Grounded, Revitalised, Refreshed at Marsett Bothy, Yorkshire Dales.
July 2014
We stopped for lunch in a picturesque Yorkshire village. While a brass band
played songs from musicals, we ate tomato and lentil soup outside a cafe
where the hills ringed the town. I remarked to my colleague how the weekend
must have been refreshing because I was not stressed by the crowds and
was embracing all the tourist charms of this beautiful village, post the Tour de
France Grand Depart and really enjoying it. I had realised too, that I didn’t
know Yorkshire but during the weekend I had become aware of the presence
of the landscape with its hills and the dry stone walls imposing its physical
boundaries. In one exercise I became frustrated that my progress out of a field
was being impeded by the dry stone walls and the wire fences. It took time but
I managed it. You can get beyond such limitations.
I like the outdoors. It can be exhilarating and scary for us modern city
dwellers. It’s amazing how quickly our anxieties can appear when we are out
of our comfort zones. Zombie and apocalypse movies are one thing when
watched in your living room. In a dimly lit barn in a secluded valley, you begin
to imagine that anything can happen. As with anxiety and stress in our
modern working lives, I am aware that spiritual beliefs and needs, whatever
they, are can help us cope. Acute stress in the work place particularly in the
NHS is a common problem. I have noticed those with strong spiritual and
religious belief seem to cope in a different way to others. So when I learned
about Be Here Create and met with John Harley I wanted to experience one
of their retreats. The first one in Marsett in 2013 had to be cancelled due to
lack of numbers. But this one in July 2014, entitled Grounded, Revitalised,
Refreshed, went ahead.
My colleague and I travelled to Marsett in Wensleydale. The road from
Richmond in Yorkshire was beautiful and the last few miles were along a
spectacular single track descending into the valley beside a lake. ‘There is
only an intermittent phone signal in the valley,’ ie none at all and anxieties
arose. Had we come to the right village? Was this locked up barn the right
bothy? How could we check?
John and the others had been delayed by traffic in the south but they
eventually arrived much to our relief. We ate our evening meal outside as the
evening sunlight warmed the walls. Then we watched the spectacular
perigree or supermoon rise silently above the hills. We had been hearing what
sounded like gunshots all the time. Could they have been bird scarers? The
air was filled with the sounds of sheep bleating, birds and insects calling.
Later in the evening the midges arrived!.
One of the highlights of my dramatherapy training was a weekend on
Dartmoor led by Steve Mitchell which included a silent night-time walk. We
also did one. Our senses become heightened. Smells sounds and lights
become stronger, louder and brighter. A large black horse and ponies stared
at us and then we were stopped by a herd of cows and maybe a bull.
Someone later mentioned it felt like a ‘meeting of groups of animals.’ We were
the intruders, the strangers and we had to make decisions. Someone fed the
horse and broke the ice but it felt safer for our group to withdraw from the
cattle. I found myself wishing the moon would appear and the stars would
shine and then I accepted the night for what it was. I pulled down my hood
and undid my zip and let the soft drizzle touch my hair and skin.
In the morning I had done some T’ai chi on the uneven damp grass. Later the
group was asked to stand in various geographical locations in relation to the
bothy. Finding our physical place on the uneven grass was a challenge. There
didn’t appear to be any flat surfaces in this area!
Later we trekked up the valley to find a waterfall. I joked about fairies and
elementals. We explored the area whilst each of us looked for an ‘instrument
of power’, a natural object that symbolised the way or source we receive our
power or drive from. I had the need to bathe my feet in the cold clear water.
Those who explored the area felt an energy and the antiquity of the place. We
felt a sense of respect and that we were visitors here as we were in the valley
and on earth. We descended the valley again back to the bothy for lunch of
bread and cheese, which was wonderful.
The highlight for me was our Saturday evening meal. Again, we ate outside. It
was simple fare and it was more than enough. I recalled a conversation I once
had with a Buddhist monk who said he ate simple food because it allowed him
to focus his mind and body. I felt a wonderful sense of community and John
mentioned that simple food had been part of his plan, although it may not
have been a selling point. The therapeutic chocolate and Skittles were
gratefully received.
The intention had been to work with the elements. I felt that the earth, the air,
water and fire had all played their parts this weekend. The log fire begged for
stories to be told. The small group allowed and enabled close interaction,
personal choice and a less formal structure. Group decisions were rapid and
although there were periods of intense activity and rest, individual reflection
was also possible.
On Sunday morning we showed a partner three ‘views’ through a paper cut
out – an activity called ‘snapshots’. Then we sat outside around a table and
made collages to represent any impressions or feelings. It was lovely to see
the occasional piece of tissue paper take flight like a butterfly as the gentle
breeze lifted it away. We shared our collage creations and then lastly
discussed the objects we had collected at the waterfall. Then it was time to
go.
As I mentioned before the environment, whether it was the barn, the
landscape or the weather helped to shape how we were when we made our
connections with one another and experienced activities to deepen the
spiritual and therapeutic process.
Ye Min
At Be Here Create I work with a bunch of different co-leaders to hold creative
retreats in a variety of locations in the UK. We bring a range of diverse
activities and exercises: some involving art making, some engaging with
dramatherapy approaches and body work and a myriad of other ways of
exploring our inner lives and our connection with others such as meditation,
play, walking outdoors, cooking and eating together, creative writing and
silence. We form a community of adventurers for the duration of the event and
find insights and vision to take back into our everyday lives.
John Harley