TENDING THE HEARTH: AN ALUMNI MEDICINE RETREAT
A sacred gathering for past graduates of the Apprenticeship and Shamanic Practitioner programs
August 7 – 9, 2026 | Lions Bay, BC
The Retreat Experience
Welcome Home to the Village
For over two decades, this community has gathered to do the deep work of soul recovery, ancestral repair, and tending our sacred relationship with the living Earth.
As a graduate of the Apprenticeship or Shamanic Practitioner programs, you are an integral part of this community and lineage. The language of the circle is second nature to you. You already know what it means to drop into the somatic landscape, to listen to the land, and to walk between worlds.
Yet, when we return to the ordinary rhythms of our everyday lives, it is easy for our focus to fragment. The noise of the world can quickly crowd out the tending of our practices, and the medicine pieces we carry can begin to sit untended.
This August, you are invited to step back into the village.
Held by the mountains, the ocean, and the rushing river at Lions Bay, this weekend is a dedicated container designed strictly for those who have completed my Apprenticeship and/or Practitioner programs. It is a space to tidy and revive your medicine bundles, breathe alongside people who speak your soul's language, and, most importantly, to keep alive the vital relationships between humans and the helpers of the other realms.
What We Are Weaving
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Reviving the Hearth
Bring your Medicine Hearth, drums, rattles and holy pieces back to the centre. We will spend time clearing, honoring, and re-energizing your Medicine Hearth for the seasons ahead.
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feeding the web
Working with plant wisdom, shamanic journeying, breathwork, and ecstatic dance, we will drop into our deep inner landscape and connections with the Helping Spirits to listen to what is moving within our individual and collective bodies.
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renewing the rites
Together we will reconnect our Hearths with the Meeting of the Villages, lay down our collective Mast'ay, and step into a labyrinth ceremony to renew the sacred Rites of the Gateways and the Sovereign centre.
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Welcome New Practitioners
We will take time to formally witness and celebrate the students who have recently completed the Shamanic Practitioner program. This is where we welcome them fully into their new calling, honoring their commitment and anchoring their medicine into the wider village fabric.
The Flow & Agenda
Friday, August 7
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Opening the Gate
Please arrive early to land, unpack your gear, and settle in. We will open the circle at 5:00 PM sharp, followed by an evening Forest-Cacao Ceremony.
Saturday, August 8
11:00 AM – 10:00 PM | The Meeting of the Villages
A deep day of community ceremony with Meeting of the Villages, Community Mast’ay, and group journeying and breathwork. We will close the evening with a second Forest-Cacao Ceremony and dance journey.
Sunday, August 9
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Renewal & Sovereignty
We return to the circle for the Renewal of Rites, welcoming the new Practitioners, a sacred labyrinth walk, and a sovereignty ceremony to anchor your medicine before heading home.
OUR CONTAINER & LOGISTICs
Practical Details
The Venue
We are gathering at the beautiful Lions Bay just up from West Vancouver, tucked right beneath the mountains and sitting next to the river and ocean. There is plenty of on-site parking available.
What to Bring
Please bring all your usual circle gear (yoga mat, foamie, blankets, etc.), as well as all of your personal medicine pieces - especially your Medicine Hearth.
Investment
$397 CAD for the weekend
A NOTE TO POTENTIAL NEW STUDENTS
Curious about the Apprenticeship?
This particular retreat is a private reunion reserved for our past graduates. We keep our village strong by continually offering spaces for our community to return, practice, and deepen their skills year after year. If you want to take your seat at this hearth in the future, your journey begins with The Essential Revolution 12-Month Shamanic Apprenticeship.
