Wild Woman Camp Out: Nature Immersion and Full Moon Sit Out

A nourishing weekend of returning to the natural world through a variety of nature connection practices and fireside living. Leave nourished and connected to the power and beauty of yourself as part of nature. 

The call
 

To those who are listening to the song that the earth wants to sing through you, you are being called to come lay your body on the ground, to kiss the earth and feel the heartbeat of wildness in your blood as you remember the power of the archetypal Wild Woman. 

The Wild Woman Camp Out is a new but ancient invitation to shake free from the shackles of society, to step into the unknown and the restorative power of the natural world and gather as women have done - under the full moon, by babbling brooks and around crackling fires - as you awaken your four legged furry or feathered self.

If you’re exhausted, burnout, anxious or stressed then this is a sanctuary for your soul to rest in, to come back to the self and tend to the parts of us that are frazzled by modern life as we soften into our bodies, hearts and souls, remembering who we are beyond the noise of modern life. 

This weekend is about becoming alive to the animate world and realising we are a part of the earth, to gently sink into the land and open ourselves to the wisdom of nature, the possibility that it can hold all of us without judgement. 

Through a powerful weekend immersion in the heart of Dartmoor, surrounded by ancient woodland, meadows, rivers and moor, this is an opportunity to gather in community, create the space to slow down and invite our wild side out to play as we explore the healing potential and beauty of the natural world. 

If you have been yearning for the beating hearts of kindred souls, the smell of rivers and fires, dancing under an open sky, and the freedom to express all parts of your being, then this retreat is for you.

Expect sleeping on the earth, fireside living, beautiful nature, self created ceremony, wild river dips, deep rest, singing, dancing and drumming under the full moon.

Why we gather
 

So many women are exhausted, burnout, depressed, anxious and ‘insert difficult challenging circumstances here’ - but these experiences are systemic, they are symptoms of much larger problems with the way the western world functions as separate from the natural world. 

Much of this separation manifests in how we reject parts of ourselves that we deem unacceptable for public consumption but are actually essential for living in a healthy way - Just like so many parts of nature are essential for a healthy ecosystem yet we’ve destroyed them. 

This is an opportunity to rediscover your huntress, your muse, the one who is filled with rage or grief, the one of you who knows they belong to the earth, the feral and flea bitten parts of you, the wide eyed bushy tailed one of you, the warrior, the beloved, the crone, the one who doesn’t fit into boxes, all the parts of you that are reflected in the beauty of the natural world. This gathering serves as a place to welcome these exiled parts home and explore what wholeness feels like. 

What to Expect
 

Over the weekend we will create a supportive sisterhood where we each feel able to be seen and accepted in all that we are, exploring fireside living under the stars. 

Inspired by the Wild Mind Map, soulcentric practices and nature based modalities like the 8 shields nature connection and cultural healing map, this weekend we will work with a range of practices to connect to the power of nature and the archetypes of wholeness including:

Sharing circles
Sit spots
Self designed ceremony
Time out on the land 
Embodiment practices 
Meditation  
Play and games

A note: This weekend is a deep nature immersion with very basic amenities which is intentional to support leaving behind the conditioning of modern society. This will mean participants will be sleeping in tents,  there are compost loos but no hot showers (river bathing is encouraged) and we will have some sheltered space but will still be working in all weathers so waterproofs will be essential. 
 

Weekend Highlights 
 

Morning medicine walk

We will open up our senses and welcome ourselves to the day by letting the words fall away and tuning in with the more-than-humans ending in a refreshing river dip. 
 

Deep Nature Connection

Through various invitations over the weekend you will have the opportunity to really meet the wild nature around us and see how we are part of it. 
 

Archetypes of Wholeness

A movement and embodiment session where we will adventure with four different archetypes that can help us access the riches of our wholeness and connect with the natural world. 

Dreamwork

Slowing down our nervous systems and sleeping on the earth can often open up our subconscious and dream space so we will hold an awareness of our dreams throughout the weekend.
 

Midnight full moon sit out

A chance to step outside your comfort zone, befriend the darkness and create a ceremony for yourself to be with the power of the night and the full moon. 

A few Important Things to Note

1. While this work may have therapeutic benefits, this is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. If you are seeking therapy then we encourage you to seek 1-1 support from a qualified psychotherapist. If you are experiencing significant mental health challenges please contact us in advance so that we can have a conversation about whether this retreat is right for you at this time. 
2. The food will be simple and mainly vegan and gluten free with some cheese and egg options. Tea and coffee will be available. 
3. There is no phone reception at the venue. We encourage you to take the opportunity to disconnect from the outside world, and to fully immerse yourself in nature. Please make sure you tell loved one's that you will be out of communication for the weekend. 
4. You will need your own camping kit for this event - this includes tent, sleeping bag, ground mat etc.  A full list is provided on booking of what you'll need for the weekend. 
   
    

Venue

Our venue lies literally at the heart of Dartmoor and is surrounded by open moorland, forest, river and meadows. It is a stunning area that is in the process of being rewilded and restored by those who care for it with the hopes to increase biodiversity and ecosystem complexity. 

With this in mind it is important as participants and guests that we take very good care of the land as there are many ecological sensitive and vulnerable habitats. Further information will be sent upon ticket confirmation but please be aware in advance that our agreement with being on the land is one of Leave No Trace - this includes making sure toothpaste and soap we use is biodegradable. 

Travel

We create a whatsapp group in advance so that you can arrange a lift share or taxi share with other women on the retreat. 

Timings

Participants are requested to arrive later afternoon on Friday around between 3.00 and 5.00pm. The last Activity will finish at 9pm on Sunday evening and participants are welcome to leave then but can also stay the night. There will then be an optional walk and river dip on Monday morning before departure. 

Investment

Your Booking Includes

3 nights camping

2 Full days of workshops and ritual

Breakfast, lunch, dinner + snacks

Access to wild nature in the heart of Dartmoor, Devon

(Does not include travel to and from site)

Payment Options

All tickets are camping - you must bring your own kit. 

Standard - £325 

Early Bird - £275 (Till the end of April)

Bursary places* - £225

Alumni - If you've already attended a True Nature retreat you can enjoy the benefits of 10% discount. Get in touch with us for the discount code

*We have a limited number of reduced scholarship places for Black or Women of Colour, LGBTQ+, and folks with disabilities, from marginalised communities or challenging socio-economic backgrounds. 

We are in a process of learning and unlearning how to make our space equitable, diverse and inclusive of the multitudes of experiences of women, trans women, femme and non-binary folk. Offering low cost scholarship places for those who might struggle to access or participate in events like this is part of our approach. For further information please read our inclusion statement.

Please fill out this form https://forms.gle/rY4QpTVBM5ohJ7V18 to apply for a scholarship place. 
If you have any questions or concerns please email alana@truenature.org.uk

Ticket Policy

• £150 of your ticket is a non-refundable deposit. 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 do not offer the 10% membership discount on our retreats. This is because our overheads are so high, and a 10% discount on an event with a high ticket value has a huge affect on our overall budget. 
• We cannot offer any refunds if you decide not to attend within 10 days of the retreat 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 another retreat.
• Please be sure that you are able to attend the whole retreat before booking. We request that participants join with the intention of staying until the end of the retreat unless this has been discussed and arranged with us before booking your ticket and prior to the start of the retreat.

COVID

• In the case of another lockdown in which gatherings are banned we will cancel the event and you will receive a full refund.
• Please do not come if you develop symptoms, or come into contact with someone who has COVID, in the days before the event. Let us know ASAP and we will issue you a full refund and offer your place to someone on the waitlist. 

About the Facilitators

Alana Bloom

Alana Bloom is an artist, facilitator and activist. Her work is focused on stewarding an eco-centric culture and she guides experiences for people to cultivate their relationship with the more-than-humans and their inner wild one. She works with ritual, embodiment and many practices inspired by her theatre & dance training. With her background and interests in deep nature connection, grief, archetypes and rites of passage, she supports people to remember our innate belonging, wildness and wholeness. She currently offers women’s immersions and retreats, grief rituals, courses and eco-centric mentoring. 

www.alanahydebloom.co.uk 

"She lives and breathes what she teaches, she shares from her inner well of lived experience" - Emma Ashru Jones, Coach and Facilitator 

‘Her mixture of skill, authentic expression, intuition and pure feminine power as a facilitator, ritualist and artist have empowered, inspired and catalysed my own authentic creative expression.’ - Julianne Mueller, Founder Sex Club

Sky-Maria Buitenhuis
 

Sky-Maria has extensive experience supporting people to deepen their connection to nature, which includes our own inner nature as part of the larger natural landscape. As a nature connection and cultural repair guide, she draws on her trainings as a Work-That-Re-Connects and an 8-Shields facilitator as well as many other influences and her own on-going personal journey of remembering and embodying her most enlivened natural state of being. She continues to actively learn from indigenous cultures and their wisdom-keepers.  She is deeply moved and nourished by supporting and witnessing others having this embodied, innately human, experience of returning home to wholeness as well as supporting women’s journeys of returning to the wisdom of their bodies through teaching fertility awareness/natural family planning and womb wellness.

She is the co-designer and facilitator of the 'Bringing it Home' ecology of programs, and is the co-founder of GIFT (Global Institute of Forest Therapy) and the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Aswell as designing and directing the organizations training programs, she has personally trained and mentored 100s of people to follow their passions of becoming forest therapy guides.
 
www.theearthisdreaming.com