Deep Dive into Nature and Self

A six week online journey of deep nature connection with a solo experience at its core, held through the power of community. 
 

Are you yearning for deeper connection, full presence, more aliveness? 

Do you want to be guided by nature as you’re going through a life transition? 

Are you ready to re-embrace your full natural self? 
 

We invite you to the medicine of time spent alone with the land - to the healing, the deep knowing and the soul reawakening that this offers. 

We invite you to step over a threshold bringing you closer to your essence.

We invite you to reclaim your full and vibrant selves in connection to all of life. 

This is the practice of meeting Self through Nature.
 

It is a radical practice of reclamation and resistance - in a world full of business and burnout, full of pathology, full of extractivism, we focus on slowing down to reclaim the wholeness that is our true nature. 

“What is the truth at the centre of the image you were born with?”

The Deep Dive programme
 

Taking inspiration from the ancient traditions of Rites of Passage and Solo Nature time, we offer a powerful yet gently guided 6 week process. We meet ourselves in the truth of where we are in our lives, we attune to the group and to the wider community of the living world. Two experienced guides hold the process and will support you in connecting more deeply to the natural world, and coach and prepare you for your one day Nature Solo experience. We will also equip you with the tools needed to integrate this medicine into our daily lives. During your journey, the mirror of nature and the heart of the community will guide and support you.
 

The 6 week process entails: 
 

• 5 online Community gatherings on Zoom.
• A diversity of practices: Meditation practices, rituals, embodiment and eco-therapeutic nature connection practices rooted in eco-psychology and indigenous wisdom
• Input on the theoretical frameworks of deep ecology, ecopsychology, the tradition of rites of passage and the four shields model of human nature (School of Lost Borders),  eco-soul centric development (Bill Plotkin)
• Access to a rich online platform of stored resources and practices
• A self organised buddy meet up to process the experience together
• An optional Signal group with all participants and facilitators to stay connected and support each other throughout the process
• Preparation of and guidance towards your one day Nature Solo Experience in a living place close to your home
• Optional one-to-one support sessions with a trained guide
   

***

This is for you if you: 
 

• Are experiencing a moment of transition or change in your life that you want to mark
• Need more clarity and directionality on your life path & want to let yourself be guided by  your unique soul expression and contribution
• Feel called to deepen your connection to nature and learn how to work with nature as a mirror and guide
• Want to reclaim the ancient tradition of nature based rite of passage and ceremonial work
• Feel that humanity is currently challenged and needs to grow up and take collective responsibility for our shared home 
• Are yearning for deeper connection, full presence, more aliveness and life purpose
• Want to go on a journey together with a community of shared values 
   

****

“Thanks to the well thought-out journey led by the two my heart was wide open when I entered into my solo time and what can I say: Now I have a deep felt sense for my true wild nature and my connection to the more-than-human world has grown sooo much more intimate, it brings me to tears of love, gratitude and so much relief.”

- Stephanie 
 

***

The Journey :
 

~First Community Circle~

Thursday 10th April 6.30pm - 8.30pm GMT

Getting to know the group and landing in the topics of Deep and Spiritual Ecology. Introduction to practices for self-knowledge and nature connection. 

~Second Community Circle~

Thursday 17th April  6.30pm - 8.30pm GMT
Introduction to Rites of Passage in modern times and playful exploration of the model of Wholeness - the Four Directions of Human Nature

 

~Self Organised Buddy Meet Up~ Digestion

Thursday  24th April 

~Third Community Circle~

Thursday 1st May 6.30pm - 8.30pm GMT

Deepening of community, sharing and refining of personal intentions, ritual preparation to step over the threshold for our Solo experience. 
 

~Earth Solo experience~

Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th May

Spending one day (or more) alone on the land in a place of your own choosing over a weekend.
 

~Welcome back Ritual~ 

Sunday 4th May 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm GMT

Sharing of our experience and insights in Story Council. Mirroring of your soul experience by trained guides, with input on how to integrate the experience over the time that follows. 

 

~Integration and Visioning~

Thursday 8th May 6.30pm - 8.30 pm GMT

Community Check-in about our process of integration.Visioning for future movement, using the Four Shields Model to support us going forward. 
 

***

“To dwell on the land alone in reverence is a beautiful remembering of our profound humanness.”- Sophie Vandenkerchove
 

***

Further information
 

• The group size will be limited to 12 people so please book early to avoid disappointment
• There is an estimated time commitment of 4h/ week (2,5h call + practice/reading) plus your Solo tome
• The process starts  before our first meeting with a threshold walk in which you set your intention and send it to us in written form
• You will receive a Welcome Kit once you've registered with access to a Trello Board with some gifts and resources to tune in
• We recommend registering no later than March 27th to leave enough time for intention setting and preparation!
   

This work is crucial for these times. Personal, social and ecological regeneration are intimately intertwined, and we offer this medicine in deepest service to that which the world now needs. 

Will you join us ?  
 

“This was a precious, meaningful and transformative journey. I feel like I will be processing it for a long time to come. From the safety and warmth of the space created to the diverse, creative and supportive practices shared, it has been a truly nourishing experience. I now have more clarity about where I can find solace, and what I might contribute to the world so that others may find that sense of safety, love and connection.” ~Natalie

Learn more

Check out Jenny's and Carolin's conversation about the importance of rites of passage, their own experiences with solo time in nature and the power of reclaiming these practices for our modern Western societies.

You can also check out the following resources:

• How a solo experience in nature helped me come to terms with the prospect of death—and this moment of mass extinction. - previous Deep Dive participant
• “Wilderness Solo - how I stopped time by sitting in a forest for 24 hours.” - Guardian Article

“Can Nature really heal us?” - Guardian Article

The Facilitators

Carolin Goethel

Carolin is a Berlin based community weaver and facilitator. Drawing on her anthropological studies, her work in leadership education and her passion for deep ecology, she’s developed a varied toolbox to build cultures of interbeing.

The profound experience of her own vision quest led her to study eco-soul centric practices and guiding Nature Solo experiences with the Wild Minds Collective.

Working at the intersection of inner and outer systems change, she currently leads The Week in Germany to spark meaningful conversations about the environmental crisis. 
 

Jenny O’Hare

Jenny is a Deep Ecologist and Eco-therapist, recently returned to Ireland following the call of her homeland. Her work focuses on the relationship between humanity and the rest of the living world, and is deeply inspired by her own sense of belonging to living systems. 
 

Drawing on her background in Natural Sciences and Ecology, and inspired by the ways that life informs life, her work draws on Eco-psychology and somatics, Spiritual Ecology and extensive training in Eco-therapy and Solo nature experiences. She has assisted on multiple vision quests, and is embarking on a year long community and land based enquiry of how our eco-soul centric place based ceremonies can serve our world in these times. 

Listening to the living world is her most powerful guide!

Frequently Asked Questions And Answers

Do I need to attend all the calls? 

Since this is an intentionally designed process, we ask you to ensure in advance that you are available to attend all 5 calls. If it happens that you miss a call due to unforeseen circumstances, we will do our best to help you integrate this. 

How do I spend my solo time on the land?

Your solo time is a special time set aside for a specific purpose. It can be spent in stillness or in movement, but we offer the following general guidelines below. Please note we will prepare you fully for your solo time during the four week process. 

Taking into consideration the season and expected temperature, we recommend you dress warmly, take tea and perhaps some blankets. Be prepared for rain as well. We invite you to spend an extended period of time outside, ideally from sunrise to sunset. You can look for a sitting spot that calls you to spend most of your day in, or decide to go on a Threshold Walk and stay in movement. The main practice during that time is to be fully present with the living world and be in communication with yourself and the land. You can also decide to spend the night outside or have various solo time periods  over the course of the weekend.

In any case, we ask you to respect your own boundaries, so you can feel safe during the journey as we will be guiding you from afar.
 

How do I choose where to go?

There might be a certain area, a landscape or a place you want to deepen your relationship with. Maybe there is a place you have never visited but have always wanted to get to know. Depending on where you live, it could be a place that is quite remote and wild or a place that is easier to reach from your home and a little closer to civilisation.  A secluded place with less distraction from frequent human visitors could support you in being fully present with yourself and the more than human world around you. 

Do I need to be spending my time fully in Solo over the weekend, or can I meet up with some friends and go for a walk together?

We invite you to stay as much Solo as possible, during your dedicated ceremonial time. This doesn’t need to be the whole weekend, but could be so. This will be for you to decide on and feel into. Be aware that each person that you bring on your Solo, will be part of your ceremony, and therefore will also influence your experience. If you do bring a person on your Solo, then be sure to inform us and make clear rules so you are not speaking to each other the whole time. If being Solo is an edge for you, we would be happy to support you more on this throughout the process. 

I’m going through a challenging time right now, and I wonder if this Solo could be good for me? 

Spending time alone on the land can be challenging as well as nourishing and healing. The fact that there will not be many distractions means that whatever is moving in you will express itself. Here is where the importance of going out with a clear intention or question comes in. It will help you to not let yourself be pulled into a spiral of despair. If you are doubting whether you can deal with the challenges you are currently facing on your own, please do get in touch with us and we are happy to support you with taking a decision. 

Do I need specific equipment or gear for my Solo time?

You will need basic outdoor clothing for your solo time. This will include rain gear and warm layers, and sturdy footwear. It is also useful to have something to sit on, such as a blanket or waterproof layer. If you decide to stay overnight, more gear will be necessary, such as a tarp and sleeping bag. We will fully advise throughout the process on what you will need based on weather and geographical conditions where you are. 
 

Ticket Policy:

50 £ of your ticket is non-refundable. This is to cover any admin costs if you choose to cancel and to support participants to be sure they can attend before purchasing a ticket. 

We can offer a refund (minus 50 £) up until 140 days before the start date. With such short notice we are usually unable to fill your spot. If we (or you) do manage to find someone to fill your spot we can transfer your ticket to the next Deep Dive.

If money is an issue for you right now, you can email us at wildmindscollective@gmail.com saying a few words about why you'd like to apply for a bursary place. We hope to offer at least 1 bursary place, and will assess all bursary applicants before making a decision.