PHILOXENIA - OUR STORY (PART 3)
philoxenia life?
We have experienced authentic hospitality (philoxenia), the healing power of connecting with God's creation (viriditas--latin), and the enlightening process of engaging the creative Spirit within us (meraki). Philoxenia life is our response to these gifts and an invitation for others to join us in this journey.
When I was a senior in high school, I signed up for an upper-level art (drawing) class…mostly because I thought that it would be a “blow off” class, but also because I really enjoyed drawing. I remember on the first day of class feeling a bit awkward because all the other students in the class were the “creative types”, students that had been taking art, music, or band classes throughout high school. Although I enjoyed drawing, I didn’t consider myself an artist. The first assignment was to draw a three-dimensional image of your shoe. It took me a little longer to finish the drawing than the other students, but in the end, it actually looked a lot like my Nike sneaker. I was proud of the final result and ultimately ended up receiving an A on the assignment. Despite this success, the next week, I decided to drop the class and replace it with a study hall. The decision to drop the class, was driven largely by “senioritis”, but also had a lot to do with my “creative confidence”.
Creative confidence is a term popularized by David Kelley, IDEO founder and Stanford d.school creator, and his brother Tom Kelley, IDEO partner in their best selling book by the same name. In the book, David and Tom describe the process of unleashing the creativity that lies within each and every one of us.
Philoxenia Life and Meraki Retreats were founded upon a similar principal. The Greek word “meraki” means to do something with soul, creativity, or love –OR– to put something of yourself into your work. Therefore, the purpose of a Meraki Retreat is to help the participants discover or reengage with their inner creative spirit in order to instill the essence of who God created them to be into their life and work.
We offer personal, guided, creative and family retreats that are customized for the participants. The consistent and prevailing factor of all retreats is minimal programming and maximum space for rest, relaxation, and opportunities to experience the Ikarian lifestyle. The island offers some of the most beautiful beaches in the Aegean Sea and is rich with history and adventure. Retreat participants are invited to come and enjoy local honey and wine, explore the ancient monasteries, or just lose themselves in the endless mountainous trails.
By removing people from their day-to-day (fast-paced lives), placing them in the midst of God’s beautiful creation, and encouraging downshifting, we can open the door to creative expression and exploration of the interior depths within ourselves and the mystery of God. Unfortunately, creative expression is too often reserved for “artists” and the focus has been on production of a commodity that is bought or sold to the highest bidder. Many people are told from a young age that they are not creative or not artistic, causing them to ignore the creative Spirit within them. We believe that all people were created in the image of the Creator and therefore have been blessed with the gift of imagination. By encouraging the process of creating rather than the final product, creativity can become accessible to anyone. The creative process itself can be a path to inner discovery wherein people can begin to notice inner stirrings…discovering joy, sadness, resistance and passion…the still small whispers that often go unnoticed and ignored. As people begin to rediscover the creative spirit within, they become more aware of the interior movements and begin to trust their inner voices rather than ignore them.
As an adult, too often too much of my time is spent just trying to make it through the day…waking up early to check my emails, running from one (zoom) meeting to another, rushing kids off to soccer or the next activity…leaving very little space for inner discovery, creativity, or reflection. Every summer, when our family travels to Ikaria, I am invited (reminded) to slow down, to appreciate the beauty in simplicity, and to embrace the PhiloxeniaLife.