Sacred Grief, Sacred Rage, Sacred Play
A residential retreat at Haw River State Park
Brown Summit, NC
April 12 – 14, 2024
As of January 15, this retreat has filled to capacity.
“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being,
the more joy you can contain”
-Khalil Gibran
This spring, we invite 20 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 congesting our hearts as we move into 2024: feelings of uncertainty and lack of collective ground as we continue to wrestle with the lingering losses of the pandemic, grief and rage at unfolding global injustices connected to centuries of oppression, and many many personal losses and tragedies. 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.
We will begin at 6pm on Friday, April 12 and conclude at 4pm on Sunday, April 14. To cultivate trust and containment, participation for the entire weekend is essential.
To register click here.
See testimonials from past retreat participants here.
On cultural appropriation and ritual work:
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.
What’s included
• Two highly trained trauma-informed facilitators, and one seasoned space-holder
• 2 nights lodging in single or double occupancy motel-style rooms
• Locally-sourced meals: 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.”
Pricing and cancellation policy
• Early bird rates, due by February 15: $625 single-occupancy / $525 double-occupancy / $425 commuter
• After February 15: $695 single / $595 double / $495 commuter
Registration will close March 15 at 5pm (or when the retreat reaches capacity).
To secure your registration, please fill out this google form and provide a $100 non-refundable deposit. Payment options include check, venmo, and cashapp.* For attending mental health counselors, we are in the application process for NBCC approval for 12 CEU credits. Thus, CEUs may be available for an additional fee.
*If attending this retreat creates a significant financial hardship and you seek a scholarship, 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 1.
Cancellation Policy:
• $100 deposits are non-refundable. They can be forwarded one time if your plans change, to a future scheduled retreat.
• For any cancellations prior to March 1, a refund of 50% will be made.
• For any cancellations between March 1 – 29, a refund of 25% will be made.
• At any point before April 5th, if we are able to fill a spot vacated by a cancellation, we will provide a full refund (minus the $100 non-refundable deposit) or you can forward your full tuition to a future scheduled upcoming retreat. The option to transfer into another retreat closes 7 days before the start of this retreat and can only be transferred once. See our calendar here.
• We understand that emergencies can arise and weather can interfere with travel. Since we cannot offer refunds or retreat exchanges within the week of the retreat, we highly encourage you to obtain travel insurance to cover these potentials (many agencies also offer travel insurance for road travel in addition to flight travel).
About the location
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.
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)
• Please check the weather predictions before you go for appropriate clothing, since spring in North Carolina can be unpredictable. Layers are suggested, for moving between indoors an outdoors.
• 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).
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.
Statement on Diversity and Inclusivity
As facilitators, our intention is to create an inclusive space that honors all cultures and ethnicities. However, as white-bodied, cisgender women, we recognize the privilege and systemic advantages inherent in our identities and 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. 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.
Samantha DiRosa 