Our Annual Tara Dhatu Retreat on the North Shore of Kauai was a rollicking success. Over 50 Taras joined together to dance and dream in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable.
Celebrate the Divine Feminine
We opened the retreat celebrating White Tara, the Goddess of Long Life and Good health.
We created two shrines, one to White Tara, One to Green Tara
We enjoyed daily offerings of tropical flowers
We dove deep into the wisdom of the dakinis
The dakinis have elemental correspondences so we adorned our temple with magnificent batiks from Bali. This one represents the earth element
Fire Element - These Batiks were designed and commissioned by our dear friend Amara Wahaba of Karuna Arts
Water Element
Setting up the shrine, this picture illustrates so beautifully the wind/air element.
We focused on healing rituals for the three days of White Tara. Fa Chi is a Chi-lel chi gung practice, sending the universal life force to each other
Even the carpet declared our wisdom affiliation. Rescued from a hotel renovation, each year Lama Tashi and team lay it on the concrete floor. This year one of our Taras donated padding
The moon was just past full when the retreat started, an astrological invitation to dive deep
Throughout the retreat rainbows winked at us
This picture is taken from the beach. See the white fence to the right. Our camp is right behind that fence. You can see how Mt. Makana is like a fortress behind us.
The light, the light was an ever changing inspiring display
Sea and sky, dancing
The same scene was never the same from moment to moment
Looking the other way down the beach
Looking directly out to see, a rain squall sweeps across the sky
Kite surfers were a constant source of entertainment
The camp is rustic, a YMCA facility
The kitchen
The bunk House
Some opted to stay in tents creating a little tent village under the trees
The bathrooms
The store
And always, the mountains around us
This night blooming Cirrus only blooms for a week. We are fortunate to be able to touch into its beauty every year.
Opening night, Marianne from Chicago invited 9 Taras to help her present “Remembrance of our Foremothers, An Antiphonal of Remembrance
Parvati’s mom Amina, turning 60 this year was the inspiration for a croning ritual.
Anahata had composed music to a poem Amina had written.
We had quite a few crones in our circle
Lama Tashi turns 70 this year. We made him an honorary woman so he could get in on the honoring.
The mother and the maiden, Suki and Rosie, had their ceremonies in previous camps.
Part of the ritual was the younger Taras bathing the older Tara’s feet
Then they anointed them with scented oils.
Our oldest crone, Netta, 82
Our crones are so beatiful, ageless, really. This is Leah, what a full and wonderful life she has lived.
Lora Lynn, the designer of Tara’s Cottage stained glass windows
