1. I Hope You Dance by Liz O’Meara (Glencomeragh, Ireland,10-16 August 08)
My body has experienced the sacred feminine in a complete and beautiful way. Through
the gift of gentle touch and graceful dance, the female pulse of the Holy Spirit has been
transmitted to me and through me to others. Absorbing the invisible dance of the universe, I have
been able to bring it to life through my gift of body. The catalyst has been another woman, man,
a river, the rain, the wind, the sun, the moon, the tide. Now I find the spirit in every part of
creation calling me to dance. When I respond, a joy and peace engulfs me and remains with me.
I became aware of this unique method of accessing the Spirit through dance, at a retreat on
“Mystical Movement and Prophetic Play” led by Fr. Prashant this summer. He skilfully shifted
the focus away from the mind into the body, as we allowed the Spirit to navigate her energy
through our bodies, in the form of graceful feminine movements. Compassionate touch and the
connection to the sacred in the other, was the invitation to allow the freedom of Spirit move its
host in subliminal sanctity and passionate prayer. Though this was an enjoyable experience, each
encounter with a different partner left its impact to be savoured on one’s healing journey.
Trusting nature as a spiritual guide was encouraged, and she proved to be a true expert at
her job. She threw the necessary surprises at us, to fulfil the scripture, that God’s ways are not
our ways! Isn’t it amazing that Nature provides all that is necessary. We just have to open
ourselves to accept His gift.
The celebration of the Eucharist was very special. Fr. Prashant, always open to the God
of surprises, kept the Mass loosely structured, and allowed the energy of the group spirit to guide
us along. This resulted in many unexpected delights, as everyone surrendered to the swelling
creative spirit, as co-celebrants of the Sacrament.
We discovered that ancient spiritual Indian traditions linked with similar Celtic traditions.
Like the Celts, the Indians treat Mother Earth with great reverence. We were introduced to
meditative chants praising all aspects of creation. The chants connected us through sound
vibrations to the eternal in creation – past, present and future. The meditation was a deeply
powerful experience of connection; connection to each other, to our ancestors and to mother
earth, as if all was one ...and it was.
We were also introduced to the creative art of blessing through dance. As the person
being blessed expressed her intention to the universe, it was the privilege of those blessing to
enforce its passage. This was a profoundly moving experience, as the power of compassion and
love was transmitted through mystical movement, to the body, mind, heart and spirit of the
recipient.
There was a great emphasis on the feminine throughout the retreat with an interesting and
varied supply of literature. We read and shared views as a group, discussing the lives and
experiences of feminist activists within the church. Frustrations and grievances suffered by
women under the patriarchal regime of the church were aired. It was acknowledged that some
significant shift of empowering energy for women in the church was occurring in the world. We
had a sense that we were all part of a critical mass, and our commitment to this cause was
crucial.
And so it was, hidden away in beautiful Glencomeragh, a great healing took place for me,
and through me a healing of the universal female. In response to the call of the Lord of the
dance, I had the choice to sit it out, or dance. I danced. I danced to heal; I danced with intimate
connection to the Spirit of the old, the shy, the nervous, the infirm, the victim, the bully, the
angels, the whole of creation. And through spontaneous dance I found peace, joy and liberation.
I hope you dance.

2. Retreat for Peacemakers by Maureen Cahalan (Emmaus Centre, Dublin, 17-22 August, 08)
As a young girl when I preferred the simple prayer my parents taught me "All for Thee
Oh my God, All for Thee" to reciting numerous Hail Marys, Our Fathers and Glories I fancied I
was liberated. The InterPlay form of body prayer which involved free flowing, graceful
movements gave me a taste of the heights and depths of true liberation. While the blessings of
self, each other and the group were all powerful spiritual experiences the most moving and soul-
touching experience for me was the "Anointing of Feet" during the reconciliation service.
During this Renewal week it became very clear that the female contribution in the world
has been /is and will always be huge, and more than that it is vital and invaluable in all cultures
and faiths…and why not?….Women have lit the fire of peace, love and motivation around the
cribs of their newborn, they have set up and run schools and health care centres/hospitals as
Sisters and lay women…..they have walked the walk for centuries and now have acknowledged
themselves in a very peaceful and honourable way. This has come about as our Faith teaches us
women to place a value on our heads. This truth was demonstrated to me in a very positive way
through Interplay and Movement Meditation. Every movement fell into place and it all flowed
beautifully. We felt deeply connected with each other in a very respectful way….man, woman,
birds, bees, creepers, animals, plants, trees, water, sky & Mother earth. This for me and others
too was a huge revelation which I have never before experienced through programmed forms of
prayer.
This was a memorable, lively, revealing, awakening week full of a positive type of
freedom that I have yearned for all my life. I grew in the awareness that neither death nor God is
to be feared. There was a huge shift from a sense of self-depreciation to the privilege of being
honored. This is expressed aptly by the change in the prayer said while receiving Communion
from "Lord I am not worthy to receive you, say only the word and I shall be healed” to "Lord I
have been honoured to receive you, say only the word and I shall be healed."
Testimonies
1. Usually on retreat I used to notice a gradual move from head to heart. This time I was aware of
the wonder of my being from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. There is an old Japanese
proverb that says "We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance". I could
have danced all night and all day, it was such a liberating experience. I can now say, "To dance
is to pray thrice". There is no such thing as a wrong step so we were floating around like
Angels!!! It was connecting with the "God of Surprises" from start to finish. (Teresa)
2. Through creative dance we prayed for blessings on ourselves, on all humanity and on the
whole of creation and acknowledged our connection with the whole web of life. (Sr. Frances
Thérése Murphy)
3. It rejuvenated me and brought the Spirit within me to life. (Bridget Devane)
4. A powerful encounter with my “out of the box” God of joy and dance. (Betty)
5. It was so freeing to be enabled to pray with the whole body through unrestricted, spontaneous
movements led by the Spirit. (Barbara)
6. Prashant has the amazing ability to mix the cultures of the East and West in a simple seamless
manner as it should be. The combination of Christian spirituality and other religions allows for
openness, inclusiveness and peace. (Cathal Blake)