A 4-day retreat with Shakti Caterina Maggi
Dates: Wednesday March 14 to Sunday March 18, 2018
Address: Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA
Life is an open eyed meditation. Immerse yourself in the possibility of embracing fully all the aspects of your Being. The invitation you are receiving is to embody completely your true nature – in your mind, in your heart, and in your physical form.
Awakening to what you are, and living from this realization, will be the topic of this retreat. We will have the opportunity through sharing (satsang), perception exercises, dance and music to enter into the realization of the Self, touching the Silence and Stillness that rests behind manifestation. But the journey is not over in just that recognition of our true Self. The invitation is to go fully through fears and conditioning, letting dissolve what is false and leaving only what is authentic. Fear turns into joy, to live life no longer through the sense of separation, but as love. In this self recognition, starting from the realization of WHAT you truly are – Emptiness – you will unfold into the becoming WHO you are as an individual expression of the Self. The forming of a new way to be you and to live life will come from a dismantling of old beliefs and conditioning.
Many of us have indeed had one or several glimpses of our true nature, opening up to what is our true Being, Emptiness. This retreat will explore the “descending” back into manifestation, bringing the spotlight of Awareness into our everyday life. From the me to the Self, touching the Emptiness, a new Form of Being can unfold. You are the key of this transformation and the answer.
Join us on this inner journey from the darkest fear to the brightest light of awareness. Bring the reality of your true Self into your everyday life.
Shakti Caterina Maggi has been sharing a message of awakening to our true nature as One Consciousness since 2003, with workshops and meetings held in Italy, Europe, and around the world. “The opportunity to meet what we are, and to embody it in everyday life, is the very meaning of life itself – not as human beings who seek God, but as the Divine itself experiencing itself through the human experience.” Shakti shares a very contemporary approach to self-realization and reveals the real possibility of seeing what we are and embodying it in our everyday life with clarity, wisdom and humour.
Learn more about Shakti at www.shakticaterinamaggi.com/en
Description: The retreat will have both theoretical and practical components to taste and perceive directly the silence of our true Self. There will be two daily satsangs (brief talk and Q&A), perception exercises, guided meditations, and daily energy dance.
Accommodations: Mount Madonna Center offers a beautiful, warm natural setting with 355 acres of redwood groves, hiking trails, and meadows infused with a sense of peace, spaciousness, and heartfelt service. This setting also includes a Vedic temple offering ceremonies of light each morning and evening.
A variety of accommodations are available. The Guest Rooms are Single, Double, or Dorm hotel-style rooms (without phones or TVs) with 1, 2, or more twin beds. Some include a private bathroom with shower. Others have access to shared (private while in use) bathrooms and showers down the hall. You can also commute, bring your van/camper, or camp (keeping in mind the season’s weather variability).
Schedule
[tabby title=“Wednesday”]March 14
- 4:00pm Arrival and Registration
- 5:00pm Dinner
- 6:30 – 8:30pm Evening satsang
March 15
- 8:15am Breakfast
- 10:00am – 12:00pm Satsang
- 12:30pm Lunch
- 2:00pm – 3:30pm Perception exercises
- 3:30pm – 4:00pm Break
- 4:00pm – 5:00pm Dance
- 5:00pm Dinner
- 6:30pm – 8:30pm Satsang
March 16
- 8:15am Breakfast
- 10:00am – 12:00pm Satsang
- 12:30pm Lunch
- 2:00pm – 3:30pm Perception exercises
- 3:30pm – 4:00pm Break
- 4:00pm – 5:00pm Dance
- 5:00pm Dinner
- 6:30pm – 8:30pm Satsang
March 17
- 8:30am – 9.30am Morning meditation
- 10:00am Brunch
- 11:00am – 1:00pm Satsang
- 1:00pm Snack (no lunch)
- 2:00pm – 3:30pm Perception exercises
- 3:30pm – 4:00pm Break
- 4:00pm – 5:00pm Dance
- 5:00pm Dinner
- 6:30pm – 8:30pm Satsang
March 18
- 7:30am – 8:30am Dance
- 8:30am Breakfast
- 10:00am – 12:00pm Satsang
- 12:30pm Lunch
- 1:00pm Departure (rooms must be vacated by this time)
- 1:45pm – 2:45pm Final sharing
See our facebook video retreat.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily – these meals are vegetarian, using only fresh, high quality ingredients, organic and local whenever possible, and lovingly prepared. Ample protein choices (tofu, beans, cheese, etc) will be included. Gluten-free and dairy-free options are also available at each meal.
Additional food sensitivities/special requirements can be requested by emailing [email protected], and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Indian Chai is served at each breakfast, along with coffee and tea. Teas, coffee, water & fruit are available at break times.
A wide range of gourmet coffee drinks and other delicious snacks are available for purchase at Anjaneya’s World Cafe.
There is no alcohol allowed on the premises.
Also available:
- Hot Tub (included in the retreat cost)
- Ayurvedic Bodywork available at the Zaya Kalpa Wellness Center (this is an additional cost payable directly to the center, you can book a session when you arrive)
- Hiking Trails
- Book & Gift Store
- Gourmet Cafe
- Vedic Temple offering a Ceremony of Light twice daily.
Substance use:
This retreat is drug-free. It is not recommended to be consuming any substances during or immediately previous to this kind of energy opening work. As this retreat will be challenging the foundations of the sense of I, it might not be indicated for those that have a psychiatric history. If you have any doubts or questions, we invite you to contact us, and we would be happy to give you feedback as to whether this retreat is appropriate for you.
Costs:
The tuition fee for the 5-day retreat is $435. The prices below include the tuition fee of $435, 3 meals per day and 4 nights room and facility use at Mount Madonna retreat center. All the prices below are per person.
Commuting (no accommodation)
$675
Bring your own Tent or a Van
$723
Shared room (3-7 people per room)
$875
Please email [email protected] if you wish to share an accommodation with the name of the person that you wish to share with.
Registration:
Please use the Register button above to register. Rooms are available on a first-come first-serve basis so we encourage you to register early to ensure your first choice. Please note, anyone registering within one week of the retreat will be charged an additional $10 fee.
If you have any questions please email [email protected]. Please do not contact the retreat center.
Refund & Cancellation Policy
No refunds after February 28th.
Prior to February 28th, a refund can be issued minus a $100 administration fee.
Things You Need to Know Before Booking
We know it’s a long list, but PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY!
1. Please make sure you read through all the information about lodging carefully. If you are unsure which room will suit you best, please contact us before making your reservation.
2. Make sure you let us know (using the booking form) if you wish to share a room with someone specific – this is especially important if you are sharing a double room with a friend or are in a couple.
3. Mount Madonna Center will do its best to accommodate food sensitivities and special requirements, but please note that they cannot cater for individual tastes. Gluten and dairy-free options will be available at every meal, as well as ample supplies of protein in the form of tofu, yoghurt, cottage cheese, nuts, vegetables. All meals are vegetarian and no processed foods are used.
4. You will need to bring your own towels. There are also inexpensive towels to purchase at the center if you need to. All bedding is provided.
5. You will be sent a welcome email with a list of what we suggest you bring and other details before the start of the retreat.
Directions:
Mount Madonna Center is approximately 2 hours driving time south of San Francisco, in the Santa Cruz Mountains of the Central California coast, overlooking Monterey Bay from Santa Cruz to Monterey and Pacific Grove. The closest commercial airport is San Jose International with San Francisco International being the second closest.
