Annual Women's Retreat at Zen Center a time for joy, reflection
By LEE B. ROBERTS
Journal Times | Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008 12:00 am
WHAT: 14th Annual Women's Retreat - "Discover the Lotus: Unfolding Self."
WHEN: June 5-8. Hours are 5-8 p.m. Thursday; 8 a.m- 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
WHERE: Original Root Zen Center, in the East Building at the DeKoven Center, 600 21st. St.
COST: Free.
INFO: Call Holly Johnson at (262) 930-1901 for information and reservations.
It is a time for celebration, joy and laughter. It is also a time for quiet reflection and meditation - for creativity, spirituality and sharing of stories, meals and life experience. Most of all, it is a time for women.
The annual Women's Retreat, which will take place June 5-8 at Racine's Original Root Zen Center, is all of that and more, say those who have attended. And because it has been such an enriching experience for them through its 14 years of existence, they want to let other women know about it and invite them to join in.
Until this year, word of the Women's Retreat was circulated mainly through members and friends of the Zen Center's Buddhist community, according to Linda Somlai, a Master Teacher at the center who founded the retreat. Women of all ages, faiths and backgrounds are welcome and have attended the retreat through the years. But the wider community really wasn't aware of its existence, Somlai said.
"As the years have gone by, members have asked their sisters, mothers, neighbors and co-workers to be a part of it, and it has been great fun to see them come with these different relationships," said Somlai. "Last year, we had four or five mother/daughter relationships at the retreat."
Past participants have ranged in age from 18 to 80-something, have practiced faiths from Catholicism to Judaism, as well as Buddhism, and have traveled from as far away as Kentucky to attend, Somlai said. None of that really matters during the retreat, though, because the annual experience is designed to help women discover their commonalities, rather than their differences.
"There is no age when we get together," said Holly Johnson, an Abbot with the Zen Center who has attended the Women's Retreat for about 10 years. "Things like body size, age and other statistics all go away when you are in the present."
The original idea behind the retreat - that of creating a safe, trusting environment where women can feel free to express themselves without judgement - is what makes such connections possible between participants, Somlai said.
Discovery time
The retreat is also meant to be a time for women to look within themselves.
"It is difficult for some women to realize that it is OK to take time to discover their own voice, their own creativity, what their passions are and where their spirituality is in all of those things," Somlai said. "Some will tell me 'I'm not creative,' but they are. And once the time is set aside for them to express it and they see what amazing things we can create together, they realize how important it is."
Activities at the retreat focus on a different theme each year, this year's being "Discover the Lotus: Unfolding Self." And organizers set a schedule that serves a flexible guide. There is an orientation session on the first night and a typical day begins with a gentle wake-up practice at 8 a.m., and will include time for creativity, meditation, solo/stillness (alone time), ceremony and celebration.
Within those parameters, however, things flow pretty loosely, Somlai said. Women can take part in as much, or as little as they choose, attending all four days, or even just a few hours, of the retreat.
"Everyone has the freedom to share, or not to share, as they feel," she said.
And don't let words like meditation fool you into thinking this is all serious business. One year, for example, meditation time featured readings from Dr. Seuss books, where so many lessons can be found, Somlai said. Another time, Somlai's mother, who has been attending the retreat with her daughter for many years, taught the participants to do the jitterbug.
"My mother has always loved to dance, and I figured it was a great opportunity to have her teach us what might become a lost art," Somlai said.
Such freedom to just "play" is something adult women don't often give themselves, she said.
"It lets us recall what it's like to be a girl again."
Importance of trust
One of the great joys of the retreats for Johnson has been the chance they have given her to discover new things about herself. She felt comfortable at the Women's Retreat from the very beginning, she said, and that enabled her to be vulnerable in a way she hadn't expected.
"Everybody was so loving and kind and protective," Johnson said. "I was able to really let go of some things that I didn't even know I was hanging onto."
The creativity expressed at the retreat allows people to experience their truest selves, she said.
"When you truly trust each other, it just flows naturally."
While the retreat is open only to women, its purpose is not to degrade men in any way, Somlai explained.
"This is not about pointing the finger at or blaming men," she said. "It is about discovering what it is about us that is wonderful."
The men at the Zen Center, in fact, have always been very supportive of the event, Somlai said. Not only do they clear out of their spiritual house for four days every year so that the women can have the entire place to themselves, but they often prepare snacks and drop them off for the women to enjoy, she said.
There is no cost for the retreat. Those who wish to contribute something are invited to bring community staples such as paper products (plates, towels, tissues etc), a six-pack of juice, soda or water, or some art supplies to share. Participants are also asked to make a reservation so that organizers can plan supplies accordingly.
Each day's activities end around 8 p.m., and most participants return home to sleep, Johnson said. On-site accommodations are sometimes available in the DeKoven Center's Taylor Hall, for about $30 a night, but availability couldn't be guaranteed by press time.
While some retreat activities take place inside the Original Root Zen Center, which is in the East Building at the DeKoven Center, others are held outdoors. The traditional Saturday night bonfire, for example, takes place on the nearby beach and walks through the Zen Center's garden and DeKoven grounds are another favorite activity.
"We do so much outside," said Somlai. "And through the years we have been very fortunate with the weather."