Places of Power, Places of Heart

The Lakes

At the foot of Mount Tamalpais lies a chain of blue lakes that receive the bountiful runoff waters that dance and sparkle down the mountain. After washing over the stone people in the creeks, they come to rest in the lakes to feed and quench the thirst of all the other people that dwell here, plant, animal, human and otherwise. I have always found these lakes to be reservoirs of peace and calm, still waters that do indeed run deep.

During our last Winter hike to the Waterfalls, we did a healing for all the waters, in the earth, and as they pour down through washes and ravines, and spill through the lakes, from Lagunitas (Phoenix flows the other way) to Bon Tempe, to Alpine, to Kent, and out through Samuel Taylor Park to meet Mama Cocha at Olema. This time, in the Spring, we will continue our blessing at The Lakes, participate with the rain-quickened life all around us, and also receive the blessings that flow downhill to us from the Mountain, and from our earlier work. This time we will be absorbers, and go deep.

On this hike, you will:

Visit Bon Tempe Lake in the shadow of the mountain

Let your heart begin to come to rest in the deep still water

Follow the trail that encircles Lagunitas Lake

Soak in the blessings of the wildflowers, the green hills and the shady wood

Rest on the protected shore and commune with the forest- and water-birds

Spend individual time to see what the spirit of the lake has to tell you

Dwell in peace and calm beside the water

Receive healing directly from the water, the earth, the wind, sunlight, and the mountain

Give back and continue blessing the lakes

As of yesterday (4/29), the hills remain brilliantly green, and 42 wildflowers presented themselves as I circled Lake Lagunitas: purple lupine, blue-eyed grass and vetch, pale wild radish, pink thistles and five- and six-pointed pink groundcover, Douglas iris in several shades, striped white violets, yellow succulents in the rocks, and rare blue larkspur. All three of the Lagunitas Creeks were full and babbling gently. Grey, red and blue dragonflies darted in the warm breezes that wafted through the reeds and cattails that edge the shore. Red winged blackbirds strutted through the grass or sang their haunting calls from branch tips, acorn woodpeckers tapped rapidly on deadwood and laughed raucously, various ducks patter-walked on the water, and hummingbirds buzzed among the spring blooms. Deep-throated frogs called to each other back and forth across the inlets.

This will indeed be a rich time to rest into the deep pool of calm at the foot of Mount Tamalpais in a timeless place that dreams of summer. I hope you will join us!

To read in more detail about what I saw and was told in my preparation journey, click here.

Rating the difficulty of our hikes on a scale of 1-10,
1 being very level, short and easy, and 10 being very strenuous, our first three hikes rated 1-2. The Waterfalls hike was about a 4. This hike has options for a longer or a short hike. The short version is about a mile round trip and rates a 1. Another version circles the lake, and is 1.8 miles round trip, rating a 2. A third option climbs to a prominence overlooking the lake area, is a 500 foot climb in elevation, covers 2.2 miles, and rates about a 5. You will have options to either stay with the group or to select your personal return route after our ceremonial time.

Details on logistics will be sent upon registration.

Registration is $40 ($35 if registered by May 7th).

What participants have said about the hikes:

"I felt connected to the spirit of the mountain."

"Today was magnificent, it was incredible. It couldn't have been a wonderful day had you not organized it. There was a lot to enjoy and celebrate. And, I am glad we did good work. Hurrah for our team! "

"It was so nourishing to be laying on the ground, under the tree, feeling the stones and the aliveness of everything."

"It was so easy to breathe out there in all that open space. I felt very supported and held. "

"I was surprised I really connected with the spirit of the waters. It was a powerful and healing experience, for me personally, and--I believe--beyond me."

"Looking forward to the next hike!"

For forty years, Steve has been doing ceremony and hiking around the shoulders of our local mother-mountain. On these visits to Mt. Tam, we will hike with mindfulness to key power spots, many secret or hidden from casual view. There, we will bond with the presence of the mountain, perform ceremony, make offerings and honor the local spirits. We will connect with the power and heart of the land, and with each other, heart to heart.

Steve Orsary is a shamanic practitioner, healer and poet who has hiked thousands of miles, many of them around Mt. Tam where he has walked every trail on the map and many that aren't. He and his wife, MaryAnn, work in Corte Madera where they practice Bioenergy Balancing, shamanic healing and body-centered psychotherapy. Read more about Steve.

Click to contact Steve. Limited to 12 participants. Feel free to send info about this hike to anyone who might be interested.