San Gimignano you’ll immediately feel the peace and serenity of this little town. San Gimignano is one of those places I’ve traveled to that I didn’t want to leave. Did you know that part of the movie “Tea with Mussolini” was filmed in San Gimignano?

DAY 7:
Take a day trip to see one of the wonders of the world; the leaning tower of Pisa. After returning to Florence this evening – how about a nice, peaceful dinner as a perfect ending to your stay in Tuscany?

DAY 8:
It’s time to say goodbye to Florence. After breakfast and checking out you’ll board the high speed train or proceed with your own car to the city that once used to be the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome. You’ll be residing in the Marco Polo Hotel, which is walking distance to the Rome Termini Station and the center to all your excursions and attractions.

DAY 9:
Visit the ancient sites of Rome. We can arrange a walking tour that will take you to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill the most famous of the 7 hills in Rome. From here you can admire the views of the Roman Forum and Nero’s Circus Maximus where the chariot races were held. Romulus and Remus were said to have been nursed and raised on Palatine Hill by a she-wolf – and legend also says that Romulus founded Rome.

DAY 10:
Today I recommend a half day tour to the Vatican. Take time to indulge yourself in the rich spiritual history of the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s Rooms and St. Peter’s Basilica. We can arrange this tour for you, skipping all lines to these attractions.

DAY 11:
This morning you will embark on your last leg of this journey. You’ll board the high speed train to Naples where you’ll take the hydrofoil to Sorrento, where you’ll be spending 2 magnificent days. You’ll stay at the lovely Hotel Atlantic Palace. Spend this afternoon and evening strolling through the romantic streets of Sorrento or take this time for a relaxing swim in the pool.

DAY 12:
For today I’d recommend a day trip to the island of Capri or a drive along the beautiful Amalfi Coast. This is your last day in this beautiful country that you certainly have fallen in love with.

DAY 13:
It’s time to say “See you again soon” as you board your flight back home to the United States.

We can custom design any tour for you! If you feel you would like to spend extra days in any of the beautiful cities on this itinerary, I would be very happy to extend your stay or shorten it accordingly.

Day 1 July 26th (-/-/-)

Arrive in Bismark, North Dakota and transfer to Killdeer where our cabin is located for a group get-together, opening ceremony and restful night. There’s no definite schedule for these days because we work with the energy present in the moment! We may be running a shuttle from Dickinson, ND which is right on 94W before we start traveling north to Killdeer (we’ll keep you posted on this).

Day 2-5 June 27-July 1st (b/l/d)

Preparing for the Vision Quest: What do you need to let go of and leave behind? What new inner spaces do you want to open? Where does your inner guidance want to take you next? Preparations include daily practices of meditation, breathwork, shamanic journeying and group sharing as well as explorations of the land either on horse back or on foot (your preference). Rituals such as a sweat lodge and fire ceremony will help us purify and prepare ourselves for time alone in the powerful presence of this land. Participants may choose to quest alone for three days and nights in the Badlands or participate in a three day guided retreat at base camp. On a couple of days we may travel to some of the local sacred sites such as Medicine Hole Mountain or visit with one of the local tribes.

Day 6-9 July 2-4th (*/*/*)

The Vision Quest:
Option one: According to Native American tradition you find your place in nature where you create a medicine wheel in which you stay for three days and nights to open your vision. To enhance the experience you may choose to fast during this time.
Option two: A three day guided silent retreat near basecamp with nights spend in the cabins.
*Meals during these days depend on what you choose for your process.

Day 10-11 July 5-6th (b/l/-)

Integration: Returning to the cabins, we integrate and share our experiences. We’ll be engaging in different exercises and rituals to assist us in bringing the new information we have gained into our daily lives. This is an important part of our spiritual practice.

Day 12 July 7th (b/-/-)

We leave the Badlands today renewed and with a change of heart. New friends have been made and old friendships made stronger. We look forward to the challenge of bringing this new dream home with us!

To register for the Badlands, North Dakota Vision Quest simply:

• Pay your deposit online below (your deposit holds your place). Money orders and checks are also welcome (as long as your check has enough time to clear before the trip departure date).
• Download and fill out the trip application forms below
• Problems with registration? Call us: 727.421.0849, email us, or Skype Sheri at “sheripod.”

You can register here with our secure online store:

	Deposit		$500.00	Updating cart...
This is to place your deposit for the Badlands, North Dakota Vision Quest
	Balance, dorm occ		$1,180.00	Updating cart...
This is to pay your balance for the Badlands, North Dakota Vision Quest dormitory occupancy.

You may print each form separately, or download all 7 forms at the same time and then print them from your computer. All the documents are in Adobe PDF format. If you don’t have Acrobat Reader in your computer (most people do), please go to Adobe to download it. (Forms are not posted yet!)

• Dear Spiritual Traveler
• Please Don’t Forget Me List
• Statement of Health
• Trip Application
• Limitation of Liability
• Release of Liability
• Terms & Conditions
• Download ALL forms together

Finished? Go to Checkout now!

The 2010 trip cost is: $1680.00 USD per person dormitory style occupancy.

A deposit of $500.00 USD with your trip registration forms is preferred by: April 1st, 2010. Final payment is due: May 1st, 2010. Any cancellation made in writing between: April 1st, 2010 and May 1st, 2010 will result in a cancellation fee of $500.00 USD. Any cancellation made between: May 1st, 2010 and the trip departure will result in a total loss of your $500.00 USD deposit along with any non-refundable funds made to our suppliers in Killdeer. Any cancellation made: after the trip departs will result in total loss of trip funds. We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum. Trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended to cover such issues. You can use our suggested travel insurance company online and choose from several policy options.

If you’ve found this trip after the registration date – no worries! Give us a call and we’ll do our best to get you on the trip.

Please know that we are happy to create a monthly payment plan for you – but do note that you must be paid in full by the departure date. Simply email us and we can charge a specific amount monthly to your Master Card or Visa credit card. We look forward to sharing this amazing adventure with you!

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Share ]]> http://www.journeysofthespirit.com/details/badlands-vision-quest-trip-costs/feed/ 0 http://www.journeysofthespirit.com/details/books-badlands-vision-quest/ http://www.journeysofthespirit.com/details/books-badlands-vision-quest/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:12:05 +0000 Sheri Rosenthal http://www.journeysofthespirit.com/?p=5084

These are a few books that I feel will help you prepare for your upcoming journey. Please enjoy these recommendations. If you have any of your own, let me know and I will consider posting them! If you click on the book itself it will link you to Amazon.com.

For this retreat we will be renting a large cabin in Killdeer, North Dakota in the Badlands. The glorious part of our cabin is that it sits right on the edge of the badlands and has an unbelievable awe-inspiring view. Just simply sitting in presence there allows the spirit to soar with the open endless Dakota space. The little Missouri flows at the bottom of the first valley and you can watch small herds of buffalo come by and eagles soar through the buttes.

Our cabin has dormitory style accommodations, a large great room with table, benches and chairs, two couches (one pulls out into a full size bed), two separate bedrooms each with hand crafted full size bunk beds (two stacked beds per room holding 4 people), and a stairs to an open loft with two queen size poster beds. There is a trailer with showers and toilets as well as outdoor toilets. Think glorified camping. We have a small kitchen and we’ll have a cook with us who will prepare food. Everybody has to chip in with cleaning up. This is a “tribal” event meant to connect us with the land and each other!

What’s Included:

• Meals are all included in this itinerary except during the vision quest.
• Eleven nights dormitory style occupancy at the Grandview cabin.
• All spiritual teachings, guided hikes, horseback riding, vision quests, classes and ceremonies.
• All meditations, breathwork, shamanic journeying practices
• Local transport once at the retreat

What’s Not-Included:

• Personal items such as phone calls and souvenir shopping!
• Your round-trip air flight to and from Bismark, North Dakota, and your rental car or shuttle van to and from Killdeer are not-included.
• Bring some cash for tipping our Indian guides, and for non-included visit to Medicine Hole Mountain where we will do a special ritual.

Regarding flights: Please fly into Bismark early enough to be able to arrive at the cabin by 4:00pm. Figure that it will take you approximately 2 hours to drive from Bismark to Killdeer (taking I-94 W to exit 61 taking ND-22 N). 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.

The actual schedule of spiritual teachings and what we will be doing day to day is not published. This is because we teach by channeling spirit which comes in the moment. Every day will be a magical experience for all of us, teachers included! Keep you heart and mind open to the experience life brings us. This schedule is tentative! Due to the remote areas we are traveling to, weather, bad roads and other unseen obstacles may cause us to make changes in the schedule or to visit different sites. We understand that if this happens we were not meant to be where we were going!

On this spiritual journey our intent is to create sacred space where we can learn and share in group for the purpose of transcending our ego-minds and 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.

Samvedam Bettina Randles, Dipl. Psych. is a German Psychologist who graduated from Wilhelms-University in Muenster, Germany. In the US she is licensed as a mental health counselor and bodyworker. After training in traditional Psychology she spent several years in India studying and experiencing the Eastern approaches to inner growth and transformation.

She also has been trained in Wilhelm Reich’s methods of body oriented Psychotherapy, combining breath work with deep tissue massage work (Postural Integration) and became certified by the National Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. She co-founded the Center for Body Oriented Psychotherapy in Somerville, MA.

Samvedam worked as a trainer for the International Breath Institute, Colorado eventually designing her own breath training which she has been conducting over the last 8 years. She studied the systemic work of Bert Hellinger, Family Constellations, and is a graduate of the Hellinger Institute USA. She incorporates the constellation approach in her work with individuals, couples and groups. Apprenticing with teachers such as Osho, Dr. Salvador Roquet and more recently with John Perkins/Llyn Roberts has prepared Samvedam to accompany others on their inner journeys. Samvedam is the founder of the Inner Arts Institute and loves sacred journeys and vision quests!

Georg Kaiser 51 years old, married, works as a gestalt therapist, spiritual adviser and organizational consultant in Bremen, Germany. He is interested in the inner, mystical truth of world religions. Through this he seeks ways to integrate the longing of the soul with the experiences of everyday life. He is also Samvedam’s brother and enjoys co-facilitating journeys with her!

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Embracing At-one-ment – September 16-21st, 2010 Join us for a magical and introspective spiritual retreat to the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. For six days we’ll have the opportunity to experience the beauty

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Embracing At-one-ment – September 16-21st, 2010 Join us for a magical and introspective spiritual retreat to the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. For six days we’ll have the opportunity to experience the beauty

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Embracing At-one-ment – September 16-21st, 2010 Join us for a magical and introspective spiritual retreat to the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. For six days we’ll have the opportunity to experience the beauty

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Embracing At-one-ment – September 16-21st, 2010 Join us for a magical and introspective spiritual retreat to the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. For six days we’ll have the opportunity to experience the beauty

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Embracing At-one-ment – September 16-21st, 2010 Join us for a magical and introspective spiritual retreat to the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. For six days we’ll have the opportunity to experience the beauty

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Embracing At-one-ment – September 16-21st, 2010 Join us for a magical and introspective spiritual retreat to the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. For six days we’ll have the opportunity to experience the beauty

I’m sure you’ve all experienced this scene during one of your vacations…

…Parents shouting at their children, pulling them by their arm, children screaming , crying – everybody is unhappy.
It’s called a family vacation.
Really?
It’s a scene we’ve become so used to that we believe it is normal!

I’ve been traveling with my son, who now is 8 years old, ever since he was 2!
I love traveling with him and he’s a great travel companion to have around – he’s simply a joy and every trip has been an amazing adventure.
You might say;  “It’s easy for you to say, you only have to take care of one. Try 2 or 3.”

Last year I was put to the ultimate test by taking 2 vacations, not only with my son,  but I took two of his very best little friends along. One of those trips was a 7 day RV trip through California, Nevada and Arizona – just me and the 3 little guys who were 6, 7 and 8 years old then. The other vacation was during their summer break, also last year, and again, it was just me and the 3 boys.
We spend 10 wonderful days on the island of Hawaii!

One of the most important things I learned: It’s their vacation too! We grown ups so often want it our way. I know I did.

Yes, there are some things I needed to plan, things that needed to be done, a schedule we had to follow etc. I discovered that sometimes I needed to put all that aside and I learned to listen to them. Often I was ready to go back to the RV or Vacation home and they were not. I could have asserted myself and created a drama, but I decided not to.

Instead each time one of the little guys made a request I asked myself: Is it really necessary to do it my way right now in this moment? Most of the time I realized that it wasn’t, I just wanted to go back because I wanted to go back and the boys just wanted to have fun and enjoy themselves, after all it is their vacation too.

I’ve learned that children often have much better ideas for fun than adults who can be more rigid do! At the end of the day we all felt: This was a great day! By my respecting them throughout the day, they respected me when it came time to go to bed, when we needed to pack for our departure or get ready for our excursions.

Children have an amazing sense of simplicity. I’m in awe at the happiness that my son and his little friends experience by the pool all day, playing with their toys, jumping in the water, walking through the streets, picking up ice cream and just enjoying being together.

So here’s my traveling with children list:

• Be open to your children’s suggestions
• Include them in deciding what to do that day
• Do your best to detach from your “it has to be this way” rules

Try it on your next journey and let me know how it went! Post your feelings below!