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These are our current offerings for individuals:
Nature As Soul Friend – 2 day residential A 2 day retreat to learn about and experience the role of Nature as companion and catalyst in our spiritual journey:
o The Judeo-Christian tradition, the Sufi mystics, and countless tribal peoples have long found a spiritual dimension in the wild places of forest, desert and mountain. From Moses and the Exodus, from Rumi and Rilke, to the Desert Fathers of the early Church, we have instinctively known that the mystery we call God (and that deep part of ourselves we might call our truest self), are more easily found in nature than in our cities. o Modern mountaineers, explorers, scientists, psychologists now agree with the 3rd century monastics, that there is something healing, calming, stripping and challenging – and ultimately enlightening - about spending time in solitude, in those untamed places that do not need us and will outlast us. Come and learn how to be still in nature, how to let it heal you, how to listen for and reach out to God (however you understand that great mystery). You don’t need to be super-fit, or experienced as a mountaineer or survival expert for this retreat. You do need: o the ability to walk, stand & sit in the great outdoors o waterproofs and boots or strong shoes o warm clothing – to allow for being still outdoors o A willingness to sit in silence & the ability to reflect on your own journey
Stress Reduction & Stress Management – 3 Day residential
Most of us don’t need to be told that we live in a highly stressful environment: rush-hour traffic, bosses who demand more productivity with fewer staff, the monthly struggle to pay the bills, the noisy neighbours, the constant onslaught of electronic devices: texts, email, calls... Come and discover that trees and streams, valleys and hills are your natural setting, and that there is healing, calming, and healthy perspective to be found in Nature.
This 3-day retreat will provide: o The time and space to slow down and rest, in a haven of beauty and tranquility; o The chance to listen to bird-song and running water - and if you wish, the chance to be listened to with compassion and without criticism or advice; o Days and nights to soak up the peace, balance, harmony and perspective that the hills, forests and rivers have never lost; o The opportunity to learn stress-reducing practices to take back with you into your busy life
You don’t need to be fit, or some kind of Ray Mears survivalist for this retreat. All you need is: the ability to walk, stand & sit in the great outdoors o waterproofs and boots or strong shoes o warm clothing – to allow for being still outdoors
Come and relax in a beautiful, peaceful location, with good food, no distractions (no mobile phone signal), and the time and space to allow yourself to be unwound, soothed, and restored by woodland, hills and streams.
Guided Death Lodge – 5 day residential
The journey of our lives invites us to die many ‘little deaths’ before our physical death. Laying down, letting go, working through and in time, making peace with our losses and failures can be a powerful, even transformative experience. One which allows us to begin the next stage of the journey and be open to new life. ‘Death Lodges’ began as an ancient tribal people’s ritual for coming to terms with our physical death. Contemporary psychologists like Bill Plotkin (author of ‘Soulcraft’ and ‘Nature and the human soul’), have adapted the concept to be a tool for dealing with loss and failure – resonating with the teaching of Jesus that “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it will bear much fruit”. This modern incarnation of the Death Lodge is a time alone in the wilderness for ‘making peace with the past’, a retreat in which we say goodbye to what our life has been, our old way of belonging to the world, of relating to others. A place where we mourn, celebrate, honour, forgive. Where we close a chapter of our lives so that a new one may be opened. A Guided Death Lodge, is where a small, experienced team facilitate your own private solo Death Lodge by: o finding and arranging a beautiful and conducive wild location, o providing accommodation, food, drink etc, o putting a framework in place for your physical safety, o designing and guiding you through a structured program before, during and after the event to enable you to be clear on: o what you are laying down, o what it means to you, o how best to lay it to rest and o how to be open to new life in the aftermath of your death lodge, through: o teaching, o solo time to ponder, journal and reflect, o one-to-one listening, and o group-sharing with your fellow Death Lodge travellers (you share only what you wish to share)
Wild Earth’s guided Death Lodges are provided on an invitation-only basis: those wishing to undertake a guided Death Lodge complete an application form which is then reviewed by the team and applicants for whom the event is felt likely to be timely, beneficial and safe are then invited to enter the process. There is practical and spiritual preparation required during the 3 months leading up to the event (which participants will be guided through by the team).
You do not need high levels of physical fitness or mountaineering experience but you do need the ability to hike 1 or 2 miles carrying your gear and the mental composure to camp solo for 2 days. Also required is the willingness to reflect on, sit with and grapple with your own ‘stuff’.
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