If women remember that once upon a time
we sang with the tongues of seals
and flew with the wings of swans,
that we forged our own paths through dark forests
while creating community of its many inhabitants,
then we will rise up….
~ Sharon Blackie
What would it be like to stop trying to fix the world for ourselves, for our grandchildren, for all the creatures of this planet, and instead take their hands and the hands of our ancestors, and the hands of our great great grandchildren and with fierce love make a path by walking it?
Wise women have seen that we are living on an edge at the end of a world. Much of what humanity has known, including our way of living on the planet, cannot endure. Yet the way forward is unknown.
This is when and where our work as women begins, the moment when we rise to reclaim what we have always done and make a path through the dark forest by walking it.
We can avail ourselves of deep feminine wisdom. We can drink from the well of the Sacred Feminine and learn to live in a hope beyond the hope that we can fix the trouble we’re in.
Sacred Mystery resides among the more than human: tree and forest, mountain and river, fox and turtle, hawk and bramble. By learning to love fiercely and by reweaving these ancient relationships we and our children’s children’s children might possibly become creatures who have a place within the unfolding story on the far side of what we can now imagine.
This Heroine’s Journey is small and spiraling, hardly a path at all…but we will set forth with courage and joy.
Join us to:
- Wander the sacred land of Rolling Ridge listening for the wisdom of the wild inhabitants of the forest, mountain, and river.
- Listen to ancient stories rising out of the heart of the Sacred Feminine with wisdom of what to do and how to behave when the dark times come around again.
- Gather for council and ceremony woven with the heartbeats of our drums and the power of dancing in sacred circles.
The retreat is at Rolling Ridge, 1600 acres of protected wilderness between the Appalachian Trail and the Shenandoah River. Lodging is in the seven-bedroom Retreat House or camping with access to facilities within the house. The Retreat House has two full baths and two half baths.
The retreat begins Friday at 4 pm (arrive by 3 pm), includes Friday supper and ends at 12:30 pm on Sunday, followed by lunch at 12:45.
The retreat is convened by Lindsay McLaughlin, Julie Gabrielli, Katy Gaughan and Lisa Bardack.
The retreat can take up to 14 women, and in order to accommodate all, we are requesting that women opt for sharing a room if possible. Three of the shared rooms in the Retreat House have a bunk bed; one has two beds. The rooms with bunks can accommodate a floor futon mattress, if climbing to the top bunk is not feasible. The Retreat House also has three rooms with single beds (full beds and a twin). We have one space in the Cordwood Cottage, which has electricity and access to the Retreat House for facilities.
As we recognize the attraction of having a separate, single sleeping space, this year for the first time we are offering assisted camping—we will help you set up and take down an individual tent; if you don’t have a tent, we have some you can borrow. You will need to bring a sleeping mat and bag or bedroll. Campers have access to the Retreat House for facilities.
Shared room: $280 each
Camping: $200
Cordwood Cottage: $225
Single room: $395
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