When I set off on a dark retreat for the second time, I already knew what to expect. I enjoyed the stay to the full from the very first minute – as soon as the cabin door closed behind me and I switched off the light, my mind began flooding me with fantastical scenes, surreal animations, almost psychedelic visions that I soaked into, lost myself in and then surfaced from again into ordinary consciousness.
A deeper, more cosmic experience
My dream life was immensely rich throughout the whole stay – on the very first night I spontaneously had seven lucid dreams! Over the following days my mind gradually emptied, I went through deep meditative states, savoured the all-embracing silence, now and then reflected on all sorts of topics, immersed myself in ever deeper and more vivid scenes from various mythologies and religions, or simply entertained myself by making up “intelligent nonsense”, bizarre stories and examples of cosmic irony. I felt the beneficial effects of the dark retreat intensely for several days after returning to reality, and I am still living off the long-term benefits today.
Will I do a dark retreat a third time?
This certainly wasn’t my last time in the dark, and I hope the next stay will be even deeper and once again a little more “binding” in relation to my everyday existence.
Best wishes,
Karel
