Retreats are an invitation back to self. A retreat is a journey within utilizing the facilitation of the retreat essence, the facilitator, and a collective of “strangers” who are simultaneously choosing themselves. Each retreat is a reclamation journey and you get to decide how you want to traverse that adventure. We are each there with our own objectives. “I want to rest”, “I need to get back to myself”, “I want to learn to trust my intuition”, “I want to find community”, “I’m stuck and I need to reset”, “I want to expand on my spirituality”.
I’ve been hosting retreats for five years this winter and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. To choose retreat is to choose yourself. To choose retreat is to choose transformation, witness, and trust. You get to weave transformation from that space into your everyday life. You witness the lives and sacred stories of others. You lean into a trust fall with yourself and if you choose to, a community of individuals as well.
By attending and facilitating retreats I personally have experienced much growth. I have a confidence I never had before that was gained by allowing myself to be witnessed by others. I discovered a true value of community, sacred circles, and shared knowledge. They have helped me maintain my peace, myself, and my truth. Whether the retreats I facilitate speak to you or not I could not encourage you more to find a retreat that does. They are simple medicine with profound results.
RETREATS
Hi, I'm Katlyn... and I host retreats!
What is most important to me as host and facilitator is that you feel welcome, you know you have autonomy over your retreat experience, your voice and wisdom is desired, and that you are encouraged to tend to your individual needs and that they come first.
As a facilitator this is what I believe:
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everyone is a teacher
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flow over schedule
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we are individuals creating a brilliant circle
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the more diverse that circle the more enriched it is
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the mind, the body, and the spirit are equals
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in order to engage with transformation trust, rest, and rooting must happen first
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creative chaos
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everything we do is an invitation not a requirement
The Retreats:
MYSTIC MOTHER
RETREAT
SHEWOLF RETREAT
SOOTHSAYER RETREAT
Mystic Mother takes a deep stretch in sacred space. She awakens each morning with more air in her lungs, space in her head, and a softened heart. For the day before, she crafted, whittled, carved, and hammered a little deeper to make more space for herself. She spends the days in warm, colorful and expansive place, conversations, and circles. She’s encouraged to go a little deeper. Explore herself a little further, incubate a little longer. She’s pushed to create even though she doesn’t “know” how. She relearns to speak her truth even though she “forgot” how. She’s pushed to push until she’s greeted with a birth of renewed self and potent magic.
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Some Mystic Mother activities may look like this:
Gentle yoga, or meditative movement, structured coffee and conversation time, art projects, workshops, meditations, journaling, ritual.
​Shewolf suns herself in the long days of summer. She stretches under the willow tree each morning. She partakes in deep conversation circles that roll from the patio, to the shade of willow, to the cool air conditioned inside. She is prompted with deep questions and ideas that she contemplates by chewing on, journaling about, or sleeping on. She fills her belly. She flexes her claws. She lights fires. Sometimes she tells stories around them. Sometimes she sings around them. She even dances upon the occasion. When she’s ready she sets fire to some of those contemplations we spoke of. Sometimes she sets fires to them and screams over them. Weeps over them. Laughs over them. When all the fire has been taken out of her she will take herself to the great waters and gentle rivers. She spends the week migrating towards what she needs and ridding herself of what she doesn’t.
Some Shewolf activities look like this: movement and gentle breath work under the willow tree each morning, structured coffee and conversation time, walks in the woods or around the garden, fires under the stars, storytelling, journaling, fire ritual, rest, wolfing down amazing food, trips to the lake and or river, meditations, workshops and more.
The Soothsayer is comfortable in her quilt covered home. She creaks around each morning steeping tea in a sweet silence only interrupted by the movement of the body and the shushing of the lake. She requires a silence to her mornings so that her inner thoughts may speak. Scrawling them down, sipping them up, eventually the silence meets its end as the sun ascends the sky. Workshops, journeying, stories, personal ritual, and crafting ensues until the sun meets its end. The kitchen comes to life with a click and a roar of the stove. Laughter & chatter starts to flow from that space. Silverware and china begin their own clattering conversation as dinner comes under way until it too gives away to the great pause of gathering around the table and the song of togetherness animates the space. Stories and questions are spilled across the table as we feed the bodies our ancestors gave us. Soothsayer spends the week harvesting her thoughts on the rocks, at the shore, in the forest, down the ravine, up the road; resting, abundantly collecting herself, and deeply receiving.
Some Soothsayer activities might look like this: plant meditations, observing silence, journaling, storytelling, group time around a fire, sitting in the forest, resting on the shore of the lake, guided meditations, workshops, crafting, cooking together, dinner parties, connecting with our ancestors, song, ritual.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are all retreats five nights?
Yep! Five nights allows us to sink into the space and community. To unpack our bags, ourselves, and our intentions. To take our time to sink into the material and then to lovingly pack back up and head home without feeling a sense of mental and emotional “whiplash” that trying to cram it all into a weekend creates.
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Where do they take place?
All the retreats are in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They all take place on private property and we will be the only group on site.
Who goes on these retreats?
All kinds of folks. I think our youngest was in their early 20’s and our eldest was in their early 80’s. Having folks of different paths, religions, beliefs, generations, and backgrounds only enriches the wisdom of the circle.
You’ll find that these retreats attract people who are openminded, curious, caring, empathetic, with a drive for growth, healing, and learning how to best care and know themselves.
(You must be 18+ to attend retreat)
Mystic Mother and Soothsayer are open to all genders; Shewolf is a women only circle.
How big are these retreats?
No retreat will exceed 13 people
Average number of people:
Mystic Mother: 10-12
Shewolf: 8-10
Soothsayer: 8-10
What is the rooming situation?
There are private and shared rooms.
If you want to share a room with a friend, make a note of it in your booking notes. (If you’ve talked a friend into joining you on retreat have them mention you in their booking notes and you’ll get $200 off your next retreat.)
If you’re flying solo and are choosing a shared room please know I try to pair up roommates who I feel will be most compatible. (No complaints yet!)
What is the food situation?
-We provide breakfast, lunch and dinner + some snacks as well as tea and coffee.
-We purchase as much whole and organic foods as possible.
-We are conscious of allergies and food aversions that folks may have and plan our menu around that. Please note cross contamination is a reality as all food is prepared in the same kitchen. Over the years we’ve worked with vegan diets, dairy free, gluten free, etc.
-We encourage you to bring any additional snacks or beverages you’d like however there will NOT be room for them in the fridge and they must be kept in your room.
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How physical are these retreats?
Mystic Mother: gentle stretching, yogic movement.
Shewolf: moderate amount of walking, walking on the sandy shore, yogic movement, optional hike.
Soothsayer: lengthy staircase down to the north shore.
Ultimately nothing is a requirement of the retreat, each activity is posed to expand you and challenge you in a way that encourages growth- be it a physical, mental, or creative activity. When you show up in your way and participate in an embodied way it is honored and celebrated. (Example: you come to morning yoga but you lay on your mat and engage in your own practice)
Do the retreats have the same theme every year?
They do not; nothing makes me shudder more than the thought of repeating myself.
Can I bring my Pup?
As much as we love the fur babies and acknowledge their sacredness we cannot allow animals on the premise of retreats due to lodging rules, allergies of other participants, and liability.
How do I choose which retreat?
Trust your gut. I know, what an annoying answer. People ask me a lot what my favorite retreat is & honestly, each one is so seasonally appropriate. They’re so different and they’re all great medicine for different reasons in the correct seasons. I will say this, if you feel the call or the pull, then it’s probably for a reason.
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