Earth Initiation

Join us on this powerful year long immersive journey that invites us to honour our lives, remember our place of belonging and regain our intimacy with the more-than-human world. As humans, we used to know this belonging in our bones, but we have grown away from our connection to the natural world. Earth Initiation is about marking a transition and remebering where we most deeply and powerfully belong.

For much of our history, people have crossed the threshold into wild places where they can attend more closely to the movement of the soul and remember what is at their core, what’s most important. Transitions in a person’s life were often marked by ceremony – rites of passage to reinforce the change and reorientate the initiate and their community to this new phase of life. The wider natural world has long been respected as a necessary partner or companion in these initiatory journeys. During such transitions the land itself can become a mirror, an ally, the fertile container that allows us to draw close to the roots of our life.

This is what is on offer when you embark on Earth Initiation.

“ It felt like a work of magic…….This work is vital at this time. Please do more, it is needed.”

What to expect

We will gather together a year before the ‘threshold ceremony’ to meet and get to know one another. We will discuss the significance of the ceremony for each individual and explore how we might begin to prepare for it throughout the year. To support you and help you develop your intention for the threshold ceremony, there will be four online meetings over 12 months - one for each season. This aligns with the eco-centric wheel we will be using throughout our work. The main threshold ceremony will be 12 days long. It includes a four-day and night wilderness fast that takes you beyond the threshold into a liminal space. After the ceremony, there is an invitation to gather in council online each moon cycle over the next year to support integration of everything you learned and experienced. We will come together in person for a final day one year after the threshold ceremony.

“……perfect location and great experience, brilliant event , beautifully held......”

The Three Phases

Rites of passage follow three classic phases and these form the structure of the Earth Initiation journey: Preparation, Threshold and Incorporation.

The first days serve as our preparation, as we come together as a community. Here we listen to each other’s stories – exploring where we find ourselves in life and what brings us here. Specifically, we consider in depth our intention for this passage rite - what is it in our life that is asking to be honoured or marked through an initiatory journey?

The threshold phase is the four-day and night fast. Each person goes alone into the wilderness (with the support of guides at base camp), without food and with minimal external trappings. This threshold time allows for one’s intention to be revealed and be reflected in the mirror of nature. While it is not always easy, this threshold is a profound way to bring about shifts in the psyche which is much-needed in these times. Sometimes we need the simplicity of silence, to empty ourselves of food, company, shelter and comfort to hear that wild voice that speaks through the earth to our soul’s longing. After this, we will return to our ‘village’ community to share stories, hear the reflections of others, rest, feast and celebrate.

The final days focus on incorporation. We share the stories of our threshold time and explore its gifts and implications for the life we return to. We sit in ‘story council’, sharing our stories and having them mirrored back to us by the community so we can see our individual narrative within a wider context. This can be one of the most touching and heartening parts of our time together - being witnessed and affirmed by those who have come to participate in and create this ceremony.

You will be encouraged to invite a trusted person to support you throughout every phase of Earth Initiation. They will act as an anchor and witness to your journey, listening to your stories and perhaps sharing insights with you. They might welcome you back on your return from the threshold ceremony and support your integration.

Other elements we will explore in support of our time together will include:

· The practice of ‘Council’

· Shaping and honing Intent as the foundation for threshold experiences

· Exploring the role of contemporary wilderness rites of passage or initiatory journeys in our times and the challenges to this.

· The four Directions of Human Nature – An eco-centric model of human development.

· The nature of self-generated ceremony and the role of threshold crossing.

· Nature as a mirror.

· The role and art of mirroring for empowerment and community witnessing.

· Physical safety during the threshold time

What people say about our threshold ceremonies

"The experience was life-changing for all of us. Being given time, energy, love, support, respect, healing - I could go on - was an extremely beautiful thing to be a part of. I have made lifelong friends and now have a much deeper understanding of where I'd like to take the next chapter of my life. P.S. food was amazing!"

"It was a life-changing experience that I will carry with me forever. Heidi and Sam were amazing guides —I felt safe, held and honoured. It was a profound journey and I feel deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to participate alongside some incredibly powerful individuals, immersed in the beautiful land."

"I feel I've crossed over a potent threshold into my adult life through having the gift of a dedicated, safe container to continue processing my childhood/adolescence. I communed with the Earth in a profound way, confidently tapped into my intuition and feel I've made a significant step on a gradual, sacred journey of reconnection.......The learnings I've gained feel wordless—it's like the vibration of my body has changed and my ability to relate with life has widened. I feel strongly that this experience will ripple out into the rest of life in unimaginable ways... this is only the beginning!"

Who is this for?

This threshold ceremony provides a space for reflection for anyone who is experiencing a time of transition, asking deeper questions or looking for a way to steer through life's ever-changing currents. We hope that by participating in this rite of passage, you may find clarity and strength to navigate your personal transitions and contribute positively to the collective transitions of our time.

When is it?

Vision Quest Journey dates: September 2026 - 2027

Whole year program will include weekends in person and online group meetings, 121 calls as well as the two week camp that includes a three day solo fast: Dates TBC

How much does it cost?

Cost: £800 - £1400 on a sliding scale. This includes all meals, land fees, tuition and guidance. We want this to be accessible to everyone. For that reason, we may have some bursary and subsidised places for those who need it. Please get in touch if you would like to apply. You will need to provide your own personal camping gear – a full kit list and directions will be sent on booking.

To secure your place please pay a £200 deposit to Circlewise.

For further information and to book please contact Heidi aW5mbyB8IGNpcmNsZXdpc2UgISBjbw== or 07891062769

Practical information

Location: Wild location on Dartmoor National Park

Alone on wild Dartmoor is a chance to listen to our own wild voice and those in circle with us. We use the old and simple practices of going out alone on the land with an intention and following the conversation that arises there.

Ths ancient tradition of fasting for vision has been passed down through generations of indegiounous peoples, In the spirit of honoring these traditions, while adapting to our present needs and times, we will be hosting this experience, not strictly adhering to the cultural intricacies, however we aim to capture its raw, elemental essence. We have crafted a ceremony designed to resonate with our modern lives. Additionally, we have integrated wisdom gleaned directly from our connection with this land and the unique needs of its people.

It's essential to acknowledge and express our deepest respect and gratitude to the indigenous communities who have safeguarded these sacred ceremonies throughout the ages, as well as those who facilitate the bridging of worlds.

We warmly welcome you to join us in this timeless tradition, as we gather around the to seek guidance and unity.

“We do not go into the desert to escape people but to learn how to find them: we do not leave them in order to have nothing more to do with them, but to find out the way to do them the most good.” – Thomas Merton

Circlewise is a service that provides facilitated listening circles, the way of council training and rites of passage ceremonies to community members, organisation's and those working in education. They are committed to supporting individuals, groups and the community by building life skills in communication and empathy through circle practices.

Circlewise offers facilitated circles and ceremonies, support, training and resources to promote:

- Compassionate communication

- Social, spiritual, emotional, mental well-being

- Empowered and relational learning

- Nature inspired ways of relating

https://www.circlewise.co

See information on Circlewise facilitators here:

https://www.circlewise.co/people

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Rumi- translated by Coleman Barks.

Also check out other Workshops in Newton Abbot, Meetups in Newton Abbot, Arts events in Newton Abbot.