Registration closes on Friday, October 13, 2023 at 3:00 PM MT.

Registration Application here.

Retreat dates: Friday, October 20; 7:00pm - Sunday, October 22; 12:30 pm

Many of us are grappling with the reality of an unraveling world. Author Stephen Jenkinson, says “Whatever spiritual awakening might have meant in past times and places, if you awaken in our time, you awaken with a sob.” We are living through a period of unprecedented climate emergencies, mass extinction, colonial violence, rising fascism, accelerated extractive capitalism, and a pervasive sense of disbelonging. The scale of problems we face as a species is immense, and the issues are intertwined. 

Often, we shoulder these collective truths alone - oscillating between overwhelm and numbness, leading to further disconnection in the very places where we could share and honour the experience of living in a world that is both precious and precarious. But what if we allowed our broken hearts to reconnect us to Earth and each other? What if these times of crisis and uncertainty are opportunities to bring forward essential gifts and new ways of being in the world? Can practices of collective mourning, love, and belonging help to ground us while the world unravels? 

If these questions feel resonant to you, please consider joining us at Coming Home to Ourselves, a weekend retreat at URSA Retreat Centre near Water Valley, Alberta. Together, we will explore themes around grief, love, belonging and personal and social transformation through individual and collective practices including guided meditation, group discussion, ritual, somatic practices, land-based exercises and personal reflection. During this time, we will ask, and practice, what it means to grieve, love and belong––to ourselves, to each other, and to the land around us.

Location: The retreat will take place both indoors and outdoors (weather permitting) at the beautiful Ursa Retreat Centre, located near Water Valley, Alberta.

Accessibility: URSA Retreat Centre is wheelchair accessible. Questions or concerns about the accommodations and accessibility are welcome and can be directed to the organizers. 

Accommodations: The accommodations are shared with two to three people in each room. Each room has a half wall between the beds for privacy. If you are in need of a single room, or are attending with a friend with whom you would like to share a room, please contact us directly.

Meals & Food: All meals and snacks are provided. Everything will be vegetarian. Participants can share any allergies upon registration. 

In addition to scheduled group activities, there will be personal time for participants to rest, journal, explore the area, or do whatever else calls to them. Retreat, is an intentional coming away from daily activities, to slow down and notice what might be surfacing from within when we take the time to rest, reflect and step outside of the normal auspices of capitalism. As such, this weekend will be punctuated with times to rest, play and reflect throughout the weekend.

COVID: We take the health and safety of our participants seriously and will assess covid precautions closer to the retreat dates based on the most up to date information. Depending on the level of risk and the needs of participants, precautions may include:

• Asking people to stay home if they are sick

• Asking people to rapid test the day of the retreat, or at the retreat centre

• Masking when indoors 

• Trying to be outside when possible

• Asking people to leave or isolate if they develop symptoms over the weekend.

Registrations: After filling this application out. Participants will be emailed and invited to register and pay via e-transfer. Registration is first come first serve, with a limit of 12 participants. The options for fees are as follows:

$350 Subsidized rate - This rate is below the actual cost of the rate, and we are happy to offer it to anyone who would like to attend the retreat but cannot afford the true cost of the weekend.

$450 Cost of the weekend - This rate is the true cost of the retreat.

$550 Pay it forward - This rate is above the true cost of the retreat and helps cover the balance for people who need a subsidized rate.

We trust that people will pay what they can afford. If you cannot afford the $350 option, send us an email and we can discuss other options. After applying, you will receive an email from us inviting you to register by paying through e-transfer. Once you have paid, you will receive an email receipt and further information about the retreat.

Questions? Email Jodi at: info@refugiaretreats.com

Cancellations:

If you should need to cancel for any reason, you can do so up to a week before the event (by October 13 at noon)  for a full refund, and up to 48 hours before the event for a 50% refund.  Unfortunately, many of our costs for this retreat are fixed and we are unable to refund folks who cancel within 48 hours. We know that we remain in a public health crisis and we ask that if you develop symptoms for anything within 48 hours of the retreat, you cancel. Depending on circumstances (for example, if there is a waitlist and we can fill your spot) there may be some flexibility in the policy - please reach out to us to chat further about this. 

Facilitators:

Jodi (she/her) is an eco-spiritual director, community educator, artist and part time library worker who lives in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, AB, Canada) on Treaty 7 territory. After living at a wilderness retreat centre for four years, Jodi founded Refugia, an initiative that explores the confluence of social & environmental justice, and spirituality. Through retreat, facilitation and eco-spiritual direction, Refugia recognizes nature as guide, supports people living with ecological & climate grief and fosters holistic wellness practices. Jodi has companioned people as a spiritual director over 9 years. She is passionate about accompanying people through paradox and grief while coming into belonging with their own bodies, and reconnecting with human and more than human communities through ritual, reflection, and embodied practices.

Steph (she/her) is a community facilitator and practicum student focusing on the mental health impacts of climate change and the power of collective spaces for honouring ecological grief. Prior to going back to school, Steph worked for ten years in adult education and community facilitation related to gender-based violence prevention. Steph has been collaborating with Jodi to offer programs on ecological grief, ritual, and belonging since 2019 when they met at the Alberta Climate Leadership Program. Steph is passionate about community spaces for exploring ecological and social justice. She is also a big believer in the power of experiential and embodied practices to connect us to longing, gifts and wisdom necessary to live well with ourselves, each other, and the planet. Steph is grateful to live, work and love in amiskwaciwâskahikan, Treaty 6 territory (Edmonton, AB). 

Fill out Registration Application here.

Please note: Neither of us are trained therapists. This retreat is a space for peer-led learning, not professional therapeutic support. That said, as we are working with grief, deeply personal themes will inevitably arise, and will be supported and welcomed in a way consistent with the co-learning environment. While there will be opportunities for vulnerability in partners and in groups, participants always have the right to pass. Every activity is optional and there is never an expectation that participants do anything they are uncomfortable with.