This is a summer of many losses.  In my close circle there have been several deaths of important figures: my mother in law, beloved Pari, my aunt Georgia, the matriarch of my dad’s family, my 94-year old friend Bev, role model of a human being, and our beloved extraordinary meditation teacher, Sally Kempton.  

I believe that Sally was one of the most important voices in our planet today expounding the dharma, the truth of our divine essence, and sharing effective meditation techniques to help us get in touch with our blissful nature.  She also taught us how to get free of our “sticky karma” and plunge forward into a full life transformation. Her contribution to our personal growth and planetary consciousness is immense and it will continue to unfold.  She gave us enough teachings to guide us through lifetimes, and I am certain as we continue to practice with the rich body of teachings she left behind, we will understand more fully just how rare a spiritual teacher Sally Kempton really was, and how invaluable her illumined guidance has been for a clear and balanced life.  

Steeped so thoroughly in the teachings of Tantric Philosophy and Meditation, Sally wanted us to have a taste of the transformation promised in the yogic path, to embody the bliss she reveled in, to grow and expand beyond our limits, to literally “reach beyond the ceiling” of our understanding and taste limitless freedom in the highest sense of the world.  “If you cannot reach beyond the ceiling of your understanding,” she answered my question on a specific point once, “can you bring yourself to imagine it?”  

Sure we could. And we all did, for Sally was our Pipe Piper.  Through her consistent and passionate telecourses inspired by seminal texts on Meditation Philosophy and emanating from her own profound spiritual experience, she guided us in this uncharted territory with incredible love, most profound understanding, and her unequaled eloquence. 

With Sally gone from the physical dimension but ever present in our hearts, the journey continues.  On August 25 we will gather for a retreat of “Remembering the Beloved” to give ourselves the chance to have quiet space, to revel in beauty, and to relish our connection with Sally and everyone close to us who may have recently departed.  

In the exquisite nature of Zen Rocks, we will meet to listen to Sally’s teachings again, to discuss, share, and deepen our understanding.  We will sit in quiet meditation.  We will be treated to delicious truly delectable meals.  And we will be lulled all the way to the sweetest depths of the heart by the sublime mantras and kirtan Gaeia Sanskrit and Antaratma Theodore Hiotis.  These two fine musicians were paired to play music at Zen Rocks in a pre-pandemic retreat, and those of us who were present really lack words to convey the bliss and magic experienced.  

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Sally loved the music of Gaiea. Upon getting the news of Sally’s passing, sensing the need to deeply reconnect with our teacher’s essence, I immediately called on two people to join me: Nancy, my friend and companion in the yogic path with whom we shared the same devotion to Sally’s teachings for years, and, Gaiea,  whose presence at Zen  Rocks always invokes a blissful connectedness of the deepest kind.  Gaiea is a rare inspired artist singing her love for the divine with sublime beauty and buoyancy.  She simple travels you to another dimension through her voice and passion. 

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You are so warmly invited to join us at this intimate retreat to celebrate together the spirit of our beloved teacher and friend Sally, to practice, remember, and renew our connection to life!   And if you live far away and cannot join us with your  physical presence, please join our Zoom Celebration on Sunday, August 27.