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Best Retreat in Portland, Oregon

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I had the opportunity to travel to Portland, Oregon in the Spring of 2016.  I went there for a retreat for 5 days with a beautiful community of people.  It was a retreat given by Matt Kahn and Julie Dittmar.  I have been following Julie and Matt for several years now.   They are spiritual teachers whose humor and grace will capture you unwillingly.  I felt totally loved and nurtured the entire time I was there.  Not only by Julie and Matt but everyone at the conference.  My barriers came down whether I liked it or not.  I also felt I was in a safe place to allow my emotions to surface.  Imagine being in the company of 330 or more people!  Knowing that the person sitting next to me was probably going through the same thing I was gave me such relief and comfort.    By day 5 I was lighter, happier, confident and radiant.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  I have been to a lot of retreats and I would say this was one of my favorites.

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The retreat was held at the “World Forestry Center” in Portland Oregon.  I was captivated by the beautiful trees which surrounded the center.  It was a hop skip and a jump from where I stayed.  I stayed at the Marriott Center in downtown Portland.   I was surprised of the short distance from the Marriott to the Forestery Center.  I took the Max Light Rail Terminal.  It was less than a 10 minute walk from the Marriott to the terminal.    Food in downtown Portland was delicious and fresh.  I don’t remember the names of the places I ate at but I can reassure you it was delicious.  One of my favorite dishes was a blend of rice, vegetables and sauce ( I wish I remembered the name of this place).  I ate there more than once and I found it soothing on my digestive tract.   The breakfast at the Marriott was good and the staff was very accommodating.  Can it get any better than eating breakfast and viewing Mound Hood.  I found Portland to be very clean and nourishing.  I was surprised of the amount of homeless people.  On my last day I was gifted with meeting several homeless people.  It’s hard to put into words how I felt.  My heart cracked open and I found the 2 men to be very wise souls.  Looks can be deceptive!  If you ever have the opportunity to travel I would highly recommend Portland, Oregon.  There was nothing I did not like about it!

Traveling Abroad, England, Ireland & Scotland

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Recently I had the opportunity to travel to the UK and Northern Ireland with a group of wonderful people from the East Coast on a Tour with CIE.  I hesitated doing a tour knowing how much I like to be in control…but knowing I did not have to make any arrangements such as booking hotels and places to visit was a big relief.  My 2 week agenda was all taken care of and so was my breakfast and dinners.

Our first stop was in London!  I had the opportunity to ride on a Panoramic Bus to visit famous landmarks in Central London. Taking pictures was not a problem because of this.     What I liked most about this City Tour was the history and the buildings dating back to the 1080’s.   I was awestruck!  My favorite sight was the “Tower of London” ~  The Tower was started in the early 1080’s by William the Conqueror.  As time went on Palace buildings were being added into the 16th century.  Check out the picture below and know that is only a snapshot of the enormity of it.   Over the years so much went on in the castle such as keeping prisoners, executions of 3 english Queens , Coins were made there for England and so much more.  I definitely would go back for their was so much I did not see.

“Tower of London”

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Our tour came to a close in Liverpool, England where Paul McCartney and John Lennon lived.  We were able to tour their homes AND Penny Lane is a real Street.

I was surprised that we ate the same food for breakfast in England, Ireland and Scotland.  Sausage, bacon, eggs, bread and baked beans were the staple items.  I loved the Irish Stew in Ireland and skipped out on “Haggis” in Scotland.  Hotels and accommodations were excellent.  Everything ran so smoothly.  There was not one hiccup.  If your itching to go “Just Do It”.

Scotland was one of my favorite places in the UK.  The mountains, villages, Castles and hills are something to marvel at.  It really is as beautiful as it looks on television.   A second trip is on my agenda.  Ireland was beautiful as well.  There was no place where I did not see beauty!  The Cliffs of Moher will put you in “awe” and the grounds where the Blarney Castle nestles was jaw dropping.  Ireland really is an historic place.  History goes back to the Roman times and the Castles are still standing. I would go back just to visit the Castles in a heartbeat.

 

 

“The Cliffs of Moher”

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Living Your Authentic Truth

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It is not a straight road to be authentic.  In fact there has been many of twists and turns along the way.  We live in a world where we are shunned or rejected when we speak from the heart.  I have learned it is not about fixing, healing or changing myself.  This only creates frustration.  My blueprint for authenticity is….  Being radically honest with myself and others.  It began with food choices.  I realized what I really wanted was water instead of coffee.  I believe it was the the taste of coffee I was addicted to.  As I learned to honor my food choices I realized where I was not honoring other areas of my life.  The word ” Integrity” came to mind.  I was aligning myself with people, places and scenarios which did not serve me..   I wanted to be liked.  I was a people pleaser.  I had to stand up for myself and say “NO”.   “True to thine own self.”

The ingredients to being  authentic also include: Commitment, Courage, and Perseverance.  There have been many times when I considered myself a “failure” but I would not let that define me it is only a part of me.  I had to learn to make friends with my EGO and see it for what it was.  I have learned and I am still learning to turn my attention toward what is true and right for me.  I call that my inner knowing.  I learned how to set myself straight and that required Courage.  Courage to blaze my own trail.  The courage to know what gave me joy, ease and grace.  I believe I was such a people pleaser to the extent that I let other peoples needs come before mine.  I considered myself selfish when in fact it is the opposite.  I am learning to embrace what I love and when I do that I feel Joy!  In fact it is as simple as laughing whole heartily.  Imagine the implications it has on the people around you.  When you shift your energy you shift your life.  It is the small things in life that matter the most.  It’s not about going to a third world country to feed the hungry.

When Fear arises let it.  When Anger arises let it.  When Sadness arises let it.  The opposite of resistance is allowing.  You would have considered me the “resistance queen”,  I resisted everything in life.  Why?  I was afraid.  I was afraid to make a mistake, to be judged, to be vulnerable.  I finally had to make the decision to be myself.  As I allowed myself to feel I started to feel healthier and started to accept myself.  My confidence muscle was growing.  I was less afraid to speak up for rejection of what others may say.   It wasn’t about changing myself  or anyone else but being okay for what is presenting itself in any given moment.

A wise friend once told me we are more alike than different.

Be the change!

 

 

 

 

Love Is Letting Go Of Your Children …

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I’mIMG_5088-1-300x225 53 and I cannot believe I am at this place again!  Being “needy” so my children will love me.  Bah humbug!  I know my children love me so what is the issue?  I remember after I had my first child my Mother was visiting and I noticed how much she wanted to be loved by me when I already inherently loved her.  It felt like I was being suffocated.  As I traced the thread back this started since the time I was born.

I swore up and down that I would never be like this!  Wrong! Wanting to be loved at all costs.  Yes,  this is hard to admit.  Now the declaration is to take conscious action.  I started to notice I don’t say “No” when I need to out of fear I won’t be liked.  i.e.. my daughter asked for money for the hundredth time when I clearly knew I needed to say “No” but I gave it to her anyway.

I know fixing a situation even with money is not empowering.  My gut never lies.  The only person I am in charge of is myself.  Yep, our children are not ours they belong to God!

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Anne Lamantia

What is Prayer?

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I was raised Roman Catholic and for many years prayed the rosary and went to Church every Sunday and raised my children Catholic.  My questioning began when my children were small and would refuse to go to Church. What really caught my attention was when my son ~ Michael did not want to make his confirmation.    This is when I started IMG_0132-300x200questioning God and prayer.

Today I realize that prayer is just as simple as saying “I love you,” “Thank You,” and more importantly loving whatever arises within me.  Loving whatever arises within me has not been easy due to the fact I have been conditioned with the labels of “right and wrong.”  It has been a longstanding pattern and when I fall into my labels I begin questioning  “Is this true?”  This helps disrupt the pattern.   A wise person once told me “everything is God.”  That was an eyeopener and very freeing!  This lifted a great burden off of me and gave me permission to accept the greater version of myself.  Freeing in the sense that every thought and emotion that arose within me was okay and that this happens with everyone.  We are human after all!  Being with my emotions altogether is a different animal!  One thing I know for sure is I am more willing to allow my emotions to surface.  Emoting has freed up space within me.  I feel less depressed, compressed and stagnated.  I feel more alive!  It is as if weight has fallen right off of me.  I am so happy to have discovered this within me and my hope is we all can do this for ourselves.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Anne Lamantia

Forgiveness

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Letting go is forgiveness.  A willingness not to hold onto the so-called injustice. Breathing deeply and seeing it for what it is.  Tip-toeing out of my box and in to something bigger and brighter.  Neale Donald Walsh has shared a wonderful quote, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”  I believe this to be true.  Life does begin at the end of one’s comfort zone.   I’ve noticed my energy flows in harmony, I feel lighter and calmer.  I become more aware of when I am in resistance with life and when I am trying to fix other’s, and pointing out there faults.  My business is with myself and myself only.  This is the path to freedom.
Freeing myself from the chains that kept me living in my comfort zone.  I feel alive when I step outside my comfort zone.  There is more space inside of me to tap into my authentic self, to live fully, to do what I came here to do.  It’s not about fixing yourself or others but to allow yourself to be where you are.  This includes feeling your feelings and allowing your beliefs to be exactly where they are.    Giving them space to hold themselves accountable.

We live in Martyship when we feel we have to fix others or remind them of their injustices.  Are we not that too?  We are part of the whole.  We are that too.  So why not begin anew and being responsible for ourselves and being accountable.  This is where true power dwells.  I relax, let go, my cells are in harmony, breathing is rhythmic, energy flows through my body and restores oxygen and fresh blood to those areas that were constricted before.  I also relinquish parts of my self that was not heard before.  Now I trust and listen to that part I was blocking or avoiding.  This is transcendence in its finest.  I am willing to allow, let go and be heard by my inner knowing and more importantly Trust the process.  For me , this i what feeling alive is all about!  Allowing my feelings to surface and to trust the process.