Tree & Star

A Calling for Reconciliation

April 1st - 7th, 2024

The Mirage, Dharamshala

“In the long-ago time, The Earth looked up at the stars and wept that they were so far away, and her weeping became a lamenting song of love and desire, to be with her kindred in the heavens above. Her song was so powerful, it took roots and grew as a great tree that stretched and reached for the stars above. The Stars upon hearing the song, were so moved that they echoed her song. Their song was as powerful in its desire for the earth, it reached for her as a shining beam of starlight. As the Tree and Starlight touched, the two songs became the great song of love, and in that love, all that lived came upon the earth.”

From the story of Rei Rhionard; Star Fall

In that time, we have forgotten, a time we say was long ago, because our memories will not let us admit to the longing for that time, the Tree sang to the Star and the Star sang back.

This was a time when we were not afraid to imagine, to dream, when the impossible was simply an invitation to create something more beautiful and wonderful than before.

The Tree was and is our longing and yearning, as child yearns and longs to be held in its mother’s arms; The Star was and is the acceptance of true selves no matter how vulnerable or lonely.

Tree and Star as two distant lovers calling to each other across the vastness of space, time, chaos, shadow, the void we as needy humans fill with every doubt and fear and from this cause greater separation.

And yet The Ancient Ones still sing a song of love.

The Ancestral stories tell us that the song was so powerful, the Tree eventually touched the stars, so powerful that the Star descended to be on earth.

Nothing is impossible or improbable for this cosmic act of love.

The Tree and Star Retreat is to call us together in the impossible and improbable song of love, in which we may dream something more beautiful and wonderful than before.

This Retreat will be one of reconciliation, a lessening, a reducing, maybe a bridging or filling of that void between one to another, between humans and the Earth, between the mundane and the spirit worlds, and above all, between who we believe we are and who we might truly be.

In our blood we know we descended from the starlight; in our bones we know we reach for the heavens above.

Our Ancestors may have been angels, aliens, starwalkers, cosmic winds; we may never know the absolute truth. Yet we have always built edifices to reach for the sky and sought out the high places to sing to the Divine, from a longing to be reunited with our source, with the Beloved.

This Gathering is to manifest bridges of impossible love.

To re-find and remember that first song that breached the great void, in a prayerful hope that we will once again know that this void is nothing more than soul amnesia.

To allow ourselves the wisdom that living with all we are, good, bad, uncomfortable, pretty, ugly, hard, easy, messy, ordered is our divine nature; wether we are the trees of the mundane or the stars of the spiritual, we are all and with all of the Earth, the song of Divine Love.

To reach for the Divine we must first reach for each other.

“How do we breach the impossible and reach for the other no matter what?”

This is a seven day residential Retreat in the lap of the Himalayas, with ceremonies, prayers, healing, singing and dancing, which come to us from our animist tradition.

As always this will not be a retreat from, rather a running to.

A gathering to remember that wonder and union, within ourselves, and with the world around us.

The venue will be The Mirage Retreat & Homestay. The Mirage Andretta is a perfect place to rest and be enriched. It is a homestay hideaway in the mountains, where we can wake up to the sound of birds, open the curtains and see the snow-capped Himalayas. The tranquillity of the area is next to none and for many decades, artists, writers, and poets have retreated here to contemplate the deeper aspects of life.

‘Tree and Star – A Calling for Reconciliation’

April 1st - 7th, 2024

With Love and a shared hope and holding for patience, understanding, compassion and transformation for us all and all living beings and the planet, we all being One.

As part of our commitment to the community and in accordance with our founding mandates, a portion of participant fees will go towards supporting the Pipal Tree Organisation.

The organisation is currently in search of funding for their Children's Learning Centre, which serves children between the ages of 6 and 16 living within a forest environment. The learning center operates within the forest and currently provides education in a single classroom that accommodates students across different grade levels.

This one-room school is faced with challenges, as there are instances when teachers are unable to attend, resulting in missed educational opportunities for the children. To address this issue, the Organisation have identified and engaged individuals who have completed their 10th or 12th grade to serve as facilitators and ensure continued learning for the students.

For a clearer understanding of this unique learning environment and the children's living conditions, we invite you to view the video attached. It will provide you with a visual representation of the situation we are addressing. Your support and consideration for funding would greatly assist us in providing quality education and improving the lives of these children in the forest.

Watch video here.