by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern One of the exercises that we did that stretched people the most was the animal embodiment workshop. In this workshop we had to enact an animal that represented who we are. We were split into groups of three that Sister Marj and Sister Joan had tried to mix introverts and…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Delving further into the hero’s journey we looked at the archetype of Parsifal as presented by the movie “Search for the Holy Grail.” Robert A. Johnson, the speaker in the film, tells the story of this archetype as it reflects his life journey and the journey of many modern day…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern On Monday as part of the Dream Retreat we watched Finding Joe. This was a really touching and illuminating movie. I have looked at the hero’s journey before, but it was communicated in a novel and heartfelt way in this film. A lot of people appreciated how it expressed religious…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I sat in on the facilities meeting this Thursday. Since I’ve never sat in on a facilities meeting at any other place it’s difficult to have perspective on this, but I am pretty sure that it is run slightly different here. The meeting started with a gong to the singing…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Monday I got the chance to witness the Day of Self Renewal retreat. I spent almost all day walking and sitting outside. There were a lot of animals out there that day. I saw the mother deer with her young. I saw a few other deer as well. A groundhog…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Since helping get things ready for the Garden Party I’ve realized how much work goes into creating those events. I never really thought about how much work goes into that, but somebody has to set the tables out and wrap the baskets. I felt like I could see a lot…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I’m getting a better picture of how Prairiewoods functions more and more. It takes quite a few people to get everything ready for guests. A lot of times that just means rearranging furniture and wiping down tables, but these things need to get done. During the facilities meeting I saw…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern It was interesting to be here during the silence retreat, because it felt like we were backstage at a show. We had to whisper to each other and do the behind the scenes work to make things happen for the guests. The silence creates the feeling that you are in…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I appreciate how everyone participates in the small chores of keeping the facility clean. I’ve seen different staff members doing dishes, wiping tables, and folding cloths regardless of their position here. I think this is a really great way to run a hospitality center, because since everyone willingly does those…
This week, Prairiewoods welcomes our fourth summer intern, Pia Fritsch. She is a student at Maharishi University in Fairfield and is passionate about issues of sustainability. Several times a week, Pia will write a blog about her experience at Prairiewoods. We will post them here and would love to hear your feedback! Reflection 1 by…