True Happiness, Real Freedom / May 2022

Both women and men play a role in the formation of the culture we live in but are our actions creating and supporting a culture that we truly desire or are we unconsciously participating in a culture that is less than what our hearts are longing for? Are we living lives of happiness and purpose or are we just trying to get by and survive the challenges of life? As women, do we take responsibility for our lives or do we blame the patriarchal structure we live in for our limitations? So often today we are unconsciously acting out of movements in ourselves that are in contradiction to our deepest hearts desire to be in true relationship with ourselves, with men, with other women, with our family, with all of life.

This 5-day retreat is being offered to give women the opportunity to joyously come together to answer and experience what true happiness and real freedom is. The retreat will include teachings on accessing a deeper dimension of yourself that is always, already free and deeply relaxed and to look into the movement of ego that is in contradiction to this deeper dimension of you. If you give yourself to this retreat and dare to go beyond any ideas you have about yourself and what is possible, then you will find yourself loving in a way you have never loved and being together with women in a way that is free, joyful, engaged.

There will be regular meditation sessions. Cynthia will guide you into a deeper dimension of yourself where you will find freedom from the victimization of the movement of mind and emotions. She will engage everyday with you in a question and answer sessions. Meditating together in the stillness and beauty of Quinta da Mizarela will enhance your seated meditation practice and we will go on walks in nature to facilitate letting go into the mysterious depths of your True Nature.

During this retreat you will learn about the impersonal movement of ego that everyone needs to take personal responsibility for. There really is only one obstacle in living a more loving and caring existence and this is the activity of ego that we choose consciously and unconsciously. It is the belief that I am separate and isolated that causes our suffering and the suffering in the world. This belief is in opposition to our deepest hearts longing for love, intimacy and peace and until we learn to recognize this movement in ourselves we will never be able to deeply understand our human experience as women or our experience of relationship with others. Cynthia will help you to see the root of this belief so you can transcend it in any moment you chose to.

So why is this retreat only for women?

The retreat could easily be for men or for both men and women. But over the years in working with men and women we have found that it is important to have time and space to come together with men and women separately. Women and men have different biological and cultural conditioning and it has been our experience that when the genders come together separately that a deeper understanding of ones conditioning emerges and barriers and beliefs that hold us back are seen through. Trust emerges and this creates opportunity and interest in individuals to change and understand all their relationships be it with their lover, mother, father, sister, brother, children and work colleagues.

So when a group of women come together a love and respect for each other can rise to the surface of our experience. We can start to understand that whatever we think is my personal problem can be understood by all women, and whatever I am ashamed of is not unique to me. There is power in understanding that I am not small, insignificant or tainted in any way. There is power to know that who I am at the deepest level has never been wounded or traumatized by anything that has ever happened to me. There is joy in seeing through separation and pure happiness in being with other women in trust, honesty, interest and commitment to a higher level of consciousness in oneself and in supporting this in other women.