|
 The Women's Walking Retreat, in Western Australia, provides small groups of women the opportunity for discussion and contemplation around the campfire. Two women, Anna and Rae, speak to Meera Atkinson about the experience.
Rev Dr Anna Killigrew is an Anglican priest and chaplain to Koora Retreat Centre, a base camp at Koorarawalyee, Western Australia. Last year, along with Di Challen, who guides and facilitates outdoor activities for groups and schools, Anna led the first Women’s Walking Retreat. Rae Witham, who had inadvertently inspired the Retreat, joined up for an exploration of the spirit of the bush at the desert fringe that promised discussion and contemplation around the campfire. “When Rae heard Di and I were going off on a walk she said, ‘Nobody would ever take me for a walk like that,’ and it stimulated us to think, ‘let’s do it for other people,’” says Anna. “Rae was part of the idea being born but she didn’t know it at the time.” “Di and I wanted to offer a spiritual experience walking in the bush to places people wouldn’t go by themselves, to give people that close encounter with the numinous, the liminal country, the edge between the desert and the lakes or woodlands where you get big skies, don’t hear any human noises, where it’s wilderness. “The subtext of it all is how to help people let go of the voices of the social arrangements to be who we really are, to be present in a place, and be longingly aware and open to being supported by the Christian liturgies, scriptures and traditions throughout that time, and to sharing each other’s journeys and stories. “Rae has experienced this and wants to do it again. She loves what it does inside her. She’s a busy woman, a nurse and a carer, and she can just get away and be herself in the bush. “She just blossomed: she had a sense of peace and joy and openness and celebration and serenity, and a sense of being grounded and being able to take it back to everyday life. She was grateful to have Di and I take her there because she wouldn’t go by herself and couldn’t go by herself. It’s scary being out in the bush; you hear dingoes, you’re out there with the flora and fauna.  “It’s a way people can explore the spirituality that arises in that place away from their everyday life. We make it at least four days because it takes that long to drop your guard from all your social constructs and be who you really are.”
Rae Witham and her husband moved from the city at the end of last year to Busselton, a seaside town three hours from Perth. “I worked for nine years in hospice. My husband had to retire early because of his health, so we decided to move out of the city. I’m caring for my husband and we have a son who needs a fair amount of support because he’s got a mental health disability. “The previous year I went on a Desert Journey trip and that was the origin of discovering that sort of space for me. That was a mixed group. I enjoy living in a community situation from time to time. “I think women are very relaxed together and it’s a specific sort of conversation we have. Living like that you get to know people very quickly. “I like the simplicity of the day and living with the light — getting up at the dawn and appreciating the sunrise and winding down early. It’s the rhythm of living with nature. I remember lighting a fire and feeling very proud of myself because it’s something I hadn’t done before. “Once I’m in that kind of situation everything drops away pretty quickly and I’m left with a sense of peace. We worship together. That’s very important to me because sometimes my lifestyle doesn’t allow that space and quiet and I find it easier to make that space in the desert situation. It seems like nature nurtures that. “I’ve got an admiration for what Anna and Di have done. Anna is who she is and doesn’t pretend to be anyone else. She’s a very strong person. She gives you a lot of confidence. I feel very trusting of her and safe with her. “I’m looking forward to the next one. By the end I feel a lot stronger and able to go on and keep giving, to have something more to give.”
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comment form
