The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
Except the one in which you belong.”
~David Whyte
One of the greatest journeys that humans can embark upon is one of apprenticeship to nature :: our own inner nature, the nature outside of us, and the nature of all of the beings that surround us.
Each of these offers a consistent compass of connection. For we were born connected. We were born to live with purpose. We were born to bring our gifts, our genius, fully into the world. And this is why the School of Connection exists.
The School of Connection is a seven month journey of descent, transformation, and emergence designed to guide you further down the path of purpose and passion through deep listening. Wilderness wanders, nature connection practices, drumming, self-designed ceremony, the way of council, active imagination, dreamwork, shadow work, archetypal studies, and inquiry are all tools available to you as you follow the siren call from the depths of your being. The school meets one weekend a month from October to May, bringing us from the harvesting of fall into the inward turning reflections of winter, and back out again with the rising sap of the spring.
You are invited to bring all that you are to examine more fully that which is true and that which is you :: to rewrite your story from your place of belonging in the heart of it all.
:: Curriculum Overview ::
October 28-29th – ~ Introduction and Opening Circle
November 18-19th – ~ East :: wind, spirit, breath, voice
December 16-17th – ~ South :: fire, ritual, sensuality, embodiment
January 13-14th – ~ West :: water, mystery, darkness, emotion
February 17-18th – ~ North :: earth, elders, ancestors, tradition
March 22-26th – ~ Five day immersion for overnight solo
April 28-29th – ~ Integration
May 26-27th – ~ Closing
:: Facilitators ::
Hannah Jermstad ~Deep inquiry and meaningful connections have guided Hannah down a marvelous and ever unfolding road of enchantment, healing, wonder, and purpose. A blend of contemporary studies and non-traditional experiences have created a dynamic combination :: a bachelors degree in human development and ongoing graduate studies in eco-psychology combine with a number of rich explorations in folk herbalism, nature based soul connection work, shamanic astrology, activism, grief work, rites of passage, ritual and ceremony, and storytelling to create a multi-faceted woman who’s life is both her practice and her playground. Her work aims to awaken the genius and soul purpose within each individual, and she draws inspiration from the multi-hued tapestry of her life’s studies in service to the golden thread running through the center of it all.
Ellen Grossman MS, NP ~ has been standing at the threshold of women’s initiation for 30 years. As a nurse-midwife, ceremonialist, and shamanic practitioner, she has accompanied thousands of women as they have embraced their creative life force (physically or metaphorically) as they have sweated and labored to birth that life force into the world as they have faced fears, plumbed depths to find treasures they didn’t know they possessed. She now works with both men and women who are seeking to give birth to their soul gifts in order to come more fully into the world at this time. She has a private practice, utilizing Bill Plotkin’s Map of the Psyche in combination with shamanic practices and other Soulcraft practices. She offers private sessions, classes, workshops, weekend and week-long wilderness retreats.
:: Location & Logistics ::
This is an all camping program, and participants are expected to come equipped and prepared for time spent outdoors and the variety of conditions that arise. Participants are responsible for lunches and snacks on both days, and we will be having a communal potluck meal on Saturday evenings, with breakfast provided on Sunday mornings. Meals will be provided for our five-day gathering.
Tuition for the program is $2,300 when paid in full before the program begins or $2,500 on a payment plan. A non-refundable deposit of $250 is required once your application has been approved to secure your place on the journey.
“In answering the call we must depart
from the common maps and follow
where spirit would have us go;
for the aim of spirit in each life involves
something uncommon and exceptional.”
~ Michael Meade, The Genius Myth