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Circles of Belonging
August 29 - September 5
£395.00 – £995.00
There’s an ancient longing in our Soul to Belong
A place to bring home our exiled parts, for ourselves and for the transformation of humanity
A journey into reclaiming indigenous traditions & be guided by the wisdom of the natural world
A space to find home, real home, a place where you feel truly welcome
Where do we go from here, how do we create the life we really long to live !
Curiosity Call – Replay
An intimate online gathering where I talked about my own journey of Belonging, and why I am so passionate to gather people in this way.
I also answered questions from the circle.
Healing our Soul wound to transform the world
Come, come whoever you are – change-makers, space-holders, mothers, sisters and lovers and couples, fathers and brothers and dancers and grafters, wild ones and shy ones, queer folk and all folk, if this resonates, come gather round the fire, deep in the forest.
Our deepest longing as humans is to feel a sense of belonging. That we feel welcomed, loved, accepted for who we are, appreciated and safe to bring our gifts to the world. Sadly most of us struggle to feel these things deeply enough in our lives and the impact is significant.
Not only do we not feel a strong enough sense of these things, many parts of us feel they live in exile, in the shadows of shame and feelings of unworthiness, feeling unlovable. We feel the disconnection from land as a place of sanctuary and nourishment.
We have a tendency in our society to focus on difficult behaviour or reactionary emotions in people and then judge them, try to fix them, or often even shame them. In the 30 years I have been doing this work I have never seen anything healed with this approach, because it is focusing only on symptoms and not the root cause. It creates division and people feeling they need to armour up and withdraw their hearts.
Come and take a year to heal, come home and learn how to have these exiled parts welcomed and held. When we heal the wounds of the Mother & Father lines it not only shifts our own lives but also the larger communities’.
This is an invitation to listen to this Holy longing within us that calls us back into belonging to the Earth and reimagine old traditions for a new world.
We will live outdoors together, in a way that many of our lives do not normally allow: camping, living in community, eating outdoors, sitting and listening to the world around us, engaging in practices that help us to connect with ourselves, each other and the natural forms of life around us.
Creating a new /ancient way of living on Earth and in community
We will ask the deep and important questions of our time:
Where have we come from ?
Why are we here ?
Where do we go from here ?
We will explore how we can be effective agents of change at this time on Earth by creating new systems and ways of being that are truly sustainable both personally and collectively. One of the key ways will be by tending to the Holy wound that we each carry: a wound of the Soul that is unique to us. This wound carries within it the encoding to our greatest gifts and the key to unlocking the collective healing of humanity and of ourselves. The lack of tending to this wound in our modern world is the primary reason we are in such a mess, so lost, so disconnected from the sacred, from the meaning of why we are here. It’s what keeps us from being able to trust each other, live in harmony together and with all life.
When this would is exiled by us, we harm ourselves, each other and the world around us. We operate from hurt, fear, trauma and identified stories that keep us locked into a narrative that continues the harm.
With a circle of humans who long to live in the deepest, most authentic way and a dedicated, secluded wild place in nature to hold and guide us, we will cycle through 13 moons together, walking the path of radical Love for both personal benefit, and to transform this wound so that we can live in harmony with life.
This offering has been waiting to be given for almost 40 years.
It’s the culmination of all I’ve gathered through my own journey to Belonging. I’ve held it in my heart and I know the time is now. I believe we can only transform our world in collaboration and inclusivity, from the grassroots up. This offering is for those who value going deep, those who are ready to meet the places of exile within themselves and reclaim them out of the shadows and back home to their hearts
– so we may be change agents from the inside out –
My Journey to Belonging
I knew from a very young age that my spirit was too wild and free to conform to society’s rules. The result was that as a child I felt exiled from my family of origin and the ache to find Belonging took me on a journey. At the age of 15 I left what I had called home with some coins in my pocket and a heart full of dreams, knowing I needed to connect to the land and find my people. At age 17, while being evicted from the land we were living on, I vowed that I would one day create a place in nature where people could gather freely without fear. A place where we could experience what it means to be connected to the land, with our indigenous ways at the centre and a sense of Belonging.
I spent years as a traveller and a land-dweller and I journeyed wide and far. During this time I learned much from nature about my exiled parts. I had people who got me at a core level, who saw me, accepted me, loved me and encouraged me to shine my light and bring my gifts to the world. With these people I learned about how my old wounds from childhood were running my life. I saw the same in others, whoever I sat with and wherever I was – these early wounds so often seemed to be the reason we struggle to to live in community and feel a sense of belonging.
After 30 years of holding this vision, the land that is now called EarthHeart found me. A clearing in the forest on the border between England and Wales. I am humbled to be guardian to this sacred space and have learned so much about myself and about life from being with the more-than-human world here. I found myself in the embrace of the forest and I found myself in the eyes of other humans who sat in the circle and did not turn away.
There was a depth of healing that was only made possible because I slowed down enough and connected to the land in a way I had not been able to previously as I was always moving on. The land breathes and changes through the seasons and I breathe with it, each season offering a different energy and teaching of how to live lightly. My nervous system is more regulated and my capacity to be open hearted with others has deepened.
I believe this is the Soul food we need to bring us back to living on Earth in
reciprocity and Grace and creating sustainable pathways for going forwards
Would you value a place where you can…..
heal the Holy wound with wise and loving guidance
experience a real sense of belonging in a community of humans
create a more sustainable life for you and those you love
feel you are making a contribution to the change
find stillness and peace from the madness out there
feel your body, breathe out and really let go into joy
be held in your grief and despair
lie on your back and watch the endless shooting stars
sit by the fire in the company of people who treasure your presence
have your gifts can be given and received without shame
feel your bare feet on the warm Earth
let go of the burdens you carry
have your spirit lifted by the dawn chorus
swim naked with the herons through the water lilies
surrender to something bigger than you
Would you like to experience …
feeling so cracked open by beauty that your heart weeps with joy
your nervous system becoming regulated just in being
experience directly living from an empowered and open hearted way
overwhelm is not the predominant experience in you
the trees whisper to you and invite you into portals to other realms
the moonlight reflected on the still water lighting up the whole night
sharing your vulnerable heart with others and feeling accepted
truly letting go and knowing you’ll be met in your unravelling
being a mess and still feeling welcome
ceremony and ritual being embedded into daily life
your wildness and fire not being too much
being celebrated for the magnificent being you are
the magical child inside feeling safe to be in spontaneous wonder
your heartbreak for our broken world not being pathologised
not being judged for how you feel
learning to cherish and love the exiled places in you
wounds of old being integrated and brought home from exile
A place of Belonging awaits you, it is here and you are welcome.
Let the old ways of obligation and conformity be composted
If we are to continue to live with this beautiful Earth and receive the profound gifts offered, deep shifts are needed for humanity. Radical change at a visioning and design level for our societies is now essential. We are lost as a species, disconnected from the land and from life as Sacred. We find ourselves swimming against the natural flow of life. Each of us has a part to play. We do not need to be great leaders, we simply need to be our true authentic, vulnerable, messy, beautiful selves in the company of others and with nature as our teacher.
“To not be heartbroken at this time on Earth points to
the level of numbing we have to do simply to get by.”
If we are to find our way home we must tend to our wounds – not only ours but the ancestral wounds and the patterns that may otherwise be passed to the future generations. We can be the ones to say ‘it stops here, enough.’ We cannot do this alone, we need each other, deeper than we can bear to admit because of the wounding. To heal these and bring them into our loving embrace we need support.
"Any act we do for the Earth is felt by the Earth, however small or large. These simple acts of love and honouring expand out in concentric circles from our hearts across the entire cosmos and life responds with more love."
"I want to live in community."
I’ve heard this said so many times – any kind of community from the full living and sharing a vision kind of community right through to how we interact and live with the people on our street. How much we share or don’t share, how much we collaborate for a better world with our local community, how much we do things for something bigger than ourselves on a shared level. How much we are willing to make ourselves interdependent and pool resources and so on.
Having lived and worked to support various kinds of community through my life I’ve heard people often say that one of the blocks is not having the money to do it. I don’t entirely believe that money is the main block. What I have witnessed and experienced is fear of living in community because:
~ we’re terrified of conflict ~
~ we don’t know how to negotiate our needs ~
~ we have a fear of lack, that there won’t be enough ~
~ society aspires us to be independent ~
~ society encourages us to be self-sufficient ~
~ we fear losing our sense of self ~
~ the need to please others is our survival pattern ~
~ we have not healed the wounds of our past ~
When we do the inner work on our core wounds and bring our exiled hurt parts back into our hearts, the dreams we hold to live in joyful interdependence with others naturally become more possible.
This is the foundational work for living in community, whatever kind of community it may be.
"We need to understand that the evolution of humanity is reliant on the thriving of the natural world and the thriving of the natural world is reliant on the evolution of humanity, these things are entwined and cannot be separated."
Working with me, what I bring
I have spent over 30 years of my life, since my late teens, dedicated to the Great Turning: listening to what is being called forth and responding as best I can. I’ve travelled deep within myself on the journey of bringing home my exiled wounded parts and exploring my own relationship to Belonging .I have much wisdom, experience and depth to offer, I’ve been doing this a long time !
I’ve lived in every kind of community most of my life and experienced the issues that break down community. I have held space and guided thousands of people and many communities into the depth of their vulnerability to support them in bringing home their exiled wounded parts, reclaiming their natural indigenous wild wisdom and championing them to bring their magnificence.
I’m not afraid of the shadows, in fact I would go as far as saying that this is where my gifts really lie when holding space: to walk with people through the really difficult places. I see these places as Thresholds and they are where the gold is. To sit with someone at the bottom of their well and find the way back into connection and light together. If you choose to work with me it’s good to know this.
I have over this time developed powerful accessible methods that support us to do the work most effectively and with a regulated nervous system. I’ve developed many practices over years and my philosophy is less is more. Spaciousness & slowing down are more effective for change than an action-packed roller coster of a ride.
Working with me is for people who are ready to really transform their lives, who are ready to go deep and take full responsibility for their lives, being here at this time on Earth and who are wanting to contribute to the change. For people who are ready to step into bringing their gift, speaking up for life and living from the heart.
I only work with a limited number of people each year as I believe that for real change to occur we have to go deep and we have to spend long enough in circle exploring community and what it really means to collaborate. I will give you everything I have and will walk with you through the places that are exiled and help you bring them home. I do this with a strong team working alongside me and are all people who have already worked deeply with me.
How we will work together
~ Building authentic community that prepares you for life, friendship, and collaboration
~ Circle work for collective and personal shifts
~ A set of tools and practices for working with the holy wound
~ Grief tending through the teachings of Joanna Macy and Sobonfu Somé
~ Nature practices from Animist traditions
~ Creativity and art exploration in nature
~ Crafting and making with our hands (that everyone can achieve)
~ Cooking food and meals together in support and collaboration
~ Ceremony, song and ritual on the land and in the forest
~ Dance and movement practices barefoot on the earth
~ Teachings and practices from the indigenous wisdom of these lands
~ Being on the land through all four seasons outside of the dated modules
~ Sleeping in the forest under the night stars
~ Tools and practices for effective conflict resolution
~ Tools for healthy communication
~ Support and guidance for stepping into natural leadership
~ Embodied practices for working with trauma held in the body
~ Learning how to express our needs and boundaries with ease and clarity
~ All-night ceremonies in the EarthLodge for winter dreaming
A short video on the importance of Belonging
Practicals
The first in person module: Aug 2023 – is a 7 day deep nature immersion and can be attended as a standalone event. You can, if you wish, decide after that if you want to continue on the journey. There is a discount if you book the entire year as we want to encourage you because we know this will be a deeper more integrative experience.
If you wish to book the 7 day immersion as a standalone please select that box in the booking section below.
Dates: 2023 - 2024
2023
MODULE 1: 30 Aug – 6 Sept
MODULE 2: 18-19 Nov (indoor camping)
2024
MODULE 3: 17-18 Feb (indoor camping)
MODULE 4: 10-14 April
MODULE 5: 25-30 June
MODULE 6: 6-11 Aug
MODULE 7: 10-15 Sept
Time on the land through the year
What makes this year-long offering unique is that as well as our official residential dates, there is also an invitation to visit and stay at EarthHeart between the modules. This can either be on your own or in the company of other folk from the circle. This is only made possible because we live here and EarthHeart is a dedicated space designed and created for this purpose. Unlike a rented workshop venue we are here through all seasons tending to the land, connecting with the beings who guide us and depending on the energies that support us as we do so.
We offer this as part of the journey over the 13 moons so you can experience what it’s like to have a special wild place in nature, embedded into your psyche that you know, and that you see as a sanctuary to return to often when you feel stressed or in need of connection and how this might support your life and what you learn here to be integrated.
Please note: Well behaved and socially well trained dogs are welcome to be part of the journey, please contact us to discuss.
On the land at EarthHeart
Camping
The entire journey is an outdoor land-based nature immersion. Camping on our beautiful eco campsite embedded in a clearing in the forest is included in your fees. There are hot showers, good compost toilets and a large barn with a woodburner, sheepskins and cushions to cosy up in when it rains.
The experience is off-grid and living simply without modern luxuries.
Meals and hot drinks
There will be times when we will be cooked for and times when we will share preparing feats together as a community. All meals will be homemade, vegan and wheat-free. Soup & bread for lunch and a hearty feasts for supper.
Breakfast is self-catering. We have a large field kitchen fully fitted with a cooker, fridge, hot water and all the utensils needed for you to prepare and eat food. There are also large kettles for hot water, a dining/hang-out area to gather and a place to make hot drinks and sit by the fire etc.
Take the first step
We invite you to take the first step into the circle and begin the journey of Belonging by booking your zoom session with Jewels. This is a private 1 to 1 to explore how and if you feel ready to step in fully. It also gives space for any questions you may have and to see if this training is right for you at this time.
Once module 1 is completed then you can take the next step to fully say yes and be welcomed into the circle of humans gathering for this beautiful journey of the Soul.
Options and flexibility
For some people committing to the whole year upfront might feel too much a of big step so you have a couple of options:
You can just come to the first module in Aug 2023 which is a 7-day deep nature immersion and can be taken as a standalone event. You can, if you wish, decide after that if you want to continue. There is a discount if you book the entire year up ahead. Of course, we want to encourage everyone to take the full journey as we know how powerful and transformational it is, but we also know that this can feel too big a step to take for some.
How to book
Scroll down to the bottom of this page and you will find a sliding scale payment menu. Simply tick the box that is relevant to you and you will be taken to a booking page where you pay just a holding deposit of £395 which reserves a place in the circle until step one with Jewels is complete. If after this session you feel it’s not for you, we return your deposit minus your fee of £35 for your 1 to 1.
If you wish to book just the 7 day immersion for now
please select that ticket in the booking section at the bottom of this page.
Transparency in how we work out what to charge
The EarthHeart project does not seek to make profit. It costs £75,000 a year to keep the project afloat (that’s with no salaries) and we divide this amount between the various offerings over the year.
We understand that some of what we offer is not accessible to some people. We have a bursary fund for making our work more accessible to racialised people. This relies on people who are able to contribute to it.
If there are funds in the pot we can help, but if not then we may be more limited. We also offer reduced spaces for young people 25 and under. Please contact us for a chat.
Please note: This is not a CPD or professional training.
If you wish to pay through your business or work as expenses this incurs a 15% fee onto the total cost
Booking policy
We request that you take the time to read our
cancellation and booking policy before purchasing your ticket.
We ask this so you can be sure you’re making an informed choice about your ticket purchase as we do not make exceptions to the policy.
This is important to us and we thank you in advance for taking the time.
Friends Ticket
If you are booking with a friend on the discounted Friends Ticket, our usual terms and conditions apply to your course fees, as well as the specific terms mentioned on the cancellation and booking policy page.
Please be aware that if one of you decides at any point not to pursue the journey – the remaining person will then revert to the standard ticket price.
PLEASE NOTE:
If you are struggling with finances and are serious about committing to this journey, do get in touch and we are open to seeing what might be possible to help you
Register your interest
If you’re not ready to join but interested, please enter your details and we can keep you posted. This also helps us to get a sense of numbers so we can manage the waiting list
If you’re ready to join, scroll down the page