The Beat Goes On At La Foret
September 5-8, 2008
A trio of percussionists greet the new day at the stables at the Yurt Village. The stage was the site of Saturday evening's Heart Beat drumming circle. Photo by Richard Rivers.
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The Yurt Village at La Foret Retreat provided a magical setting for the third and final Colorado ManREACH gathering of 2008. Forty nine
men ranging from 22 to 68 years in age attended the September 5th through 8th event held in the Black Forest north of Colorado Springs. This was the first
time ManREACH has hosted a multi-day gathering in Southern Colorado, and many of the men who attended were from Pueblo, Canon City, Colorado Springs and other
towns located in the southeast region of the state.
Six comfortable yurts, a renovated stable, a modern bathhouse and hundreds of Ponderosa Pine inhabit the Yurt Village. The stable provided
a rustic location for the heart circles held on Friday evening and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings. Many men brought tapestries, cushions, blankets,
pillows and candles, and these, along with various personal items for the community altar, helped transform the space into a comfortable and sacred one.
Every
heart circle is unique. The men who participate, the location, the weather and many other factors - both subtle and not so - combine to make each one special.
Yet, every circle contains moments of happiness, sadness, anger, compassion, laughter and tears, and the level of honesty can be raw, powerful and humbling. The
heart circles at La Foret were no different in this regard.
Several activities and workshops were offered at La Foret to help us celebrate the many different sides of our personalities that combine to
make each of us unique: our skills, creativity, history, perspective, spirituality, sexuality, intentions and more. All were honored as integral parts of our
being. Four heart circles provided safe supportive environments where we could share openly and learn more about ourselves by listening to others. Two Community
Conversations offered forums for discussing sexuality and spirituality and the relationship between the two. Other activities included hiking, swimming, a meditation
walk, movie night and a book exchange. Additional workshops included "The Year After Stonewall", which considered the social and political changes that took place
across the country after the 1969 riots in New York City, and "Massage Technique", which focused on the healing power of touch.
Saturday evening, the Heart Beat drumming circle offered an opportunity to have fun, strengthen the bonds of community and express ourselves
creatively. In the courtyard of the stables, dozens of drums and percussion instruments were laid out on a banquet table lit with candles. As the men came together
for the circle, each selected an instrument then joined in playing along with the beat until nearly thirty were drumming in unison. Once everyone was in sync and the
energy was flowing, Rick Rowe recited one of his poems, after which maestros Ted Shinn and Charles Fletcher conducted a group performance that included ceremonial drums,
bass drums, bongos, cymbals, chimes, tambourines, maracas, hollow plastic tubes, five gallon buckets, clickers, clackers, shakers, rattlers and rollers, two Ponderosa Pine
sticks, several wooden vegetables and a wooden pig. A group sing-a-long followed. It was a thoroughly enjoyable, thoughtful and thought-provoking evening. Plans for
next year's drumming circle are already underway.
Monday morning's closing heart circle marked not only the close of the gathering at La Foret, but also the last ManREACH gathering of 2008. It is said
often in closing circles, however, that an ending only marks the beginning of something new. Our growth as individuals and as a community does not end at the close of a
gathering. The healthy insights we gain during our times together can continue to benefit us as individuals and as a community until our paths cross again. Until then,
remember the Heart Beat. It is within each of us still. And the beat goes on.
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