Since ancient times, the night of October 31st has been known as the Feast of Samhain, marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of Winter. As I spectacularly missed the last full moon musings because I was busy having fun at Boconnoc, I thought I would send a quick email to reflect on the time we had. The photograph above was taken by my husband Matt as we stood outside around the fire, having just watched the most spectacular full moonrise. I will never forget that moment. It was perfect. As we walked into dinner, the full moon reflected in the windows of Boconnoc House. A photo would never do it justice so we just bathed in her glorious glow.
And that experience pretty much summed up the whole of the retreat week at Boconnoc. We had two retreats: One and Two, with different artists in residence. We had two different groups at each retreat and a couple of souls chose to spend the whole week with us which was wonderful as we all relaxed into being together. But everyone brought their own energy and so having two groups over one week worked well also. We had a flexible schedule of yoga and art workshops but there was so much beyond that: Walks to the beach, swimming in the sea and the lake, impromptu poetry reading, a tour of the house, loads of laughter and many, many beautiful connections. I shall share some photos below which are just a snapshot and finish with the beautiful poem that our resident Yogi Kate penned on a walk around the estate. She shared it with us round the fire as part of a wonderful yoga session and it really moved me.
I am hugely grateful to Boconnoc House for inviting us to run a retreat with them. To my Right Hand Woman Kate for all her yogic wisdom and laughs. For our artists Louisa Loakes and Luna North for running such inspiring workshops, to our cooks Josie and Holly for their wholesome cooking and to my family for riding along on the journey of ANOGM with me. But most of all to our lovely attendees for bringing their own magic. Normal service will resume with the next full moon email but for now I will leave you with a poem by our lovely Kate:
Space
Imagine a space….
To think
To reflect
To rest
To breathe
To run
To walk
To amble
To climb
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To sit
To knit
To sew
To draw
To paint
To weave
To print
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To learn
To affirm
To share
To care
To read, or be read to
To swim
To paddle
To dip
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To watch
To observe
To notice
To connect
To disconnect
To let go
To move on
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To be still
To be nourished
To laugh
To cry
To just be
Above all, to just be
This is a Nest of Gentle Makers
Thank you so much Kate
With much love from Charlotte xxx
