Unfiltered Impressions - Entry 1
The land that accounts for 'bask' offers a vibrant variety of potential experiences to all who visit and open themselves to its beauty.
Each element of this natural masterpiece holds a unique message, a spark of creativity, inspiration, or healing waiting to be ignited. In the quiet solitude of nature, a sanctuary for one's thoughts is found. A place where imagination can often soar. The beauty surrounding our guests is not just a visual feast but a catalyst for inspiration, a wellspring of creativity that flows freely.
It never ceases to amaze our team what offerings of wisdom, joy, and peace surface to those willing to spend valuable time within the trees and cabins of the reserve. The stories and inner inklings shared amongst our community have been something to savor and meditate on. Because of this, our new blog series "Unfiltered Impressions" began to take shape, eager to be revealed to the world. This series of entries will hold space and document the initial thoughts, feelings, and reactions of the individuals participating in the vision and vast array of experiences that bask has in store. Here is where we are given an opportunity to informally dive into the hearts and minds of the very people who have connected with the land, allowing us the opportunity to learn, reflect, and resonate with something that connects all of us; nature.
I hope you enjoy it.
-Letting Go and Moving Forward-
[Orlando Sepeda]
My time at Bask was more than just an escape—it was a turning point. I learned that nature has a way of holding us, grounding us, and offering a sense of renewal that no amount of medication or distraction could provide. The land at Bask had witnessed my pain, but in the same respect, it also witnessed my growth. It became a place where I could release the trauma I had been carrying for so long.
While I still carry the memory of my experiences, the weight is lighter now. The land taught me how to let go—how to trust that, like the changing seasons, I too could move forward. Bask wasn't just a retreat center for me; it became a place of transformation.
If you are someone grappling with the weight of trauma, I encourage you to seek out a place like Bask—where the land, the stillness, and the community can help guide you back to yourself. Healing is possible, and sometimes, all we need is the right space to begin that journey.
-First Land visit-
[Sy Arden]
It was late Spring, and I was invited to "the land" under no preoccupation. I arrived with no agenda other than to enjoy myself. I turned onto a long entry drive with a large field on the right, traveling over a creek to see the construction on the hillside. It was a place of activity with interesting topographical dynamics, striking just as it was.
I got settled, sat on the front porch of a cabin, and looked out on a wild field—wild in every sense that anything that wanted (and could) grow there did. Native beauties faced upward like butterfly landing pads right alongside scrubby invasives that did what they did, unmonitored.
I sat and sketched the field—it wasn't easy at first—it was hard to really see it, but by the end of my trip, I could see it. It was a tangled, imperfect beauty alive with colored things floating about, very thin lines of tufts catching the light in different ways at different times.
What I noticed after the fact was the silence. I noticed it most when I arrived back in the city. On the land, there was space; my ears were able to rest there. The sounds that did happen were purposeful, not like the drone of distant traffic (both road and air) that never stops.
Birds had space to communicate, and the particular topography lent to reverberation. That, along with the background of silence, gave my hearing the sense of what it's like to not be imposed upon. What it's like to be with sound instead of blocking it out or having to engage with it- sort of like good company. Like how you feel when you're in the midst of an easy camaraderie.
FYI- apparently birdsong taps into our primal instincts and signals peace and safety to our nervous system; it has been shown to help anxiety and paranoia.
I wonder if we're needing more birdsong-like company in our daily lives. Visits with folks who signal peace and safety to our personhood.
I digress.
There is more to describe, but suffice it to say that I left the land feeling like anything needed was already there. Like the best thing anyone could do was to frame what was already there so others could see it more quickly—to amplify what might be too quiet for those accustomed to protecting themselves to hear.
The natural world reflects the entire spectrum of being, and somehow, it grounds every feeling one might have about that (birth, death, pain, innocence) in the truth that what always was, always will be, and that the best forms of faith are open to mystery and acceptance.
Thank you for reading our first entry of the "Unfiltered Series." If these messages resonate with you, we would love to hear about it. We welcome you to check out our socials @baskretreatcenter or email us at info@baskretreatcenter.com with any personal reflections about our writings, or nature in general. Be well and always indulge in the beauty that surrounds you!