Claiming Your Inner Spark retreat for women focuses on accessing one’s unique way of responding to the world. The concept grows out of my connection to the former Greenfire Retreat Center in Tenants Harbor, Maine. Over the 17 years that I went on retreat myself and, later, started facilitating retreats at Greenfire and other places, I developed and put into practice an approach to creativity and spirituality that has been transformative for me. It is really very basic, and something I love to share with anyone who feels drawn to learn about it.

I can sum it up in one sentence, "Slow down, notice what you are noticing, and allow an inner response to rise up." When you do this, you open up to your own unique perspective on the world, which is both a creative and spiritual channel. I'm certainly not the first person to discover this, but what I've learned over the years is that we need to hold sacred space for each other. I offer this retreat as a way of creating a safe and nurturing space for women to explore aspects of themselves that may be ready to open up. It can be for anyone--artists, those who never thought they were creative, women who feel rundown and crave deep restoration, women in transition, women who are entering their crone years, etc. My goal is to give women a chance to drop down into the part of themselves that just "is." Everything else flows from there.

Each “Claiming Your Inner Spark” retreat unfolds in its own unique way. We spend time in sacred circle doing a variety of fun and playful art projects that open up the senses and foster awareness. We check in regularly with each other, so that we have a sense of how things are going for each of us. There are times of exploring nature, both as a group and alone. We might walk a labyrinth, learn a simple qi going practice, or go on solo artist’s quests. We eat meals together, and go into silence each night. By the end of our time together, there is usually a sense of having loosened up, of being open to new possibilities, of looking at things with fresh eyes.

Feedback from participants:

“Thank you for creating the space and holding the boundaries, and helping me come to new realizations about myself, and my writing—my writing self, and how to encourage her.”

“Talking to others has been helpful over the past couple of weeks, but it was the opportunity to express myself through art that helped me to understand myself.”

“The retreat had a neat balance of individual and group time; with space for us to be ourselves while still being together. We cared deeply for one another; creating a safe circle of loving respect and appreciation.”

“I didn’t know I needed to be slower, quieter. And out of that slower quiet came a kind of condensing into a centered place that was curiously full of energy.”




Check Upcoming Events for the next scheduled retreat.
They are primarily held during the summer months, but may also happen other times of year.