Sacred Portals: Prayer and Blessing Triptychs for the New Year

Play • Restore • Thrive

RETREAT BY INVITED PRESENTER

Quaker teacher Parker Palmer says the soul is like a shy wild animal.  To catch a glimpse, you have to get very still and quiet.  In that beautiful stillness,  our creative souls – like shy wild animals – come out to play. Join seasoned practitioner and retreat leader Therese Bimka for a delightful mix of expressive arts, meditation and spiritual practice—along with guest teachers offering spoken word poetry, music and movement.

Through these days, Joy, Beauty, Play and Hope will be our pillars and our teachers, informing our practices and guiding our meditation. In the sacred container we will create together, this creative and spiritually nourishing retreat will invite you into a contemplative and introspective experience, listening deeply while remaining in connection with kindred spirits. Enter 2026 renewed and refreshed!

This retreat gave me the opportunity to cross the threshold into the New Year in an unforgettable way—from the craft experience with the divine to the conversations with the unique souls joining this experience. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

During turbulent times, joy and beauty become beacons for our highest ideals and aspirations.  These light our way home. Attuning to our longings opens the heart space allowing joy, beauty and play to act as the currency to deeper compassion and presence.

Over the course of the weekend, Therese will blend a variety of teachings and experiences through the lens of contemplation, meditation, expressive arts, ritual and sangha building. She is known for her ability to read a group and attune to what is seeking to emerge. In response, she will intuit additional creative activities that may include sacred poetry, movement, walking meditation, fire ritual, or sounding.

Geli Prints
To start the retreat, we will create geli prints, a simple printing process through which you will create your own beautiful collage materials. The results are very playful and aesthetically pleasing; they will form the basis for your Prayer/Blessing Pockets, becoming stunning tributes to your deepest yearnings and highest aspirations.

Prayer or Blessing Pockets
These three-sided triptychs can be placed on an altar or themselves serve as an altar, sacred places to tuck and park blessings, prayers, intentions, aspirations, or vows for the upcoming year.  Composed of collage, stamping, stunning rice papers and an assortment of “multi media goodies,” each Prayer Pocket is a unique expression of intention and blessing. Make one for yourself or for a family member or beloved friend.

Group Meditation
Meditation offers a myriad of benefits for mind, body, and spirit. Practitioners often find it beneficial to meditate together in community, jointly increasing their depth of focus and comfort in their meditation practice. Throughout our time together we will have sitting meditation, guided meditations, and walking meditation.

Sacred Sound with Lisa Martinelli and Jaquel Theis
Lisa and Jaquel create a deeply relaxing experience with their lovely assortment of sacred musical instruments. Together they blend Tibetan Singing Bowls, Ocean Drums, Rain Sticks, Gongs and other sound making gems, creating a vibrational resonance field for healing and transformation. They provide each participant personalized attention, for a customized mini-sound bath experience—a sacred sound-field of healing.

Bring in 2026!
Join us in the dining room for non-alcoholic bubbly and snacks as we celebrate and offer blessings for 2026.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

• Group size limited to 16 to ensure personal access to the teacher and classroom assistant
• There will be opportunities to be in community while enjoying silent creative exploration
• Group sharing and deepening will be woven into the weekend time together
• Guided meditations create the fertile ground to drop in
• Option to begin each morning with salutations and silent meditation
• Delicious all-vegetarian meals with locally sourced ingredients
• Extensive library of dharma books
• Expansive wooded grounds with beautiful flora and fauna
• Option to extend stay on Personal Retreat

OPEN TO ALL/PREREQUISITES

There are no prerequisites for this program; it is appropriate for all.

SCHEDULE

(subject to change)

Tuesday, December 30

Wednesday, December 31

Thursday, January 1