Visiting
VISITING THE SSC: Visitors who wish to experience a spiritual/nature retreat and those who are interested in participating in the Residential Community in celebrating and actualizing The SSC mission are welcome. To visit the SSC please contact the Host-Coordinator at sscvoc@gmail.com for specific information about fees, facilities available, and directions to the land.
SOUTHWEST SUFI COMMUNITY/ VOICE OF THE TURTLE RETREAT CENTER - INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES
1) ORIENTATION: If you are arriving for a retreat, please see the camp registrar at the Retreat Center. If visiting, contact your host when you first arrive. The camp registrar is located in the open porch of the Retreat Center, which faces due NORTH, and the creek side is EAST.
2) PARKING: When you arrive proceed to the Retreat Center. It is OK to take your car to most of the Retreat Center accommodations and some of the camping areas to unload gear. The staff will then guide you to a permanent parking area.
3) OUTHOUSES: The closest outhouses are located down hill from the Retreat Center. The path is to the left of the road. Other outhouses are in the South Meadow and vehicle camping areas.
4) DRINKING WATER: Spring drinking water is available by the Retreat Center from the spigots in the yard, or on the water table by the outside dining tables.
5) WATER WASHING STATIONS: These are located by the Retreat Center and by the outhouses. If you are camping further away, do all your washing away from the creek.
6) SHOWERS: The showers are located in the Retreat Center building.
7) WADING IN THE CREEK: Water in Bear Creek is OK for wading, but not for drinking. During camps, an area for dunking and swimming in the creek is designated. Wading in the creek at other locations is fine. Children must be supervised at all times while at the creek.
8) CAMPING: Please camp in the designated areas: a) Upstream to the South Meadow, on the left or right side of the road, or through the gate by the outhouses and back into the field; b) Near the retreat center, along the road to the South Meadow; c) Downstream across the creek by the orchard and Burial Garden area; d) The vehicle camping area located on the flat above the Retreat Center. PLEASE DO NOT CAMP ON THE SAND IN OR NEAR THE CREEK. Please follow wilderness camping guidelines: don't ditch around your tent as this can cause soil erosion; leave no trace of your campsite; pack out whatever you pack in; and don't leave trash for others to take out.
9) CAMP KITCHEN: The Head Cook and the Assistant Cooks are in charge of the kitchen during camp. The Beverage Person serves coffee from the kitchen porch before breakfast. Please ask for whatever you need of the kitchen staff and they will do their best to accommodate.
10) FOOD: This is a remote area and the potential for animals being drawn to your food is high. Outside, keep your food in your car with the windows up or tie your food in a tree, hanging away from the trunk. Do not throw food scraps around. Use the compost buckets.
11) SMOKING: Please smoke in the designated area at camp. It is important to be aware of the danger of fire on the land.
12) FIRES: Open fires are not permitted without approval. Please do not use incense, candles or open flame lanterns outdoors or when camping, unless it is a part of a ceremony or practice with prior approval. Incense and candles may be used indoors only when they are under the direct observation of an adult (person 18 year of age or older). April-June are usually dry months, so it is important to be especially careful with fire.
13) HUNTING/FIREARMS: Firearms are not allowed and no hunting of any kind is permitted on SSC land.
14) WILDLIFE: Please respect any wildlife you may see or encounter. The extensive riparian area is home to diverse flora and fauna, with regular visits from migrating birds. Resident wildlife includes squirrels, chipmunks, lizards, deer, rabbits, quail, dove, blue heron, javelinas, foxes and coyotes, non-aggressive rattlesnakes, shy bears and mountain lions.
15) PETS: Do not bring any pets to camps/retreats/visits.
16) DONKEYS: There are two donkeys on the land. Please watch out for them when you arrive. They are sweet animals and may seem tamer than they may act. Please keep a respectful distance from the donkeys.
17) SNAKES and INSECTS: We have black-tailed rattlesnakes in the area. They are non-aggressive, and have a beautiful green and gold color with a diamond pattern on the back. They like closed-in spaces and in the late morning usually lay in direct sunlight. If you see a snake, please leave it alone and tell the Camp Manager where it was seen. Scorpions and kissing bugs are also present on the land. It’s a good practice to shake out your clothing and shoes prior to putting them on and check your bedding in case either of these have nestled in. The Kissing bug looks like a large watermelon seed with an elongated snout. Some people have adverse reactions to their bites.
18) CHILD SAFETY: Children are prohibited from the tool shed, barn, corral and any equipment room. Children may be in the community kitchen, a worksite, or within 100 feet of Bear Creek, only when accompanied by a supervising adult.
19) FIRST AID SUPPLIES: Some herbal and other first aid supplies are kept in the utility room off the kitchen.
20) MEDICAL EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: The SSC is rustic and remote. There is no doctor or nurse on the land. If necessary, it is the responsibility of all visitors, retreatants and participants to seek their own medical treatment and treatment for minors in their custody. The nearest formal medical treatment is in Silver City.
21) PHONES AND E-MAIL: At present there are no public phones or public email options at the SSC. Some cell phones (Primarily Verizon) have service uphill from the main gate.
22) HISTORICAL/ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: Sites from the past may be found on the land and surrounding area. The sites may be noted and photographed but not disturbed.
23) SACRED SITES: The Maqbara area (Burial Ground) located across Bear Creek is considered to be specifically Sacred Ground. This area includes the Dargah of the Founder of the SSC, Murshid Moineddin Jablonski. All visitors and SSC Participants are encouraged to visit this area with the intention of seeking guidance as to the deeper meaning of the SSC Vision. There is a small retreat hut near the Dargah, if a personal retreat is in progress, please respect the privacy of the retreatant and keep a respectful distance.
24) WE ARE ALL GUESTS OF THE LAND: Visitors are invited to hike and explore while practicing Leave No Trace ethics. For the sake of safety, hikers are encouraged to go with a partner and must always inform another person at SSC where they intend to hike. A core aspect of this community is respect for the sacred manuscript of nature and all the life forms therein. Removing anything from the land, including pottery shards and plants, is not permitted.
Short-term visitor accommodation fees:
The first night is by donation, then:
The homestead $12
Camping on the land is $10
(We keep these fees low to accommodate all who may wish to visit. However, if you are able to offer more, your additional donation to help us maintain the retreat center is greatly appreciated.)
Southwest Sufi Community/Voice of the Turtle Retreat Center/ Release of Liability:
All SSC Residents, Participants, Retreatants and Visitors, by signing this Release of Liability, agree to read and accept all of the conditions of participation described in the Southwest Sufi Community Information and Guidelines and when applicable the Living in Community Agreement, as well as to the agreements described below:
“I hereby expressly release the Southwest Sufi Community and the Voice of the Turtle Retreat Center, and all their directors, officers, staff and legal representatives from all and any actions, injuries or damages, suits and claims which I or my executors, legal representatives, or assigns may have or may hereafter arising from my presence on, or traveling to and from the premises of the Southwest Sufi Community/Voice of the Turtle Retreat Center property located approximately 17 miles northwest of Silver City, New Mexico.
In signing this Policy Document I acknowledge that I have read the document(s) listed in the first paragraph and specifically the Liability Release Agreement contained here and that I accept all responsibility for actions and events that are a consequence of my presence or the presence of my guests or minor children on the SSC/Voice of the Turtle land.
I fully understand the wild nature and rural location of that land may represent elements and situations that I may not encounter in my everyday life, including, but not limited to:
Cactus spines and wild seed stickers, * Poisonous snakes, * Water hazards, * Wild animals in their natural habitat, * Rural unpaved roads, * Communications limitations, * Distance from medical facilities.
As a parent signing this Policy and Release document, I understand I am responsible for my minor children at all times during their presence on the SSC/Voice of the Turtle land.
I understand that signing this document creates an ongoing release to be kept on file and applicable to any future visits to the SSC/VOT land."
Participant/Retreatant/Visitor:
___________________________ (Name) ______________________________(signature) _________ (Date)
Host-Coordinator/Camp-Retreat Registrar:
__________________________ (Name) ________________________________(signature) _________ (Date)
(Original to SSC, Copy to Participant/Retreatant/Visitor.)