THE RED LETTER

Dear Subscriber First Name,

Recently on a retreat here, we had a great conversation about clarifying who we are and what we offer — our USP, if you want the marketing term. Lots of things came up: the aesthetics of the place, the creative approach to Dharma, not to mention freshly baked sourdough and real butter. But the one that surprised us, the one that hadn't really crossed our minds, was this: you're two women, and you're lesbians — why not run a retreat for lesbians?

Back in the day, in the 90s (yes, I could have said "last century"), I went on a lesbian retreat. I can't remember the theme, but it had nothing to do with being a lesbian, and I don't think we sat around talking about being lesbians. Still, something about it felt really good — like being a heavy spaceship that's been floating in space, finally landing on the ground with a settling thud. Relaxation, I guess. Maybe that's what those retreats did: I went from "being a lesbian in a sea of straight people," to being a lesbian in a self-forgetting way.

Over the years these retreats have mostly stopped happening, though I notice the gay men's retreats are still going strong.

So how about it? If you're a lesbian, would you be drawn to coming on a retreat for lesbians here? Hit reply with your chosen emoji:

🙄 Nah, not keen on the lesbian retreat idea
😑 Maybe
🤠 I'm booking my ticket right now

Provisional dates and themes for Sweden 2027

A sneak peek at next year's retreats — lots of you have been asking for the dates! We're mid-way through a big website overhaul, so nothing's live or bookable just yet, but it will be soon. There’s just 8 places on each so if you'd like us to hold you a place, just drop us a line.

The Winter Bardo | 23–30 Jan
A quiet, cosy retreat for the depths of winter — a chance to turn inwards, press pause, and take stock of where our lives and our practice are heading.

5 Kinds of Confidence — A Women’s Retreat (Lesbian?) | 1–8 May
Based on the mandala of the five Buddhas, we ask: what are the five aspects of confidence found in their wisdoms? What does it mean for us as women to discover and stand in our own confidence?

Beauty and Insight | 29 May – 5 June
Artists and meditators are both feeling their way into the hidden truths of the world. Each day of this retreat we take one artist and draw out the Dharma at work beneath the surface — letting it feed our inspiration, and our practice.

Open Practice Retreat | 12–19 June
An opportunity to come on retreat with minimal input. Silent days for personal practice, then coming together each evening for a "salon" — a chance for cross-fertilisation of ideas and inspiration. Practice here can mean meditation, art, writing, and more.

The Ten Fetters | 28 August - 4 September
Ten illusions keep us from waking up — the Buddha showed that each one can be broken, one by one, opening the way to freedom. We'll explore this through reflection and insight inquiry, drawing on the poet Rumi's images of awakening.

Everything Matters - A path of wabi-sabi Dharma | 18 - 25 September
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in things that are impermanent, incomplete and imperfect. Yet these aspects of life, known in Buddhism as the lakshanas, are the very things that can lead us to freedom.

More details on these retreats coming soon.

And now, take a deep breath and come back to the present. Not the lesbian 90s, or the 2027 retreats, but the here and now, which is all there ever is!

Sending love,
Vajradarshini

P.S. There's still time to book on the Autumn Gardening Week, starting in two weeks. Rest your mind with morning meditation in the shrine tent, wind in the poplars, silent evenings in the sauna, and time spent with your hands in the soil. Winter will be here before you know it.

Hello, I’m Vajradarshini — a British Dharma teacher living in the south of Sweden with my Swedish wife, Dhammasiri. Red Ladder Studio is a place for creative, down-to-earth Dharma practice. From here, we run retreats and workshops, and I also teach internationally, both online and in person. You can also rent The Guesthouse here (named after Rumi’s poem), for your own small retreats and solitaries. I’m glad you’ve found your way here!

Links
Retreats in Sweden | Rent the Guesthouse | Online Offerings | Calendar | Writing

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