River of Change, Ancestors 2024

On April 3, 2024, Lee Fuller made her transition to becoming an Ancestor.

Six seasoned students took up the mantle of leadership and organization for the April 11, 2024 retreat at Aldermarsh.

At the end of June, the Heart and Hearth Committee formed to support Lynn to continue teaching in 2025. The scheduled retreat at Aldermarsh is February 28 - March 2. (See Offerings for more information).

Tribute to Lee Ione Fuller by Lynn Fuller

Tribute to my sister Lee Ione Fuller🌹♥️

TRIBUTE: NOUN: A gift or statement made in acknowledgement, gratitude or admiration.

We are gathered here in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest on this 20th day of July to celebrate the Life of Lee Ione Fuller, daughter of Bobbie and Bill, mother to Nic and grandmother to Kai, wife to Jim, sister to Lynn and Nino and Aunt to Zachary , Daniel, Luke and Riley. Great aunt to Rowan and Nico, Elliot and Malcom, Clara Rose and Sydney, and Valkarie and Friend to Heidi and Maris and Peter. Lee’s life also includes many friends, extended family, colleagues, students and clients. She is so loved by many, and many of these folks are with us in spirit at this time of acknowledging the fullness, wonder and beauty of Lee.

It is honor and privilege to offer this tribute to my beloved sister, best friend & colleague. I met Lee when she was 2 and half and 2 and half months after our father’s sudden death and our mother’s collapse at this sudden loss of her husband. Life brought us into the loving arms of 4 wonderful grandparents and a host of great aunts and uncles who gathered to hold us during this traumatic time. We found a closeness and a comfort in our companionship at a very early age as the adults around us were challenged by the sudden loss of our father, Captain William G. Fuller Jr.

As little girls growing up in Texas we were curious beyond our years. We began asking questions that fascinated both of us. A pursuit that continued in our work together throughout our lives. At 4 and 7 our questions of the moment was: “Where do the Rocks come from?” With Lee’s skill and being 2 1/2 years older she suggested we call up folks on the phone and ask them “Where do the rocks come from? “ I was all in because we would use the rotary dial up phone that lived in the upstairs hallway nook of our home on Sondra Dr. in Ft. Worth. Our mother was outside or tending the kitchen as we made our calls. Lee’s age brought the advantage of suggesting we award people for the right answer with a year supply of Babo which was a cleaning powder of the day like Comet is today. Soon it evolved into the Panorama Quiz Show hosted by Lee and Lynn. Quiz shows were popular on TV. If the contestant on the other end of the line answered correctly, a year supply of Babo was on its way! Now you might be wondering what “answering correctly” sounded like. This was part of the fun and delight! We heard many answers to this question, answers that were unknown to us before asking. Playing the game of quiz show hosts and offering prizes to complete strangers was delight enough and on a rotary dial-up phone! Often the calls ended in silly giggles and laughter on our parts. My sister was a happy trickster and mischievous one throughout her lifetime as most of you know firsthand.

Another favorite pastime we often reminisced about was getting on Lee’s large 3 wheel bike with a box of raisins and riding around the neighborhood throwing the raisins into the air and trying to catch them with our open mouths. This was no ordinary 3 wheel bike. It was a Hop-a-Long Cassidy black bike branded with the name of a cowboy icon of the day. We often dressed in our cowboy hats, bandannas and boots for these adventures. Lee was pedaling and I was holding on to her waist standing on the tricycle footboard and laughing all the way as the raisins flew into the air. Sometimes hitting the target and mostly not! Meanwhile experiencing freedom and adventure, and abandon in the journey beyond the front and back yard.

When Lee was 11 and I was eight and we both had bicycles with baskets , instead of throwing and catching raisins, we took turns and we carried our little sister Nino who was 1-2 years old in our bike baskets lined with her baby blanket. And off we went! This was thrilling for all of us and our mother approved! Lee also shared her love of biking and adventuring spirit with Jim during their lives together.

Freedom and abandon and independence were encouraged by our mother throughout our lifetime. Especially in the exploration of the natural world and in the world of learning and also the world of dance and movement, swimming and athletics. These early themes became bedrock for our friendship and colleagueship. Our father was passionate about flying and exploring the world of aviation which was part of his heritage and growing rapidly during this time of the 1940’s both pre and post World War II. This exploration continues today with Kai as he earns his pilot’s license.

This spirit of exploration and new horizons also became an essential part of our work in psychology, dance movement therapy and deep curiosity regarding the evolution of consciousness. As we matured we found our conversations weaving together and opening us to new levels of awareness. All the while continuing our lives as mothers, partners, sisters and family members. This also included many shared friendships and a sharing of mentors who guided our developing awareness and consciousness.

It is an understatement to say my life has been deeply blessed in the companionship, colleagueship and sisterhood with Lee. My heart is full to overflowing with Love for all that we have shared. It is significant that not only did we share a mutual love of the creative, healing and expressive arts in the field of psychology and dance movement therapy, we were guided to the contemplative arts through the exploration of embodied consciousness. I have the privilege of studying and teaching Authentic movement and Witnessing with Lee for 40 years. This dialogue and the practice and teaching of this discipline has shaped us both significantly in our inner and outer lives. Working and teaching together demanded that we work with all the difficulties that arose in our relationship. This work forged a bond that was predicated on honesty, love and mutual respect. From the depth of our commitment we found more laughter and goofiness and love that has enriched both of us and all our relationships. Our two sons who have witnessed this evolution in us lovingly refer to us as “sisters O’ awareness”. A reference we treasure and has become part of our vocabulary. Thank you Nic and Dan for seeing us in this way.

There is a saying that “Love is Stronger than Death”. I am knowing this deeply in my body and soul since Lee’s passing in early April. She is very present and her gifts will continue to be a part of my life and all of our lives. Her love, her laughter, her sense of the outrageous, her beauty and kindness are all here. May we each in our own way Remember Lee and carry on.

River of Change, Ancestors 2023

Our beloved teacher Janet Adler made her transition to becoming an Ancestor in 2023.

Her website is here: https://intimacyinemptiness.com/

River of Change, COVID, 2022

On October 21, 2022, the autumn retreat at Aldermarsh began after a 3 year hiatus of meeting in person. The gift of return to the beauty of Aldermarsh and the Marsh House was deeply sensed. And to find ourselves sitting in circle once again for a 3 day retreat was truly remarkable.
Many of us had chosen to arrive on Thursday in preparation for our beginning at the Marsh House on Friday morning at 10. As we made our journey to Aldermarsh we were driving with masks on in our vehicles as we drove through the “worst air quality in the world “ that very day. The AQI was 200 due to the fires in the Cascade mountains that had been burning for many days. As we tucked into our sleeping places the rains began to fall and we awakened to fresh, clear air! It is was quite a way to begin the retreat. Many of us stood outdoors inhaling and exhaling fresh air, for the first time in many days.

To gather in circle and to remember the gift of being part of an embodied collective is not to be taken for granted. Eleven of us attended the retreat. Nine participants as Lee and Lynn held witness throughout the week-end. We have 3 women who were arriving from different collectives, and had not been part of our previous Aldermarsh retreats. It is wonderful to welcome new energy, and to remember that each of us can presence the new at any time. In this newness and familiarity we open to ourselves and one another deeply through our practice and presence.

Our work engaged our awareness of the internal witness. We notice how the awareness of the internal witness is developmental. The clarity and presence of the outer witness supports the development of the compassionate witnessing presence in each of us as we travel in and through our human experience. With cultivation of the internal witness we get to see where there are gaps in our attention to self and other. We explored the ways disassociation and compartmentalization can keep us from being a fully embodied presence, and how often the constructs of the mind can fill in for true embodied awareness.

The collective body was enlivened and engaged in and through the dialogue between mover and witness. A theme that emerged was working at the edges within ourselves and in the form. It offered a reflection of the edges we are living with and into in these times of many collective crises and how important our awakened presence is to the forward movement and evolution of consciousness.

Another emerging theme was the sacred quality of women’s mysteries: How ancient and archetypal these experiences are. How participating in these practices is best expressed through our presence rather than attempts at logical explanations.

Our dialogue strengthened what was emerging in and through our bodies. Drinking at the wellspring of this relational practice in an embodied collective reminded us of the gifts of this practice, here on retreat and beyond as each of us take the seeds and energy that is moving in and through us out into the larger collective field of our daily living. Can we continue to see and sense with expanded integrated hearts and minds? Can we perceive while experiencing the galaxies within and amongst ourselves and the earth body? As these words come to the page there is a felt sense of aliveness and gratitude!

We are sending this to all the people we have worked with to bring a taste to those who were not able to attend. And also to let each of you know that the Spring Retreat Dates are March 3,4, and 5, 2023. Mark your calendars and we will be staying in touch with news of any other offerings that may occur.

With Love and Gratitude,
Lee and Lynn