Caress The Earth: A Dartmoor Medicine Walk

Gift yourself a day of spacious wandering and deep nature connection practices in the wild places of Dartmoor as you face the gifts and challenges of your life through the wisdom of the more-than-human world. 

What if each step you take caresses the earth?

Shake off the stale smell of modernity, of comfort, of your safe life with it’s edges and boundaries, it’s smartphones, cars, microwaves and tv’s. Let yourself open to the possibilities that wait for you outside, in the embrace of the world. 

Blur the edges of yourself with meadow, river, sky and tree. Become lichen, soak up the rain and sun. Soar like the buzzard over the valley. Become small and fleeting like mouse. Feel the rush of the current, the clarity of the breeze.
 

Let yourself fall in love with this earth and be transformed by your entanglement with it. 

If you long to become one with the land and deeply feel the brokenness of a world that wants you to believe you are separate, then this is an invitation to walk and wander your self towards wholeness and into the embrace of the land as it whispers “you belong here.”
 

Benefits of this work

• Nervous systems co-regulation with nature
• Deep nourishment through embodiment and connection
• Feeling the support and aliveness of the world around you
• Create space for reflection and dreaming
• Develop a relationship with the more-than-human world

There are numerous scientific studies that list the countless benefits of spending extended time in nature on human health and wellbeing. And there is also a deeper current which is having the embodied experience of feeling ourselves as part of the web of life. We can know that mentally, but spending time with the mystery of the earth allows us to actually unlearn and untangle ourselves from the harms of separation. 

What to expect

An emergent day walking and listening to the whispers of Dartmoor, the ancient home of the Dumnonii - the Celtic druid tribe that was indigenous to these lands and lived here over 2000 years ago. 

We will meet on the craggy rocks and rolling landscape of Dartmoor to share whispers of the heart, deep intentions and the longings we carry for our lives.

We will wander and walk the land with these longings and questions at the surface of us. Letting them lead us, listen for what might be revealed.

Expect invitations and embodiment practices to deepen into our time on the land together. 

At the end of the day we will catch each others stories, deepening into the wisdom and meaning gleaned from the soft fierceness of the more-than-human world.

Is this for you?

• We will be meeting on Dartmoor where the weather is notoriously changeable. Come prepared for all types of weather with warm clothes, waterproof coats and walking shoes.
• In the event that the weather is stormy we will postpone the event. Those unable to make the new date will have tickets refunded.
• This event is unfortunately only suitable to those who feel confidently able to navigate the rocky and uneven terrain of Dartmoor.
• We will be wandering and moving throughout the day so please bring everything you need including lunch. An essential kit list will be provided with the email confirmation.
• The location for this event will not be accessible via public transport but we will have a whatsapp group for lift shares and do our best to arrange pick ups and drop offs
• This is not therapy or a replacement for it, if you are unsure or feel you need extra support then please reach out to see whether this event is suitable for you.
• This event is welcome to all genders and none. 
   

Be a person here.
Stand by the river, invoke
the owls. Invoke winter, then spring.
Let any season that wants to come here make its own
call. After that sound goes away, wait.

A slow bubble rises through the earth
and begins to include sky, stars, all space,
even the outracing, expanding thought.
Come back and hear the little sound again.

Suddenly this dream you are having matches
everyone’s dream, and the result is the world.

If a different call came
there wouldn’t be any
world, or you, or the river, or the owls calling.

How you stand here is important. How you
listen for the next things to happen. How you breathe.

William Stafford

Your Guide 

Alana Bloom is an artist, facilitator and nature connection guide stewarding eco-centric and animist ways of being that bring us back into connection with the natural world, each other and our deepest nature. Her work is focused on regeneration and cultural change through personal and collective healing, centred in our relationship with the earth. She has been guiding transformational experiences for people to explore unleashing their true wild self for several years, working with hundreds of people and a variety of organisations on the frontiers of personal and planetary healing. Invested in her own personal development, she has devoted many years to her own enquiry and exploration of soulcraft, ritual, creativity,  rites of passage, cyclical living and nature based cultural healing which is embedded in her work, alongside her background in physical theatre, dance and embodiment. She is co-founder of True Nature, a women’s events platform focused on ecological awakening, self-healing and empowered relationships and also works in the realms of ecosystem restoration and community building. 

www.alanahydebloom.co.uk

"This retreat was incredible, life-affirming and challenging....in a good way. It was a beautifully created safe space, both in camp and out on the moor. One of the best things I've ever done....I have re-integrated feeling healthy, refreshed and whole, and am continuing to listen to mystery!" - Jenna

"This was a really scary and uncomfortable thing for me to do. Alana helped me fall in love with wild camping & the land of Dartmoor." - Siena K 

“A huge shoutout to Alana, who is an incredibly kind, empathetic, and wholesome soul. Her energy and passion for the environment and for bringing people together are truly inspiring. She made everyone feel welcome and created a space where we could all connect, reflect, and grow.” - Eleni