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2010 Earth Medicine Training:
A Year of Water-Focused, Earth-Healing Ceremonies in the North Bay
After spending all of 2009 in the Guadalupe Watershed (South Bay) offering ceremonies of healing and repair focused on elemental Earth, in 2010 the Earth Medicine Training will shift focus to elemental Water in the North Bay. The living elder that is Water speaks in the Bay Area through diverse forms such as Delta, Creek, River, Rain, Wetland, Bay/Estuary, and Ocean. Water also speaks in the lives of Bay Area human residents through feeling, dreaming, birthing, dancing, grieving, relationships, and mysteries of ancestry and blood.
Intention. By participating in and helping to craft inclusive and inspiring ceremonies for the well-being of the land and spirits, participants can expect to become more intimate with Water and the many beings that depend on Water to live. This training is an especially good fit for those who want to learn to lead earth-honoring circles or who already offer various ceremonial services. Expect to learn through doing while being held in the vessel of a conscious, loving ceremonial working group.
Structure.We will gather for one full day a month (10am-4:30pm) with one overnight per quarter. Commitment for the duration of the full year is encouraged to get the most from the training and for group cohesion; however, quarterly commitments are also possible and exceptions may be made on occasion for an individual to attend a single gathering.
Winter Series: Delta to North Bay Watersheds
Sat, Jan 23rd / Sat, Feb 20th / Sat 5pm - Sun 5pm, Mar 6-7th
All Bay Area residents depend intimately on fresh water, much of which is diverted from other regions to enable our way of life here. Starting near the umbilical cord of the Carquinez Strait, throughout the Winter we will make ceremony for and with Water in forms such as Delta, Rains, Creeks, and Rivers.Gathering locations likely include Grizzly Island (or higher ground in Solano County if closed due to rains), the source of the Napa River, and the headwaters of Sonoma Creek (overnight camping at Sugarloaf Ridge).
Spring Series: San Pablo Bay to Angel Island
Sat, Apr 24th / Sat, May 15th / Sat 3pm – Sun 5pm, June 12-13th
San Pablo Bay is one of three vast original wetlands of the San Francisco Estuary. In Spring we will celebrate through ceremony the recovery of this vital Wetland that is fed by water from the straits and from the Napa, Sonoma, and Petaluma Rivers. Gathering places likely include Rancho Olompali / Mt Burdell (near where the Petaluma River meets San Pablo Bay), China Camp, and Angel Island.
Summer Series: Angel Island to Kirby Cove
Sat, July 17th / Sat, Aug 28th / Sat 3pm – Sun 5pm, Sept 25th-26th
Near Angel Island waters full of story from Northern and Southern California (inc. the Sacramento and San Joaquin) meet the waters of the South Bay. These waters from North and South converge and flow West to mix with Ocean at the Golden Gate. In this place of great convergence and abundance, we will make ceremonies of healing, grieving and joyful remembering for our relations here and for the too often polluted waters of the Central Bay. Gathering places likely include Angel Island, Alcatraz, and Kirby Cove.
Autumn Series: Marin Headlands to Point Reyes
Sat, Oct 16th / Sat, Nov 13th / Sat 12noon – Sun 6pm, Dec 4th – 5th
As the Golden Gate opens to Mother Pacific another face of Water is revealed. By both facing the desecration of ocean waters and celebrating the magic and medicine of Ocean, we will gather to remember and make repairs along the Marin coast. Gathering places likely include Stinson Beach, Tomales Bay State Park, and Point Reyes (overnight with cabin).
Requirements.Group is by permission, so if you’re interested after reading over this info, start by talking with me. You need to be physically able to participate in day-long gatherings with mild to moderate hiking, occasional hot and cold temps, wet and dry conditions, and quarterly camping overnights. You need to be a likeable, honest, and loving person who the group feels good about having around. You need to be able to make two of any given three gatherings (average). Finally, prior experience with ceremony is helpful but not strictly required.
Cost.Commitment for the full year is $720 ($60 x 12 months) or $225 for a quarter ($75 x 3). This includes campground reservations but not fees for the ferry (June-Aug) or for the shared cabin overnight (Dec). If you need a cost reduction to participate, just talk with Daniel.
Daniel Foor, Ph.D. is a practitioner of earth-honoring ways of life and student of indigenous wisdom and shamanism. He leads trainings throughout the Bay Area focusing on work with ancestors and with the land and co-leads an annual Mt Shasta Wilderness Quest. For more information on his background and other offerings see the website.
