Living the Practices
Living the Practices integrates ceremonial perspectives into daily routines, life, and work. We offer these programs as ongoing support with incorporation and as a way to deepen a personal calling and to strengthen professional and personal skills. These programs are designed for those who want to dive further into various aspects of the work and specific subjects. These programs incorporate the following aspects of the School’s traditions: The Four Shields, Solo Time in Nature, Nature as Teacher, and Storytelling and Mirroring.
UPCOMING LIVING THE PRACTICES PROGRAMS
The Elder’s Journey: The Four Shields of Elderhood for Women
Oct 20 - Oct 26, 2025 Aravaipa Canyon Ranch and Retreat Center, Winkelman Arizona Silvia Talavera, Trebbe Johnson
“We are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and scattered.” Kahlil Gibran This will be celebrating ...
Four Seasons of Storytelling
Jun 28 - Apr 4, 2027 Backcountry in Bay Area Scott Eberle
One week-long gathering in Bay Area backcountry: September 20-27, 2026 All other sessions by Zoom. Following Your Own Life Thread There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that ...
Healing Ancestral Trauma through Nature, Ritual, and community
Aug 23 - Aug 29, 2026 Wild Mountain, Colorado Nancy Jane, Bettina Straub
When we heal our roots, we open up new possibilities for our future. -Thomas Hubl This 7-day program provides an opportunity to witness, explore, and transform the ancestral energy we have ...
Becoming Human: The Four Shields Model of Nature-Based Therapeutics
Aug 31 - Sep 5, 2026 Inyo Mountains, Payahuunadü, California Betsy Perluss, Gretchen (Grae) Gerlach
“If there were a measure of ‘mental health’, it would involve the ability of individuals to grow into the fullness of each season – that is, the ability to fully become, or enact, the ...