Seasonal Rite-of-Renewal: Fall DayQuest

The Seasonal Rite-of-Renewal: Fall DayQuest is an opportunity to set aside sacred time to explore ourselves in/with/as wild nature. We cross the threshold to leave behind the voices of the dominant/dominator society, into a liminal space where our senses re-awaken, all our ears open, and we re-member both our kinship with the other-than-human world and our soul callings.

As the season turns, autumn begins to drape the world in its crimsons and golds. The pace slows and shadows lengthen, it is a potent time to begin slowing ourselves to honor the season both outside and within.

It is an intentional pause to listen to what is alive, to release what is no longer needed, to mark a transition, to clarify your vision and meaningful action, or to step into your power.

DATE: Saturday, October 15
TIME: Dawn-Afternoon
WHERE: Just outside Arcata
COST: $100

Note: 10% of program receipts go to Wiyot Honor Native Land Tax

REGISTER HERE

Email: ryan@wildnatureheart.com

WHAT TO EXPECT:

🍁The day will begin with silent greeting with the sunrise.
🍁A discussion of the three-fold structure of Severance/Threshold/Incorporation, the importance of cultivating an inner circle, safety considerations, facets of our wholeness, and self-generated ceremony ideas.
🍁Council Circle where we will share and listen to intentions and what is calling us to this experience. What are you letting go of, marking, claiming, leaning into, renewing?
🍁DayQuest: The middle part of the day will be a solo experience on the land. You are invited (though not required) to fast, not only from food, but from the mundane things that can often distract us and fill our lives, in order to listen to what wants to be heard.
🍁We will gather again in circle in the afternoon for Story Council and Mirroring.
🍁We will end with a discussion of incorporation support and integration exercises as we return to our lives renewed.

About Me:

My name is Ryan Van Lenning, Founder of Wild Nature Heart, and I am an earth-lover with a deep desire to be of service in the work of re-connection and re-membering during this Great Turning/Great Composting. I started Wild Nature Heart to support people to re-connect with the wisdom of both inner and outer wild nature, to live their soul callings into the world, and to assist in the work of repairing broken belonging.

I am an inner/outer wilderness guide and poet (author of Re-Membering: Poems of Earth & Soul) and High-Cooing Through the Seasons: Haiku From the Forest. I am certified as an Ecotherapist through The Earthbody Institute, at which I teach the Level 1 and 3 Ecotherapy courses. I am trained as a rite-of-passage/wilderness vision fast guide through the School of Lost Borders, through which I assist wilderness ceremonies, and am a Certified Wilderness First Responder through Foster Calm. Prior to moving to California 13 years ago, I taught Comparative Religion, Philosophy, and Environmental Ethics at Sinclair College in Ohio. I live among the forest and rivers in northern California, ancestral Wiyot and Yurok land.

Recent Appreciations:

“I find myself repeatedly touched by the depth of your caring for Earth and all her beings and by your dedication to practice and evolving new pathways of relationship and culture. I am moved by the presence that you bring to deep listening and your willingness to explore different perspectives. Your ability to express through poetry and action what’s in your heart and your desire for healthy relationship among all beings is a source of inspiration for me.” —Marianne B. Rowe, MS, LMFT, Summer 2022 Level 3 Ecotherapy Training, Earthbody Institute

“Ryan was FANTASTIC. He was knowledgeable and most importantly, a great listener and guide. I greatly admired his mirroring skills, which have clearly been learned from Mother Nature herself. I have learned so much from Ryan and look forward to incorporating his techniques into my practice as well.” — Participant in Spring 2021 Earthbody Institute Ecotherapy Certificate Course

“Ryan’s well-designed course on Deep Belonging for the Great Turning was just what I needed at a stressful time in life. The facilitation, knowledge and materials shared were generous and truly a gift to enhance my nature connection and learn about myself. This course also provided support for a solo experience which was rich and rewarding. I appreciated being in a group and connecting with other like-minded people.” — Lezlie Scaliatine, Psy.D, California, Deep Belonging for the Great Turning Course Participant

“Ryan is a very thoughtful and sensitive instructor. His background in teaching and poetry, along with his ability to effectively “mirror” our stories about our journeys make him an excellent facilitator. Ryan helped us to organize our thoughts and feelings in this politically and environmentally challenging time, gave us hope, and guided us towards developing a personal plan for coping with the future of our planet.”
— Nan S., California, Deep Belonging for the Great Turning Course Participant

“Thank you again Ryan for your mentorship prior to this quest of mine. You empowered me to trust in myself, in the wild, and in the ceremony and it seemed so fitting to receive these gifts of yours just prior to a decent. I love and am sincerely grateful for your poem. It certainly helped give me courage to unflinchingly make those leaps over trees and off every known cliff and will continue to do so. I feel super motivated to continue on this path of mine and stay open to all the wild mysteries that present themselves within myself and within this more-than human world of ours. And to taking the next steps in unfurling my own gifts and presenting them to the world.”— Brady W., Wisconsin, 1-on-1 Ecotherapy Client and Course Participant

“This course is a deep-dive across 6 weeks. Ryan’s skill and generosity of spirit has guided me through a variety of themes and practices that have been both thought-provoking and empowering. I’ve valued this time immensely, and the abundant materials provided will keep me moving through this journey for a long time to come. I’ve developed a richer relationship with my Urban Wild environment in very unexpected ways, and for that I am so very grateful.” —Claire (United Kingdom) 

More Appreciations