THE FAVOR of FiREFLiES: MY POST-RETREAT REFLECTiON
In July 2026, I had the privilege of co-facilitating the KEUKA LAKE SOULFUL ART RETREAT with Emilie Jordao & Carolina Torchetti. We spent nearly a year dreaming, planning, and lovingly creating this experience for an incredible group of women, and we were thrilled when it sold out!
We wanted our guests to feel warmly welcomed at every point of their stay. On our first night, we offered cut flowers to each woman to create an individual bouquets she could enjoy all week. Our daily program was designed for deep connection. We practiced “eye gazing,” the intentional practice of looking directly into another person’s eyes for a prolonged period (usually 2 to 4 minutes) without speaking. We journaled. We danced. We swam. We sang silly songs. We painted on rocks, on clay, on canvas. We ate delicious, nutritious meals together, prepared lovingly by organic farmer & personal chef, Rachel Foley. We sat with each other, listened to each other. We participated in meaningful rituals and ceremonies together.
Everything we did was designed to build emotional intimacy and foster a sense of shared humanity and trust.
On the fourth night of the retreat, something happened that I can only describe as magical.
That night, I couldn’t fall asleep.
I lay in bed with my eyes closed, waiting for that familiar wave of drowsiness to arrive.
Then, I noticed a weird flash of light behind my eyelids.
At first, I wondered if headlights from a passing car were shining through the window. Then my mind went somewhere less comforting—Was something wrong with my eyes? Was I experiencing a retinal problem?
I opened my eyes to see a tiny circle of light spark on and then off, like a shooting star.
A moment later, another light, from across the room.
‘Fireflies!’ I thought, realizing they must’ve flown into my room through the open window.
I lay there for a good while, watching them dancing in the darkness, putting on a private little performance just for me.
As I watched the luminescence glow in the darkness, I felt goosebumps on my arms.
I didn’t feel like I was simply seeing fireflies.
It felt like I was receiving a message.
Whether you call it God, the Universe, divine love, or something else entirely, the message I received was simple:
You’re doing the right thing.
The world needs more of this.
Keep going.
I’m proud of you.
Feeling a profound sense of peace, I picked up my phone, recorded about 30 seconds of what I was seeing so I could share the experience with everyone the next morning, and fell fast asleep.
At breakfast, I couldn’t wait to tell everyone what had happened and excitedly reached for my phone to replay the video.
But there was nothing to see.
No flickering lights.
No glowing fireflies.
Only darkness and the sound of me rustling beneath the blankets.
Maybe the camera simply couldn’t capture them.
Or maybe the experience was never meant to be captured.
That’s the thing about miracles.
They’re often impossible to prove.
A camera can record images, but it cannot record presence.
It cannot capture what your heart feels.
It cannot bottle the stillness of a quiet room, the cool night air against your skin, or the overwhelming sense that you are exactly where you’re meant to be.
As I reflect on that experience now, I realize how perfectly the fireflies mirror the work we did throughout the retreat.
Symbolizing hope, guidance, transformation, and interconnectedness, their tiny flashes remind us that even in our darkest seasons, light still exists.
They remind us how precious and fleeting each moment truly is.
And when they gather together, synchronizing their light, they are a beautiful reminder that we are all connected—that something larger than ourselves is quietly at work.
My encounter with the fireflies felt like a divine affirmation that the work we are doing matters.
I used to think wellness retreats were for women with a ton of disposable income and no responsibilities. Now I understand they’re a radical act of self-preservation for women who have been carrying too much for too long.
At the end of retreat, each woman reported an important takeaway, including:
- A calmer, regulated nervous system
- Tools for handling stress that actually work
- Space to process major life transitions
- New friendships that feel like medicine
- Permission to ask for what they need & take up space without guilt
- A reconnection to joy, peace, and pleasure
I left retreat feeling peaceful, centered and proud—not only of the beautiful team I had the privilege of working alongside, but of every woman who courageously chose to show up wholeheartedly for herself.
Since returning home, I’ve been asked if we’ll be offering another retreat.
The answer is: we absolutely will.
So if something inside you is already whispering, ‘Maybe that’s for me,’ please send me a message.
When the time comes, we’ll be offering a special pre-sale for our next retreat, and those who join us early will receive our best pricing.
Who knows?
Maybe the miracle you’ve been waiting for is simply an internal flicker of firefly excitement inside your body, asking you to say yes and take the next beautiful step.