This is the ultimate shadow. The shadow that one no one wants to talk about or admit to. Melanie Ryan was “initiated” into teaching on the Death Shadow when her only child, Justin Bodhi Steigmeier died suddenly in 2023, of an aneurysm at the age of fifteen. Justin Bodhi was a very bright light, and his death has been the catalyst of a great awakening and path for Melanie Ryan. 

 

In the Buddhist tradition, physical death is not seen as an end to life, it is a continuation of consciousness. 

 

Death also simply means change. It does not always mean a physical death. It can be loss of a job, a divorce, a shift in life that leaves you feeling grief. It can be sudden and shocking, leaving a person feeling lost, anxious, depressed, and ungrounded. 

 

Impermanence penetrates every aspect of our existence. How we deal with change influences our level of joy or suffering. The Death Shadow Retreat is a 4-day immersion into the golden shadow of death. What change is revealing to us, why it happens, what karmic patterns, and what has been buried.  

 

This retreat is for those who wish to heal, be empowered, reconnect with joy, and find the light in the darkness. It is tailored for your specific needs. Melanie guides you every step of the way, helping you discover the post traumatic growth that is meant to come from change. 

 

The death shadow retreat is custom designed and may involve meditation, vision questing, dream work, naturopathy, homeopathy, and metaphysical energy healing. The goal is to discover how you respond or resist the mini deaths of your life, how to properly grieve and let go of attachments so that you can move forward and find joy. 

 

In this retreat we cultivate bodhicitta - an awakened heart and mind. It provides the opportunity for you to learn more about death, how precious life is, and the ordinary magic that exists within you and all around you.