Healthy human beings need meaningful community, especially in this increasingly disconnected and chaotic world.

There is a forgotten cultural design that connects people to each other, their deeper purpose, and their belonging to place. That cultural design lies in the heart of the village. Join us for a journey to that place of quiet power.

This weekend will be an intentional gathering of connection, renewal and learning about what it takes to create a ‘more than beautiful world’ for ourselves and our immediate and extended families.

Unwind

Disconnect from distraction, screens and the pace of modern life. Recline by the fire, track animals by the river, and eat beautifully prepared meals under the stars.

Breathe Deep

Leave your troubles behind, and sink into the serene cushion of the natural world. Relax into a supportive mentoring environment of conscious, caring adults.

Tend the Hearth

Our earth connected ancestors lived in powerful, purposeful connection to all things. Renew your connection to nature, family, and self by reconnecting to this ancestral model.

Build Healthy Culture

Learn specific models, routines, and rituals which will equip you to enliven and empower your school, workplace, and community. Gain working knowledge of the core routines of nature connection and regenerative culture.

Cost

Adults registering as individuals: $300 – $400 sliding scale

Family rates:

Each adult: $150 – $350 sliding scale

Each child: $100

ex: A family of 2 Adults and 2 children can choose between $500 and $900 for the weekend. We ask you to self-evaluate your financial ability knowing that the middle of the scale supports us to employ youth facilitators, cooks, food, facility rental etc.

Reserve your spot with a $100 deposit

Earlybird Discount: Register by September 18th and receive 15% off

Facility

Earthlands is a 47 acre retreat center with fields and forests including a Main Lodge, gardens, fire circle and tenting areas. Located in Petersham, Ma, it is conveniently located 1.5 hrs west of Boston and 1 hour east of the Connecticut River Valley. This facility walks its talk by being solar powered and off-grid, while still including the comforts of hot showers, wood stoves and flush toilets.

Meals

Healthy meals will be provided by our cook with community participants supporting with prep, serving and cleanup. This is a vegetarian facility encouraging participants to eat locally, leaving a light ecological footprint. Meals will be simple and wholesome. Dining will be slow and family style, fostering conversation and connection.

Lodging

There are 30 beds in the main lodge, mostly with 4 beds to a room. There are also options for tenting or staying nearby in a BnB.

Schedule

Participants have the option to arrive Friday night or Saturday morning. The weekend will end on Monday late morning, allowing for travel and integration at home before the week begins. Each day will be an easy flow from community time, such as meals and stories by the fire to ‘program time’, allowing the young children, teens and adults to participate in developmental activities.

Intentional Design

The schedule, activities, and intention behind the design are meant to serve as both a slower paced, nature immersive retreat, as well as a learning experience for everyone involved. Our goal is for people to leave rejuvenated, more connected to their true self and having built capacity for creating this kind of environment in their day to day lives.

Reserve your spot now!

Facilitation

Mark Morey, Founder, Institute for Natural Learning

Mark is dedicated to leaving the world better than he found it. He fosters regenerative leadership values, practices and learning systems for communities and workplaces. His approach is visionary and he designs experiences from potential.

For the last 30 years, he has been a leader in the international nature connection movement to reconnect humanity to the natural world. He has done this through several organizations that he has founded as well as facilitating 100 Art of Mentoring workshops in five countries. Mark has facilitated life-changing retreats for adults and youth of all ages with the intention to empower the individual to be a leader in cultural change.

His work has ranged from 200 person, week-long events with families of all ages, to adolescent rites of passages, adult leadership immersions, business consulting, public speaking, and organizational network leadership on an international scale. Mark’s passion for environmental healing and cultural consciousness has gained wide recognition as a leader in earth-centered leadership development. He is a risk taker, full of life, loves to laugh and will be the first to admit he doesn’t know how this is all going to turn out. One thing he knows is that there is only one life to live.

Questions?

Email us at info@ifnaturallearning.com

We hope to see you at this weekend. Please let us know what might be limiting your ability to participate so that we can all benefit from your presence.

DOWNLOAD EVENT PDF to share.