NEEBING – Having held retreats in September over the last two years, Cindy Crowe was looking to hold another one at a different spot in the calendar.
As it turned out, the middle of June proved to be the perfect time for a second retreat weekend to take place.
“I was looking at the different full moons during the season and it worked out that the strawberry full moon was almost at the same time as the summer solstice on June 20,” Crowe said.
“With National Indigenous Peoples Day being on the Friday (June 21), there were a lot of things coming together at one time. It’s a wonderful time for us to be able to feast on our sacred items and to get our cups filled so that we’re all charged up and we’re ready to do our work.”
The Blue Sky Community Healing Centre and Niibing Tribal Tours, which are located on 356 Little Trout Bay Road in Neebing, will be playing host to the Ode’imin Giizis Strawberry Moon Retreat from June 20-24.
During the course of the weekend, participants will begin the process of making hand drums – which concludes on the final day with the drum birthing ceremony – and will also create a medicine wheel, prepare a medicine garden and build a sweat lodge.
“We’ve got a pretty diverse group coming so we’ll also be making magic wands with items from the forests for the kids on Saturday,” Crowe said.
“The drum birthing ceremony on Monday is very beautiful. That’s when your voice and the voice of your drum are connected for the first time.”
The majority of the participants in the retreat come from outside the area, with people coming from across Canada and the United States for the weekend.
“We actually had someone travel from Spain to be here last year,” Crowe said.
“To have people come from all over has always been my dream, especially in welcoming international travellers. Most of them are spending about a week here and are really making a trip out of the whole thing.”
Crowe said that there are several things that she hopes the retreat participants take away from the experience.
“Being in the energy of like-minded people is very empowering and very inspiring,” Crowe added. “You walk away feeling like you can conquer anything.
“There’s also the interconnectedness, not just with other humans, but with everything that the earth has to offer.
“People are coming with different gifts but when you have everybody come together in the circle, everybody’s equal.”
Crowe also pointed out that the retreat weekend is open to everyone.
“I have a woman who is 80 years young who’s coming and I have a five-year-old coming, so that gives a real nice sense of the diversity we have,” Crowe said.
“All ethnicities, diverse backgrounds, identities and genders are welcome here.”
Anyone who is interested in attending the retreat can contact Crowe at 807-627-5768 or via e-mail.
