Storytelling Retreat:

Finding Your Voice in Nature, Self & Spirit

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than they seek. - John Muir

Just as the seed calls forth all that is within the soil - moisture, nutrients, wisdom, and memory - and then draws all that up through itself to break the surface of the ground, you must call forth the voice of truth from within your life. A seed is like a small hammer that cracks the silence of the soil with its voice. Most people have forgotten that their true voice comes up through the soles of their feet. When you speak, call on the many voices from the past that lie below you. It is in speaking your truth that you will find your true footing in this world. - The Way of the Rose, Clark Strand and Perdita Finn

Join guides Erinn Jacques, Leah Grace, Callum Bopp and eight fellow seekers for five days and four nights of deep connection with the land and our heart’s deepest desires. Using the medicine wheel/four directions as a framework, we will till the soil and stories of our human experience. The medicine wheel is a sacred symbol that represents the four directions, the four seasons and the four stages of life. We walk along the wheel cyclically each moment, day, month, year and season of our lifetime. Walking the wheel is a journey of transformation and healing.

Each day we’ll walk solo into nature holding one of the four directions with intention and contemplation. In this divine connection with Pacha Mama, we will listen deeply to hear our true voice. Later, as a group, we’ll tell our stories and hear them reflected back to us by the three guides. As we listen to each other's experiences, we’ll bear witness to individual and collective growth. These reflections are a path to gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. 

What comes forth in the reflection is a story of self-transformation. Even as we “myth” ourselves into experience, so we express ourselves into existence. Our stories about our natural selves, and our means of expressing them, lead us to courage, determination, commitment, hope, wisdom and the will to survive. We will transcend the difficulty in order to go beyond ourselves. 

Our time together will be a weaving of teaching circles, time in nature and story council. Each day there will be a generous amount of time for self-care, contemplative practices and community care. 

DETAILS

• Dates: June 26-30 in Bitely, MI. Please plan to arrive the evening of June 25, or no later than 8:00am on June 26. We will begin our time together promptly at 9:00am on the 26th. We will wrap up around 2:00pm on June 30th. 

• Investment: $1500 - this includes lodging and catered lunch and dinner. The Cabin is located on 20 acres of land with the Pere Marquette river running through it, and is bordered by 800 acres of National Forest. The Cabin also has a wood fired hot tub, sauna and outdoor shower. 

• Meals: Lunch and Dinner will be provided. Breakfast is on your own - there is a common refrigerator and full kitchen available. 

• Lodging: Bunkrooms are provided, or you are welcome to camp on the land if you wish.

Space is limited to 8 participants. Reserve your spot with a $350 deposit.