By Rev. LeRoy E. Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

“Is there any motion in a straight line? A straight line infinitely projected becomes a circle, it returns to the starting point. You must end where you begin; and as you begin in God, you must go back to God. What remains? Detail work. Through eternity you have to do the detail work!”
Swami Vivekananda

“It is necessary that this be the aim of our entire life. In all of our thoughts, we must be conscious of the infinite.”
Rabindranath Tagore

Whenever we think of the word or idea of renewal, we tend to see internal images of restoration or interior states of calm, peacefulness, pleasure filled moments, possibly settings of languid relaxation or pastoral beauty. We may think of spas or health clinics where our bodies can experience regeneration, pampering and rest. We may also envision a vacation, a retreat setting, a short/long trip to a much desired favorite (or new, untested, unknown) location.

For some it may include all of the modern amenities, hot and cold running water, TV, WiFi connection to the Internet, or deliciously prepared food selections available upon request. Some of us may yearn for a simple “get away” to a seaside setting or rustic retreat, a wooded mountain cabin where the varied sounds of crickets, katydids, the fragrance of air wafting through spruce, hemlock and pine forests tease us.

Renewal essentially means to restore, to become new or like new again; it implies repairing what’s broken, rejuvenating what’s been neglected in a more precise step by step plan of action.

Why is renewal important in our lives?

In our day to day lives with all of the incessant pressures to please, the powerful impulses toward satisfying fulfillment of goals, dreams, work, jobs, businesses and a host of duties, chores, obligations to ourselves and to family, friends and others, there is very often little personal or restorative time . Each of us needs time where we can step back, take a deep breath and view the landscape or terrain upon which we stand. When we are constantly on the go, doing, acting upon some real or imagined goal, we often fail to gain any serious or deep perspective upon our life. It’s more about doing, much less about being.

Some years ago, a highly successful medical doctor suffered a life threatening heart attack at the age of 45 years. He was (ironically) the director of his own heart care clinic with a staff of some 30+ professional people. Suddenly he was in intensive care and his life hung in the balance.

His 20 year marriage was failing because he could or did not give attention to his family. His only son was an alcoholic at 14 and at 16 was confined to a rehab facility for teenage alcoholism.

He was forced to drop out of school for well over one year. He had to have a triple by-pass surgery. Recovery took 12 - 16 weeks. But it was during his crisis and that of his family as well that the long awaited perspective slowly emerged. Very gradually the fractured family relationships reconnected. His wife returned to her husband who now “suddenly” was available to listen and be listened to. And his son discovered a man - his father- that really cared for him and allowed a place in his heart for his son. As their relationship began the re-threading that started with the father’s recovery, his son gradually moved away from his dependence on alcohol and they restructured their personal relationship in a new way.

Resultingly, the doctor shifted priorities. The heart attack served many purposes for him, his family and his medical staff as well as the entire practice. One of the major changes was brought about by adding yoga, massage and meditation teachers to the clinic’s programs. He discovered that the value of deep renewal, restoration and rejuvenation was not to be found in a hospital bed, necessary medicine or skilled nursing/medical care. As it became clear to him, it involved letting go of old patterns, outworn behaviors, and really changing his relationship within himself to the clinic. He discovered that it survived and ran efficiently while he was on medical leave!

Benefits of Renewal
1. Enormous health benefi ts are well documented across the entire health care and medical fields from improved blood circulation, including decreased blood pressure and vastly improved memory, to the release of emotional and psychological concerns, issues and/or matters. Any consistently practiced conscious form of relaxation such as yoga, tai-chi, walking, biking, swimming etc. in which physical activity is engaged offers significant benefi ts to the human body and to the more subtle levels of our nature as well.

2. Powerful emotional freedom can be attained when we let go or surrender attitudes and feelings that entrap us. A change of scenery such as a car ride or bus ride to a neighboring community, a low key or upscale tourist attraction can make a difference when we are disturbed by events, circumstances in our lives that threaten to overwhelm us.

Such an effort need not be a financial concern. Visiting a new or familiar environment such as a petting zoo, a spa, a tourist attraction, or spending a day at a beach, or if we like boating, on a boat with a trusted friend or on a small touring cruise line will slowly, gently and effectively allow us to “drop, let go or even more deeply surrender.” This can bring a calm, a delicate peace and a shift in viewpoint.

Spiritual insight and/or clarity is one of the great gifts that emerges when we have down time, time off from the daily patterns of behavior that normally engage us. Habitually in our lives we often have set or fixed schedules, chores, duties, work related, family related or personal obligations. We find ourselves thinking about the next set of responsibilities, how much time these duties will require and continue the balancing act of attempting to get all of the goals accomplished. At the end of a day, a week, a month or longer, such a focus upon our mental/emotional/physical body holds tensions that stress us and can cause states of beingness that lead to anger, resentment, anxiety and depression.

A major antidote is to retreat ... go to the famous scheduled wooded cabin, lakeside cottage or take some down time. Call it vacation, call it renewal time, playtime, at-home time. The great gain that comes from this is both a serious releasing of what’s familiar as chores and duties and opening to the larger layers (dimensions) of ourselves that reveal guidance, insight into long-held issues or concerns and even healing for our body, or our life’s journey.

Retreat can bring creative revelation... the answer to a problem we’ve been struggling with. It can open the door to an idea that now we have to flesh out, write out and decide to pursue!

An often asked question is this: How long shall a retreat be? A sincere retreat effort for 1/2 day is a great start. A whole 24 hour day is better for all the obvious reasons. The two, to three day retreat and even a week is very good. It usually takes at least one day to significantly get into a different rhythm, to change our personal pace and to allow ourselves to stop thinking about our duties or a person, place, event, goal, issue, or problem.

Remember there is no right or wrong about how this retreat should be structured. Some like a silent retreat (no language spoken) except for direction to set up the experience we seek. Others are somewhat interactive with others to highly interactive and structured. Each has a value that can only be discovered when we choose to give ourselves the unique kind of nurturing that such a stepping back allows!

The divine music is incessantly going on within ourselves, but the loud senses drown the delicate music, which is unlike and infinitely superior to anything we can perceive with our senses.
Mahatma Gandhi