A residential retreat at Haw River State Park
Brown Summit, NC
April 17 – 19, 2026
“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being,
the more joy you can contain”
-Khalil Gibran
This spring, we invite 22 participants to gather on sacred land along the Haw River in Brown Summit, North Carolina, to be held by blooming Magnolias, Dogwoods, and Honeysuckle, as we honor what lives in the shadows.
There is much weighing on our hearts as we move into 2026: the upheaval and turmoil in the political sphere, deepening social divisions, feelings of uncertainty and disconnection, and a continued struggle to find collective ground. We carry the lingering grief of the pandemic, the weight of unfolding global injustices rooted in centuries of oppression, and the many personal losses and tragedies that shape our days. Grieving in community, through ritual, ceremony, and witnessing, was a component of our human experience in villages and tribes for millennia, but is arguably absent from our modern culture of busyness and individualism. In this practice-centered retreat, participants will be immersed in the lost art and practice of “communal grief-tending.”
Over our three days together, we will make sacred again the expression of grief, to unburden our hearts and create more spaciousness within our bodies and souls. Knowing that disavowed anger often lives underneath our hurt and our sadness, in community, we will offer one another a refuge safe enough to coax rage out of the shadows and into the arms of the sacred, where it can be validated and honored. We will also consecrate a space for play and imagination, to rebuild our resilience and provide a salve to our wounds.
The weekend will include:
• Breathwork and body-centered practices to deepen our trust in our emotional and body wisdom
• Therapeutic writing, inquiry, and small group work to assist in opening to our stories of loss and to give voice to our grief and rage over personal injustices and world events
• Mindfulness and earth-based practices to connect with the land
• Expressive arts practices to open ourselves to the power of play and imagination
• Personal and community ritual
As we practice the courage to be with the authenticity of our hearts, we enhance our capacity to embody a vibrant sense of aliveness and compassion. The beauty of this work is its capacity to expand into our communities and the world. This is a form of soul activism and what we are called to embody in this critical time.
“Grief and rage are kindred spirits,
both born of love violated.”
~ Francis Weller
We will begin at 4pm on Friday, April 17 and conclude at 4pm on Sunday, April 19. To cultivate trust and containment, participation for the entire weekend is essential.
To register click here.
See testimonials from past retreat participants here.
This retreat is for you if….
• You feel the weight of grief in your body, heart, or spirit and long for a place where it can be expressed and witnessed in community
• You carry anger that has felt confusing, disallowed, or overwhelming, and sense it may be a signal of fierce love for what matters
• You are impacted by the collective grief of our time—social division, injustice, ecological loss, political upheaval, or the lingering effects of the pandemic
• You sense unspoken sorrow or rage living beneath the surface and want a safe, ethical, and well-contained space to meet it
• You’ve been shaped by a culture that encourages busyness, self-reliance, or emotional restraint, and you long to grieve alongside others
• You want to experience grief and rage not as problems to fix, but as sacred energies that carry wisdom, truth, and vitality
• You are navigating personal loss, heartbreak, transition, or disillusionment and don’t want to carry it alone
• You are curious about communal ritual, ceremony, and embodied practices as pathways to healing and belonging
• You feel called to reclaim play, imagination, and creativity as essential to resilience and aliveness
• You are a therapist, healer, teacher, activist, or caregiver who gives a great deal to others and needs space to tend your own heart
• You want to practice staying present with strong emotion without bypassing, numbing, or self-judgment
What’s included…
• Two highly trained trauma-informed facilitators, a space-holder, and two assistants
• 2 nights lodging in single or double occupancy motel-style rooms
• Locally-sourced meals: dinner on Friday, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday; breakfast and lunch on Sunday, plus tea and light snacks throughout the weekend.
• For commuters: all meals are included except breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
For those local to Greensboro, North Carolina, we highly recommend giving yourself the space to stay on location, to be more deeply held within the container we create in our “pop-up village.”
What to bring….
• A water bottle.
• A journal and pen.
• Items for the grief shrine and altars of support that are sacred and symbolic for you.
• Yoga mat (even a blanket and special pillow for comfort, if easy to pack)
• Wear comfortable clothes and layers for when we are inside (i.e. elastic pants, cotton shirt, jacket, etc). Temperatures will likely be warm in April. Please check the weather when you pack.
• Favorite snack(s) for your room and any other creature comforts you may want to nurture yourself. There are no refrigerators in the rooms, however we will have access to a community refrigerator in our meeting space (Heron’s Roost).
Expectations we hold for our participants….
• We are social justice advocates that aim to create a space of support and care for all who gather. If you enroll in this retreat, our expectation is that you are wholeheartedly in support of and in alignment with creating a respectful and inclusive space for people across a broad range of identities (LGBTQ+, BIPOC, etc.) Please register with this orientation in your heart.
• This 3-day retreat and ritual is not a passive teaching program but a participatory communal space where we ask people to show up for each other and for the soul of the community. Please register with this orientation in your heart.
• This retreat is open to anyone navigating any form of grief, not just those who have lost loved ones. Our intention is to create a container to support all sources of loss and grief, from acute personal losses to earth grief and ancestral loss. Please register with this orientation in your heart.
Important note on timing and readiness…
If you’ve experienced a significant loss or trauma within the past six months, we invite you to reach out to the facilitators before registering. Community grief retreats can be deeply meaningful, but they often require a certain level of emotional stability to be beneficial. For some, especially in the immediate aftermath of a profound loss, it may feel too soon. As a general guideline, attending a retreat like this is often most supportive six months to a year after a major loss. We’re happy to talk with you and help discern whether this experience feels right for you at this time.
Pricing
$725 single-occupancy / $625 double-occupancy* / $525 commuter
Registration will close September 15 at 5pm or when the retreat fills to capacity.
*For double-occupancy, you must sign up at the same time as a a loved one, friend, or roommate. We will not be assigning roommates. Be prepared to supply your roommate’s name at check-out, and have them do the same for you.
Scholarships…
If attending this retreat creates a significant financial hardship and you seek a scholarship or work-study exchange, please fill out this form. There are a few scholarship opportunities available at 25-50% of tuition. For scholarships, we prioritize applicants from historically marginalized communities, first responders, veterans, those in the helping professions, and students. Scholarship applications are due by February 10.
Cancellation Policy…
When registering for our retreats and programs, we ask that you are crystal clear on your intentions and commitment and consider your reservation and payment as a wholehearted YES to being here. We understand that things can come up that interrupt plans and schedules, but we also know from experience that when we prioritize this sacred work, we will move heaven and earth to honor our grief’s calling. Spaces to work with grief in community and through ritual are rare in modern western culture. In our retreats, we seek to create a community of shared values and embodied respect for the preciousness of this work.
We do, however, understand that some things fall outside of our control, and to this end we offer the following:
A 50% refund if you need to cancel before February 28 (minus registration fees).
A 25% refund if you need to cancel before March 15 (minus registration fees).
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds after March 15
Due to the sheer number of cancellations and requests to move retreats as of late, we can no longer offer the option of forwarding tuition to a future retreat. This updated cancellation policy serves you, as participants in this sacred work, by honoring the time, heart, and soul that we, as facilitators, put into creating supportive and transformative spaces for deep connection and healing.
About the location
Participation in grief rituals, expressive arts, somatic practices, and related retreat activities may involve physical movement, emotional intensity, and engagement with personal or spiritual themes.
This event is located at the beautiful Haw River State Park Summit Conference Center, in Brown Summit, North Carolina. When we are not meeting in the lovely Heron’s Roost for our group time, there are many beautiful trails to explore.
The closest airport to us is Greensboro (GSO). Participants flying in can also look into Charlotte or Raleigh airports. We are happy to help connect folks who might be interested in carpooling from an airport or somewhere else in the region.
About your facilitators
Samantha DiRosa, MFA, RYT, is a university professor, yoga instructor, ritualist, and expressive arts facilitator based in Greensboro, North Carolina. She brings 20 years of facilitation and teaching experience in the realm of higher-education, alongside an artist’s sensitivity and depth of insight, to her work with groups. Having trained with Francis Weller, author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow, and Joanna Macy, author of Active Hope, she believes in the power of ritual and ceremony to transmute sorrow and loss into the healing of individuals, communities, and the Earth. Samantha’s beloved teachers also include Daniel Foor, Malidoma Somé, Martín Prechtel, and Linda Thai. She lives with her daughter and her pack of non-human companions in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, the occupied lands of the Keyauwee and Saura peoples. When she is not teaching, she maintains a small private coaching / consulting practice and spends time connecting with her Celtic and Sicilian ancestral roots.
To learn more about Samantha click here.
Summer Estes MA, LCMHC, is a lifelong student passionate about creating transformative spaces. She is a wife, mother, licensed psychotherapist, breath facilitator, Enneagram teacher, mystic, inquisitive seeker, intuitive healer, soul activist, and founder of Embodied-Intelligence. Summer integrates perennial wisdom teachings with contemplative, somatic, and mindfulness practices, engaging in the practice of inquiry as a student of A.H. Almaas Diamond Approach. She loves facilitating learning and healing environments where participants can connect with what is alive and authentic within.
With over 18 years of experience in leading workshops, groups, and retreats in the healing arts, Summer has served on the faculty of The Second Breath Center, a wisdom school in Greensboro, NC. She is drawn to embodied wisdom and has delved into teachings of embodiment experts, indigenous wisdom, and breathwork. Summer’s journey has been enriched by diverse teachers and writings of mystics from various traditions, shaping her understanding and approach to her work. Some of her teachers include, Francis Weller, Dr. Tara Brach Malidoma Somé, Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, and Dr. Gabor Mate.
To learn more about Summer click here and to read her statement on grief-tending click here.
Beth Farrand is a spiritual coach, group facilitator, breath facilitator, retreat leader, homebody-adventurer, flower lover, artist, and mom to 3 sons & 1 golden retriever named Millie. Beth is a graduate of the Shalem Institute’s Spiritual Guidance Program and has been a spiritual coach for 13 years. She loves holding presence and space for others as they seek to listen to their own inner wisdom. Beth brings her decades of experience with internal work, her supportive presence and her ability to hear beneath the surface, to her sessions, groups and retreats. When she is not coaching or facilitating, you will find Beth hiking and exploring nature around her home in the beautiful North Carolina mountains.
To learn more about Beth, click here.
Sandy Blocker is the University Accompanist at Elon University who plays world percussion instruments for modern, ballet and African dance classes. He was trained from an early age as a classical dancer. At age 18 he moved to Virginia to study ballet with the School of Norfolk Ballet before receiving a scholarship to move to New York to study with the Joffrey Ballet School. He felt the call to world percussion drumming in an African dance class at UNCG, which led him to many trips over the Atlantic to study various forms of drumming. Sandy is a versatile world percussionist, proficient in playing African, Middle Eastern, and South American rhythms on a variety of percussion instruments, including the riqq, djembe, and conga drums. He has drummed with Malidoma Somé and will be accompanying our grief ritual Saturday evening.
Statement on Diversity, Inclusivity, and Cultural Appropriation
As facilitators, our intention is to create an inclusive space that honors all cultures and ethnicities. However, as white-bodied, cisgender men and women, we recognize the privilege and systemic advantages inherent in our identities, and we recognize that the racial lenses and gendered systems that have shaped our experiences and perspectives differ significantly from those of BIPOC individuals. We are dedicated to actively listening, learning, and unlearning, and we are committed to ongoing growth as facilitators in this area.
In our work, we approach any rituals, songs, or practices from non-dominant cultures with deep respect and gratitude. They have been shared and gifted with blessings to aid in our collective healing. We are committed to acknowledging and honoring the sources of these practices, recognizing the responsibility that comes with engaging with them.
May our collective grief cry serve as a catalyst for change and liberation, as we work towards dismantling oppressive systems and creating a world where all beings can thrive.
Covid policy
Masking is optional, but discouraged given the nature of this work where we all rely on non-verbal cues to communicate and find safety. We do not request vaccination or testing prior to arrival. However if you are symptomatic within ten days prior to the program start date we ask that you please ensure that you are not contagious before arriving. This is a self-monitoring agreement and we trust in your personal integrity. Thank you.
Risk Disclosure Statement
Know that:
• Participation is voluntary.
• You may choose your level of engagement at all times.
• These activities do not replace therapy, counseling, or medical care.
• Individuals with a history of significant trauma, complex grief, PTSD, or medical/mental health conditions are encouraged to consult with a healthcare provider before attending.
Potential risks include, but are not limited to:
• Emotional discomfort, grief activation, or triggering memories
• Minor physical strain or fatigue from movement or ritual activities
• Exposure to natural elements (weather, uneven terrain, etc.)
• Interaction with other participants’ emotional expression, which may feel challenging
• Sensory experiences such as smoke, sound, or ritual materials
Samantha DiRosa 