Within the forest, we encounter very special beings known as Mother Trees.
These beings act as a central source, a hub of knowledge and nutrients. Mother Trees* share these offerings out from a place of abundance, from a place of sturdy and strong rootedness.
Through their lovingly entangled roots, these stewards, caretakers, and wisdom-holders share vital information, and crucial nutrients to the growing trees around them. We look to Mother Trees as teachers, and models, of a way to step assuredly into these same roles within our human families and communities.
We Are the Sturdy Ones is the culminating gathering in our Rise Up Rooted series, and we invite you to join us.
“If we surrendered
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.”
Right now, our world is calling for sturdy adults - adults who have cultivated their connection to Earth, the seasons, and the vast web of our living world. We know that in most of our lives, there are far too few spaces and the time so rare in which we can do this life-giving, life-sustaining work.
In this weekend workshop, we consciously create that time and space to root in and allow ourselves to be pulled toward the heart of the world.
We do this work in service to our precious lives, and so that we may offer the steadiness and care the human and other-than-human world so desperately need. We do this work in dialogue with our own bodies’ deepest knowing, and in relation with our plant (and fungi and creature) kin, who have so much wisdom to share.
*Note: While we use the term “Mother” Trees, these beings are beyond binary ideas of gender and gender roles, and we believe any person, of any gender, can embody these beings.
The work of this gathering:
Over two days, we’ll explore in community and through individual reflection and observation:
Our life’s beginning: the seed and the nest from which we grew
Our childhood, and the gifts we knew ourselves to hold then (and may have since forgotten)
Our adolescence, and the yearnings which can lay the path toward our most authentic expression of adulthood
With this clarity, we step then across a threshold into our truest maturity. In this solo-but-never-alone time, we will discover (remember) our own knowing, and that of the world around us.
Integrating this rich trove of embodied and inspirited information, we allow our roots to spread, ready to return to our families and communities, and take our place as Mother Trees.
Some more about what to expect:
This weekend workshop can be approached in two ways: as a culmination and integration of the three prior Rise Up Rooted workshops; or as a standalone practice.
While the full course of workshops offers the richest experience, either option offers the intentional Rite-of-Passage experience that so many of us did not receive, and now long for.
Participants will arrive Saturday, and be led with care through their life’s journey thus far. Creating a warmly welcoming space, and one in which all participants can individually and collectively explore the shaping and storyline of our lives, is our highest priority.
Over this weekend, we will nurture a community, with the intention that all of us Mother Trees can offer support and care to one another - extending out beyond this short time together. Fostering reciprocity and resilience are at the core of everything we do.
How the workshop will flow:
This workshop will be a blend of teaching, self reflection, discussion, creative exercises, and facilitated solo time in a wild setting
11am on Saturday, 8/17: Arrivals, settling in
11:45: Opening ceremony / introductions
1: Lunch is served
1:30: Integrating your birth story
2:45: Integrating your childhood
4: Integrating adolescence
5:45: Dinner is served
6:15: Finding sites for tomorrow’s vigil
7:15: What it means to be a Mother Tree in your life
7am on Sunday, 8/18: Participants head to their vigil spots, either fasting or after a light breakfast
11am: Participants return, are re-incorporated into the circle, an early lunch/brunch is served
11:30: Sharing what happened out there
1:30: What’s next for you, what’s next for this container
3: Closing
This workshop is designed for people who:
Are seeking natural, organic, seasonal ways to resource themselves and fill their cups
Have a desire to contribute their gifts to the human and more-than-human communities around them
Understand that no true healing of the human community can happen outside of healing with the land–that we are undeniably connected to all of life around us
Feel ready for a guided process in which they can integrate disparate parts of themselves and step more fully into their role as an adult
Who we are:
We are Heather Dorfman, Megan Hayne, and Megan Leatherman, and we’ve come together to create rites of passage programs and ceremonies that not only serve our human community but that serve the land as well.
In our work as anti-capitalist guides, circle holders, and community tenders, we have seen a deep need for intentional ritual and cross-generational flourishing.
Our larger vision is to cultivate a felt sense of the village again, in all of its richness and complexity. We hope to bring young and old together in common purpose, and to stitch the human village back into the rhythms of the seasons and the wisdom of the land. Rise Up Rooted is our first step toward this endeavor.
Details:
When: Saturday, August 17th, 11am - Sunday, August 18th, 3pm
Where: LL Stub Stewart State Park
Cost: $400, with discount codes available on the registration page
To register: https://awildnewwork.as.me/we-are-the-sturdy-ones
Other things to know:
Cancellations/refunds: A full refund is available if you cancel your registration 48 hours or more before our gathering. After that, since it’s likely we won’t be able to fill your spot and will have already purchased materials, you are eligible for a 50% refund. If you attend a gathering and are for some reason unhappy with how it went and request your funds back, we’re happy to discuss that with you (this has never happened, but it’s here for clarity!).
Accessibility: These gatherings will be held outdoors and require some walking (up to .5 miles) on uneven terrain. A private toilet will be provided, and participants will be asked to bring chairs to sit in. We’ll provide coverage for sun and rain at our site. If you have specific questions or needs, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate them.
Carpooling: If you need or desire assistance getting to where we’ll be meeting, please contact us and we can try to help coordinate carpooling