Forget about enlightenment
Sit down wherever you are
And listen to the wind singing in your veins.
Feel the love, the longing, the fear in your bones.
Open your heart to who you are, right now,
Not who you would like to be,
Not the saint you are striving to become,
But the being right here before you, inside you, around you.
All of you is holy.
You are already more and less
Than whatever you can know.
Breathe out,
Touch in,
Let go.
- John Welwood
Guiding Philosophy: There is no way out but in.
Hackmatack Retreat is a non-denominational, radically beautiful physical space where you can step out of the world and take time out for time in — no matter who you are, where you come from or what you believe.
Hackmatack is located in Richmond, Illinois minutes from the Wisconsin border sitting on almost 30 acres of protected land in the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge in the heart of the Midwest. The land is native prairie with a winding slow river, two ponds, 200+ year old oaks, and big sky. With countless places to curl up and write, gathering spaces for group work, and writing nooks and crannies indoors and out, Hackmatack Retreat seeks to offer “time out for time in” amidst this noisy world. Only five minutes from two small towns with all the amenities needed, and within an hour or so of major airports of O’hare, Midway, Milwaukee, or Rockford, Hackmatack is all about ease. We’re also 15+ minutes from the world class historic resort town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.