Nourish:
A Winter Solstice Retreat
at Wellspring Spa
Sacred Rhythms ~ Deep Rest ~ Inner Wisdom ~ Joyful Connection
Are you a spiritually-curious woman or non-binary person who:
- feels over-worked, exhausted, burnt-out and out of sync with your body’s and nature’s rhythms?
- feels caught in habitual stress patterns around the holidays?
- desires to “go deeper” into your own spiritual journey in the good company of others?
- desires more integration between and liberatory practices of "self-care" and community care...for the good of everyone?
THIS CELEBRATORY RETREAT IS DESIGNED FOR YOU!
Nourish is a haven of quietude and community practice for big-hearted earth-loving spiritual seekers longing for sacred rhythm, rest, and a return home to your center.
It is a gathering of deepening relationship to your body, your inner wisdom, the earth, community and the web of life.
It is a restorative respite from which to emerge to more skillfully respond to these troubled and uncertain times.
What You Get at Nourish
Light-hearted earth-based celebration in sync with the season
Deep rest in the beauty of nature, with nourishing meals and cozy accommodations
Fun, friendship, and meaningful connection within conscious community
Practical ways to bring more sacredness and sanity into your Holy-Day seasons and life
Simple practices to shift out of dominant/white cultural norms such as disembodiment, perfectionism, ‘fix-it’ mode and ‘perpetual productivity
Sacred space for women of color for healing
Anti-racism as spiritual practice circle for white folks
Additional Opportunities:
- Sharing your own gifts, creativity, and ancestral offerings
- Solstice Fire and Intention-Setting Ceremony
- Free time for hot tubbing, walking in the woods, puzzles, connecting with others, journaling, naps and self-care
- The possibility to nurture ease and joy in celebration of the season's turn
- 1:1 time for spiritual mentorship with Kate
Why is this kind of gathering so important?
(From Kate) I spent a lot of years running on the treadmill of urgency and overwork, addicted to stress and overwhelmed with the problems of the world.
All the while on the inside I felt completely empty.
I struggled to feel I belonged in my spiritual tradition of origin, and longed for spiritual community that was inclusive, affirming, judgment-free, connected to the physical world, and based in love and justice.
It took a major plunge of depression about 15 years ago for me to finally stop all the DOING and begin the road back home to my BEING.
Along the way, a few things revealed themselves to be invaluable in this journey:
- Tuning into the Feminine face of the divine through the Goddess tradition of yoga, and other mystical Wisdom traditions
- creating a new, spacious and cyclical relationship with time through connecting to the rhythms of my body and the earth
- discovering and cultivating places to practice being my full-spectrum weird self
- unpacking unconscious ways of being and cultural patterns of whiteness that have kept me separated from the web of life
- And joining with other folks invested in their own healing and the healing of our world.
I am still a work in progress!
I’ve created this offer to include more women and non-binary folks on my ongoing healing journey. I hope that it will afford you the opportunity to be nourished in body and soul; to play, laugh, weep, move, sing, and be seen in your beauty and wholeness; and to hear the call of your own deep wisdom.
What Past Retreat Participants Say:
I was feeling depleted, in need of nourishment and the company of women. Leaving the retreat, I felt stronger and lighter. My voice, heard. Yes! Kate, priestess! Spending time with you is good for my soul.
–Participant
“The meals were amazing and so luxurious, I felt like a queen. I loved the balance of individual and communal practices. The yoga, meditation, reflections for us to do within ourselves was vital, but so were the ways in which we interacted with others, shared our words, eye contact, dancing, all of that. Truly the retreat felt balanced and well-designed.”
–Stacy Nikolaisen
“Would I recommend this? Yes. Would I recommend eating? Sleeping? Breathing? Everyone could use a space where they are accepted and seen, even for a moment.”
–Erin Reierson
On creating a racially inclusive space:
Folks of any racial/cultural identity are welcomed. Additionally, I want to be upfront that I am white, and most of my audience has historically been white folks. Participants and I have been intentionally seeking to disrupt this retreat being a predominantly white space. This is the second year in which I am honored to be joined in collaboration towards this effort.
Last year, we were blessed to have Tracy Myers, a mentor and educator for BIPOC leaders and a multi-racial woman of color, that is Indigenous (Osage) and Filipina, towards this effort. Tracy offered a sacred space for women of color to care for their needs in affinity and free from the “white gaze”.
I (Kate) hosted an ‘anti-racism as spiritual practice' circle for white folks to continue doing our own work through somatics, spirituality and communal reflection.
Both from Tracy and my’s reflection, as well as the feedback from participants, we found that the result was, though imperfect, an important and beautiful first step.
This year, Rhea Goodrum will be collaborating with me to continue what Tracy and I began.
My hope continues to be to nurture a place where dominant-culture folks (which includes, but is not limited to whiteness) can unwind dominant cultural behaviors and relational patterns, and learn to relate more skillfully and with more resilience to our diverse complex world.
Unwinding the modes of perpetual productivity, disembodiment, and insecure attachment to Earth and body are a few of the white/dominant/colonial cultural patterns Nourish attempts to address in particular.
I believe this kind of work is central to the intention and vision for Nourishment to flow through the web of life and support all beings to thrive.
I am committed to addressing unwell dominant cultural patterns as they (inevitably) arise in our process together, and aim to build towards being a place where multi-racial and cross-cultural exchange and healing can happen. Like everything, this is a work in progress and I will continue to request feedback about how I can improve.
On being a Women-Centered Space:
This is kinda a sticky delineation we are actively exploring within our community and beyond, but this is our best current attempt to be spacious as well as specific regarding gender identity/expression: this space is intended for folks who identify as women (cis or trans) and non-binary folks who have been socialized as "woman" and/or feel comfortable in female-focused spaces. We know gender is fluid and the binary is fictional! We’ve also found that, while patriarchy still exists, temporary gender affinity spaces -- like our race affinity spaces -- can feel spacious and nourishing.
If you have particular requests, needs or any other questions about whether this kind of space would be for you, please ask!
"[Kate's offerings] offers an understanding of how to connect with traditions that I’ve lost over generations of work, toil, colonialism, and 'progress' and remember that I have access to ancient wisdom and tradition. It feels like it helps me find home."
Beth S.
Great so...how much does it cost?
A spell for economic balance and reciprocity:
We invite you to consider your financial investment as a kind of spell-casting and energy practice that brings you into awareness of the reciprocal web of support that we all live in. Take a few minutes to breathe into your belly and ask: where am I in that web right now? Do I feel the magic of this offer, and its potential to draw me into closer participation within that web? Then read through pricing structure and ask your belly again: is this right for me right now? Does my desire align with this exchange?
AN ECONOMIC PARADIGM SHIFT:
We are attempting a different payment model in order to float the costs of our BIPOC peers while still honoring the labors of those of us putting this together.
Pricing for all beds are the same. This is so the "cheaper" beds aren't all assigned to those who are paying least (primarily our BIPOC attendees).
I'll invite you to consider that this is an invitation into an economic paradigm shift - away from 'am I getting what I paid for' and towards 'am I investing towards what I value, the collective good, and the world I want to see?'
For folks paying full price, think of it as paying for yourself plus about ⅓ of a BIPOC participant’s stay.
Restorative Culture Sliding Scale for BIPOC:
We are reserving 6-8 spaces for Black and Indigenous folks as well as People of Color (BIPOC). You are welcome and encouraged to pay on this restorative sliding scale. You do not need to pay more than that and this is not a scholarship.
If you have the means to contribute more for the sustainability of this offering, we welcome that. You can make any additional offerings at check out or through:
Venmo @KateFontana-1 or Paypal @ paypal.me/thesanctuarynw
Additional Add-On Amenities:
Spa Amenities (Hottub & Sauna):
$15 for 1 Hour
1:1 Seasonal Support + Spiritual Mentoring session with Kate:
$149 for 45 minutes
Massage
(must book in advance)
$100 for 60 min
$150 for 90 minutes.
Ok, sounds great...but how do I know if this will be right for me?
Truthfully: I don't know. Only you can know that. That is a question for you, your gut, your ancestors and spirit team. Take it to them prayerfully, without thinking too hard about it.
We will do our best to nourish you in all the ways listed above. But ultimately you create the retreat that is just right for you.
What I can promise you is that: this is a container in which you will have an experience. What kind of experience will depend on the interplay of so many things: our bodies, personalities, personal and ancestral traumas, available resources, life circumstances, spiritual energies of the season and of life.
Rhea and I will do our best to gather us together to not be so lost and alone in our experiencing and in our metabolizing and integration of these experiences.
Get quiet for a moment and feel your belly and ask:
Is this the "next right" thing for me?
“Highly recommend.
I am a better human for taking the time to engage (and disengage) during these retreats.”
–Liz King
FAQ
What are the exact dates and times?
Tell me about the location and accomodations.
Do I have to participate in everything?
Is this Wiccan or Pagan?
What's your refund/cancellation policy?
Meet the Nourish Facilitators
Kate Fontana:
Hi! I’m Kate (she/her/hers). I’m a psychic and christian-pagan priestess who helps spiritual orphans transform stuckness, overwhelm, burnout and isolation; connect deeply to your own inner wisdom, body, the earth and the web of life; and walk with clarity and confidence on your sacred path (without burning out or going at it alone). I’m a queer cis white femme person living on Coast Salish territory aka Tacoma, Washington, with my partner Coda and our many animals. I have a Masters of Divinity from the Seattle School of Theology & Psychology and is the founder and steward of The Sanctuary Northwest, a center for trauma resilience, spiritual health, and cultural restoration. I love word games, karaoke and being an auntie. Learn more at katefontana.com and thesanctuarynorthwest.com
Rhea Goodrum:
Hafa adai, I’m a Chamorrita with roots from Guam in the Mariana Islands. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1985 residing on the land of the Squally-Absch. I’m in education, serving teens in library services and as a cultural and mindfulness advisor. I am a spiritual activist, and seek to reconnect us to the wisdom and life skills of Indigenous Peoples to nourish our personal rhythm, and the rhythms of our environment.
I am also an E-RYT in Mindfulness Yoga, Master Reiki in the Usui tradition, and Trauma Sensitive Yoga. I seek to tend to stress-related conditions resulting from colonization, discrimination, ethno- racial insensitivity, injustice, poverty and shame.
My intention is to empower us towards lives of joy, inafa’maolek- meaning harmony, and a sense of belonging with love, grace, and healing yoga inspires.
If the sun is out, my soul and the soles of my feet end up outdoors. I’ll likely be tending to a garden or by a source of water daydreaming with my best friend and husband Damon, and chilling with our children Laylah and Malik and dog Bentley, aka Mr. B:-) I enjoy hiking the PNW trails, collecting rocks, playing with make-up and making dates to meet the sun when it rises and sets. I am a foodie, favoring BBQ and soups.
So...ready to join us? We hope so.
Restorative Culture Sliding Scale for BIPOC:
We are reserving 6-8 spaces for Black and Indigenous folks as well as People of Color (BIPOC). You are welcome and encouraged to pay on this restorative sliding scale. You do not need to pay more than that and this is not a scholarship.
If you have the means to contribute more for the sustainability of this offering, we welcome that. You can make any additional offerings at check out or through:
Venmo @KateFontana-1 or Paypal @ paypal.me/thesanctuarynw
Blessings and Acknowledgements
A deep bow of gratitude to the earth that is my home, and from which the wisdom of living in good-enough relationship with all creation emerges. Thank you to the elemental forces, animals, plants, waters, sun and moon, and the more-than-human teachers, guides and allies that have nurtured this work in visible and invisible ways. Blessings and acknowledgements to the Coast Salish peoples, gentle stewards of the land I occupy and that has been a primary teacher and nurturer of this work. Thank you to my spiritual and biological ancestors, to my teachers and the communities of practice from which this work emerges. Thanks and gratitude to all my teachers, guides, learning communities and all of the stewards of the wisdom traditions worldwide, known and unknown, that I make this attempt to respectfully hold, share from, and evolve my small piece of the puzzle. May it be one small offering of restoring/returning back to the composting earth.
