I recently returned from the American Southwest after a two-week pilgrimage of sorts to nature and cultural sites and a 10-day meditation retreat in Crestone CO. The high desert of Crestone is known for its “spiritual ambiance” that is attributed to its 25 spiritual and retreat centers in close proximity, all in the beauty of its natural environment. Legend has that indigenous peoples who normally fought did not when gathering here.
A good friend SR who lives in Santa Fe was my traveling companion and she was also onboard for the retreat. Our friendship had formed through many years of serving others and sitting in meditative silence.
Our first stop on the drive north to Crestone was the Lama Foundation, an interspiritual intentional community that was founded in 1967. The community gained notority in the early 1970s as Baba Ram Dass, a.k.a. Richard Alpert, PhD, former Harvard psychologist lived at Lama and wrote his classic book there, “Be Here Now”. It was about his discovery of Eastern religion post psychedelics while traveling in India. The book was an early introduction for many Westerners to yoga and meditation. Decades later Lama thrives today. Here’s a view of the Dome, Lama’s meeting space and our “greeter of the day” Steve with SR.
2 days before we arrived at Lama the Native American Church held their annual service there including ingestion of the psychedelic sacrament peyote. The current “Roadman” or “Road Chief” presided. He leads the ritual and governs the main elements of the service, guides participants, decides how many times peyote is passed around, and maintains order and flow of the ceremony. He also places a special peyote cactus on the moon altar and is often assisted by others like the Fireman, who maintains the holy fire.
Our next stop was in Taos NM for lunch at a grocery called Cids, a favorite of SK. In his statement of philosophy Cid says, “more than anything we believe in caring for our local community and their pockets” - Cids was more than a grocery it was a community hub and you could feel the community vibe. Outside was a knowledgeable rep from the local FM radio station who was fund raising and he seemed to know everyone who passed. He spoke with us amicably about the decline of radio media and the virtues of the grassroots Pacifica Network.
As I entered I quickly noticed that the other shoppers did not resemble those at your typical American grocery, after all, this was Taos a counterculture hotbed in the 60s. Nonetheless the food was good and we stopped again at Cids on our return trip to Santa Fe.
We entered Colorado, and soon saw the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve rising up from the San Luis Valley. How did sand dunes “land” at the base of the Southern Rockies? The tallest sand dunes in North America, they were formed from deposits from the nearby Sangre de Cristo range and with the sinking of the valley over geologic time, southwest winds created the dunes over thousands of years. To visit it today feels somewhat eerie, as if part of the Sahara was teleported and dropped in southern Colorado, next to tall mountains on one side and flat valley on the other, i.e. out of place but unique.
As day drew to a close we pulled in to Crestone and located our Airb&b. It was one of the nicer b&bs I’ve stayed in. The next morning we searched for breakfast and found it at The Cloud Station. If Cids had somewhat of a 60s feel the Station, a combination of gas station, grocery, restaurant, art gallery and music venue was the whole enchilada. We had their tasty breakfast burritos and enjoyed the visuals, people and otherwise.
The check in for the retreat was quickly approaching so off we drove to find it. Once we left the paved roads of Crestone teeth rattling, rocky unpaved roads welcomed us and were a challenge SR who was driving.
Along the way we stopped at this Buddhist stupa of enlightenment, a shrine of which there are several in the Crestone area. What’s a stupa? It serves as a monument, typically housing relics of important Buddhist figures and sacred objects. It is a place for meditation and is a symbol of enlightenment. We reverentially circled the stupa several times clockwise and bowed as we departed - deep respect.
After a half hour of finding ourselves lost we located the Blazing Mountain Retreat Center - a Buddhist owned and operated facility it also rents to a diversity of non-Buddhist spiritual groups. The retreat was sponsored by Contemplative Outreach-Snowmass and there were 25 of us attending.
We meditated in a circle a total of 4 hours a day and dined on some of the best vegetarian food I’ve had. Kudos to the cooks, especially head cook and facility Director Tenzo Noukham Savanh-Johnson. She was a joy to watch as she went about her duties and spoke, always with cheer at the beginning and ending sessions for orientation.
We maintained silence throughout including at meals and as on previous such retreats, I was amazed at the degree to which social intimacy and feelings of group cohesion developed sans speech. This blog post doesn’t do justice to the depth and meaningfulness of the retreat and I may devote a separate post on it. The spacious views of sky, the San Luis Valley and mountains were never ending and spectacular. There was even a dusting of snow one morning on Crestone Peak - a treat at the end of summer.
San Luis Valley San Juan Mountains beyond - Crestone Peak behind retreat center -
Our drive back to Santa Fe was serene and at times in silence as we continued to enjoy our friendship and the deep rest, relaxation and equanimity from days of meditation in silent, tranquil, beauty-filled surroundings of Crestone and the Sangre de Cristo mountains. End -
Welcome to Hey World - a home for my writings, much of it autobiographically-inspired. My hope is that they entertain, educate, and inspire. I’m simpatico with Enid Sinclair who told Wednesday Addams, ‘’I write in my voice. It’s my truth!” I hope you enjoy them. And if you subscribe and have comments, I’d love to hear from you.
I received the Doctorate in Psychology (concentration in human cognition and learning) and after 5 years working as a community-based mental health clinician, I worked in medical research with the National Institutes of Health for the remainder of my career.
I served Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. (CO) as a teacher, group facilitator, retreat leader, Chapter Coordinator, Board Member and Trustee and taught with The Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography.
As of 2020 I retired, hosted the podcast All Things Contemplative, and still volunteer with CO. I also facilitate Charis Circles with the Charis Foundation for the New Monasticism and Interspirituality - and enjoy information technologies, photography, nature, swimming, biking, and kayaking.
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