Photo by Brock Dolman

WILD RENEWAL:
Rekindling Reverential Resilience

July 8-12, 2020

Guided by Kerry Brady and Brock Dolman

Wild Renewal is an invitation to align with what it is to be an inherent part of an evolving and intelligent universe in order to support our ability to create a resilient Earth community for future generations. It is for leaders, activists and change-makers who recognize that underlying the current ecological crisis - including climate chaos, mass extinctions and the ongoing assault on bio-cultural diversity - is the modern industrial worldview where humans are alienated from Nature - the natural world and our own deepest nature. If we are to create the world we know possible – where all beings have the freedom to co-exist peacefully in balance with a thriving Earth – it is essential to free ourselves from the predominant story of separation and re-member who we are in relation to the whole.

As Gregory Bateson said, “The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think.” The industrial mindset not only experiences nature as separate but also believes that the world is simply made up of building blocks of inert matter. Yet, the sciences have helped us to rediscover what our ancestors knew: that the same creative force which brought forth the stars and Redwoods is also coursing through, and informing, each one of us. On Wild Renewal, we will open to and explore what it is to live in a reverential dance between form and formless, matter and mystery, where Bobcats and Oaks and rivers are imbued with their own communicative intelligence. During our time we will move beyond the deep seated conditioning that assumes that humans alone are sentient and open to what it is to be informed by the greater whole, listening and responding to the myriad ways that we are ‘acted upon’ and whispered to in any one moment.

For five days we will live in the rolling coastal hills of Occidental, CA in a spectacular endemic ecosystem marked by abundant wildlife, meandering creeks, prairie meadows, Sargent Cypress woodlands, conifer forests and serpentine chaparral. Our goal is threefold: to re-inhabit the wild, to deepen our way of listening and responding to the world and to renew. Through engaged participation, we will apprentice ourselves to the intelligence within living systems, to bird language and to the mystery within mycelial networks. Through solo wanders, dreamwork, listening meditation, council practice, ceremony and somatic resiliency work, we will shed what is ready to be released and open to what seeks to claim us. After an initial framing that offers context for the collective rite of passage we are in the midst of, we will live and learn from the land, moving between solo time and group processes, silence and dialogue, hands on ‘mending the wild’ and other perception-enhancing practices that support active engagement with nature, inside and out.

In aligning with the cosmic creativity of that which has been unfolding for 14 billion years, we support what cultural historian and ‘geologian’ Thomas Berry called a ‘functional cosmology’, inviting a practical, engaged and reverential relationship with a unifying origin story. This invitation may sound lofty and extraneous in the face of all that is pressing and immediate in our world. Yet, the impact of our actions is directly connected to where we are in our foundation. If we are primarily connected to the despair of a collapsing worldview, we are more likely to react from that place. If, on the other hand, we are connected to the innate resilience and imagination of our 14 billion year inheritance, we move from feeling exhausted and disconnected to being renewed and restored, supporting our ability to respond in a way that is life-affirming for the whole.

The journey takes place beyond the everyday mind and involves all of our senses. As we live on the land together, waking with the dawn chorus of birds, wonder wandering in creek corridors and watching stars emerge in twilight skies, we return to our innate rhythm, and renew our minds, bodies and spirits in support of all that we each serve. By coming together in community and engaging in mutually reflective encounters with the land and with each other, we re-member ourselves to the world, intimately attuning to what is being called forth through each one of us during this immense time of change. We will focus on three main intentions together: to re-inhabit the wild, to deepen our way of listening and responding to the world and to renew.

Wild Renewal is grounded in our commitment to counter oppression and create just and sustainable communities. We especially welcome people of color, indigenous people and people with other historically marginalized identities who have been excluded from or invisiblized within environmental movements and communities focused on the land. We invite you to join us in creating a brave and supportive environment for all who are called.

Join us to:

• Awaken from personal and cultural conditioning & divisions

• Awaken to our deepest identity as vast, and intimately connected with all Life

• Honor the personal and collective impact of these times

• Discover what it is to think and act like an ecosystem, in partnership with Life

• Learn a set of somatic resiliency skills that strengthen our ability to navigate change and build our capacity to stay present and available

• Shift from feeling burned-out and disconnected to being renewed, recharged and restored

• Explore the power of ceremony

• Deepen our sensitivity to the variety of ways Life is constantly informing us

• See yourself and the world from a new perspective

• Connect with like-minded souls dedicated to living into a new story for our times

• Be nourished by local, seasonal and organic meals, in community

Note: In order to support greater intimacy and connection with the Earth, we will be sleeping in tents, living comfortably on the private piece of land we are fortunate to have access to. This is an opportunity to re-connect with our innate rhythm and re-discover our deepest belonging, where we are nourished and informed by the whole. Many who have never or seldom camped are deeply fed by the discovery of their love of being immersed on the land.

A limited number of special accommodations (pre-set up, roomy tents with padded cots) are available on a first come-first served basis for an extra $50/night for non-inclined campers, those with physical limitations or those traveling from afar. Please email info[a]ecologyofawakening.org to inquire about availability and to handle payment which is separate from registration.

We seek to make this retreat available to all who are called: please note that you do not need to be in top physical shape to attend; yet we require that each person be in good physical, mental and emotional health. Other than one leisurely group walk, you are not required to hike/walk far, unless you want to. Please note, we will be camping on the land, which includes uneven terrain, and are therefore not wheelchair accessible. We will provide a list of equipment upon enrollment and can assist you with where to buy or borrow equipment if needed.

Who this is for?

Wild Renewal is for leaders, activists and change-makers awakening from the predominant cultural story of separation who are, in their unique way, working towards a resilient, thriving Earth community for future generations for ALL life. It is for those on the frontlines of change who are ready to renew and restore by connecting with a larger story that offers perspective essential to facing the challenges of our bio-cultural crisis.

The program is designed for those who have the capacity to move fluidly between inner/personal and outer/collective experience rather than for those who may, at this moment, be primarily focused on their own personal/trauma healing. While it is not designed primarily to promote personal healing or resolve issues, healing, personal clarity and deep connection can be natural outcomes of the process.

Dates & Location

Wednesday, July 8, 12:00 PM - Sunday, July 12, 2:00 PM 2020; 
Private Property, Occidental, CA (West Sonoma County)

Group Size

Maximum Number: 14

Tuition

Sliding Scale $1,150 - 665, with scholarship support available

We aim to balance the actual cost of running programs with our commitment to make our offerings as accessible as possible to those who are called. Please know that our pricing greatly underestimates the number of hours that our team spends preparing, organizing and facilitating. Additionally, we keep our programs small in order to facilitate optimum engagement between guides, participants and what emerges while living in community on the land.

For Wild Renewal, we have put together a powerful curriculum based on our years of dedication to supporting a resilient and thriving Earth community. Tuition includes all course instruction, course materials, camping fee, guide support and local, organic meals prepared by our fabulous chef, Nora, who puts her whole heart into each meal. It does not include transportation costs to or from Occidental.

Thanks to the generosity of those who have given to our scholarship fund, we are able to offer this program with sliding scale fees as well as additional scholarship support. The sliding scale structure helps to make retreats more affordable for those who would not be able to attend otherwise. We encourage you to choose generously!

Note that actual cost to run this retreat is $1,150 per person and that all tiers are set at or below basic cost.

• $1,150

• $ 900

• $ 675

*Scholarship Support

We aim to price our program to support inclusivity and access. We offer scholarship support to those who feel called to this journey who are currently limited in their finances. If you are called to the program yet unable to pay the above fees, we encourage you to apply for scholarship support as we want to work with you.

Scholarships are partial in that we ask you to pay what you can afford with the hope that we can make up the difference. Scholarships are contingent on the amount available, so best to inquire early. We take into account each individual circumstance and do our best to support each person’s needs. To request scholarship support, please fill out both the program application as well as the scholarship application.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 1, 2020.
We will let all applicants know if they have been accepted by May 15, 2020.