The Dangar Island Retreat Report. Maranatha… Come, Lord Jesus.
T
he spiritual journey that we were about to embark and savour was to start from the steps of St Canice in Elizabeth Bay. Just as a side note St Canice was from Ireland, and converted many people to Christianity both there and also in Scotland. We were being silently and solemnly urged to the shores of the Hawkesbury about 50 km north of Sydney, and more specifically to the beautiful Dangar Island. Dawn and Graeme were already waiting there when I got there at 1.45pm, and so together we eagerly waited for our host Christian meditator Paul Taylor. When Paul did arrive at about 2pm we split into two groups for the drive. We basically stayed together for the whole trip to Brooklyn. Then we had a short wait before embarking on the MV Sun. After the 15 minute run across the river we were welcomed with open arms by Judy ( Paul’s lovely wife ). The whole area was magical and brought back fond memories for me of the days when I had worked as a waiter just up the river at the Berowra Waters Inn. We had free time while we acclimatised and then shortly after we had our first meditation which was simply human silence intertwined with the sound of the nature around us, also watching ‘ ‘Silence in the City ‘. This was followed by a lovely fresh seafood dinner.
Then it was time for bed. Graeme and I were consigned to the boathouse which was right on the shore of the river. I had a sound night’s sleep even with the rat-a-tat-tat of the rain on the tin roof. The lapping of the ripples of the water on the shore was also very calming as I went to sleep. Having slept well we both woke with plenty of time to get ready for the days first meditation session up in the main house which is about 50 metres up the garden path. Graeme is what I call a ‘newbe’ to meditation, but was in no way shy in participating, with Dawn probably being the most experienced of the three of us having had several years of meditation at David’s Place. The three of us were quite content to be led by Paul and Judy. It really is very easy with so much of Mother Nature contributing to make the silence uniquely ubiquitous. The talking topic that the Taylor’s had prepared for us for this session was “Come Apart “. We talked about the fragmenting you have to accept as you go through life’s experiences and the need to find time to reflect as you creatively culminate on the day of rest and also I would say the reward for honest work and thoughts one has done. Judi used several quotes from eminently wise sources and the Bible to illustrate this. We had another silent meditation before lunch and at lunch we were joined by Sofan, one of the Dangar 22
The lapping of the “ ripples of the water on the
Island village people. For eating Judi and Sofan had prepared a delicious pumpkin dip, while Caroline (another islander ) had made an amazing green salad, as well Judy had on hand smashed salmon and fresh ham. Once we had finished eating Sofan taught us how to use the Buddhism Reading Cards that she had painted and had published, which are simply put meant to offer a bridge through troubling times. At 2pm we commenced personal quiet time which I used to write some notes on the Dangar Experience. When 3pm came around we started getting ready for the ‘Aboriginal’ Dadirri spiritual practice. Firstly we watched the reflection by Miriam Rose, an aboriginal elder. She put it simply, “just let the bush nature just take you away “. So the six of us ( including Sofan ) went out to nature. I got as far as the bowling club when it started to pour rain so I stopped there. I was joined by 3 Indian Minor Birds who were maintaining my interest in the nature by chirping happily. After 15 minutes they left me and somehow it stopped raining. So I walked back to the others where we all shared our experiences. That was my Dadirri experience. Once again we joined company for a meditation session before dinner. From memory we meditated for 20 minutes. Dinner was not long after. Joining our crew for dinner was another ‘islander’, David who is a very well respected artist in Sydney. Afterwards we
shore was also very calming as I went to sleep.
”
watched the documentary “Journey of the Universe” which oodles of respect for life and everything else. I had an even better night’s sleep than the night before waking a little bit earlier as well. We went straight into a 20 minute meditation and then breakfast ( I did enjoy the muesli ). We had plenty of time to pack our goods before Paul gave the final talk at 10am that was “The Fruits of Meditation”. Our final meditation was at 11.30am (sad to think it was coming to an end). Though to think in a more positive way it was the start of new beginnings. We shared lunch at the café which was only a minutes’ walking distance from the boatshed and I am sure that I can say on everybody’s behalf with fond memories that we departed Dangar in a buoyant spirit. Maranatha… Come, Lord Jesus. Report compiled By Jono Marsden. 23