On those nights when skies are clear, I sit outside and let my eyes fall into the bowl of darkness. Wrapped in the blanket of night, I take in the beauty of Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Orion, feeling the larger home to which we all belong.

~ Francis Weller, A Strange and Beautiful Otherness

In the depth of winter to the arrival of spring, how might your earth body in be deep relation with place?  What might shift in you by recalibrating your relationships with the place where you dwell on a daily basis?   Earth Courage - Deepening Relations with Place centers earth relations at the nucleus of our lives and invites us to embrace a wider sense of belonging as climate shifts and spins. By listening to and sharing our local earth relations with others from various places on the planet, we expand capacity to see the complexities of earth as teacher and companion.

Connect with Earth over an arc of time in winter and spring (northern hemisphere perspective) to deepen conversation and commitment.   

Begin this year with Earth (vs. on earth) through 101 days of earth-kin practices to birth new connectedness and perspectives into spring.

“The journey to stay in relation to the Earth and all of nature is just that...a journey... I don't have to be hard on myself when I loose sight of the path. What matters most is that I continuously find my way back. Courage Earth was a loving, gentle guide to find my way when I lost the way.” past participant

Intention: 

• Take time to pause and listen with the land that holds, nourishes and changes daily

• Deepen reciprocity with place in service of relational justice and right relationship

• Share your sense of place with a community of people from other places on earth to catch a wider glimpse of relationships and planetary perspectives..

• Standing with the practices of the Center for Courage & Renewal, touchstones, and core principles that provide human relational protocols to guide the inner and outer journeys towards living undivided. 

Dates:

January 21 - 22 (24 hours retreat-in-place) 

February 18 and March 24 (2 hour sessions)

April 30 (3 hour session)

See below for specific hours and time zones

Location:

Earth - wherever you are. We invite you to stay in the ecosystem where you live and to connect daily by zoom or phone in support of focusing on the relations beneath our feet and close at hand. Earth, as a centering, connecting, listening companion with much to speak.

Offering:

• 1 packet of provisions for the journey, including, daily invitations to connect with earth, poems, songs and prompts as portals to open into deeper relationship 

• 24 hour retreat-in-place in the dark of winter, centering earth relations as 2022 begins. Share the journey with others from various landscapes to see a wider mosaic of place.

• 2 monthly calls to share reflections, connections and stories from our places on the planet and support 101 days of personal practices to apprentice to the gifts of earth. 

• Earth Celebration on Saturday, April 30th honoring the community of kin we are in relations with in our many dwelling places.  

Facilitators: 

Holly Wilkinson lives on a dirt road in Vermont among a river, brook, mountain and meadows.  Holly is a Courage & Renewal facilitator & Executive Director of WholeHeart. Courage Earth gatherings are part of her seven year practice to deepen relational justice with Earth.

Paula Pedersen tends a micro-farm and gardens amidst the forests of the Lake Superior Watershed in Wisconsin - close to the arbitrary border that connects with Minnesota. Along with being a Courage and Renewal facilitator, she is a consultant for organizations seeking a more just and inclusive lens.

Cost for the three month journey:

$400 covers materials, planning and co-facilitation for this three month practice.  Please pay at the level you can offer.  

Schedule:

Friday, January 21: 

Welcome & Opening: Friday 3-5 PT / 4-6 MT / 5-7 CT / 6-8 ET / 7-9 AT

We will set off on this journey in the deep folds of winter darkness.  Consider being in a place that is conducive to listening with earth through the arc of 24 hours.  

Saturday, January 22: 

Morning & Afternoon:

Day in place with Earth.- listening, learning, expressing gratitude to the land where you dwell that holds you no matter what is unfolding in and around you. The provisions packet will provide invitations to be with earth relations.

Closing: 1-3 PT / 2-4 MT / 3-5 CT / 4-6 ET / 5-7 AT 

We will gather via zoom from our various places on the planet, to share the gifts and lessons of our dwelling places. 

January 23  - May 3:

101 Day Earth Practice

Centering relations with earth as a daily orientation, we will cultivate connections with the earth community within our dwelling locations.  Weekly invitational dialogues will be offered.

February 18 and March 24:

Monthly Community of Practice Gatherings

(3-5 PT / 4-6 MT / 5-7 CT / 6-8 ET / 7-9 AT)

We will come together with updates on our journeys and invitations to reflect and connect with this community of practitioners.

Saturday, April 30:

Celebrating Earth Relations 

(9-12 PT / 10-1 MT / 11-2 CT / 12-3 ET / 1-4 AT)

As spring is in full swing, we will reconnect to share and honor the ways we have re-woven our beings with earth.