Unicorn Cave Writer's Retreat
About
The Unicorn Cave Writer's Retreat was created out of a need to escape the every day and focus on writing and silence, self-reliance and introspection. For me, it is a bi-annual retreat. This retreat is best taken alone in the silence of the forest for 16-48 hours.
Early autumn, late spring--twice yearly--repeat as often as necessary or able
Purpose: to re-center and re-ground, focus inward, and gather energy and inspiration from nature for the coming season.
Where: anywhere hidden from public view. A cabin or tent in the woods is preferred.
Schedule: there should be none. Here is a list of suggested activities:
- meditation, outdoors or in
- candle-burning or campfire building
- photography
- reading of inspirational materials, such as poetry or novels
- listening to music
- hiking or otherwise exploring
- writing, of course!
Rules: there aren’t really any, but staying away from the internet and social media is highly recommended. Having a 24-hour phone ban (excepting emergencies) is also recommended.
Why “Unicorn Cave”?: Unicorns are solitary creatures. Caves are for hiding away out of sight. The Unicorn Cave Writer’s Retreat is your own solitary oasis carved out of your daily life, to spend alone and in reflection, working on whatever you wish. It’s a gift to yourself.
The nice thing about doing a solitary retreat is that you don’t have to limit what kind of writing you do. Work on whatever you want, be it one project or three. Time is not the focus. For this brief period, you are a unicorn: you exist outside of time. Obligations are nonexistent outside of yourself. Make yourself your highest priority and revel in that.
My next retreat is scheduled for September 28-30 2018.
