Led by Jessica Sirena & Special Guests:
Mindfulness as a Gateway to Creativity
Yoga, Meditation and Mantra
Music Improvisation & Embodied Singing
Uplifting/Medicine Music Song Circles & Music Jams
Creative Writing & Dream Mapping
Ecstatic Dance Movement Mass
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Join Singer/Songwriter and Creative Muse Jessica Sirena for an expansive and heart-opening experience into your creative potential! As a group, we will explore creativity through the lens of mindfulness, using meditation, mantra and yoga to free up our flow of inspiration. Enjoy delving into various realms, such as ecstatic dance, creative writing, embodied singing, music improvisation, and cultivating a daily sacred practice. In the evenings, we will celebrate with song circles around the fire. The abundance of beauty in the forest will inform and inspire all of our activities. No matter your primary creative interest or experience with artistic mediums, this retreat is a space created for you to find your creative voice, fill your cup and connect with others who are doing the same. We will dive deep into the creative process together and support each other on an exploratory journey into the present moment.
Please plan on committing to the whole retreat experience, and make arrangements to arrive at the Hostel by Friday afternoon, as the retreat will begin on Friday evening!
After you reserve your spot, please FILL OUT THIS SURVEY
Tuition: $399 Includes Accommodations for Three Nights, Friday – Sunday Evenings; Linens & Towels; Three Healthy Vegan/Vegetarian Dinners and Three Brunches; All Retreat Activities; and Full Access to the Hostel in the Forest’s 133 Acres of Land. Early-Bird Special of $333 available if Paid in Full by September 20th! A Non-Refundable Deposit of $100 is Required to Reserve Your Spot. Space is Limited to 25 Participants!
Call the Hostel Directly to Reserve Your Spot for the Retreat at 912-264-9738.
The Hostel in the Forest is a Nature Sanctuary and our Sleeping Accommodations are Rustic – in Shared Tree Houses or Tree House-Inspired Spaces. Please Request to be Grouped with Friends if you are Traveling with Them to the Forest! Please Note that All Showers are Outside (private and beautiful!) as well as Composting Toilets. Electronics are to be Limited to Your Treehouse Space and are Not Allowed in Common Areas of the Forest!
Please Bring: Comfortable Clothes to Move in
Yoga Mat & Favorite Props
Journal & Pen
Instruments You Play (Shakers Included)
Insect Repellent
Headlamp / Flashlight
Favorite Snacks (There is a Guest Fridge)
Rain Gear (in the Event of Rain)
Facilitator Bio: Jessica Sirena is a Singer/Songwriter, Voice Teacher, Yoga Teacher and Creativity Guide from Miami Beach, Florida. Her mission is to empower us to connect with our creativity and expression through mindfulness, play and informed art making. Jessica sings from the heart, sharing soulful original songs that evoke a sense of wonder in those who listen. She works with singers of all ages and paths to develop their resonant singing voices, be it for personal health and healing, songwriting, play or professional development.
Jessica has studied voice extensively from a young age and received her Bachelor’s from the Buddhist-inspired, contemplative school Naropa University, where she studied interdisciplinary performance and music. She is a seasoned yoga practitioner and has been teaching vinyasa flow yoga since 2012. Jessica is grateful to share the teachings and revelations she has found on her path as a singer and yogini that have deeply transformed her life.
Jessica views her relationship to a daily creative practice as a sacred art likened to any other spiritual path. Creativity in itself is a path of presence, steadiness and complete surrender. This retreat is a reflection of all the experiences and experiments she has conducted in order to be a more creative and fulfilled student of the universe. You can listen to her album, ‘Cosmic Mystery,’ on all major streaming sites and stay connected with her offerings by following her on Instagram @jessica.sirena or visiting jessicasirena.com.
Ethnobotany/Mycology Playshop Extravaganza October 12 – 14 2018
This educational opportunity brings great knowledge and excitement to the Hostel in the Forest. The team returns to one of their favorite classrooms with practical ecological identification of plants and mushrooms, as well as permaculture and fermentation techniques. We will share in the fresh local bounty, eating and drinking deliciously all the while elevating our collective wisdom around the wonder of biology!
Marc Williams is an ethnobotanist. He has studied plants intensively while learning to use them for food, medicine, biological conservation, and beauty. His training includes a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies concentrating in Sustainable Agriculture from Warren Wilson College and a Master’s degree in Appalachian Studies concentrating in Sustainable Development with a minor in Geography and Planning from Appalachian State University. Marc’s major research in graduate school focused on the most useful plants of Appalachia. However it is clear that a holistic appreciation of nature irrespective of utility will be necessary to create the new paradigm that our current global situation calls for. He has since spent significant time learning the plants of the western U.S. and tropical regions as well. Marc has spent over a decade working at a multitude of restaurants, various farms, and travels throughout 29 countries in North/Central America and Europe and all 50 of the United States of America. In those travels he has visited over 200 of the best botanical gardens in the world. He has taught hundreds of classes and thousands of people about the marvelous lives of plants and their respective uses. He is the Executive Director of Plants and Healers International and on the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Institute for Mountain Studies. Marc first came to the Hostel in the Forest in March of 1998 and was immediately transformed through a first time sweat lodge experience with Tom Dennard the hostel founder. Like Mycol many of the principles that make the Hostel in the Forest such a special place have informed his expression of life in this world ever since. Further info can be found at www.botanyeveryday.com where an online botany class in the tradition of Frank Cook is conducted by donation.
Jim Veteto, PhD is an anthropologist-anarchist-poet. He teaches cultural and environmental anthropology, ethnobotany, and Cherokee studies at Western Carolina University. Jim holds a B.A. in anthropology and English with a certificate in environmental ethics from the University of Georgia (UGA), an M.A. from Appalachian State University in Appalachian studies and sustainable development, and a PhD from UGA in ecological and environmental Anthropology. Veteto is the former president of the Culture and Agriculture section of the American Anthropological Association and directs the Southern Seed Legacy project and the Laboratory of Cultural and Environmental Anthropology. He walks the green path with over 400 species of plants at his non-profit land-based organization, Appalachian Institute for Mountain Studies (AIMS)—which includes an heirloom seedbank, heirloom apple orchard and diverse cove-hardwood forest in Kituhwah Bioregion, USA. Jim has traveled throughout 46 of 50 US States and 13 countries, studying the plants along the way, and has done ethnobotanical fieldwork in Appalachia, the Ozarks, northern Mexico, British Columbia, and Costa Rica. He is the author or co-author of over 50 publications, including Environmental Anthropology Engaging Ecotopia: Bioregionalism, Permaculture, and Ecovillages (Berghahn Books, 2013), The Slaw and the Slow Cooked: Culture and Barbecue in the Mid-South (Vanderbilt University Press, 2011), Place-Based Foods of Appalachia: From Rarity to Community Restoration and Market Recovery (University of Arizona Southwest Center/Renewing America’s Food Traditions, 2011), and Margaret’s Mead: Anthropological Inquiries into the Making and Sharing of Honey Wine (Culture and Agriculture Section of the American Anthropological Association, 2017). Jim and Marc teach ethnobotanical mead-making classes throughout the SE US and are currently working on a book that is will be the comprehensive authority on honey wine and ethnobotany.
Presentations will include: Botany/Mycology 101/202 presentations, Wild Foods/Medicines walk, Super Food preparation presentation, Botanical beach/estuary Walk, Agrobiodiversity & Seed Saving workshop, Fermentation Overview with Honey Mead Making and a Permaculture Ecological restoration talk. Botanical slide shows of various parts of the world including Latin America, Africa and Europe are also possible given interest.
Please prepare to arrive Friday afternoon. Teachings will begin Friday evening and end Sunday afternoon.
COST: $175 – 225 per person sliding scale, which includes accommodations at the Hostel for Friday and Saturday night as well as a basic breakfast porridge, potluck lunches and beautiful vegetarian dinner on both nights. Please bring a food item or two you would like to share. Worktrade may be available for interested participants with limited funds. Write to marc@botanyeveryday.com with stated need and proposal.
BRING: Your notebook, any relevant guide books you have, a camera, a loupe (portable magnifying glass) if you have one, water bottle, rain coat etc. Handouts will be provided.
Goddess in the Forest Thur Nov 1st – Sun Nov 4th
Women’s rituals, retreats, and gatherings help us to reclaim our birthright- Our power, our intuition, and our bodies. While the activities we will participate in over the weekend can be therapeutic on their own, the general purpose is to Empower women to connect with themselves and their sisters in a deeper, fuller way. We are conditioned by outside forces such as the media to focus on others needs, judge our bodies harshly, and disconnect from our intuition. This retreat gives us the opportunity to explore our sacred feminine side and other parts of ourselves that we might not feel comfortable with in mixed company.
If you are craving a weekend of exploration, rejuvenation, and celebration then you will want to join Cheryl and Erica as they hold sacred space for you to create a stronger connection with yourself, the earth, and other women. You will be participating in energetic and creative activities, meditations, and so much more that will help you to reconnect to the most sacred part of you.
This retreat is open to women of all ages and experiences And includes: 4 days, 3 nights, meals (vegetarian or vegan)-Brunch and Dinner, meditations, sound healing, energetic crafts that are yours to take home, dancing and drum circle by the fire, time to explore, relax, medicine songs and song circles, yoga, and so much more!
]In order to honor yourself and others we ask that all attendees commit to the entire experience from opening circle to closing circle.
TO APPLY PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK AND FILL OUT OUR: QUESTIONNAIRE
ONCE RECEIVED, WE WILL SCHEDULE YOUR DISCOVERY CALL AND REVIEW THE REGISTRATION PROCESS AND ANY OTHER DETAILS.
Investment-
$333 with $100 paid deposit received by August 6th, 2018
$388 with $100 paid deposit received by September 30th, 2018
$422 with full payment received after October 1st
All registrations are non-refundable after October 19th.
Space is limited to 25 Goddesses.
Hostel in the Forest allows you to connect to nature through a more primitive experience. Accommodations will be shared so if you coming together with friends, please let us know so you can be assigned the same tree house/cabin. There is electricity in most of the tree houses and cabins. There are outdoor showers and composting toilets. This is a place to disconnect from electronics and you are encouraged to leave your phone in your tree house/cabin.
Please bring: journal and pen, sleeping bag or sheets and pillow, towel, refillable water bottle, mug for coffee/tea, yoga mat and pillow(and any additional props needed for comfort, earth friendly bug spray, flashlight/head lamp as it does get dark. Goddess Gift (more info on that when you register), additional food and snacks for personal use or to share (optional, 1 white outfit(if possible) for our Moon Ritual, an item to place on our group altar to soak up the awesome energy so you can bring it home to your own sacred space, an open heart!
We are asking all Goddesses to complete a questionnaire to ensure that we are the best fit for each other, get a feel for where everyone is at, and to further customize this retreat. If you are feeling the call to join us, please click on the following link. Email the completed form to nextleveljourneys@gmail.com. you will hear from us within 48 hours to schedule your discovery call.
Any questions, please feel free to call or email Cheryl. She can be reached at 407-625-9719 or at thecrystalhealingspa@gmail.com
Cheryl Taylor is an AumaKhua-Ki® Master Instructor, LMT, and Crystal enthusiast. She incorporates a variety of modalities in her healing practice located in Orlando, Florida and is passionate about helping people lead happy, fulfilled and connected lives. She hosts retreats and workshops locally and abroad and thrives in creating and holding sacred space for healing. Crystals, essential oils, flower essences, sound healing and energy work are tools she incorporates both for herself and her clients.
Erica Pennell is a devoted Song-keeper, devotional music maker, vibrational healer, and facilitator of ceremonial medicine song circles for connection and healing. She has been a student of many different holistic and energetic modalities, and uses a multi-traditional approach to hold space for all cultural representations of the Divine to flow. Pulling threads from both ancient and modern teachings, she invites you to join her in co-creating a beautiful tapestry of wisdom to share.
Vibrational Alignment & Deliberate Creation November 9th-12th
Join Artist, Public Speaker, and Deliberate Creator, Ania Amador, and a diverse group of talented instructors ranging from visual artists, musicians, dancers, massage therapists and teachers of all kinds. This retreat is perfect for anyone interested in simply getting away for the weekend, and/or learning life changing techniques for connecting with nature, controlling your energy, and creating your own reality. Align yourself vibrationally with where you want to be physically and deliberately create your own physical experience in this three night all-inclusive Meditative Retreat. A variety of instructional and creative classes will be offered including Guided Meditations, Yoga, Sound Healing, Law of Attraction Workshops, Acrylic painting for all skill levels, and more. Massage Therapy services will also be available. This is the perfect way to tap into your creative side or further develop your skills in this unique environment.
WHAT IS INCLUDED? -Accommodations for three nights at The Hostel in the Forest, Two Vegetarian/Vegan Meals per day (3 brunches, 3 dinners), Daily Workshops including Yoga and Meditation, Art Classes and Supplies, Starter Pack including Deliberate Creation Workbook, Stickers, Prints, and MORE!
WHAT DOES IT COST?
The cost of your all-inclusive 3 night 4 day stay is $385 per person. A $100 deposit is required to make your reservation. There are only 25 spots total available so reserve yours as soon as possible!
For more information, visit here
Conscious Singles Retreat Dec. 14-16th, 2018
Conscious Singles Retreat is for Single Men and Women who wish to deepen their spirituality while looking for a serious committed relationship. Focusing on solutions to help you connect with your potential cosmic partner. Hosted by Veronika Rose and Patricia Stever.
Love offerings include;
Relationship workshops
Sacred Sexuality discussions
Yoga, movement and meditation workshops
Breathing for healing; healing past partners
Intentional Art workshops
Sensual cooking class
Your stay includes two nights and three days in a cabin or treehouse, with two delicious vegetarian (Vegan options available) meals per day. Includes art supplies and all workshops
What to bring:
Extra blankets (You will be provided linens and a blanket).
Flash light.
Healthy snacks (This is for between meals).
Natural bug spray.
Musical instruments.
An open mind to share.
Note book for journaling and notes.
Workshop Instructors: Veronika Rose, Patricia Stever, Kelli and Bruce Johnson, Ryan Bean
Cost $300 A deposit of $100 is necessary to reserve your space. It is refundable up to 3 weeks prior to the event, Nov. 23rd. After Nov. 23th, we will not be issuing refunds. Spaces are limited. This is our first event and we are offering this for straight men and women. We are thinking of offering an event for LGBT community in the future if the demand is there. This is an intentional event, please do not come if you are in a relationship, are looking for a hook up or are not interested in finding the love of your life right now. We can’t promise that you’ll find your soulmate, and if you don’t you will leave with the skills to help you manifest one in the future.
We have space for 13 men and 13 women. We are looking for diversity, all cultures welcome. If you find yourself in a divine partnership prior to the event, please cancel so someone else can attend!
Call the Hostel in the Forest to reserve your space today: 912-264-9738 Office hours are 10am-6pm
