Begin your Summer with a weekend of slow and joyful reconnection to yourself, the land, and others.
Most of us have felt some sense of compression and tension since the Winter Solstice (and perhaps long before), and we know this takes a toll on our bodies and spirits. We offer you this weekend retreat so that you might release some of what's ready to go and expand into greater ease alongside the Summer Solstice.
This family-friendly campout is open to people of all ages, genders, and identities, and adults without kids of their own are certainly welcome (we need everyone in the Village!).
From Friday evening to Sunday mid-day, we'll engage in community ritual, merriment, learning and crafting, and explore what's possible when we exhale and allow ourselves to soften into the Summer season.
We intend to offer those who attend this weekend retreat the chance to:
Let go of clock-time and embrace the land's timing
Feel held by the Earth and release tension or tightness that's ready to go
Experience a little window into Village life as we make food, craft, and learn together
Step into the Summer season with both intention and ease
An outline of how the weekend will flow can be found below:
Friday
4pm: Arrivals and setting up your site
6pm: Community dinner
7pm: Summer Solstice Ritual
8pm: Ritual concludes, more merriment is underway!
Saturday
8:30am: Community breakfast
10am - 12pm: Workshop #1 (for all): Foraging and medicine-making with Summer herbs
12pm: Everyone makes their own lunches
1pm: Napping with the land
2pm - 4pm: Workshop #2 (for adults): How (and why) to live in alignment with Summer; Workshop #3 (for kids): Play, crafting, and discovery time with the land
5:30pm: Community dinner
6:30pm: Evening song circle
7:30pm: Music, dancing, and games
Sunday
8:30am: Community breakfast
9:30am: Closing circle
10:30am: Packing up and final enjoyment of the land
1:00pm: Our time on the land concludes
About the land:
Turning Earth Farm is a beautiful and well-loved place about 90 minutes from Portland with farm animals and a roaming Llama named Loretta. We'll be camping in a forested space down the road from the garden area, near a sweet creek and meadow. Trailers and campers 20 feet long or under are allowed. There are composting toilets and showers available as well as potable water.
Below are some photos of this special place:
Other things to note:
*Accessibility: This gathering 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. There will be limited 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.
*Late arrivals: Our intention is to create a contained, ritualized experience for those who join us. To support this intention, we ask that you only register if you can attend for the entirety of the campout (Friday evening to Sunday morning).
*Meals: To help keep costs down and because it helps to create Village, we'll all be pitching in to make and clean up meals. Each party will be asked to sign up for a food item to bring for our meals and also be asked to sign up for a cooking and clean-up slot.
Registration:
Registration includes your camping site, community ritual and workshop experiences and materials, and four meals throughout your stay.
Adult registration: $60
Children 14 and under registration: $30
About your facilitators:
Megan Leatherman (she/her) is an anti-capitalist educator and vocational guide. She’s the author of the Living the Seasons journals and the host of the “A Wild New Work” podcast. Megan has led seasonal, land-based workshops and classes for the last five years and has worked with clients through major transitions in their working lives for the last nine years. You can learn more about Megan here, at awildnewwork.com.
Morgan Pace Bolton (she/her) is the co-founder of Earthbody Presence, a community centered around mindful connection to self and the more-than-human world. Earthbody Presence guides seasonal retreats, workshops, women’s circles, forest bathing walks, and a summer kids camp. Morgan is also a Garden Educator and Land Tender with a deep commitment to teaching regenerative land practices to adults and children. Check out earthbodypresence.com.