When things fall apart or become polarized in the extreme,
it's soul that's missing...
If we want the world to change,
the healing of culture and greater balance in nature,
it has to start inside the human soul.
-- Michael Meade

We live at a time of intense upheaval within the natural and human world. This has given rise to a deep yearning within us to find the ground of our being, to be renewed in heart and soul, to find light in the darkness. The season of Advent and the days surrounding the Winter Solstice invite us to enter another realm, a place where we can deepen our sense of wonder and nurture our souls. It is a realm steeped in story and rich with possibility.

This retreat is for all those who hunger for such solace and soulful transformation.

We may discover that the deepest gift we human ones can give and receive at this moment is our gift for story, ritual, and ceremony: our personal and collective narratives, our music, our dances, our poetry and contemplation, our simple gestures and wordless prayers.

• Participate in rituals and ceremony designed to help us enter sacred space and remain there. These times will include storytelling, meditative drumming, and sacred circle dance.
• Spend time alone in the prewinter woods and return to share the mysteries of our encounters with soul and nature.
• Have generous space for silence, prayer, journaling, meditative art or handwork, reading, rest.

This retreat is open to people of all traditions, and to both men and women. Retreat begins 5pm Friday with dinner and ends after lunch on Sunday with 3pm departure. Retreat cost is $280 and includes lodging, six meals, and program, or $230 to register together and share a room. For more information and to register visit http://rollingridge.net/thegift/ or email lindsay.rollingridge@gmail.com.