The Fall Retreat in Western North Carolina

I have scheduled three retreats so far for 2024. Save the dates! I would love to see you and practice with you at one of these retreats, or two, or all three. You’ll find the information you’ll need below in order to sign up. I hope you will feel moved to support your life and your practice by taking a few days apart from your normal cares and responsibilities and devote those days to presence, awareness, rest, relaxation, and self-love.

First I’ll give you the summary, and then the detail….

April 17-21: The Spring Retreat in Western North Carolina (Four nights, Wednesday afternoon through Sunday lunch.)

We will be holding our spring retreat at a beautiful facility just north of Asheville called Bend of Ivy Lodge. Here’s their website in case you want to check it out. https://www.bendofivylodge.com/. This will be our third retreat at this location. Those of you who have attended one or both of the other two will have many fond memories of this place, I’m sure. When I think of Bend of Ivy Lodge I remember the beautiful koi pond at the center of the property, all the benches tucked away here and there in quiet spots for contemplation, the labyrinth on top of the hill, and the Ivy River at the bottom. The facility is just lovely. The accommodations are on par with a good hotel, and the meditation hall is beautiful. I very much look forward to being back at Bend of Ivy in the spring!

The cost of this retreat will be $800 dollars, plus whatever donation you feel moved to make at the end of the retreat. There’s more information below about retreat costs and how I go about determining how much to ask for.

July 30th-August 4th: A Retreat in Carmel, California (Five nights, Tuesday afternoon through Sunday lunch.)

I’m really excited about this one. We will be holding a retreat next summer at a place called The Villa Angelica, just south of Carmel, California. This will be our first retreat as a sangha at this facility, but I have been there many times. During the years I lived and trained at the monastery, we held retreats at the Villa twice a year, and it was a highlight every year to leave the hot and dusty foothills of California and drive down to the coast to be on retreat in this special place. The Villa is a retreat facility operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame. It is an old, mission style complex that consists of several rooms for sleeping, a kitchen, and a wonderful old chapel where we will be meditating and doing group. The best thing about being at the Carmel retreat will be the ocean! Right across Highway 1 from the Villa is Monastery Beach, where there are seagulls, pelicans, sand, waves crashing on the shore, and sometimes even dolphins! Down the road is a state park called Point Lobos, which is absolutely spectacular. We will be meditating and doing group together as usual as a part of this retreat–and there will be an extra long period of free time after lunch so that we may all enjoy the beach and the state park.

The cost of this retreat will be $650 plus whatever donation you feel moved to make. The facility is small, and space is limited. I’m going to prioritize folks who live on the West Coast, because my initial motivation for setting up a retreat in California was to provide an easy way for folks who live out that way to be on retreat and participate in sangha. If you live elsewhere, however, and feel that you would like to join in, just let me know and I’ll put you on a waiting list. Once there has been adequate opportunity for west coasters to sign up, I’ll begin slotting in folks from other places.

October 15th -20th: The Fall Retreat in Western North Carolina (Five nights, Tuesday afternoon through Sunday lunch.)

This retreat will happen at a place called The Crow’s Nest (https://lutherock.org/retreat_rentals/crows-nest/), which is about an hour and a half north of Asheville, and a bit south of Boone, North Carolina. This will be our third retreat at the Crow’s Nest. I really like this facility. It doesn’t have the charm of Bend of Ivy Lodge, I would say, but functionally the place is excellent. It has a really good kitchen, and lots of hotel style rooms. Each room has its own bathroom and shower. The facility is way back in the woods and on a beautiful piece of property, so our retreat will happen in a lovely natural setting and in profound silence. It also offers an excellent porch on the south side with rocking chairs, and a great many hiking trails, one of which leads to the top of a mountain where there are 360° views. In addition, the Crow’s Nest is less expensive to rent than Bend of Ivy Lodge, and so I’m able to keep the costs down a bit when we do retreats here.

This retreat will cost $600, Plus whatever donation you feel moved to make.

About the Retreats:

All three of these retreats will be conducted in the usual way. There will be periods of meditation, group discussions, one-on-one guidance appointments, yoga, and plenty of time to walk, rest, relax, or just be. The retreat will happen in silence outside of the group discussions. The intention is to create an environment that is conducive to introspection, relaxation, and connection with oneself, with the assistance of the tools and techniques offered in the workshop sessions. The experience will provide an opportunity to unplug from your cares and responsibilities, and to just be with yourself in an environment that supports awareness and compassion.

In terms of structure, we will follow a daily schedule together that will include:

• Two to four (or more) half-hour meditation periods a day (there are choices you’ll be able to make with this)
• Two group discussions per day.
• Yoga (there will be options both for beginners and for folks who have a regular yoga practice)
• One on one conversations with me for those who would appreciate that
• Three delicious vegetarian meals
• Time to walk, rest, and just be

The entire experience will be held in silence, as I said (apart from the workshop sessions and guidance). There will be small opportunities for working meditation as well. As always there will be plenty of yummy and nourishing food, and lots of space for reflection and being in nature.

The rooms will be shared. Camping is also an option, however, at the two North Carolina retreats for those who wish to have more privacy (or who would just enjoy that). The cost is reduced for campers at Bend of Ivy, and is the same for campers at The Crow’s Nest.. Let me know if you’re interested in this option.

About the Costs:

I offer everything I do on a donation basis. I know that some people have plenty of money and some do not, and I’ve found that if I allow people to give what they can instead of charging a specific fee then those who have little give little, while those with more give more, and everything works out in the end.

We will be covering the physical costs of the retreat as a community. I will ask for the amount stated above up front from each person to cover these costs (food, lodging, staff transportation. and a few odds and ends). The more of us there are, the less the cost will be per person. If our numbers are small then the listed amounts should cover everything just right. If our numbers are large then a portion will go as a donation for the teachings–and I will let you know how much at the end of the retreat. If these amounts are more than you can afford, let me know and we’ll work something out. I’ll arrange for scholarships to be available to those who need them. If you would like to make a donation to support someone who would like to attend but cannot afford the cost, we would all be most grateful. In that case please add a note to your donation indicating that it’s for retreat scholarships.

In addition to the actual retreat costs, I will be asking for donations at the end of the retreat. These donations will support the sangha by paying for the various costs required in order to maintain an online practice community, and they will support me as I do the work that I am called to offer to the world.

In order to register, please go to www.theoneopendoor.org, scroll to the bottom of the homepage, and use the donation button there to make a non-refundable donation of $250. I am making this donation non-refundable in order to assist people in keeping their commitment to the retreat. As you may know from your own experience, often once that commitment is made the resistance begins. If you have a bit of skin in the game that may be just enough to help you get past the resistance. I will refund the deposit if there is an emergency or some unavoidable reason that you won’t be able to attend. After you make your donation please send me an email to let me know that you are making the donation in order to reserve a spot in a retreat, and let me know which retreat you’re signing up for.. Once I receive your retreat donation I will put you on the list.

If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected].

Thank you for your time and your attention to this. I hope once again you will consider this opportunity to deepen your practice and share your practice within community. I hope you also will forward this message to anyone you know who you think may be interested in attending. Thank you, my friends, for your ongoing support, for your willingness to do the work of ending suffering, and for being the beautiful people that you are!

In peace,
David