Asa Adirondack

Embracing the Rebirth of Southern Adirondacks Tourism

Wed, 31 May 2023 18:57:06 GMT

A Promising Summer Ahead

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

~ John Muir

The picturesque Southern Adirondack region has long been revered as a nature lover's paradise, drawing tourists from far and wide to its breathtaking landscapes, charming towns, and abundant outdoor activities. After enduring a challenging period due to the global pandemic, the region is now gearing up for a much-anticipated return to a pre-COVID normal summer. With local businesses and organizations working diligently to welcome visitors back, Asa Adirondack is proud to shine a spotlight on the remarkable efforts and positive outlook for this upcoming season. We are hard at work creating unique, curated experiences for our overnight and day guests.

Christine Powers, our CEO, was recently featured in a Post*Star news story discussing the revival of the Southern Adirondacks tourism industry. With the collaborative efforts of local businesses, organizations, and passionate individuals like Christine, the region is fully prepared to welcome you back to our stunning landscapes and warm hospitality.

The Therapy of Labyrinths

christine@asaadirondack.com (Christine Powers) — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 16:25:53 GMT

Labyrinths are having a moment: An invitation to explore

Our lives are busy, stressful and very full ~ full of our needs, other people's needs, work, family, duty, and more. Giving yourself the space and time to reboot has never been more important.

Enter the labyrinth.

Labyrinths have long been used as a form of walking meditation and contemplation, navigating the twists and turns of the path is a way to relax, let your mind go, and process. Our land is a sanctuary for people to come and refresh, and we wanted there to be more, so in 2021, we decided to build an outdoor, permanent 70-foot labyrinth for you to come and experience the gift of re-centering yourself.

We are not the only ones who have begun these projects; labyrinths are found all over the world going back 4,000 years. Recently, The Today Show did a beautiful piece exploring labyrinths and their benefits. We highly recommend watching the video.

On a side note, we are happy to see that labyrinths have started to garner more attention; these walking meditation tools are truly a gift for the soul, and we cannot wait to open ours for you to enjoy. It's coming soon; watch this space and get ready to walk the Adirondack Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth - History & Myth

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:12:00 GMT

The myth, the legend, the magic

Many of us as children heard the story of the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. The “Minotaur Labyrinth” is probably the most famous of existing labyrinth designs. This Greek legend evokes mysticism, magic, and wonder. The story of the monster locked in a dark, confusing prison is part of our deep subconscious experience. Timeless. We all wrestle with demons within. Even though Theseus slaying the Minotaur for Princess Ariadne in the labyrinth was meant to take place around 550 BCE, labyrinths have been dated to as early as 2500 BCE, over 4,500 years ago!

Although a complete labyrinth that old has not been found, there are numerous depictions of labyrinths in carvings, pottery, and petroglyphs dating that far back. It is believed that labyrinths of prehistoric times were used to trap malevolent spirits or used as defined paths for ritual dance. And really, isn’t that almost why we seek out labyrinths today? To walk the path and clear our thoughts, release our demons, and journey to our own center to find the higher aspects of ourselves, maybe even the Divine?

Labyrinth designs are found on ancient coins from Crete; they are found as the "Man in the Moon" in the Hopi culture and across continents that had no connection to one another. Labyrinths were prolific across the Roman Empire and spread. The most famous one in our world today is in Chartres Cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site. Over. 1.5 million people travel to Chartres each year.

There are around 6,000 modern labyrinths that are registered in the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator, from libraries to gardens, from schools to museums, and from hospitals to backyards. Hundreds of thousands of people walk the labyrinth path every year as a gateway of meditation, centering, and contemplation.

What is a labyrinth?

A labyrinth is not a maze. It has one path in, and one path out, and you cannot get lost. It is a walking meditation that balances the brain's hemispheres, integrates, reduces stress, and lowers blood pressure. In short, it brings coherence to bodily systems. Walking a labyrinth has physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits.

We are excited to add our Adirondack Labyrinth to the roster of ancient and modern labyrinths this coming spring!

We wanted to build this incredible structure on our own land. We wanted you to walk the same paths that your ancestors did on labyrinths worldwide throughout different ages. A place that you, and they, came to for peace and healing.

We plan to completely open our labyrinth around June 2023. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy checking some incredible labyrinths worldwide that we hand-selected as part of the education section on our contribution site. Read on!

The ADIRONDACK LABYRINTH is a place where anyone can come and walk the path in reflection, contemplation, and quiet.

Here, seekers will have that safe haven to come to. An excellent canvas to bring balance, peace, and healing to our community, region, and beyond.

Learn more >

Mastery: Practice "Fresh Eyes"

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 16:48:00 GMT

Familiarity may not breed contempt, but it sure does breed ennui and indifference. This drag on our energy and effectiveness permeates everything in our lives. But, what has really happened is a loss of WONDER. When we cannot see wonder, we cannot see gratitude, and we sink into the doldrums of sameness. The beautiful aspects about our lives become invisible. We need gratitude as a consistent way of being for our success, so I suggest we short-cut to that state by cultivating WONDER.

Asa Adirondack is the home of the Philosophers Camp , where we call forth “fierce guardians of wonder and wisdom” to lead in our chaotic world. WONDER is part of 12 essential qualities that we teach that support a high-vibrational way of moving through life.

How to Cultivate Wonder

Well, the first thing to do to bring wonder into your life is book your stay at Asa Adirondack!

Outside of that, practice “fresh eyes.” Make it a habit. Try this:

Want an example? I forget that my life here is a THING.

Over five years ago, Larry and I and our son left a large, beautiful home in an affluent suburb of Albany, NY for a 400-square-foot cabin. I left a cushy office that had a Starbucks 124 steps away for a place where the nearest Starbucks is a 45-minute drive. We live on the edge of the wilderness where we are the last full-time property with electricity; there are 12 people per square mile; I ride a quad on rough dirt trails; I hear coyotes and see the Milky Way at night; I see deer, beaver, and turkeys by day. Not many people would spend 17 days in an off-the-grid hut at the mountaintop for a deep reset. But I did.

And, sometimes, I forget the why. I get lonely. I complain. I say I cannot do this anymore, and then experience a spectacular sunset and know I am not going anywhere.

I forget that most people look at me with awe or even that I am a little nutty. I am totally cool with that.

But, when I welcome YOU ~ our guests ~ to Asa Adirondack and show you around, I remember this is a thing ~ I consciously chose an inspirational life way outside most comfort zones.

You know when you go on vacation and say, “How do people live here?” Yeah, we did that. I see it in your eyes, your faces, I hear it in your words ~ WONDER.

So, I practice imagining those moments of introduction every day; it makes me laugh and bubbles up joy. I remember , and just like now, I am often moved to tears of gratitude for my life.

I am re-presenced to the courage and intrepidness of saying YES to a rustic mountain adventure.

Ok, my life is a bit unusual, but the point is that the WHAT does not really matter. The most amazing lives become dull and dark because we forget due to familiarity. The difference between wonder and ennui, enthusiasm or malaise, passion or pallor is simply in what we perceive. What I cultivate in my “Inner Eye Stance” is the only difference. So, go remember the wonder already in your life. Every day. I guarantee you will like what you find.

Blessings from the mountain, Christine

P.S. Let’s connect! Book time with me to explore how to bring more wonder into your life and leadership.

New Paragraph

Tend to the Garden of Your Soul

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 17:58:00 GMT

There is a theme running throughout the beautiful and challenging novel "The Shack" where Mac, the main character faces those dark places within himself on his journey to wholeness. It is that of a garden. A soul garden, literally.

Each of us has those hidden corners boarded up within us. Shadowy, vague, thorny, untouchable, and certainly we wish for these places to be unseeable. To ourselves, but most of all, to others.

We have this belief that we have places that are unloveable. Unworthy. We lock these places away deep in our psyches, where the weeds keep growing in the dark. But being unlovable is a fallacy. We are worthy of love simply because we exist; because we have chosen to come here and have a physical experience on a planet of duality.

Coming to Asa Adirondack, and even more deeply when working with me, is like gently pulling the weeds in the garden of your soul. Shining the healing balm of sunshine, listening to joyful birdsong, washing away the dross on the waves of the winds, walking paths of life unedited and untamed, basking in the vitality of nature ~ this is the opportunity awaiting you here.

Come. We've prepared a lovely spot of respite and sanctuary for you.

Blessings from the Asa,

Christine

P.S. For a deep dive into tending to the garden of your soul, explore if a Philosophers Camp is right for you.