Three Sisters Farm Retreat Center
Three Sisters Farm is a great place for a fun vacation. There’s so much to do in MidCoast Maine— hiking, biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, skiing, antiquing, farm markets, lobster dinners, museums, art galleries, etc. etc. And, of course, we have lots of toys out in the barn for grown-ups and kids.
But the Farm is also a great place for another kind of experience, something quieter and more contemplative.
I’ve long been interested in the concept of Retreat— the practice that runs through many spiritual traditions of withdrawing from the world for a while to find a deeper sense of peace and perspective before returning to one’s daily life.
Our family’s decision to spend a year at the Farm was conceptualized as a kind of retreat, an opportunity to live close to nature through the seasons in the place we love and see how it might change us
Wadsworth Point is a small peninsula. There’s nothing commercial. A few families live here year round. Some have been here for many years and carry the living lore of the area. Of course, there are summer places down along the water. But even in high season it does not feel as busy as one might expect. The rest of the year it is gloriously quiet. Sometimes hours will go by between cars passing the house. From time to time, you might hear a truck in the distance out on Cushing Road. What you don’t hear is the constant drone of the engine that is a standard feature of suburban life.
Our farm is eleven acres on both sides of the road. You can only see one other house from the property, and that’s a ways off on the barn side. Which means that from almost any window all you look out on is fields and trees. At night there are no artificial lights. Needless to say, the stars are amazing. On moonless nights there is a dark unlike anything you get in a city or suburb. It’s a dark that feels nourishing, as if it supplied some essential element you didn’t even know you were missing.
So how did our year-long family retreat go? Well, to paraphrase Jon Kabat Zinn: Wherever you go, if you bring your family, work remotely, and commute periodically to your office in another state, there you are. But despite importing our stressors with us, I recognize as our year draws to a close that I am changed. I’m calmer, happier, the things that used to gnaw at my mind trouble me less. Mia and I have also discussed how this has been a good year for us and our family.
If I had to attribute the change to any single practice, it would be my regular walks down our narrow country road and out along the shore to the first knob of Wadsworth Point. Over and over I would feel my stress drop away to be replaced with a sense of wonder at the beauty of this place and a joy at being in the world.
Now, to be clear, Three Sisters Farm “Retreat Center” is not actually a thing, just a way to think about that kind of experience you can have here
So, if you’re looking for some quiet, some rest, some renewal, come to the Farm. Come by yourself, with a partner, or a group of spiritual friends. You are welcome in the summer, but you might want to consider coming in the fall, winter, or spring. We don’t have a seven night minimum stay then and rates are cheaper, so you can pop up for a weekend or a mid-week escape. And MidCoast Maine is beautiful in any season.
Come meditate looking out on a field. Do yoga in the great room or the barn loft, depending on the season. Sit in the barn office, with its view of the farm, and work on your novel. Turn off the house lights and climb the back hill to see the Milky Way like you haven’t seen it in years, maybe ever. Walk out to the point and contemplate Creation. Wonder at the flight of a blue heron, the sight of a bald eagle sitting upright at the top of a spruce, bobcat tracks in the snow, the sound of coyotes calling in the distance.
And, if you decide to also have a little fun while you’re here, well, that’s spiritual too.
Steve