desert retreat + my long awaited return to festival culture
♡ medicine comes in many forms ♡
10/2/24
Dear Everybody ♡
I’m feeling grateful.
I spent the weekend assisting at an emotional healing retreat facilitated by Rachel Kaplan of Healing Feeling Shit Show, a rainbow-obsessed psychotherapist. This was my second time assisting her and I’m getting value from learning about her approach.
As the emotional intimacy & retreat junkie that I am, this weekend really hit the spot. It was a super intimate container, there were just 12 of us total including Rachel, myself, and our exquisite earth mother Elka Wilderas rustic gourmet chef of our dreams.
The retreat was titled “Becoming Ourselves”, and was all about centering a part or aspect of self that is painful, or that we have challenge loving or being with. Through guided inner connection, emotional release exercises and relational practices, this exquisite group of humans went DEEP and MOVED SOME SHIT.
Even in the support role I’m still totally going through my own personal and deep experience. That being said, in the role of witness and space holder, it’s just really amazing to behold people getting vulnerable, having breakthroughs and coming into more connection and love with themselves.
THE MAGIC OF GROUP WORK!!!! aaaaaahhh!! I’m a little obsessed.
So, honestly if my life hadn’t taken a radical turn on Sunday afternoon I’d probably be going more into my experience at the retreat - but… there I went from tender tearful delicate feeling + healing space to… A REALLY EPIC PARTY
There was a west coast bass music festival called Same Same But Different just a 30 min detour on the way back to LA. I thought to myself- let me swing through, see if I can snag someone’s wristband who’s on their way out, and go galavant around for the evening.
IT WORKED! 😁
I attended dozens of festivals in my 20s, but it’s been SEVEN YEARS since I’ve been to one. At some point I’m going to devote an entire newsletter to my appreciation for festival culture because it truly was such a tremendous contributor to my becoming.
The social culture of a festival vs ‘the real world’ - omg. I walked around and had soooo many kind and loving exchanges with people, from simple smiles to warm words…
how can I explain - I guess it’s like…. Everyone is your friend…and there’s this air of playfulness and openness and FREEDOM. So much self-expression through costume and dance…it’s electrifying and expansive. So much permission all around to be radical and expressive.
I was so primed from the retreat that invited DEPTH, CONNECTION and FEELING, to then enter the festival space and feel strong and clear in myself and fully receptive to the magic all around.
I danced in a way that I really needed to dance, I had delightful interactions with countless people, and I made a really sweet & sacred connection with a fellow heart-centered creative spirit.
I came home with my soul more full and nourished than it has been in a while.
I really don’t think I would’ve had as magical and meaningful a time at the festival as I did, had I not spent 3 full days immersed in a field devoted to emotional healing through being with the pain, authenticity and embracing the fullness of who we are.
I showed up READY AND RECEPTIVE
and RECEIVE I DID!!!!!!!!!!!
These experiences being so back-to-back really highlighted two things for me.
How much more receptive I was to the magic of life after sitting in a space oriented toward our pain and tenderness
The importance of variation in life - the retreat alone or the festival alone would’ve been great, but HOT DAMN that combination in all their contrasting glory really did a very good number on me.
I am wishing all of you much love, creativity and connection in your lives, and I thank you for being with me on my own journey of being Mu.
I’ll be in Italy for the next 2 weeks with my mom for a special mother-daughter-trip, and I’ll catch you on the other side.
You can book craniosacral sessions here for Oct 18 and on
Feeling the call for a deep dive? To book a journey consult email medirectly to coordinate a call while my calendar is temporarily on pause.
with you + with love,
your mari mu
♡
