My friend Mabel and I went on an adventure together. We visited Soul Whispering Ranch in Witter Springs which specializes in meditation and wellness.
I had been there when it was Reese Ranch Retreat and I was curious as to how it had changed with the new owner, Shine Zuo.
Since a large family had rented the entire Ranch, Shine invited us into her house and quite unexpectedly served us herbal tea, homemade cheesecake and wild mushroom risotto. In that order.
Having cheesecake before the main dish reminded me of my mother feeding me pie when I would visit her in the morning. No complaints from me!
After visiting Shine’s birds; a large white friendly cockatoo named Picasso, a blue ringed parrot Claude, two caique parrots called Paul and Gauguin – all named after artists, I spied some complicated sheet music on a baby grand piano so I asked Shine if she would play for us. She did and she’s really good! What a treat…food and music.
Soon afterward we followed Shine into the barn where she had laid out yoga mats surrounding an array of singing bowls, which are used to deepen meditation and promote relaxation. They produce sustained sounds and vibrations when Shine hit or circled them with a mallet.
The effect calmed both Mabel and me. In fact, I almost fell asleep listening to the soothing sounds.
I spent some time with the donkey Sunshine who was out in the pasture along with other animals. She loved that I rubbed her ears. She couldn’t get enough of it. I only stopped when Mabel called out to me.
I really feel that donkeys will be in this chapter of my life somehow. When I was a child, life was about horses, but now I feel such love for donkeys. I can’t explain it.
We walked across a pasture next to the pasture with Sunshine, a skittish young calf, several cows, a young Brahma bull and a beautiful golden horse named Cali.
Sunshine and Cali came when Shine called them. Another chance for more ear rubs.
Shine walked with us to the teepee on the back part of the 16 acres. Nearby was the large tent that part of the family renting the ranch was using. Children were having a blast running around being kids. Not one cellphone visible!
At the teepee, we sat in the sun. A hush came over us as we soaked in the sun’s rays. We could have fallen asleep in the peaceful atmosphere. Mabel said that the singing bowls had really set the tone for the day.
Shine said, “When you serve, connect, and get healed, Life gifts you serenity, joy, and deep meaning.”
On the walk back to the house, Shine picked up on my feet, on how I walked. What? Was she psychic? I had forgotten that as a child I had to walk up and down the length of the living room, with correct posture. I also had to wear stupid corrective brown shoes that helped me to walk properly, when everyone else was wearing cool saddle shoes.
Shine suggested getting support inserts for my shoes since I have high arches and my tennis shoes have zip support. She told us how she’s a hypnotist and often gets to the root causes of people’s pain. She certainly narrowed in on my bad feet, by just reading my body language!
On the way home, Mabel said how she felt that Shine is unassuming and focused on her vision for Soul Whispering Ranch and is confident that it will be realized. “Shine is so open to sharing her thoughts and ideas. I found her easy to be with,” Mabel said.
What’s a girl to do?…go back and commune with little donkey Sunshine and maybe let Shine hypnotize me to find the source of my back problem.
To find out more, visit https://www.soulwhisperingranch.com/
Lucy Llewellyn Byard is currently a columnist for the Record-Bee. You can email her at lucywgtd@gmail.com
