Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice.

Heatherrash Amara

A Year-long program for Women

Over the year, we will meet ONLINE once a month from March 2024 to February 2025. There are normally 3 weekend retreats in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Hot Springs, North Carolina in April, June, and October, but we are pausing our retreats for 2024 to address some construction needs. They will restart in 2025.

The online meeting schedule for the 2024-2025 year is below.

• In each online meeting, you will be guided through the cycles of nature and the corresponding female archetypes and multi-cultural goddesses to awaken all aspects within us, our histories, and our authentic and diverse power and gifts. We invite everyone to share their unique stories of these potential energies within, to be seen, heard, heal, and to expand.

• Students will be guided to create original “power pieces” and/or rituals at home, reflecting who we are, our values, passions, souls’ longing, and to reclaim rites of passage. These expressions follow no “should” or prescribed way, but represent the altar of the Self—reflections of our Truth, Love, Sacred Rage, Empowerment, and Individuation. They help us get attuned to the surrender and unknown required of the creative process.

APPLICATION

Anyone can participate in the online meetings at anytime, joining anytime of the year before October, and repeating the program yearly to deepen their work and expand their community. Please fill out the application for the online meetings.

For the Retreat option, we want our group to be centered, intimate, and connected, so only 10 students maximum will be accepted into this option of the program. However, the retreats are paused for 2024-2025 due to some construction needs.

Applications for the retreat option are being accepted for our 2025-2026 program.

You will be contacted for a phone/ video interview after we receive your application.

Soulbirthing Application

Imagine…

• Feeling deeply at home and safe in the wilderness, learning you are capable of protecting yourself.

• Embodying the knowledge and skills of your ancient mothers and grandmothers, and picking up where they left off.

• Connecting and laughing with a local community of like-minded females who are freeing themselves to be big.

• Learning to resource both physically and emotionally from the natural world, returning to your original mother - Earth.

• Being supported through the stages of creative process, expressing yourself through your voice, body, and mind.

• Having a community and retreats to recharge, relax, and connect.

• Remembering yourself and your gifts through self-made pieces and rituals of your Self.

• Laughing around a fire, sharing stories, and feeling joy with people you trust, healing the lost sisterhood.

Sounds great, but maybe you…

• Feel like you aren’t creative or brave enough to express yourself.

• Desire a deeper connection but you don’t know where to start.

• Feel overwhelmed by the current state of the world.

• Are surrounded by people, but still feel alone.

• Are afraid of getting close with other women because of painful experiences in your past.

• Think you don’t have enough “skills” to start learning.

• Don’t think of yourself as spiritual, creative, or able to open up.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There is support. Together, we will recover what has been lost, discover our place with the Earth, and remember who we are and how we are meant to live and create.

 In Soulbirthing, you will get…

• A holistic approach to Creative-, Earth- and Archetypal-based healing and community.

• 12 months of support in discovering and experimenting with your authenticity and deepest desires.

• 12 months of building deep connections to form a life-long community of love and support, who will witness and celebrate your process.

• At-home practice and ritual to further your connection and shed limiting beliefs and survival patterns.

• Tools to help you understand your power, creative gifts, and how to hold your wounding tenderly and regulate your nervous system.

  
  Soulbirthing TOOL-KIT

Each student will end their year with a complete, student-made Soulbirthing tool kit, to help them cope with the struggles of our modern-day life as well as show up more fully in their own lives, which will include:

• A body movement practice of intuitive movement to help us move and shift internal energy, find empowerment, and widen our capacity to be seen.

• Vocal techniques to free our deep inner knowing and widen our capacity to be heard.

• A healthy and generative relationship to the creative process.

• An expansive relationship to the diverse parts of ourselves represented through archetypes and mythology.

• Nonviolent communication skills to nurture deep, safe relationships and navigate challenges with love, compassion, and understanding.

• Intuitive Eating - compassionate body understanding to honor our hunger and fullness.

• Deeper understanding of our trauma, gifts, and family lineage—to understand the relationship between trauma, our bodies, our nervous system, family patterns, and healing.

• Local plant medicine and edible plant knowledge, and how it connects to a history of female empowerment (Retreat option).

• A free form woven creation that honors our sacred gift of creation.

• Hand-carved sacred spoon to heal our relationship to nourishing our bodies (Retreat option).

• Knowledge of tending fire and foraging the landscape to connect to our warrior energy and inner fire (Retreat option).

• Adornment that represents our wise queen energy.

• A compassionate understanding of our personal survival patterns and skills to move toward consciousness and learning how to trust our body’s signals.

• Gratitude and spiritual rituals, ceremony, and blood rites.

• Breathwork techniques and resourcing practices to help us stay grounded and connected to the present moment.

• A community of like-minded women to lean on and feel connected to during hard times and as we dare to be bold.

• Plant, animal, and other allies to help us ground ourselves into safety with a feeling of connection and belonging to the landscape.

 
This is for you if you...

• Want to make a major shift in your life to feel deep belonging to a sisterhood, the Earth, and Spirit.

• Want to free yourself of repressive conditioning and learn to express yourself in alignment with your soul mission.

• Want to move past the common traps of being female-identified in our culture - such as self-abandonment; minimizing your power, talents, and gifts; accommodating others at the expense of your desires and needs; apologizing when you don’t need to and trying to remain small to keep others comfortable.

• Want to create more ritual and ceremony, infusing deep meaning into all aspects of your life.

• Want to practice emotional, physical and psychological resilience to adapting to this changing climate and world.

• Want to learn how to embrace and find the gifts of all parts of yourself, including the shadowy self-sabotaging parts.

• Want to find the wild, capable animal of yourself and cultivate your inner fire so you fully claim your intrinsic worth and value.

• Are a parent or caretaker who wishes to raise your children in a life connected to the natural rhythms of the Earth and see you as an empowered person to inspire their own empowerment as they grow up.

• Are a seeker who senses the Earth and creativity are the greatest temples and teachers.

• Want to fall in love with being a female-identified human.

• Crave bringing your fullest powers of warrior and goddess out into the world, to dare to be seen, speak, and lead.

• Want to see a world more rooted in the Earth, in balance with the Divine Feminine, and believe it’s possible.

FAQ’s

“What if I can’t make it to one of the online meetings?”

Due to the personal nature of our meetings, they are not recorded to protect confidentiality. You will have access to the online content if you miss a meeting, but you will not have access to what is discussed in the meeting.

“If I miss a meeting, do I still have to pay?”

Yes, this program is only sustainable by the payments made by those who sign up. We also want consistent attendance so our group can bond and find safety in sisterhood. Thank you for understanding!

“What are the two options of this program?”

Participants can just attend the online meetings each month, or they can attend the online meetings and attend the 3 in-person retreat weekends. However, our retreats are paused for this year due to construction needs. You can fill out an application for 2025-2026 when they will restart.

“Do I need to move to North Carolina to participate in the retreat option?”

No! The program meets online each month, and meets in-person 4 times for one weekend in April, June, and October. You can travel to North Carolina for the 3 retreats.

“Will this be hard and uncomfortable?”

No! You will be camping with any and all supplies you wish to ensure your comfort. Students are warm, dry, well-fed and happy so that you can get the most out of our time together.

“Do I need to have previous experience in outdoor skills, the arts, or anything else?”

No! You don’t need to have any outdoor or artistic experience. We welcome everyone at all stages of learning. We create our programing to be beginner-friendly for those who need it and also find ways to push those who are wanting to be pushed. Generally, the program starts off more comfortable and easy and progressively there come more chances for “edge-pushing”.

“I’m not sure if I’m comfortable camping. What’s it like?”

During retreat days all students are required to camp 2 nights to really sink into the experience. We have primitive campsites & amenities that are beautiful and comfortable. Students are required to bring their own tent and camping gear. Make it as cozy as you like. It is a beautiful experience to be among a group of people you trust while sleeping so close to the Earth and the subtle sounds of wilderness. Throughout the days, you will feel a deep connection as you get close and develop a more reciprocal relationship to the elements. Additional rain shelters are provided in case of inclement weather. There is also a small cabin on site if indoors are absolutely needed.

“How much does this program cost? Are payment plans available?”

The program has 3 tiers of payment so it is accessible to everyone who wants to participate. These tiers are suggestions. We operate on donation-based/ PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN system. See below.

“Can I bring my dog on the retreat? Or my kids?”

No. As much as we love our children and canine friends, as teachers and as students, we want everyone to be focused and able to make the most out of our time together.

“I’m a Transwoman. Can I participate?”

Yes! This program is designed for misogyny-effected people, or anyone identifying femme, female, woman, regardless of the sex or identity assigned at birth. This program offers loving acceptance, openness, and seeks to find deep understanding. Your program leaders will discuss with you your specific needs, feelings, and insights so you are fully supported.

“I’m female-identifying I think…but I’m exploring. Is this a right fit for me?”

The teachers of this program are of the mind that the terms masculine and feminine or yin and yang are expressions of a spectrum of energy that can manifest in limitless ways. This program is designed for those who are female-identifying/ misogyny-effected to find our wild selves, and we welcome explorations beyond this gender identity throughout the program. We will be exploring Patriarchal, Puritan, Colonial, Capitalist, Heteronormative, and White Dominant messaging that may have created a disconnect between our Selves and the way we live, express, and interact with the world. This program is a safe container to explore and experiment. We will be traveling through the archetypes as potential and discovery, not directives.

“Can I participate in the retreat option if I’m pregnant?”

Yes! Your program leader will discuss this with you specifically. You will need a doctor’s approval. Once this is received, your program leaders will discuss with you how to meet your needs and have a safety plan in place should you need pregnancy-related medical assistance.

“Should I want support while I’m menstruating during some of the weekends, what supports will be given?”

Extra physical and emotional comforts and support will be provided to our sisters menstruating. We will always have supplies on hand. Our cycles are our sacred connection to the cycles of nature. It is completely up to a student if she would like to share or keep private her cycle needs with our group. Depending on the groups’ needs, the program leaders will welcome deepening our relationship to the beauty and spiritual power of this monthly rite, providing insight into forgotten connections and ritual. We will invite and welcome students finding empowering reframing of their cycles, healing what may have been absorbed by dominant culture that too often does not celebrate or show care for this monthly transformation.

“What if I’m too shy for this?”

This program is designed for all types of temperaments and personality types. Your participation in an activity is always your choice—all is an invitation. We will encourage you to always follow what your body is speaking to you, whether it is to take a break or nap, or to witness an activity that day. Witnessing others can be just as powerful and be the first step in exploring new territory. However, you will be encouraged to experiment in a way that takes you to your edges, to try new things, expand, but to always do so with the support of the resources we will foster and the group so you feel safe and confident. We will embrace our needs, no matter what they may be. We are here for where you are on your path and help you achieve what you want.

“Is there an age requirement?”

Students must be at least 18. Our hope is that we have students at every stage of adulthood.

“Can I just do the online classes and not the retreats? Or vice versa?”

There is no limit to the number of people we hope to connect with in our online meetings. At this time, we accept and accommodate only 10 women to participate in the in-person retreats 3 times during the year. Those 10 participants must participate in the online meetings. Within the online classes, if needed, participants will be assigned to a pod, a smaller group of women to connect and share with, as part of the monthly meetings.

“Can I join mid-year?”

Yes and no. Anyone can join the online classes at anytime during the year before October. For the retreats, though we are considering this for future years as we seek to accommodate more people, we would like to keep the retreats a closed container from beginning to end to ensure participants can experience the comfort, support, and stability of a consistent in-person sisterhood.

“Can I do the year-long cycle online over and over?”

Yes, awakening these archetypal powers within is limitlessness, and we hope to connect you to more and more sisters every meeting, throughout the year.

 Who is this not for?

• Someone who is not wanting to learn or leave their internal and external comfort zones.

• Someone who does not want to explore their imagination, voice, and body.

• Someone who is not wanting to do internal work.

• Someone who is not wanting to get their hands dirty.

• Someone who wants to do life alone.

• Someone who is rigid and cannot see and accept other’s points of view.

• Someone who doesn’t want to share vulnerably.

• Someone who feels they’ve already found everything that works for them.

This retreat option of this program is limited to 10 participants. All applicants for the retreat option must fill out an application. After the application has been filed, potential students will be contacted to set up interviews. If the student is accepted into the program they will be required to put down a $100 deposit to save their spot in the program. The online option is not limited and you may join at anytime.

Learn about your instructors here

STILL NOT SURE?

Contact Cashavelly and schedule a 1:1 chat about whether or not this program is right for you in this phase of your life.