WINTER INCORPORATION GATHERING & MIRRORING FOR INTENT AND EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP

It may not be overdramatic to state that our species survival depends, to a great extent, on our learning to tell and listen to stories. Much of the strife among individuals, families, communities and nations derives from our inability to tell our story clearly and to listen carefully to another’s story. If we cannot tell with expression, our life is mute. If we cannot listen like a mirror, we cannot reflect back the wholeness of the story -- the body, soul, mind and spirit of the teller. The best stories are about human nature -- that is, the human of us which is nature in her basic manifestations as physical, psychical, rational, and spiritual. One of the best ways to create a story is to put people in contact with nature. - Larry Hobbs

Intention for this Gathering: The intent of this gathering is to provide intentional space of rest, recovery, reunion, and renewal for initiates that have participated in the Rite of Return wilderness rite of passage. There will be another 2-day Mirroring Workshop open to community from August 23-25, 2024 for those that cannot attend this event.

Who will be here: Initiates from multiple Rites of Return. Veteran Rites Guides Sher Diwata, Mark Oravsky, Mitchell Brookman, and Cj Ryan Mielcarek. Unfortunately Larry and Susan Hobbs will be out of the area. Other surprise VR guides and special guests may appear, especially for Feb 7-9.

Place: During this 4 and 1/2 day gathering, we will meet together at the Rainbow Lodge Retreat Center (46820 SE Mt Si Rd, North Bend, WA 98045), at the edge of the Cascade Mountains. This land is the ancestral home of the The Snoqualmie Tribe (Sduk-al-bixw, meaning “strong people of status.)” The Rainbow Lodge provides a spacious lodge/kitchen, and 40 acres of expansive woods for our times on the land.

February 7-9 (Incorporation: Living the Practices). We will live into the questions: What does it mean to be initiated? How do I survive the inevitable fall and continue to live my truth?

These two and half days will offer initiates an opportunity to have their incorporation journeys deeply witnessed and rekindle our relationship with nature, our “I AM”, and the communal body of society. We will dive back into our stories and into the heart, practicing the ways of wholeness, intention, and self-generated ceremony with nature that rebalance wholeness while enduring the rigors daily life. We will also lean in to best practices and protocols to integrate as whole human beings from a Veteran context. There will be plenty of spaciousness to honor communal work and intentional solitude for personal time with the creeks and forest, inviting our initiates and guides to share their gifts and lived experience with Veteran Rites and their communities.

As a community of practice, we will deepen into our exploration of what it means to truly come home to ourselves, our loved ones, and society. Veteran Rites will be listening on ways to strengthen our intentions, practices, spaces, and protocols that bridge initiates into a more whole and compassionate relationship with each other across individual cultures, identities, abilities, and experience.

February 9-11 (Mirroring for Intent and Empowerment) On Friday, February 9th we will cross the line into the Mirroring for Intent and Empowerment Workshop. We will begin our time acquainting and reacquainting ourselves with the Four Shields of human nature, and working with the art of ‘mirroring for intent’. The following two days will be spent in a mixture of teachings, exercises and stories. You will learn to elicit personal “mythos” through the expression of story, to utilize the “elder’s council” as an incorporation tool for self and group empowerment, and to listen and respond to the four personas of human nature, that is, to mirror. There will be times alone in nature that will evoke in you and your fellow attendees the stories and myths of your, and our, collective true nature.

Mirroring for Intent and Empowerment are foundational individual and communal practices for Veteran Rites wilderness rites of passage, interventions of despair, and daily peer empowerment. This mirror gifts the Veteran with the feeling of being truly seen and heard without being counseled, fixed, or advised. This witnessing from the heart widens the perspective of the story, inviting the storyteller into a deeper understanding of their true nature and the wholeness of the story.

Who Should Attend: The primary purpose for this 4 1/2 day gathering is to nurture and provide deeper support to initiates, assistants, and guides of the Rite of Return wilderness rite of passage, particularly those within their first year of incorporation. Space is limited and we are establishing the following priorities. Attendees will be required to attend the entirety of the event. We will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis for certain initiates who are only able to participate from Feb 7-9 or Feb 9-11.

• If there are initiates local the Seattle area that would like to only attend the Incorporation Gathering: Living the Practices from Feb 7-9 and do not require lodging, or you are willing to find your own near North Bend, we will work with that in our planning to provide as many initiates as possible the opportunity to reunite with their nets and integrate their “I AM”

Space is limited to 25 participants. Participants will be prioritized in the following order.

Priority 1: Rite of Return Initiates with priority for those in their first year of incorporation (2023).

Priority 2: Rite of Return Initiates who have not reconnected with Veteran Rites on the land or at a Mirroring for Empowerment Workshop.

Priority 3: Any Rite of Return Initiate seeking to deepen into the practices, with special consideration for previous assistants and those on the guiding path.

What to Bring: We will be spending a large part of our time outdoors, so bring layers and waterproof clothing (e.g. rain-pants, rain-jackets).  The weather is always unpredictable, so prepare for cold, wet, or warm.  You may want to take notes or reflect on your experience, so we encourage the use of a notebook or journal.  We will have some free time together, so feel free to bring musical instruments or other fun "toys" that the group might enjoy.  As with all of our gatherings, any personal items of significance that bring you strength are always encouraged. You’ll be bringing your own toiletries, extra cozy blankets and pillows to supplement what the Rainbow Lodge provides.

These journeys together can be a wonderful gift to ourselves full of surprising awareness-es and reflections.  Begin now to prepare your body, psyche, mind, and soul for our time together.

Meals and Lodging: All meals and lodging will be provided by the Rainbow Lodge and paid for by Veteran Rites. Given that we want to maximize this opportunity to as many individuals as possible, we will request that some be able to share a room. Special accommodations and dietary considerations are available upon request.

Transportation Assistance: It is the goal of Veteran Rites to remove as many barriers as possible for Veterans to get into the land and into the heart. Our financial support to remove those barriers is prioritized for the Rite of Return ceremony. Participants are responsible for their own transportation and lodging to attend this event, but VR will be able to provide limited financial assistance on an individual basis for transportation and will help support the coordination of transportation from Seattle to North Bend on February 7th and February 11th. Please indicate the financial barriers that exist in the RSVP and we will have a discussion. We expect that many in our initiate community in the Seattle area will open up their homes and vehicles to support everyone getting to and from the gathering.