Spring Forward
A Spring-Themed Virtual Retreat that offers a critical rite of passage for the season of resurrection and rebirth
We live out of sync with nature, and it shows.
The majority of the human species has screwed up circadian rhythms, adrenal fatigue, anxiety, and a persistent lack of connection to stability and purpose.
Things have gotten tough, and even with all of my tools and collaborators and resources, I have recently gone through a bit of a dark night of the soul myself, trying to push like it’s the “before times” when it’s most certainly just the “f*cked up now times”.
If you want to learn more, check out my recent Libra Full Moon post HERE for details.
We need rites of passage
The upshot? That I, like many of you, really need more intention, more ritual and more connection to nature, to my body and to my community in a meaningful way. And this isn’t about some crystal hippy b*tch nonsense! Rather, it seems that these “nice to haves” are going to be necessary for me to function in all of the non-woo ways, keeping my head on straight while society and the small business marketplace seem to get wilder by the day.
So, how do we cultivate the new “need to haves”? How do we make sure we get bang for our buck in a landscape riddled with bullshit artists and short-term thinkers?
We pull in our community and we tap into ancient wisdom.
This is exactly what I’ve done with our Virtual Retreat series, tapping other, provably ethical and well-intentioned practitioners to guide me (and the other attendees) through an unforgettable spiritual experience- all while sitting comfortably in sweatpants in my home!
And, to this end, I’m so excited to invite all of you to our Spring Forward Virtual Retreat the weekend of April 15th and 16th.
So, what’s this Virtual Retreat all about?
Well, as I recently enumerated in our Libra Full Moon Deep Dive HERE, way too many of us live outside of the natural cycles and rhythms of nature. We don’t rest when we’re tired. We don’t eat when we’re hungry. We keep pushing and grinding, pending when “life gets back to normal”. We often override the system designed to keep us healthy and whole and abundant and productive…just to survive another day in the Mad Max “Welcome to the Thunderdome” situation that society has become.
So, how do we get back to a natural rhythm after such an extraordinary departure from ourselves?
Well, we engage in rites of passage: intentional ceremonies that mark the seasons of our lives and the cycles of nature, helping us to harness the energy available at the present moment to revivify and resurrect ourselves. After all: this focus on resurrection after a long and hard winter is the theme of pagan holiday Ostara, as well as the theme around Christian Easter, both backdropping our April 15th-16th Virtual Retreat.
What to expect at Spring Forward
This Spring Forward Virtual Retreat is going to offer next gen, innovative and value added insights, expertise and healing practices across modalities just as we hit this natural season of rebirth: astrology, manifestation, abundance, nervous system regulation, mind+body connection, integrative health and wellness, aromatherapy, nutrition, treasure-mapping, Buddhism and so, so much more.
Across the four hours on Saturday (April 15th) and Sunday (April 16th), I’m going to be joined by several incredible practitioners across a variety of amazing healing modalities:
Dana Frost of Vitally You is a Master Certified Martha Beck Life Coach, Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Practitioner, HeartMath® Facilitator, Certified Aromatherapist, Certified Transcutaneous Acupuncturist, and a Kaiut Yoga Teacher Student. For our Spring Forward Virtual Retreat, Dana is going to bring a lifetime of mind+body expertise and wellness knowledge to empower attendees to tackle this Spring with vigor. Dana is a certified Lifewave patch practitioner, and is offering one of these very fancy, very cool and very expensive Lifewave patches to every attendee via our deluxe gift bags.
Britt Sandkulla-Sinclair of Golden Thread Alchemy is not only a Certified Integral Coach and astrologer, but also an expert, practicing witch. Britt is going to delight us with a Treasure-Mapping exercise, taking manifestation to the next level with this witchy- and very effective- approach. With how hard we’ve all been working, odds are we’ve been blocking our ability to receive. This session will enable us to get clear on what we want and ask— in a very witchy way— to receive it ASAP.
Brooke Lancaster of Nourish the Sacred: Brooke is a certified Nutritionist and Aromatherapist that specializes in nervous system regulation through foods, scents, and other tips and tricks. Brooke is going to walk us through a rigorous deep dive into incorporating seasonal foods and aromatherapy blends to fight the adrenal fatigue, anxiety, depression and “dis-ease” that comes from a long, dark and cold winter- and several tough years all around.
Holly Brodt of Resiliency Power Education: Holly Brodt is a retired St. Paul Police officer and a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher that brings an approachable, pragmatic focus to the mind+body connection. Holly is going to lead us in a nervous system-focused guided meditation to learn new and critical ways in which to draw our attention back to our bodies, pulling ourselves out of panic, anxiety or trauma responses.
As a fellow practitioner and organizer of the event, I’m going to lead everyone in a Shamanic Journeying Guided Meditation to meet, converse and commune with our TOTEM Animals. After all, a new season of the year demands a new Spirit Guide with which to work, so why not learn to tune into the seasons and your body with the deep woo of TOTEM Animal work? We’ll cover: how do you know if something is your totem animal? How do you connect with it? How do you “talk” to it? How do you gain value from this spiritual connection? How can you….shapeshift?
Yep. It’s pretty cool stuff.
And I’ll be adding a full-size Orange Glow TOTEM Flower Essence in the gift bags— a $50 value each— to arm all attendees with my personal favorite flower essence. Orange Glow connects you with your body and the earth grid, ideal for anyone seeking to connect with a TOTEM Animal!
What clients are saying
I created these Virtual Retreats in an effort to highlight ethical practitioners that focus on the content of what they do- and not so much on the “packaging”. The world of woo is pretty shallow and teaming with dilettantes, so I see part of my duties at TOTEM to involve showcasing other professionals doing things the right way.
And it’s working.One client that attended our Reclaim Your Darkness Virtual Retreat shared with me:
“Spending part of my weekend in the Reclaim Your Darkness workshop was one of the best investments I've made in my mental, emotional, and spiritual health this year. The practitioners Rachel assembled were the perfect ensemble for this theme. They created the reset and settling in needed as we head into our yin season of winter.
Being able to cocoon at home to participate in this virtual event created the perfect healing environment. Instead of having to travel, be out of sorts, on a yoga mat somewhere unknown we were in the most energetically safe space to truly go deep with the meditative practice and introspection this event encouraged.
Each of these practitioners alone brings value equivalent to the investment for the entire event. Each is a master of their craft, genuine, professional, and an authentic joy to learn from. Rachel takes great care in creating a space that is energetically safe, authentic, and introduces practitioners I will go to individually for support.
My spirit has been refreshed to the point where I feel like I went on a two week vacation having never left home. This session was a wonderful way to step into the space we so infrequently enter - outside of busyness and suspending ourselves in healing and investing in true self-care. The lasting impact has me reprioritizing my time, feeling calmer, homeostasis feels restored, and I have a feeling of walking in a core strength I have not felt for some time.
I will definitely be participating in the January and spring events. I see these sessions as a way to honor the important transitions of our seasons, the rhythms we need to be incorporating more into our lives. Thank you Rachel for bringing us together with such special people!”
Register to secure your spot
I agree with this client, and I’m selfishly looking forward to sitting in everyone else’s sessions to release and surrender to this seasonal and energetic shift.
Please consider securing your spot on Eventbrite HERE ASAP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/532549819847
And, I must say: the gift bags are pretty dope. This time around, I’m estimating their value at about $500 each…which is crazy considering the whole event is $300, including services. What’s more: if you use promo code TOTEM, you save $50 off.
Please invest in yourself and join us for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday the weekend of April 15th. This is the retreat to move forward. The necessary spa for the soul. The investment in self that will yield fruits as we enter Summer and Fall.
Happy Spring!
-Rachel