The Way of The Contrary

In traditional cultures, the Contrarian brought teachings and healings of energetic renewal. Bad was turned to good, negative to positive, fear, anxiety, depression and other mental ills soothed with mind-training techniques and Ceremonial spiritual purification. By moving backwards or unconventionally and often outside societal restraints, Pueblos Jesters, Hopi Clowns and Lakota Heyokas tapped into supernatural forces that restored universal balance and harmony to the community, providing emotional healing, energetic uplift & renewed life vitality

In this overnight weekend workshop, we’ll study some of the most powerful indigenous techniques for restoring mental well-being. We’ll have an opportunity to reconnect with nature in a positive, primitive way. Everyone is welcome to take part in a traditional Inipi Sweat Lodge Ceremony — although the sweat is optional and all participants benefit from meditation training and simply experiencing our natural, simplified environment. This retreat weekend is for anyone who needs to reboot, reconnect, or reimagine life in a new way shape and form. Come and gain insight into living, shake off some fears, feel more in harmony with the rest of creation and spark a generally healthier, more positive approach to life.

Saturday – November 16th schedule

Noon Arrival and Welcome
Local Organic, Scrumptious, Farm to Table Lunch 12-1:30 pm
Relax, explore the woods, rivers and retreat grounds 1:30-3:30 pm
Gather for Meditation, Orientation and Ceremonial Intention Setting 3:30 pm
Inipi (Sweatlodge Ceremony) 6:30-8:30 pm
Wopila Celebration and Feast 9:00 pm
Deep Rest and Relaxation 10:00 pm

Sunday – November 17th schedule

Morning Song – a Class on making Spiritual Connections and gaining strength and wisdom through Spiritual Practice 9-10:00 am
Breakfast 10-11:00 am
Wind down and close 11-11:30 am
Option for continued exploration of retreat grounds, Lake Mishigama beaches & surrounding area

Pricing

Couple’s Package: Retreat with Overnight stay in shared bed in private room – $700/couple
*If you’d like a private room you can book this option as a single person as well.

Individual: Retreat with Overnight stay in Dorm room – $300/person

+ Note: no fee is ever charged for Ceremony, costs cover meals and retreat house stay and a contribution of any proceeds given to the Sicangu People of Rosebud, South Dakota, USA and The Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Tribe of Park Falls, Wisconsin, USA.

Mindfulness has become the goalpost of modern life, the answer to our high-paced, overstretched schedules. Who doesn’t want to be “more mindful” in some aspect of their life? Just search for “Meditation” in the App store and you will find a mind- expanding number of apps intended to plug into the Here and Now. The benefits of Meditation in treating conditions such as anxiety, depression, and chronic pain are unparalleled. It is by far the most powerful tool in self-healing. But Meditation, while the biggest game changer and deepest fix, is also not a quick fix; early attempts to Sit in stillness for even short periods for many people are often met with resistance and misunderstanding, with new practitioners too quickly concluding “I can’t meditate.”

In this monthly three-hour afternoon class, we’ll tackle that dodgy self-talk. We’ll get down to the foundation to uncover what meditation is, studying the skills one develops with regular practice – Concentration, Relaxation, Insights into the Nature of Reality and an ability to Unconditionally Love. We’ll work with precision to actually practice, with several sits. And, with a little guidance, we’ll collectively begin experiencing the benefits of a regular practice, including reduced stress, developing a sense of inner calm, increasing physical and emotional pleasures and bolstering health, just to name a few. Every single person who attends this class will go away with a sharp new arrow in their quiver of life-skills. THE arrow in fact — a tool of immense power and generality that can be applied to improving just about every aspect of their personal human happiness.

Schedule

1pm – 4pm

Pricing

Individual Attendee (1) - $100

Individual Attendee (1) with Overnight Stay Option (1) - $250

The Way of The Contrary

In traditional cultures, the Contrarian brought teachings and healings of energetic renewal. Bad was turned to good, negative to positive, fear, anxiety, depression and other mental ills soothed with mind-training techniques and Ceremonial spiritual purification. By moving backwards or unconventionally and often outside societal restraints, Pueblos Jesters, Hopi Clowns and Lakota Heyokas tapped into supernatural forces that restored universal balance and harmony to the community, providing emotional healing, energetic uplift & renewed life vitality

In this overnight weekend workshop, we’ll study some of the most powerful indigenous techniques for restoring mental well-being. We’ll have an opportunity to reconnect with nature in a positive, primitive way. Everyone is welcome to take part in a traditional Inipi Sweat Lodge Ceremony — although the sweat is optional and all participants benefit from meditation training and simply experiencing our natural, simplified environment. This retreat weekend is for anyone who needs to reboot, reconnect, or reimagine life in a new way shape and form. Come and gain insight into living, shake off some fears, feel more in harmony with the rest of creation and spark a generally healthier, more positive approach to life.

Saturday – December 14th schedule

Noon Arrival and Welcome
Local, Organic, Scrumptious, Farm to Table Lunch 12-1:30 pm
Relax, explore the woods, rivers and retreat grounds 1:30-3:30 pm
Gather for Meditation, Orientation and Ceremonial Intention Setting 3:30 pm
Inipi (Sweatlodge Ceremony) 6:30-8:30 pm
Wopila Celebration and Feast 9:00 pm
Deep Rest and Relaxation 10:00 pm

Sunday – December 15th schedule

Morning Song – a Class on making Spiritual Connections and gaining strength and wisdom through Spiritual Practice 9-10:00 am
Breakfast 10-11:00 am
Wind down and close 11-11:30 am
Option for continued exploration of retreat grounds, Lake Mishigama beaches & surrounding area

Pricing

Couple’s Package: Retreat with Overnight stay in shared bed in private room – $700/couple
*If you’d like a private room you can book this option as a single person as well.

Individual: Retreat with Overnight stay in Dorm room – $300/person

+ Note: no fee is ever charged for Ceremony, costs cover meals and retreat house stay and a contribution of any proceeds given to the Sicangu People of Rosebud, South Dakota, USA and The Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Tribe of Park Falls, Wisconsin, USA.