Four Seasons of Storytelling: Weaving Our Stories around a Celtic Year
Sep 26th, 2027 - Sep 24th, 2028 | Death Valley: Oct 30 – Nov 6, 2027. All other sessions by Zoom. | Scott Eberle, Sam DeBoskey, Tess Howell
How do we find meaning in our lives? How do we make sense of our identity? One way, common to most humans, is to tell stories about who we are in the world, which is forever evolving. In this second year of Four Seasons of Storytelling, we will follow the Celtic calendar through an entire year, September 2027 to September 2028, as we grow ourselves back up with the retelling of stories that span the arc of a lifetime.
New Year’s Day in the Celtic Year is Samhain, which in 2027 falls on October 31st. Six weeks before, we will meet on the Fall Equinox for a preparatory meeting by Zoom: a time for reviewing logistics and setting our individual intentions for the coming year. We will then mark the start of the Celtic Year by gathering in Death Valley National Park from October 30th to November 6th. During this week in the desert, we will begin a yearlong journey of regularly spending time alone on the land to offer prayers and to practice rituals, and then coming together to tell our stories. The spoken stories will invite each person to explore the great arc of their own life – the four seasons of their own storytelling.
Schedule for 2027-2028
Mabon (Fall Equinox): September 26, 2027 (Zoom meeting) – Orientation and Setting Intentions
Samhain: October 30 – November 6 (a week together in person) – The Magical Child, the Wounded Child
Yule (Winter Solstice): January 2, 2028 (Zoom meeting) – The Pubescent Adolescent
Imbolc: February 6, 2028 (Zoom meeting) – Coming of Age
Ostara (Spring Equinox): March 26, 2028 (Zoom meeting) –The Emerging Adult
Beltane: May 7, 2028 (Zoom meeting) –The (Reasonably) Competent Adult
Litha (Summer Solstice): June 25, 2028 (Zoom meeting) –The Middle Passage
Lughnasadh: August 6, 2028 (Zoom meeting) – Elderhood
Mabon (Fall Equinox): September 24, 2028 (Zoom meeting) – Preparing for Another Turning
Come join us for two interwoven journeys: across the arc of your own life and through the seasons of a year.
A Note about Ancestral Lineages
Through an entire year, we will follow the eight-festival calendar of the Celts – a name ascribed to a collection of related tribes across Europe who shared common languages and traditions. While modern Celtic identity is strongly linked to the British Isles, the original ancestral lands of these peoples can be traced to Central Europe – specifically the region that encompasses present-day southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. We will share teachings specific to these people, while also offering universal reflections about the changing seasons of a life navigated by all people.
Whatever your ancestral lineage you are welcome here on this yearlong journey.
A Note about Engagement and Commitment
Experience has taught us that doing this sort of work remotely—with people doing day walks on their own and then bringing back stories to a video call—can work superbly well. But that’s only true if a participant is self-motivated and able to follow through on doing the walks alone. Ask yourself: Can I commit every month to a solo day walk of three hours or longer?
Also, this course will invite people to revisit old times, old memories, old stories. This can be quite painful at times – and thus potentially healing, too. Ask yourself: Am I prepared to do deep work of this kind?
If you need more information, contact Scott: scott@lostborders.org
Want to read more on how story shapes our lives? Read Scott’s article on the Alchemy of Story here
Submit Waitlist form
This program is full; however, you may add your name to the Waitlist by clicking the Waitlist button below.
Submit enrollment form
Please fill out and submit the enrollment form and then pay the program deposit below. Before you pay the deposit, please read deposit section below, all deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. After your enrollment form is complete, please submit all health and liability forms.
Pay program deposit
Deposits: This deposit signifies your commitment to the program and is deducted from the tuition balance. All deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. They cover the work of the specific course you signed up for, including all communication involved as well as the fee that guides pay to the school administration for the course accounting.
Additional Deposit: Some programs require a second deposit to help us affirm commitments. Last minute cancellations make it hard to fill openings and incur a loss of income to the School and the guides.
Tuition Balance: Balance of tuition can be paid before or upon arrival. Simply deduct any deposits made from the amount you’ve chosen on the sliding scale.
Additional course details & Materials
All but one of our meetings will be on Zoom. They will start at 8:300 am Pacific Time and, while the meeting lengths will vary, most will last 3 to 3½ hours.
Our one in-person meeting in October/November will be held in Death Valley National Park. Please plan to arrive in the park the day before we start, as we will gather the morning on our first day, October 30th. We will finish by late morning on the last day.
For this in-person session, you will be responsible for bringing your own food and equipment, though we may be able to provide some gear.
Please come prepared to live self-sufficiently. You will need to bring shelter and clothing suitable for a full range of weather. A group kitchen will be provided.
There is a camping fee of $100 for this gathering, which will be collected at that time.
More detailed logistics will be provided prior to the in-person gathering.
You will be responsible for bringing your own food and equipment, though we can provide some gear if needed. We ask everyone to come prepared to live self-sufficiently. You will need to bring shelter and clothing suitable for a full range of inclement weather.
All participants must submit the required health questionnaire and liability form.
If you have questions about the enrollment process contact us at [email protected] or call 760-938-3333.
No reading is required. That said, Scott’s recent book The Soul's Red Thread is available through Lost Borders Press and explores the main themes of this program in detail.
Tüpippüh (also known as Death Valley) is home of the Timbisha people and is the name of their ancestral and contemporary homeland. Miners came to this area in 1849 and the Timbisha’s land was stolen to create Death Valley National Monument in 1933. The Timbisha were allotted a 40-acre reservation in the park and also forced onto other reservations and into towns in the area.
To learn more about our commitment to regenerative relationships please visit Cultural Relations.
