Odyssey Ridge
Center for Inclusive Sacred Experience
Odyssey Ridge Center educates, supports and encourages spiritual seekers in their quest toward enlightenment. It is our purpose to promote understanding of the unifying truths at the core of many religions, which on the surface seem to be at such odds.
Celebrations/Observances/Rituals:
Celebrations of many sacred occasions will be facilitated on our grounds. Some will be open to the public. Some will be by invitation only to facilitate more intimate or serious occasions. Resident and visiting clergy will perform ceremonies which can be designed to fit any faith system.
Retreats:
Odyssey Ridge will host retreats throughout the year, each focusing on an aspect of spiritual seeking. Some examples include: Yoga Weekend, Meditation Getaway, Science and Spirituality Sojourn, etc.
We believe that Peace is Possible
I began to make a plan in my head that night. And my seeking took on a new urgency. I had to gain an understanding of the belief systems of others, so that, given the opportunity, I could intelligently counter any ignorant and hurtful statements made by religious zealots. I also wanted to seize every opportunity to educate those who were willing to listen. Because I had already experienced that mystery to which EVERY faith system points.
Over my years on the property I also played with the idea of Stewardship over ownership. I could claim nothing of the special qualities of this land. All I had was a piece of paper with my name on it. This land belongs to itself - and WANTS to share its energy with others. I feel this to my core. My plan, after creating this not-for-profit corporation, and after launching the activities of the center, is to donate the property to Odyssey Ridge… retaining only a life estate for myself and my daughter. This is home and I intend to live out my years here… dedicated to the growth and expansion of the bubble of peace and understanding that I'm trying to facilitate here.
If these notions appeal to you, if you'd like a place to worship without judgment, a place to learn about others and ways to unify us all…. If you believe that Peace is still Possible…. Please donate to our cause.
Reach me at Odyssey.Ridge@gmail.com or (845) 649-0787. This is important and time is short. Please do what you can.
Renee D'Amoiselle
Founder,
Odyssey Ridge Center for Inclusive Sacred Experience
Brought together by their common interest in alternative spiritual practices and comparative religious study, Maria Bird, Angel Cherney-Haring and Renee “D’Amoiselle” Martin have committed themselves to the creation and growth of Odyssey Ridge. They bring a wonderful variety of cultural, educational, professional and spiritual backgrounds to this endeavor.
Maria contributes a great talent for working with numbers to our team. She has over 15 years experience in the financial industry. Her attention to detail and organizational skills will no doubt prove invaluable to the tasks to come.
Angel holds degrees in Art Education and Art Therapy. Her many years of experience in teaching and working with people will be an excellent boon to our educational and counseling goals.
Renee’s formal education and over 20 years of experience as a paralegal brings a sharp business mind to the table. Trained in aspects of risk management she is adept at looking ahead for possible outcomes and avoiding problems before they arise.
Having worked diligently for their individual spiritual and emotional growth, all three women are aware of the desperate need in society for spiritual healing and understanding. Their shared and life-long love of spiritual studies and comparative religion inform the foundation of Odyssey Ridge with an open and honest quest for knowledge and a desire to share what is learned for the greater good. They all have great professional minds which will help to ensure the success of Odyssey Ridge, but have no doubt that the Hearts of these dynamic women are in this as well. And THAT dedication to the goal of peace and religious freedoms and education is what will sustain this vision and make it flourish and grow.
We are fortunate, also, to have many additional friends of the foundation volunteering their time and expertise in areas as wide-ranging as herb gardening, soap making, architecture, stone masonry, yoga, reiki, meditation, interior design and much more.
Foundation Mission Statement
We foster unity among apparently diverging spiritual practices through education and ritual focused on similarities rather than differences. Odyssey Ridge welcomes and respects followers of every faith system and provides sacred space for personal worship. It is the goal of this foundation to assist the seeker in consciousness raising endeavors, such as religious study, self examination, daily devotion, meditation, charitable service work and ritual practice.
These are some of the things you can expect from Odyssey Ridge:
Education:
We offer classes in comparative religion, metaphysics, divination practices, Reiki and other forms of energy healing, meditation, yoga, shamanism, paganism and other nature based faith systems, scriptural studies, mythology, magick, personal development and many more.
Sacred space:
We intend to provide a wide variety of venues designed for devotional practice from private indoor chapels to large public ritual space, indoors and out. Labyrinths, gardens, grottos and temples are planned.
Services:
We will offer services of divination (psychic and intuitive readings), energy healing, classes in yoga and other mind/body connection modalities, group meditations and pastoral counseling, when needed. We will operate a Lending Library including books covering topics of spirituality, personal growth, psychological study, metaphysics, mystical practices and much more. We can also recommend several artisans who specialize in creating custom ritual tools and sacred works of art.
Charity work:
We hold fundraisers at regular intervals to assist various charitable organizations chosen by a consensus of our membership according to need. We also organize volunteer efforts to aid the local community in various ways, focusing on nurturing and protecting our mother earth and all her inhabitants.
Our Founding Members:
Angel Cherney-Haring
Renee "D'Amoiselle" Martin
On September 8, 2001, I moved in to my new home. It is a lovely but simple chalet style house on 12 wooded acres on the Shawangunk Ridge. From the moment I set foot on this property, I knew it was special. And I knew I would some day share it with others. I noticed right away that there was something "other worldly" about the land. A "Place of Spirit", there is an energy here which seems to connect people to something greater. It may not have been a completely conscious thought at first. But I found myself wanting to name the property. Providence Ridge was my first attempt. You see, I had journeyed long to find this place… home. And I felt as though a power greater than myself had led me here. After many traumatic events in my life and in the middle of my "seeking" for a relationship with that "over-arching divine power" which I find most often in nature - a power truly found in all of us - I landed here.
Our Back Story:
I had a grasp of this - and my first little renovation project focused on the entry-way. I wanted to create a blessing for all who entered my home. I decorated with angels and the colors of sunshine and blue sky. And I painted the following phrases on the wall:
"Every person possesses divinity. Every life is guided by Providence. Every struggle can be eased by grace."
Three days after "the big move", a group of individuals, under the guise of "religious beliefs" hijacked four jet airliners and flew them into buildings, and into the ground, killing thousands of innocent people.
One or two nights after this tragedy - I sat on my deck, my loved ones safe and sound, SO grateful for them, for this place, for the GIFT of life and every breath we take. That night I witnessed - for the first and only time in my life - The Aurora Borealis, visible over my little plot of land in the mountains. It wasn't a dream or a vision.. it actually happened. You can find it in the news archives because it was so unusual for the Northern Lights to be visible that far south.
And in the tradition of the ancient shamanic peoples of EVERY land, I took it as a sign. And I knew that NO ONE has the right to sit idly by while people on this planet continue to HURT other people based upon their own ignorant belief that they alone have found the "One and Only True Right God."
Admission is only a $5.00 donation and a pot luck dish to share!
