The Ecology of Awakening
A Yearlong Journey of
remembering and living our essential nature
Guided by Kerry Brady and James Stark
* * * * *
Join us for a free introductory evening:
February 22, 7-9pm at GROW - Mill Valley, CA
Click here to register. Click here for directions.
February 23, 7-9pm at The Share Exchange - Santa Rosa
Click here to register. Click here for directions.
EarthWays at Ocean Song
Photo by Lisa Baiter
And was there not one moment in time
when our liberated adventure
might have felt himself to be
a new unique form of life on earth
Was there not one moment when he felt
a quivering a wavering vibe
between himself and all breathing beings
and a deep ineffable delight
engulfing him
as if he were not a man separate and apart
from the rest of creation
but a part of pure nature
without the hubris to destroy it—
~ Lawrence Ferlinghetti
For thousands of years, our ancestors lived wholly immersed in the wonder of a living universe, intuitively guided and held by their nature based village cultures. Now amidst the pressure and pace of the modern industrial agenda, we’ve lost contact with our instinctive knowing and deeper sense of belonging, alienated not only from the natural world but from our own deepest nature. However, people in all walks of life are waking to the fact that we are not simply skin encapsulated egos, separate from nature, but are beings in process, evolving in tandem with the rhythms and cycles of the rest of life.
The Ecology of Awakening is an invitation to remember our natural inheritance as an intricate part of the larger unfolding web of life. The opportunity is to begin to shift our center of gravity: out of what is conditioned and separate into what is ever becoming and connected to all life. Through intimate and conscious encounters – with each other, our own inner impulses and with the larger earth community that awaits – we will learn to listen and respond to the way life continually evokes us forward. By re-remembering our place within the unfolding fabric, we support our ability to live in a more conscious and mutually enhancing way with all life.
The opportunity of this yearlong program is to support the sustained and embodied shift necessary to meet this extraordinary moment of planetary transformation. Through the strong container of an intimate village, set within a variety of spectacular Northern California ecosystems – including rolling coastal hills, ridge top grasslands, rugged canyons, oak woodlands, and redwood groves, we will create a vibrant ecology that inspires and enhances both individual and group unfoldment. Weaving group process and deep nature immersion, each experience will inform and guide the next, supporting us in staying attuned to the unique movement that seeks to express through each of us.
We will come together seasonally beginning with two five day sessions in the spring and summer, followed by a week long journey in the fall that includes three days and nights of solo time in the wild, and a final five days in the winter. Between meetings, you will be invited to ground and deepen all that is unfolding by creating and working with core routines and practices, as well as through regular check-ins with a buddy and group mentoring calls. Individual mentoring is also available and encouraged.
Some of the elements we’ll explore together include:
Deep nature connection
Listening meditation
Bird Language
Sit spots
Council
Dream work
Ceremony
Solo time
…and more
The Ecology of Awakening is for you if:
• You sense the possibility of a deeper freedom and long to remember your place amidst the unfolding fabric of life
• You yearn to align with the cultural and planetary shift of these times and to live in a way that is life enhancing rather than life destroying
• You have awakened or are in the process of awakening to your inherent nature and are learning to live from this place in a more consistent and sustained way
• You wish to respond more fully to the way life constantly whispers to you
• You have completed a permaculture course and are ready to support and apply what you learned from a new perspective
• You are ready to shift from trying to move through the world to allowing the world to move through you
A few unique aspects to this program include:
• The intimacy of working within a small group of 15-20
• A three day solo immersion to support you in discovering the doorway to your own becoming and to a more intimate engagement with all life
• Local, seasonal and organic meals as a way of exploring a more conscious relationship with food in connection to the larger earth community
• A co-creative village process informed by each participant, the group unfolding, and the land that holds and guides us
Dates and Locations:
April 11-16, 2012: EarthWays at Ocean Song, Occidental, CA
July 2-6, 2012: Taylor Maid Farms, Occidental, CA
September 29-October 6, 2012: White Mountains, CA
January 23-27, 2013: EarthWays at Ocean Song, Occidental, CA
Course Fee:
$3,950 is the total cost – which includes basic tent camping and all meals. Shared housing and/or local hotel rooms are available for additional cost for spring, summer and winter sessions in Occidental. Please note that the fall session is a 7-day journey into the backcountry so you will be expected to to be able to carry all you need for that time in your own backpack. We will help you figure out all you need once you’ve registered.
How Do I Apply and Register for the Programs?
How to Apply
The first step is to fill out the online application form.
We recommend applying early, as program enrollment is limited. Applications will be accepted through February 15th. Applicants will then be contacted and interviewed to ensure that the program is a good fit for their needs.
How to Register
Once you have been approved for the program, a registration form must be completed by March 15th, including full payment of the program fee. However, an approved applicant may secure their enrollment before March 15th with a $500 non-refundable deposit.
Course Cancellation Policy
Cancellation policy is outlined in the Financial Agreement document included in the online registration form.
