Dear Friends,
First I want to share the exciting news that the Feathered Pipe Foundation needs only $7,000 to reach our goal to cover facility upgrades and replenish our Feathered Pipe Scholarship Fund for 2019. We are so grateful for everybody who gave - some from the distant past and some that we just met.
Once the $7,000 comes in, we are shifting our focus to fully funding the Veterans Yoga Project (VYP) free healing retreats that we host here at the Ranch. Last year we raised $17,000, which covered the full expenses of one retreat. As soon as we have one retreat covered, we, along with VYP, will continue to work toward raising the funds to sponsor a second healing retreat. Our hope is to host
one for women and another for men.
Support the Feathered Pipe here.
2018 Women Veterans Healing Program
I'd like to tell you about this summer's retreat for our women veterans. This was the first year with all women. We hosted 19 veteran women for five days and four nights. They all found the experience invaluable and nurturing. Some of these women actually felt safe and relaxed enough to fall asleep during savasana! For lead teacher, U.S. Marine Brianna Renner, this was the best validation she could have received that the program works, since sleep often does not come easy
for many veterans. The stress these women live with hour to hour and day to day in their lives means that simply being able to deeply relax while we take care of everything else is a powerful antidote. The quality of peace one discovers at the ranch is healing. Just hiking the mountain trails alone is healing; I know well that mountains absorb stress!
Comment from just one of the attendees:
 "This retreat was deeply moving and healing in ways I never expected. I can only begin to express my gratitude for the opportunity to share this experience. I am taking so much forward with me in my life, and leaving behind things that don't serve me or which have
been causing suffering.
My sleep has improved, my relationships with other and myself are changing toward the positive, and I have much more clarity about further steps in healing and my path from here. I have already been experiencing it unfold. My heart is bursting with the joy of all this and the readiness and openness to do this new work. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
The Ranch experience is not unlike being in a sweat lodge, really – it’s simply a manifestation of an even larger prayer circle. It's not just your energy, it's also the land and the prayers of all the people who have been here and prayed here before you. The intention behind our original name, Holistic Life Foundation, is extending far beyond the sum of it's parts.
It's really all about what happens to people over the years after they come to the Ranch, and that's what we want to sustain for the future.
In our intense and challenging world, it is so vital to be able to take an extended pause and experience the moment, or better yet, a day, or even a week of peace, fulfillment, and healing. It is a big, big thing. Please help us in our efforts to continue to offer this gift to the world.
Small Acts of Sharing Can Make a Big Difference
 Please take this opportunity to make a contribution to the future of the Feathered Pipe and the 'good works' we do. Share the spirit of giving with friends and family with any or all of our fundraising premiums during this holiday season. It
really does make a difference:
- Any donation – we’ll send you a Feathered Pipe luggage tag
- For a $100 donation - your choice of a Elk Story DVD or 2 Mugs or a Beanie Cap
- For $250, take your choice of any two premiums
- For $500, take any three premiums
- For $1,000, or more you’ll get all four premiums
- For $10,000 or more Wintersong Safronoff, who was a student of Joyce's, will make you a copy of Joyce Davis' stained glass window which hangs in the Main Lodge (see above).
Donating is fast, easy, and secure. Click on the green “DONATE” button on our "Support the Feathered Pipe" page here. And in advance, please accept our deep gratitude for your support.
If you prefer to send a check or money order, please make it out (with desired program you wish the donation to go towards noted) to: Feathered Pipe Foundation and send to P.O. Box 1682, Helena MT 59624.
Summer 2019 at the Ranch
Our summer programs for 2019 are starting to fill. Please do consider signing up early as spots are limited and choice accommodations are the first to go. And here's another way to share the gift: Invite a friend(s) new to the Ranch, you each receive $100 off program tuition price!
Pass it on.
As Ever,
India
|
|
 |
Fear and Purpose Amidst – J. Brown
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I am scared. That is really why it’s been so hard to find any words that feel like they matter...
But I know what is true inside of me. I know who I am. I know what I believe. Because deep at the center of my being is a place of knowing. And when I make myself quiet inside, I can hear it clear as my mother’s voice. It says: “You are the wonder of this universe, and joy is your birthright. Fear not, dear one. You are taken care of. Be not swayed. Go forth and let your life be your testament.”
|
 |
Why Every Veteran Should Go On Veteran Retreat (Even If You Don’t Want To) - Courtney Wilson
Before you write me off as a peace-loving hippie, let me assure you nothing could be further from the truth. I am a third generation Soldier from Boston, whose sarcasm only intensified with a 12 month deployment to Helmand Province and one of my fellow platoon leaders appropriately nicknamed me “No Brakes Courtney”.
|
|
Contact Us |
|
Feathered Pipe Foundation
P.O. Box 1682
Helena, MT 59624
(406) 442-8196
|
|
|
