My Very First Retreat at the Art of Living Retreat Center

FINALLY!!!! After working with her for many years, I had the honor and pleasure of meeting my mentor and coach, my friend and family at heart, in person for the very first time at her Goddess of Manifestation retreat in the mystical mountains of Boone, North Carolina's Art of Living Retreat Center; what a dream come true! 

After signing up for what would have been my very first goddess retreat in 2020, as you could imagine, it was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic. I have waited many years up until now for the opportunity to hug and thank and bask in the energy of this remarkable woman. It was a complete honor and privilege to hold space with Goddess Abiola Abrams, and I am forever grateful to show my gratitude for her love and support over the years. If you don't know, Goddess Abiola is a spiritual teacher, empowerment coach, bestselling Hay House author, Oracle Creatrix, International Retreat Leader, and all-around Badass Magic Mama. I shared a little about her in one of my first blog posts titled My Top 5 Lifestyle Blogs that Empower Black Women & Mothers, but please head over to her site to read more of her bio and learn about her magic here.

At the retreat as a collective of beautiful, empowering, inspiring, and supportive women, we danced, sang, laughed, cried, prayed, released what was no longer serving us, and manifested the magic in our lives that is to come! This was an enlightening experience, and I am still full of joy and gratitude from this retreat. A magical moment for me was when I gifted Abiola my first creation and showed her that her belief, inspiration, and work with me over the years truly meant something and that I actually gave birth to one of the many things I set out to create. It was surreal and so genuine to put something we discussed in her hands that I manifested so long ago!!!

Here we are with my first of many to come, coloring books, Magical Self Care: A Self-care and Metaphysical Coloring Book for Women of Color, and Her newest book From Imagination to Reality! How appropriate and in alignment is this, truly?!?!?

As part of our retreat activities, we pulled cards from each of Abiola's Oracle decks: African Goddess Rising Oracle and Secrets of the Ancestors Oracle. Each card was pulled with an activity representing our Sorceress, Warrior, Lover, and Queen energies. Each card I selected was in alignment with everything I am calling into my life. Just see our beautiful goddess altar below and the confirmation we received from this sacred space. The Goddess I pulled from the African Goddess Rising for my Queen energy, showed up as Goddess Iset with the reminder to "Surrender". This was more than appropriate as I am stepping more into my divine feminine energy and soft girl era. So grateful for this reminder from Goddess Iset, Asé and so it is!

A little about the retreat and the retreat center

First and foremost, we experienced the Art of Living Center on probably one of the most coldest and snowiest days of the year there. It was nothing short of amazing, and nonetheless, this weather and the snow was beautiful and cleansing. To me, this represented the purity and freshness that I believe, all of the goddesses were seeking at this time. 

The Accommodations

For this retreat, I wanted to experience it in true retreat style, and with that, I opted for a 3 person-shared Retreat Style room. This consisted of 3 twin beds, a private bath, and no television. I shared this room with a friend of the goddess circle whom I have engaged with over the years and finally got to meet in person for the first time, along with a family friend who also accompanied me on this retreat experience. 

As part of our retreat package, we received complimentary Wi-Fi, daily vegan/vegetarian meals, complimentary tea/coffee, fresh fruit, daily yoga & Meditation classes, and access to the fitness and steam rooms. A lot of the accommodations, like the fitness and steam rooms. I didn't personally experience these two accommodations, but I've heard great reviews from the other goddesses who did. A new to me experience was Kirtan. This devotional singing practice combines ancient chants with modern melodies, which create a soulful experience through call-and-response to actively engage participants and create a sense of community, where this inviting atmosphere encourages connection and spiritual expression through music.

This was a big retreat center, and thankfully, in our weather conditions and distance, there is also an on-site free shuttle service that ushers you from your rooms to and from various locations on-site, such as the activity centers, dining hall, retreat shop, and spa center. 

When it comes to mealtime, you can eat plenty, and often, because they serve 3 buffet-style meals daily with cafeteria-style dining. And as someone with a plant-based diet like me, I could appreciate and genuinely enjoy it. So, if you're a fan of vegan food, bold spices, and essential Indian-style cuisine, then you'd enjoy it too. 

Some of the things I gathered to prepare for my trip and would recommend specific to this retreat center or similar ones, would be as follows:

New Luggage- I needed something new and a carry-on style for a retreat with a limited stay.

Packing Cubes- These really helped me out with packing and organizing everything I needed for this weekend.

Collapsible Leak Proof Water Bottle- This bottle allowed me to carry warm tea or cold water around the center. It becomes helpful if you need a quick drink at night and don't want to travel down to the tea lounge.

Flashlight- A small pocket flashlight is a good item to have just in case you have to walk while waiting for a shuttle to unload or after the shuttle service has ended at night.

Towel Set- While I am sure you could have requested more, there was no room service during our stay. So, an extra towel can be beneficial if you need to wash your hair or have an extended retreat stay. These quick-drying microfiber ones have become a favorite for travel of any kind.

Good Walking Shoes/Boots- (In our case, we needed good boots) These all-weather hiking boots really impressed me. Even with the light walking we had to do in the snow, my feet never felt cold or wet. I will purchase these again in varying colors for outdoor adventures. 

Cozy Socks- A must on my list were cozy socks for the winter weather at this retreat. These socks are not only long, thick, and warm but they can be worn many ways. I am so glad I purchased them because, in many activity settings like Satsang/Kirtan, Ecstatic Dance, and anything we did in our gathering hall, we were asked to remove shoes before entering. 

Journal- With my goal of only packing a carry-on bag for this trip, I left home my prettier vegan leather notebook and opted for something more basic and compact and I regret that because, I would have loved for Goddess Abiola to have written a passage in my personal journal. Next time, I will make space and bring my prettier notebook for journaling and taking in all my experiences.

Pens- Last but not least, is of course, good writing pens. Next time, I will bring with me these beautiful affirmation pens goddess energy does require you to write in your beautiful journals to reflect on your experience and take notes during your program activities. SO why not be intentional and have things that align and are extra special during for this time.

Simply put, its a great feeling to ensure that you have everything you need to be in alignment, so that you can be fully present and intentional about the things you do, the connections you make, and be open to receiving all that is there for you! I'm already looking forward to deepening my connection with self and this enchanting group of magic mamas at the next retreat. 

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