Sensing the Threshold
August 5 - September 30, 2022 is currently in session.
Bringing us together in contemplative community as we bridge seasons.
A 9 week devotion into presence and spaciousness, both in person and online, weaving the web of our wonder. The Temple of our Belonging.
Read more about our next (and first!) session, the Mabon (Summer/Fall) Temple cohort below.
Dear Friends,
I hold the vision of us coming together. A collective of human-hearted seekers nurturing the spirit and walking each other home.
Are you seeking spaciousness? Community? Experiences of spirit, of belonging, of inner knowing? Of deep listening? Sensing the Threshold is a vessel for our visions, a hollow for our healing, a space for our stories, a place for us, the wakeful witnesses of our lives. Over 9 weeks we will come together, both in person and online, to honor both what we grow and what we leave behind. All of the in-betweens. Life a winding spiral of cycles and seasons.
An immersive, sensory experience and an invitation for deep presence (and a little harvest season magic).
This season, Stacey, Samantha and I are exploring the practices that sustain us, braiding threads of our unique offerings and hosting three in person gatherings in the West Woods. As kindred spirits finding joy in each others company and uplifted by the prospect of not walking this path alone, we are so pleased to collaborate and to invite you into the fold.
The Temple of Belonging serves as a gathering place, and is inspired by a blessing my mama wrote: “Let your muse be your balm, let poetry and art enliven your vision, music lighten your step, and friendship flank you on all sides.”
Love, Gwendolyn
What’s included:
Three in person gatherings at the Affelder House in the West Woods: experiential journeys, mini-retreats, into cha dao (tea), sacred sound, and contemplative rest.
Four opportunities for further connection online inspiring heartful presence and optional space for sharing.
Two thoughtful newsletters with poetry and prompts.
Optional group chat.
Who is welcome here?
This retreat is open to all human hearts, of any orientation, that wish to weave this special time together. Inter-generational and diverse community is at the forefront of this vision’s invitation. Our venue does have stairs, if you would like to discuss accessibility please send me an email. Chairs are available.
Meet the space holders and vision keepers braiding super special collaborative ceremony:
Meet Gwendolyn, offering Contemplative Rest, the sacred pause.
Guide and a gatherer, Gwendolyn offers a vision and a vessel for the sacred work of self discovery and remembrance.
Meet Samantha, offering Cha Dao, the way of tea.
Yogi, energy worker, and cultivator of sacred space, Samantha offers tea ceremony as a vehicle for meditation and awakened presence, always steeped in love.
Meet Stacey, offering Sacred Sound, vibrational resonance.
With a profound reverence Stacey weaves sound to give voice to the natural and spiritual worlds. We are vibrational beings, and our watery bodies respond and resound to music.
The Temple is currently Waitlist Only.
You can register your interest and join the waitlist by emailing: hi@gwendolynren.com.
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Registration is sliding scale. Abundance rate $600, Sustaining rate $500, Sacred support rate $400.
Abundance rate helps support our sliding scale structure, which makes it possible for a diverse group of folx to join us on this journey. Sacred Support is available to those who would otherwise not be able to attend this gathering at the full price. You can view some of my reflections on sliding scale here. Sliding scale offerings rely on the honest reflection of all participants to be sustainable.
Payment Plans are available. If you would like to suggest a payment plan that would work for you, that you don’t see listed here, please send an email to hi@gwendolynren.com.
When selecting a payment plan you’ll pay the first deposit at registration. Within three weeks I will email you with a link for automatic monthly payments. All payments (for both pay in full and payment plan options) are non-refundable unless your spot is able to be filled.
Additional support may be available. If cost still feels prohibitive but you feel truly drawn to this gathering please let me know.
The Affelder House in the West Woods has held us for four years now, a place steeped in tea, tears, laughter, and sacred intent. You can view photos from past retreats here.
More Information, dates & times
Affelder House gatherings are held at a lovely mid-century structure in the West Woods of Novelty, Ohio. These ceremonies aren’t just our individual offerings, but are an inter-weaving, a braided collaboration of complementary practices by a group of guides that truly love this work and each other. They are held from 6:00pm - 9:00pm and begin with dinner, so there is a little wiggle room on arrival time. Fridays:
August 5th (sound + tea with stacey and samantha)
September 2nd (tea + contemplative rest with samantha and gwendolyn)
September 30th (contemplative rest + sound with gwendolyn and stacey)
For those seeking regular practice and a sense of community, optional, but encouraged, online gatherings are offered between in person events. Online gatherings are from 6:00pm - 7:00pm, steeped in quiet presence and are meditative in nature. They require no speaking, video, or response, but do include time for sharing if you feel so inclined. Online gatherings take place over zoom on Fridays:
August 12th
August 26th
September 9th
September 23rd
Prefer to see a calendar? You can look at one here.
Any questions? I welcome them! Send Gwendolyn a note.
This is an invitation:
A soul opening experience. A commitment to presence, an exploration in showing up, a journey you don’t need to embark upon alone. Do you feel the tug of your heart strings? The call of the unknown? All that is possible in the space in between? So much is waiting for us in the space in between.
I hope that you’ll trust your knowing.
Sending love and deep gratitude to the flutters of possibility.
FAQ:
Can I attend just one date? Why do I have to register for all of them?
Spread out over 9 weeks, we have the chance to build on the connection and practices that each offering and each exchange gifts us. It is also a powerful commitment of intentional time to yourself - to nourish your whole being. Not just a gathering but a community experience, there is something palpably possible in bridging the seasons together.
What if I can’t make them all?
Life surely happens, and if you choose to commit to the container but can’t make every engagement it’s totally fine. We hope that you can at least make a majority of the in person gatherings!
Where are the in person gatherings held?
All of the in person gatherings will be held at the Affelder House in Novelty, Ohio (about 35 minutes east of downtown Cleveland).
Do I have to share during the circle?
You are not required to share anything, and won’t be pressured to do so. If you’re called to speak during circle, opportunity to share stories, voice visions, and find words for our feelings and experiences (past, present, future) are all welcome and the space to do so (if you choose) is an important part of our time together.
What are your thoughts about gathering during Covid?
We recognize that we are living and gathering during a global pandemic. At this time we are not requiring masks or vaccination to attend, but we reserve the right to require masks and/or testing should cases in our area rise. Our venue is indoor/outdoor. If you are experiencing any symptoms or have reason for concern please test before attending in person events.