My friend Maureen McDonnell is an R.N. who is passionate about healing through food and herbs, getting proper nutrients to the cells and the brain to resolve all manner of physical and psychological conditions. Her specialty is working with autism through nutrition, but I have seen her work miracles with people dealing with all manner of complications. Two people close to me have had magical results from consulting with her.

Maureen and her daughter Erin, who was in the middle of a detoxifying cleanse, visited me on the mountain recently. Talking over the cleanse we suddenly had a brainstorm. Detoxifying retreats!

Think about it. Bad habits of eating and drinking are often developed as a means of stuffing emotions and issues we prefer not to deal with. The route to changing these habits and confronting the issues is often a very lonely journey. What if we bring people together to begin their cleanse? Maureen will provide superb nutritional information and counseling, and I will help the group support each other in the psychological, emotional and spiritual issues related to the process.

We will offer the first retreat in late June. In the meantime Maureen and I spent the day today discussing plans and started a 28-day detoxifying cleanse. We want to walk this path together first as much as possible, to work on the physical and psychological issues that come up for each of us, preparing ourselves internally to bring as much wisdom and experience as possible to what we will be making available. I am very excited about this. After a few days of no sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine or alcohol I might be singing a different tune, but for now I’m feeling motivated and full of purposeful intent.

Interestingly to me, and possibly to those of you who read this blog often, my 40-day Dancing with Will ritual ended just yesterday. I deconstructed the altar last night. By “coincidence” (something I don’t believe in really) this new journey of dancing with will began today, the first day Maureen and I could schedule the time together.

Ah, the perfection of the universe. I marvel and adore.