About Us
Seven Oaks Retreat Center resides on land originally inhabited by Siouan Indians of the Monacan and Mannahoac tribes. Seven majestic oak trees crown this ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Madison, Virginia, and inspired the name Donovan and Susan Thesenga gave to the center they started in 1972.
Through the years, Seven Oaks Retreat Center has continued this tradition of supporting deep spiritual experiences in a thoughtful manner and hosted a variety of tailor-made programs for contemplative people, including groups such as Buddhist students, yoga practitioners, those studying Pathwork, creative arts groups, and other spiritually oriented gatherings.
In 2024, the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) purchased Seven Oaks Retreat Center to continue and expand its tradition of service through practicing meditation in community retreats.
As the owners of Seven Oaks, Insight Meditation Community of Washington is committed to inclusivity and social justice. Our core values are rooted in Buddhism and we welcome all those endeavoring to live consciously, responsibly, and harmoniously.
Follow the links below to hear audio guides to the Medicine Wheel and Labyrinth
This Medicine Wheel was installed at Seven Oaks in June 1986 by the previous stewards of this land, the Mid-Atlantic Pathwork, with the help of Chippewa Medicine Man Sun Bear, who has written books on the Medicine Wheel.
Circles of stones, created by indigenous people (such as that found at Stonehenge) have been found in many places on Earth. The Wheel represents a commitment by our ancestors to come into harmony with the cycles and rhythms of the Earth, humankind’s first spiritual teacher.
Typically, the stone circle has a collection of stones in the center, representing what all spiritual traditions consider central—the Creatrix/Creator—the primal creative force. The four largest stones on the perimeter of the circle each represent one of the four cardinal directions; each has a “path” of stones leading to the center.
The Medicine Wheel is a place for ceremony, for personal and collective prayer, and it was also the original astronomy lab, as it tracks the movement of sun, moon, and planets. It helps track the passage of time—in the day and in the seasons of the year, marked by solstices and equinoxes. The Wheel also marks the cycles in a human life from birth to death.
While this Wheel is in the Plains Native American tradition, we consider it a multi-cultural Wheel, as icons from both Eastern and Western traditions have found a home here.
The Labyrinth (like the Medicine Wheel) is another circular form, with an ancient history.
Its design is found in pre-historic petroglyphs. Ancient cultures of Crete, Egypt, and even Hindu India labyrinths. Crete had the myth of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur;
Hindus considered walking the labyrinth an exercise in following in the steps of the Lord
of the Dance.
The labyrinth was adopted by medieval Christianity and is embedded in the stone floor of the 13th century Chartres Cathedral, where walking the labyrinth cold be a substitute for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Like the Chartres labyrinth, the Seven Oaks labyrinth is a “meander” type of labyrinth (meaning no dead ends, no need to make choices). Just follow the circuitous path weaving in and out and around, and you will eventually arrive at the center of the labyrinth. (Do not skip over any of the rocks defining the path in or out, or you will miss the point of the journey!) As with the medicine wheel, the center is the place of the Creative Force of the Universe (God in medieval terms), and the place where our questions can be answered.
Founded in 1997 by Tara Brach, PhD, the Insight Meditation Community of Washington is non-profit religious organization. Each month, over 150 classes and events are held throughout the Washington, DC Metro area, including nearby Maryland and Virginia, and online.
In 2024, the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) purchased Seven Oaks Retreat Center and will continue to expand this tradition of service to contemplative communities aligned with its values of inclusivity, social justice, ethical behavior, and environmental responsibility.
Meditation and regular retreat are our core practices and we have searched for a retreat center of our own for many years. Seven Oaks Retreat Center is the fulfillment of our vision and we look forward to welcoming you to our new home.
The Insight Meditation Community of Washington recognizes the immense benefits of in-person, fully supported, residential retreat time. With the purchase of Seven Oaks, our vision for its development is threefold. We will refurbish the current facilities for the maximum comfort of our guests. We will update the physical infrastructure so that those with mobility challenges may participate fully in all activities. We will design and construct additional facilities to provide private sleeping rooms for guests, housing for long-term retreatants and staff, and meeting spaces for hybrid study/practice retreats.
