(An online course)
Self-Study: Register anytime
Enriched Study: April 3 - July 9, 2016
Earth-centered ritual is a vital means of re-awakening our connection to the earth and promoting deeper sources of personal and environmental healing and action. It is a powerful element in human development and is essential in a nature-based healing path.This course will focus on the role and function of nature-based rituals and ceremonies for modern cultures. Emphasis will be placed on rituals and practices that help to reconnect people to authentic self, others, the land, and Spirit.Experiential learning is a key component of this course. You will be organizing, creating, and practicing nature-based activities, ritual, and ceremony. We will address both the process and the integration of the experience.By performing weekly self-generated ritual, you will deepen your understanding of the healing and supportive qualities of ritual and nature.Within the Enriched Option of this course Nature’s role as healer, container, and guide will be carefully examined.The roles of the guide/facilitator and nature/wilderness will be explored, thus informing participants of the path of the wilderness Guide, including skills, training, experiences, and possible livelihood. The value of ritual and ceremony in other contexts will also be studied.Course Objectives
It is our intent that through this course you will:
- Develop an experiential understanding of the importance and power of ritual and ceremony in healthy relationships among human and nonhuman beings.
- Become knowledgeable about forms of traditional and recent nature-based rituals.
- Develop confidence and comfort with the development and practice of nature-based ritual, for yourself and for others.
- Understand, accept, and be willing to act upon your role as a leader of ceremony in a world that deeply needs that.
There are two streams for this course:
Option 1: The Self-Study is offered to anyone wishing to complete the course material on their own. Every 2 weeks (for a total of 6 modules) you will receive an email consisting of content to read and contemplative nature activities to complete. The course will provide you with food for thought and offer practices to enhance your daily life and connection to nature. In this self-directed course, what you do with the material is very much up to you. You may be inspired to write or create in different ways. Or, you may simply value the content as nourishing food for the soul whose value will continue to ripen in you over time.
This course is ongoing throughout the year and participants may register any time.
Option 2: The Enriched Study includes guided discussion through email threads, video conferences, a group facilitation component, and additional course work and feedback from instructors. Students in the Windwalker Dragonfly Guide Apprenticeship are required to registered for this option. There is a schedule for this course and participants are expected to meet deadlines for all assignments. You can expect to devote at least one hour per week to the course materials and communications, plus whatever time you give to the course activities.
Deadline to register for the Enriched Study is April 1, 2016. If you are registering for this option you must submit a 1-page (approximately 250 words) paper describing your reasons and intentions for taking this course. Take this seriously. Our experience is that the clearer you can be now about your intentions, the more present you can be for what is available to you during the course.
Email your paper (Word attachment, please) to both Wes: [email protected] and Corinna: [email protected]
Exchange
Self Study: $60
Enriched Study: $140
Guides: Corinna Stevenson & Wes Gietz