In the spring of 2009, I was invited to sell crystals at a private event, the ‘Goddess Happy Hour’. At the event, the host opened her home to her female friends on the Friday before Mother’s Day, and held a lovely party. She invited local practitioners and vendors to offer massage, mini-readings, spa product samples, jewelry and a variety of other fun and relaxing services. The women ate tasty food, sipped wine, had mini-facials, pedicures and massages while spending time together catching up or getting to know each other. It was a fabulous evening, and the host beautifully gifted her friends with a delightful opportunity to pamper themselves, enjoy magnificent food and good company in a relaxing environment. You could feel the stress simply fall away as the women settled into their evening. As I was participating in the event, I kept thinking ‘more people should have a chance to enjoy an evening like this!’ Thus, the Autumn Goddess Retreat was birthed.
I had never planned an event before but was driven to create a public version of the Goddess Happy Hour. I wanted to create an event where men and women could come and relax, socialize with friends, meet new people, and enjoy themselves for a while. I rented a 2nd floor dance studio, found some wonderful people who were interested in vending, loved the concept, and were willing to take the risk of investing in the event. In our first year, the event was named the ‘Goddess Social Retreat’ and we had a very small event with 9 practitioners and vendors offering body and energy work, readings, manicures, crystals and jewelry, and so forth. Each of the vendors brought some food for the participants to snack on throughout the day, as well. It turned out to be a fabulous day and we were all very excited to plan another event for the following year.
In 2010, I was blessed with the opportunity to co-create the Autumn Goddess Retreat with multi-talented, creative and resourceful Lisa Miller. Lisa brought the assistance and balance needed to expand the event and make it an even better experience for both the vendors and participants. We moved to a bigger location at the Romano 4H Center in Honey Brook. We added in workshops throughout the day, and we able to host over 20 vendors, including 5 from the original event. We were blessed with perfect weather and a wonderful group of men and women to spend the day with.
This year we are continuing to expand the concept. We found the charming Family Center of Gap, which offers more space, a lovely café and library, and wonderful people to help us organize the activities for the day. We will have more services and workshops and will be ending the day with an amazing concert by David Newman (aka Durga Das). Many of our practitioners and vendors are returning from previous years, and we are adding in some new faces. Additionally, to help people budget and plan their day, we have added the ability to purchase workshop and concert tickets in advance through our website.
Each year, giving back to the community has been an important part of the Autumn Goddess Retreat. As we honor, give love to, and support ourselves, we are also offered the opportunity to give to others in need. In our first year, we raised $70 toward medical expenses for Lucy Waldeisen, my 3 year old cousin who is fighting neuroblastoma. In 2010, we raised over $400 for the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, and collected numerous donations for their shelter. In 2011, we plan to further expand our charitable contributions and are supporting two local charities. Jars of Hope is part of the Family Center of Gap and has a food bank that supports families throughout Lancaster County. We are collecting donations of food, hygiene and paper products, as well as gift cards at the admission tables for the retreat and for the concert. The Wolf Sanctuary of PA is our second charity. Lisa is striving to raise $1000 through monthly promotions of services through her website. Additionally, we will be holding a 50/50 and basket raffle to raise funds for them.
We are honored and grateful for the community support we have received at the Autumn Goddess Retreat and are looking forward to another wonderful day this year!
Much love,
Linda & Lisa
