VISION FOR THE FUTURE
A Day's Visit to the Radiant Soul Salon
My inner gas tank is on empty. I feel I just can’t do one more thing. At home, I am surrounded by demands and to-do lists. I try to get it all done, but find my thinking is cloudy, my body has symptoms of stress everywhere, and I can’t see a way to find my inner strength again. I push even harder, and my body says “No more!” I must do something to get off this treadmill and find my center once again, a place where I can listen to my inner guidance, make wise and loving choices, and fulfill the plan I came into this world to live out. I know my passion and my mission are still inside me somewhere, but I can’t see through the walls and challenges of my daily life to find it. I’m pulled in so many directions. I can’t even put myself on my own priority list.
It is time for me to visit the Radiant Soul Salon!
A Place of Beauty and Peace
I find the Radiant Soul Salon to be my peaceful haven. I approach the Salon with excitement for the rest and refreshment I am about to receive. As I walk up to the Salon, I am struck by the beauty that surrounds it – gardens of flowers and herbs, a pond, benches for contemplating, a little waterfall, green grass, tall trees, and bushes surrounding the perimeter. There are inviting paths to walk, including a hedge-created labyrinth within which I practice walking toward my center. I notice people dancing in the grass, resting on a bench, reading, some writing, some knitting. Off by the pond I hear a group of women toning, attracting the curiosity of little animals in the neighborhood.
I walk up to a porch, filled with chairs, swings, art materials and easels. From this safe vista I can enjoy the outdoors with an overview of the beautiful landscape. I notice several others on the porch, some doing art, some journaling, some listening to music through earphones, another rocking in a swing.
I know if I come between 8 and 9am in the morning, or between 1 and 2pm, that sounds of toning, drumming, harps, recorders, other instruments of chant and song may be heard throughout the space, both inside and outside. I am welcome to join in, or just sit and absorb the sounds and energy of the moment. I look forward to visiting the Salon whenever my schedule allows, for a quick half hour respite, or for a longer period of rest and refreshment during the day.
Entering This Sacred Space
Know Thy Radiant Self
As I pass through the threshold to enter the sacred inner space, I look overhead, and read the words “Know Thy Radiant Self”. It reminds me why I am here, and what will heal me. As I reach for the entrance door, I notice the beautiful stained glass decorating the door, depicting our radiant sacred selves with beauty and grace.
Welcoming Reception
Entering the reception area, I am warmly greeted by a gracious hostess who serves as my tour guide through this space. On my first visit, she spent time familiarizing me with the Salon and went over a program of what is offered here. I was immediately impressed by the many opportunities available, depending on what I am wanting on any given day. She gave me a overview of the facility, inviting me to explore the library, have a cup of tea, or snuggle up in a soft comfortable chair with a warm blanket , and listen to music that will open my inner spaces. To relax my body, I could enjoy the massage chair, or have a warm footbath. If I wish, I can try my hand at art, writing, dancing, or enjoy a quiet meditation.
Four Steps to Healing My Soul
Today I choose the massage chair to start, and while I am relaxing, I review the current list of various activities that are offered here to assist me in realizing my radiant self again. There are four areas of healing that I can choose from.
- Some activities are designed to help me find balance in my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, bringing calm and centeredness to my life.
- A second set of offerings are intended to assist me to release energy from stuck and painful places within me, enabling me to let go of any blocks and suffering and move on with my life.
- Another set of activities helps me stimulate my imagination so that I can engage the creative part of myself.
- And the forth set leads me toward integration of my creativity into my daily life, pointing the way to the manifestation of my visions.
A program coach offers to speak with me about what I am wanting at this time, and works with me to select activities that will assist me toward my goal. Perhaps it is as simple as wanting a place to relax, read a good book, create some art, write in my journal, meditate, move to inspiring music, or have a quiet cup of tea. Or perhaps I am ready to take advantage of some of the other opportunities available here. We talk about the four steps to healing – balance, release, imagination, and integration – and she explains how each area can assist me to live as my radiant soul would choose to live.
A Tour of the Rooms
Currently, I am in the “living” room – a large space filled with books and comfy chairs, plants, a fish tank, art supplies, and tea/snack service. I notice a small sacred circle in the middle of the room holding the four elements - earth (rocks/crystals), air (light incense), fire (an eternal flame), and water (a small waterfall). Under these elements, and shining through them, are colored lights which change slowly throughout the day. At times around this center you may find a prayer group, and every morning and evening as the center is opened and closed, there is a gathering of staff and members, inviting Spirit to be present (morning), and expressing gratitude to Spirit for being present (evening). This room, along with the outdoor patio and gardens, is the space to come and hang out within the facility, and the place that holds our intentions.
As I move out of the living room and through the salon, I notice that every room is uniquely beautiful, with art, plants, nourishing colors, carpet, and furnishings chosen to feel warm, cozy, and comforting. I stop at each room and take in its unique sense of healing qualities. The first room I notice is a dedicated office, a place that helps organize this Salon. In this room assistants process memberships, organize the schedule for visiting guest healers, support our employees and members, and handle finances and facility care. This room is radiating a spirit of abundance.
Three other rooms are dedicated to healing activities conducted by our own resident healers and guest healers. One room is a listening room. Here I meet a person who is a great listener and appreciator of radiant souls, and sees each one who enters as the radiant soul that they are. I was invited to make a 15 or 30 minute appointment when I arrived at the Salon with today's listener if I find myself wanting to be heard and appreciated by a compassionate other. I might find a counselor, a therapist, or a spiritual director here, skilled in the art of resonating with another.
One room is set aside for guest healers who are present for the day with their own particular gifts to share with us guests. And a third room is dedicated to the healing treatments offered by full time staff at the center. An additional room is kept aside for quiet meditation, where I can sit quietly or listen to music through headsets as I slow down and breathe.
A kitchen facility is used for small classes and impromptu meetings of guests who want to share special moments or ahas in quiet conversation with each other over a cup of tea.
Ambience
Trained and qualified facilitators (staff and guest healers) bring the feeling of Soul to the center. Anyone who works at this center is asked to leave their personal history at the threshold, and be fully present in loving compassion to all the members and other staff who enter here. At the gate near the parking lot is a place of water to symbolically wash away the past and be fully present to the now. Staff and guest staff are asked to use this upon arrival as a reminder of clearing one’s own energies before being present to another soul. Members may also use this place of purification if they so choose.
I appreciate that this facility is an “unplugged” zone, as well as smoke-free and drug-free. Computers and other internet devices are nowhere to be seen, except in the office, and cell phones are turned off and left in the car. In case of emergency, I am asked to instruct my important others to reach me through the Radiant Soul Salon office. Visiting the Salon is a time to go inside myself, free from the distractions of everyday life. My experience here is the gift of “soul space.”
Our Staff
Full time staff positions include the director, a hostess, a program coach, an office manager, a sacred listener, and a healing arts provider. Part time staff may include an internet expert, accountant, copywriter, marketing consultant, housekeeper, gardener, and others as the need arises. Full time positions may be shared, so that every staff member has fresh energy to be fully present. All staff have attended a training program before being employed or hired as a consultant at the Salon. Ongoing staff development programs will be offered periodically.
In addition, there are two guest healers present each day that may rotate in such a way that each is present at the Salon once or twice a month. Any members who experience the healer’s work and wish to continue working with them can be integrated into the healer’s private practice. As a member, I can sign up for short one-on-one sessions with these healers either before or when I arrive. The guest healers are announced on the website blog and a brochure at the Salon in advance. So if I desire to work with a specific healer, or a specific type of healing experience, I can arrange my schedule to be there at that time.
Evenings and weekends find Salon members participating in group activities and workshops, conducted by staff, guest healers, and other special facilitators. It is especially fun to participate with other Salon memberss in these collective learning experiences, finding support in the sharing of our soul journeys with each other.
Invitation to Join
As I complete my experience at the Salon on this day, I am graciously offered an invitation to join the Salon. Member privileges give me access to this incredible space all day long, any time I choose between 8am and 6pm. I can drop in for an hour to just catch my breath, sign up for a private healing session, or join in a group toning circle. I receive discounts on all evening and weekend workshops and seminars, and receive notices of all upcoming healers and events so I am sure not to miss what I wish to attend. In being a member, I always have a place to go to get away from pressures of my daily life and become centered within my own Soul again. It gives me great joy to know that I have a place where I can truly care for my own needs with the support of the Salon community by my side.
Gratitude
As I leave the Salon this day, I am grateful for the love and attention I have received, and the refreshment I have experienced. I am so excited to go back into the world now. I have found my energy source again – I feel awake and alive. I am relieved that I have let go of some old beliefs and habits that no longer serve me. I am inspired with great new ideas to make my life purposeful and satisfying, and my soul happy. I now know what specific first steps to take to make this happen for me. And best of all, I know I can return over and over again to find peace and nourishment in the midst of my daily life.
