Fellowship with the Wilderness
Friday
Arrival by 5:00pm
5:00-5:30pm Registration, check-in, settle in
5:30 Smudging/Fire Ceremony
6:00 Wild Dinner/Welcome/Introductions
7:00 Session 1 –“The Noble Savage: Wild and Natural Humanity”
8:00 Drum circle/Prayers
9:00 Stargazing, Night Hike (For those interested)
Saturday
7:30am Morning meditation/prayer/smudging
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Meditative Hike (all day long)
10:30 Session 2- “Health and Nature: Is there a Connection?”
11:30 Foraging for edible plants
12:00pm Packed and Foraged Lunch
1:30 Session 3: “Native Medicine: Wisdom of the Land”
3:00 Mini-Vision Quest
6:30 Return from Hike/Smudging
7:00 Dinner or Fast (if interested)
8:00 Session 4: “Ecology of Commerce: Where are your Investments?”
9:00 Dialogue/Drumming/Dancing
10:00 Moonlight Prayer, All night vigil, camp out (for those interested)
Sunday
8:00am Morning meditation/prayer/exercise/smudging
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Session 5: “From Philosophy to Sacred Habit: Green, Natural Living” followed by Question and Answer session
10:30 Silent reflection
11:15 Earth Prayers, Gathering
12:00 Lunch
Departure after 1:00pm
Holistic Medical Sessions: To be done throughout the retreat
Activities: Hiking, Swimming, Hot Pools, Sauna, Mini-Vision Quest, Drumming, Fire Ceremonies, Smudging, Earth Prayers, Foraging, Camping (if interested), Sweat Lodge (When Available)
Rhythm: Natural- Meditative, Simple, Intuitive
Wisdom: Ancient and modern scientific teachings plus experience
Personal Care: Holistic Medical Evaluations: Done by native healers, energetic healers, or holistic practitioners (Note: These are brief sessions on this retreat due to the day-long hike)
What to bring: personal toiletries, warm jacket, rain gear, gloves, hat, hiking attire, yoga clothes, casual, loose fitting clothes, flashlight, lighter, tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, drums sleeping bag and mat (if camping out)
Recommended reading: “Health is Connection” essay by John Hughes (see Articles and Resources link); “The Body and the Earth” in Recollected Essays by Wendell Berry; Walden by Henry Thoreau; The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, The Voice of the Earth: An Exploration of Ecopsychology by Theodore Rozak, Mutant Message by Marlo Morgan, Soul of Nowhere by Craig Childs; The Tracker by Tom Brown, Jr.
Glossary:
Contemplative Practices on the retreat:
Fire ceremony—This is a traditional Native American practice where one burns something from the past (in Full Moon) or brings a prayer request of something new (in New Moon), that will burn, turn to smoke and release into the ethers. It is often done at sunset.
Vision Quest—A personal, spiritual journey usually done over a few days as a shamanic initiation or a rite of passage for a youth into adulthood. The quest often involves sensory deprivation methods such as long walks in uninhabited areas, fasting, or sleep deprivation. Participants may experience hallucinations, talk to ancestors, or the Creator on this quest for a vision; the vision is one that often guides one’s life direction
Smudging—This is a traditional Native American practice where one burns sage or cedar as a means of cleansing, prayer, healing. “Sage” in Latin is Salvia and derives from the Latin root salvare, which means “to heal.”
Drumming—Drumming has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples at weddings, ceremonies, harvests, and rites of passages. Studies appearing in New York Times, Yoga Journal, US News, Newsweek, and the Wall Street Journal have reported on the healing effects of drumming to relieve stress, change brainwaves, and improve overall well-being.
Foraging—Intuitively and traditionally understanding plants as “friends” who provide food and medicine has always been a practice of Native Americans