We wholeheartedly invite you to join us in this journey around the wheel of the year, to find or deepen into the gift you are here to bring.
‘A homecoming to community and the greater natural world’ – Sean
Interested in the course? Contact us to have a free 20 minute Discovery Call
Through deeply exploring your own life and inner nature, we will collectively learn and reclaim the patterns of a healthy culture that have been learned through the deep history of humanity.
Designed for these profound times we live in, Bringing it Home is an in-depth yearlong journey to rewilding your life, creating regenerative culture, and becoming the humans we are called to be in the ecology of the world. Participants will become part of a focused online group moving through eight key weekends across the next year, listening to the cycles of nature, and exploring how they affect them and the world.
- Do you feel the calling to connect more deeply to the flows of the seasons and to the place and life around you?
- Do you long to be part of an earth-based culture that is guided by natures wisdom and to grow more fully into a healthy, connected leader and community builder?
- Do you feel the need or are you inspired to change direction due to the pandemic or other crises taking place on our beautiful Earth?
- Are you holding space for others in some way, and longing for support to do that more elegantly and easefully?
- Are you inspired by 8 Shields events like Art of Mentoring and Nature Culture Regeneration, or other nature-based personal development work?
What you can expect
Personal Development
- Learn how the cycle of the day and the seasons move through your body and how to attune to these energy flows to nourish the life you want to live
- Awaken and learn the qualities that emerge in human beings when we embody natures cycles
- A powerful understanding of the importance of the acknowledgement and holding of the different stages of life in people, through tracking your life’s path and the need for rites of passage
- Develop or deepen a strong felt sense of connection to the natural world that will support you in developing the ecological self
- Dive into your own healing journey through discovering and exploring the ‘healing axis’, connecting to ancestors, grief-tending, our own inner child, and the future generations and the quality of being ‘fully alive’
- Cultivate a deep inner peace through deep nature connection activities, practices to quieten your mind and ceremony
- Personal one-on-one mentoring for your life’s path and what is awakening in you during the course
Regenerative Culture
- A deep understanding of the different stages of energy in natures primary cycles, the daily and yearly sun cycle, and how these can guide human culture
- Understand the archetypal energy of each of the eight directions and how these translate into specific regenerative culture practices
- Experience the four stages of peacebuilding that create the foundation of regenerative culture
- Learn the cultural elements that are the building blocks of creating regenerative culture
- Connect to your local culture through a personal exploration of ‘culture mapping’
Leadership Development
- Learn what it means to mentor through group and peer mentoring experiences, and developing ‘anchor’ relationships in your community and life
- Learn the powerful embodied ‘acorn leadership’ model of how to bring regenerative culture to community and professional events
- Experience the natural ‘flow learning cycle’ that embodies natures pattern of cyclical learning
- Learn to lead from a place of embodiment that recognizes the whole that is present in every moment
All held within a heart-led powerful container of community who are both holding you and growing with you.
The journey we bring you on
It takes a village to initiate a whole person. While we of course cannot provide this, it is our desire to create an experience of this, so that you may go forward in your life and bring forth the piece of re-creating village and community that is yours to hold. Our year-long immersion is a taste, in a broken world, of how we grow into our wholeness through heartful community. Together we will create a journey where we will explore both how natures cycles are alive in you and how, by befriending these, you can live a more connected whole life, and the life supporting cultural elements from nature-based cultures that have been lost, hidden or weakened in our modern Western society.
Working with the fundamental energies of nature to navigate life, personally and collectively as a society, the Bringing it Home Immersion is a journey of transformative exploration and learning. We deeply value heart-centred invitational learning that has a deep trust in the nature of things that springs from the appreciation of what each of us brings and is able for in each moment, and the beings and processes of our beautiful living Earth that we encounter. While we share deeply valuable wisdom that has been learned and sustained by nature–based cultures throughout human history, it is the openness and willingness of the participants to explore and share how this impacts them that co-creates the transformative journey for all. What you receive from the program is a reflection of what you are willing to give it. While we endeavour to support you for your personal learnings to take root in your life, only you can plant the seeds and take care of your growth where you live, and ultimately you take the teachings from this on-line environment into your family and communities.
Our transformative learning pedagogy engages the mind, the heart, the senses, the deep imagination, the soul and of course your body as a whole integrated deeply intelligent being that somehow mysteriously brings all of this into one, through the story of your life.
The elements with which we weave this journey include:
- Content sharing, with an emphasis on cultural and personal story telling
- Inviting our whole selves/somatic invitations such as intentional breathing, stretching, dancing, and animal forms
- Invitations for deep/meaningful encounters with non-human beings so that we can make direct personal contact with life to both offer sanctuary, and reveal and inspire our personal and collective growth.
- Engaging our sensory awareness and our deep imagination to connect with our intimacy with self and non-human beings/nature.
- Intimate sharing groups for personal sharings, personal exploration of content and exploration of topics
- Whole group dialogue and sharings to make the content personally relevant, discover the groups learnings, to deepen our personal stories and commitments and together create a field of trust that is fundamental for each person’s transformative learning and healing journey.
- Ceremony, both intentionally designed and that which is more spontaneous when content supports the emergence of deep connection, in online sessions and by yourself outdoors
- Personal on-going mentoring with our teachers & facilitators
- Supporting a community of practice through practice groups and dynamic peer mentoring between the weekends
- Time for individual reflection through journaling, movement and other creative invitations
- The exploration and embodiment of connection practices
- Opportunities for collective leadership through participatory ‘acorn’ culture facilitation roles
- Daily and thematic practices and activities for between the on-line weekends so that you can integrate the teachings in your life, family and the communities you choose to grow within.
We acknowledge that there is a mystery, an unknown, to all things. As guides we can show you the way and support you on your journey but what you find is deeply personal and only you know the what, how, why, when, who of your own personal growth and healing journey.
Interested in the course? Contact us to have a free 20 minute Discovery Call
This map for personal transformation is community based and therefore culture shaping. Through the context of this personal journey, you also develop the skills to support others on a similar journey, eventually co-creating and sustaining culture shaping communities in your life. There is the map and learning it intellectually, and then there is integrating it by looking at your own life and how the different aspects of each direction are and have affected you.
Why this is relevant
The immersion is a journey through the foundation of a map that has been created to capture the patterns of healthy culture, as observed and experienced by Jon Young through his time spent with a variety of indigenous elders and cultures. It is a brave attempt to reveal patterns of culture that support the development of healthy human consciousness, a consciousness that is aligned with our truest nature and includes our stewardship of all of life. Personally, and collectively, learning these patterns is the journey and embodying them is the evolving outcome.
Systemically, culturally and developmentally, change happens through relationship building and responsibility (the ability to respond). We emphasise and encourage being moved by reciprocity and the desire for collective flourishing and thriving, with all of life. Our transformative learning program inevitably creates insight inspired heart-led change, the change the world needs.
Whether you are motivated by personal growth, community or professional leadership, we can only create transformation through transforming ourselves so your heart-felt participation is a requirement of this program.
‘You will really flourish, coming to your own by coming onto this course. You will find pots of gold everywhere, that you never knew existed’ – Beccie
Is Bringing It Home for you?
Bringing It Home is ideal for those looking for nature based personal development, community building and ways of developing their leadership skills. It is for you if you are seeking to foster a more regenerative culture in your life and work – the nature-based, nature-connected culture that the world is longing for at this time. It is for you if you wish to deepen into the natural cycles and grow more fully from that into healthy, empowered leadership, on a journey of self-awareness and deepening connections.
While it is designed to be accessible for newcomers to the 8 Shields map, this course is also a great next step for those who have participated in 8 Shields programs such as the Art of Mentoring and introduction weekends like ‘Nature Culture Regeneration’ and others – it is designed to help you bring the learnings and insights from these kinds of events more deeply home to yourself and your life.
We are offering free one-on-one 20 minute ‘discovery calls’, contact us here to arrange.
We are also offering free Introductory Calls March 4th and 9th 2023. These will support you to meet us, get an experience of the course and find out more.
‘Why was I not taught this awareness, this way of looking at the world, as a child? Its so fundamental to who I am. What I feel I’m taking away is a real deepening of understanding that I’ve got something to give. Over the course of the last year, I’ve seen myself reflected back, I’ve seen myself grow…and I can see much more tangibly that I am stepping into an elder place, which is a kind of surprising thing to say, but true’ – David bringing it Home 2019-2020
The Practical Details
The course will be held online, as we journey through the seasons together. Each weekend will include spacious time off-screen, with suggested activities you can do on the land wherever you live to help you explore and embody each shield and its qualities.
PARTICIPATION
There is a maximum number of 20 participants for the Bringing It Home weekends, to allow community connection and safety to develop between us all during the year. Some people will just be taking Ecological Homecoming as a standalone course, and not attending the Bringing it Home weekends, so numbers may go higher than 20 for these evening calls.
Although on-line, these courses are designed to be fully participatory and experiential. Recordings of all sessions, excluding ceremony and break-out rooms, will be available in the event that life-circumstances prevent you from being present. When signing up for this journey, we sincerely ask you to be aware of, and accountable to, the commitment you make to co-creating the transformative and healing space through your presence in the group.
TIMINGS
Weekend Timings
Each weekend will follow this pattern of online zoom calls, with suggested land-based activities you can do in the long breaks on the weekend. It is designed using the 8 Shields flow through the day, and our experience running BIH online in 2020, so hopefully it will work for the flow of your body’s needs too! Weekend dates and further details.
Friday: 19.00-21.00* UK/Ireland
Saturday: 10.00-13.30 (with breaks) then 19.00-21.00 UK/Ireland – there will be suggested activities for Saturday afternoon, so keep some spaciousness for that too!
Sunday: 10.00-13.30 (with breaks) UK/Ireland
*On the first weekend in March (the East) we will also have an additional afternoon session to help us all land together 16.00-18.00
Evening Timings
The Ecological Homecoming evening calls will all run on Thursday evenings 19.00-20.30 UK/Ireland, before and after each weekend, to give you more opportunities to connect to each time of year and develop your deep nature connection practices.
Call Dates and further details
PRICES FOR 2023-2024
£1,475 – Supported Rate
£1,675 – Standard Rate
£1,875 – Supporting Rate
A £350 deposit is required on booking.
PAYMENT PLANS are available over 9 months as well.
We are also running an optional in-person gathering June 16th-18th, find out more here.
‘We need each other, to take a song, a word, a story, a tool, a ceremony and put it in our bundles. Not for ourselves, but for the ones yet to be born, for all our relations. Collectively, we assemble from the wisdom of the past a vision for the future, a worldview shaped by mutual flourishing.’
~ from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Bringing It Home 