Tullow in County Carlow, Ireland, was the setting for the third residential spiritual ‘Journey’ we’ve provided for our members. Led by Yvonne Fitzgerald, Marianne Quinn and myself (Valerie Chiltonsmith) the focus is squarely on self healing and the spiritual path we undertake by being a Healer.
Our five day residential this year was devoted to a ‘Journey into our Divine Selves’, and whilst being a stand alone event, this year built upon our two previous years’ spiritual Journeys which delved initially into the ‘Heart of Healing’ and then into the ‘Sacred’.
Several of our 14 spiritual Journeyers were returning for either the second or third time. We were a delightfully international group, with not only Ireland and UK members represented, but also Germany, Italy and the USA. Aside from the content of the sessions, one of the prime motivations for attending is the camaraderie which the group embodies. Some members were welcomed for the first time, whilst others were heartily greeting old friends from previous years. That, and the lure of the delicious meals and renowned ‘Divine’ scones, all cooked on site, meant that participants were sure to have a great time!
Our timetable which begins each day at 8.30am and goes through to 9.30pm, allows for participants to enjoy a varied menu of topics and activities to whatever degree they wish. We offer a mix of spiritual inquiry, complementary concepts in healing and self care practices, and provide time in nature to commune and contemplate. A guest therapist brings a ‘wild card’ into the mix of activities and this year it was the turn of Lucia Guerin who showed us how to work with and heal our voice via the seven sounds of Love, which proved to be both invigorating and soothing in equal measure.
Yvonne, Marianne, and myself truly loved seeing you all this year and were divinely blessed to work with 14 beautiful, joyful souls who became an instant family. As always, saying goodbye is the hardest part of the Journey, but we sincerely hope we can get together and do it all again next year!
Valerie Chiltonsmith
