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Singing the Trees: Reweaving connections in edge times

A retreat at Rolling Ridge
April 19-21, 2024
Friday 3 pm - Sunday 2 pm
Rolling Ridge Study Retreat near Harpers Ferry, WV

A weekend retreat
at Rolling Ridge Study Retreat,
1500 acres of woodlands near Harpers Ferry, WV
April 19-21, 2024

"Earth and soul cry out for conversation…
It is time to reweave connections for the sake of mutual thriving."
--Leah Rampy Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos

"When I am among the trees…they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily…"
--Mary Oliver

Poised on the edge of loss, we yearn for connections that offer solace and possibility.  In the place where language fails, music invites us into ever-deeper relationships with all beings—and with our heart’s longing. Trees, our elders who have graced this Earth far longer than the human family, beckon us to wisdom, beauty, and peace. Join us as we sing and chant, engage in rich conversations, embrace attentive silence around and within, and exchange intangible, priceless gifts with the trees around us.

Note: You need not consider yourself a singer nor even feel that you can carry a tune; all are welcome to join in! 

Join us to:

  • Sing your heart out 
  • Wander in the spring woods 
  • Rest in deep Silence 
  • Participate in ceremony and council to encourage the soul 
  • Dance in sacred circles 
  • Listen to story both ancient and wild 
  • Weave community

Retreat Leaders: David Rampy has sung in opera houses around the world and taught vocal music to individuals of all ages. He enjoys helping others open to music as a spiritual practice. Leah Rampy is an experienced retreat leader and the author of Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos. Lindsay McLaughlin has been leading retreats that explore nature and soul at Rolling Ridge for more than a decade.

The retreat will be held at Rolling Ridge Study Retreat, 1500 acres of protected land nestled between the Appalachian Trail and the Shenandoah River. Trails wander through the forest, over stony brooks and yes, under the oaks, maples, tulip poplars and many others who make their home here. The Retreat House is a lovely and simple cabin in the woods, a shared space with kitchen, dining area, living room and seven bedrooms.

The retreat begins at 3 pm on Friday and ends at 2 pm on Sunday. Please arrive between 1 and 2 pm on Friday to allow time to settle in before the program starts.
Participants in this retreat are requested to take a rapid COVID test before coming on April 19.

Cost for program, lodging, and six meals

  • $285 each – shared room (register with a friend/roommate)
  • $385 – individual room
  • $185 – camping, bring your own tent

Cordwood Cottage and campers have full access to Retreat House for facilities.

We have limited this retreat to 13 retreatants (two shared rooms, five individual rooms, one space in Cordwood Cottage, and three camping spaces).

Non-refundable $50 deposit required with registration

NOTE: Retreat is full and registration is now closed. Email Lindsay to be put on the waiting list.

Pay Deposit
Pay Balance or Full Amount
Scholarship Application Form
Download PDF Flyer
 

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May we all attend to reuniting our heads, hearts, and hands, taking time to be receptive, suspending judgment, and awaiting patiently for insights that arise, unbidden. May we practice being still and really listening – to ourselves, to each other, and to the gentle whispers of the living intelligences of the natural world.

If we can do that, we will build a contagious energy that will ultimately lead to real healing and restoration – the restoration of our wholeness, as a global community – of our deep and fundamental interdependence and Oneness with each other, other species and the whole interwoven web of creation.

~ Nina Simons
 

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