At the height of spring, what wants to come alive in me — and in the world through me?
Who am I, really, and what is my calling in life?
How can I live a life that’s more grounded – in the earth, in these times, and in who I really am?
What might it mean to live with deeper purpose and stronger connection to the world around me?
No matter where we are in life, questions like these don’t go away. In fact, as we move through the seasons of our lives they can take on new meaning and urgency. And especially in these turbulent times of tremendous challenge – and hope – it’s all the more crucial that we make time to renew our spirits and to re-connect what we do, who we are, and where we live. “Coming Back to Life” is a rare opportunity to explore your own questions of identity, purpose, and calling, and to renew your capacity to live, work, and lead from a place that’s truly “grounded” – in the earth, in these complex times, and in your most authentic self.
Spring is a time when seeds that have lain dormant through the long, cold, quiet of winter crack open and send forth the life they’ve held within them. A time of now and not yet, of mud and muck and cleansing rains, of winter’s loosening grip and green shoots of possibility. As we turn from both winter and the pandemic into a new season, it’s time for a fresh look at what wants to emerge in both the inner and outer landscapes of our lives.
Prairie Oaks Institute invites you to join us for this life-giving retreat: “Coming Back to Life: The Courage to Emerge.” Knowing the importance of human connection and the realities of “Zoom fatigue,” we’ll gather in-person at POI’s spaciously restful, rural campus near Belle Plaine, Minnesota.
Led by experienced Courage & Renewal® facilitator Dr. Chris Johnson and artist and educator Angela Waseskuk*, this Circle of Trust® gathering will help us to:
- Deepen our understanding of our own “interior spring,” including living in the midst of paradox.
- Explore our sense of identity, purpose, and calling in light of the terrain we’ve traveled across the past few challenging years (including the pandemic), and with an eye toward what might want to emerge in the next steps of the journey.
- Discern and cultivate our capacities for expansive imagination, generativity, and risk-taking.
- Ask open and honest questions that can reveal new depths of insight and wisdom.
- Be held by a remarkable community of support, inspiration, and positive relationship.
The day will include a nourishing mix of solitude and silence, conversation, and opportunity for reflective practice (writing, creative expression guided by Angela, time on the land) as well as times to pause for delicious meals and refreshments masterfully prepared by professional chef Drew Waseskuk. It will be grounded in your own experience and fueled with insights from poets, scholars, artists, naturalists, musicians, and various wisdom traditions. Strictly confidential practices of deep listening, discernment, and mutual support will be a key component.
*Angela Waseskuk received her BFA in painting from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls, IA, and her MFA in sculpture and dimensional studies from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, NY. She also studied at the Yale Summer School of Art in Norfolk, CT. From 2009 to 2021 she taught in the Department of Art at UNI, where she also co-founded and chaired the UNI chapter of the national organization, Imagining America from 2018 to 2021. Currently, she is developing her art practice as a Red House Studio artist through the Hearst Center in Cedar Falls.
The Center for Courage & Renewal and its facilitators do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status.
