Good day, Tomáš and Lenka,
here are a few lines about my dark retreat.
A dark retreat as deep self-reflection and transformation
Yes, it was a journey into something I had never experienced before – and I have been working on myself for more than 20 years. I work as a coach, consultant and mentor, helping business owners and managers run their companies better. One of my clients had been to you for a dark retreat, and when I met him at one of our regular sessions, I sensed that something in him had changed.
He was more focused, his thinking flowed clearly and he had started working far more systematically than before. But above all, I could feel a great inner calm in him, even though he had no less work – quite the opposite. There was a completely different energy in his eyes. That inspired me to tell myself that I had to try it too. I booked a three-day retreat and went for it.
When I switched off the light, I realised I had found myself in a state that had always attracted me. I have never been afraid of the dark, not even in a cellar. But staying in total darkness for three whole days is a completely different experience. In there you meet yourself entirely alone – your thoughts, your fears and your inner voices.
The biggest paradox of a dark retreat is that you go there voluntarily. And at the same time you know you can leave at any moment. Nobody is holding you there, no judge and no guard – just you and your mind. If you decide to cheat, you are only cheating yourself. And that is how it is in life, too. You look yourself in the eye from the inside and you know there is no point in lying. Only once you accept the truth about yourself can you change it.
A dark retreat as a path to inner calm
When I stepped out of the cabin after three nights and saw nature in the half-light and the setting moon, I felt enormous gratitude. It was a deep sense of belonging to nature and to the whole. Then, as dawn began to break, it was as if I were returning into the arms of an all-pervading love. And as a sweet bonus came a pear picked straight from the tree, which I bit into with relish.
I left in this state of calm and harmony and let the whole experience settle. I can still feel it inside me. If I decide to do a dark retreat for a whole week, I will go into it with great respect and humility. For me it is not about proving anything to myself, but about a journey even deeper into myself – and I need to be ready for that.
It takes its own time.
Thank you for this opportunity.
I wish you all the best and every contentment.
Libor
