Permaculture Elementals: regenerative Retreat for People and Planet

Courses, Workshops & Events

For Upcoming Courses, Workshops, & Events this Spring & Summer in Permaculture, Ecovillage Design, Sustainable Living Skills, & More Click Here.

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2008, Living Mandala
creative services by: 360 Degrees

Including

NATURE CONNECTION & AWARENESS

CO-CREATIVE ROLES IN THE ECOSYSTEM

PERMACULTURE DESIGN TOOLS

SOIL BUILDING STRATEGIES

PLANTS & FOOD FORESTS

WATER WIZARDRY

HEALTH & HEALING

CEREMONY, STORY, RITUAL, RETREAT

& MUCH MORE

In Association With

Grace Grove Retreat Center

Sowing Solutions

Facilitators & Instructors

Jay Ma

Kay Cafasso

Brad Lancaster

Kerrie Dancing Butterfly

Chris Anderson

Other Special Guests

Course Inspiration

As human beings now facing a time of great environmental and social transformation, we believe that it is through this spirit of reconnecting to ourselves, to our communities, and to the Earth with a spirit of love and care that we will renew and restore a healthy balance of human beings living in harmony with each other and their natural environment. We are inspired and grateful to be offering this holistic, regenerative retreat and skill based workshop for people and the planet combining personal healing & nourishment with tangible skills in sustainability and Earth regeneration through the lense of the 5 Elements at the beautiful oaisis of Grace Grove.

Course Description & Details

With a focus on tending the inner as well as the outer landscapes, retreat participants will learn tangible skills to heal themselves and the Earth through the lense, themes, & medicine of the 5 Elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire & Spirit. This 5-Day retreat and educational workshop will focus on 1 element for each full day, with the element of Spirit woven throughout the entire course. Participants will learn cutting-edge technologies and hands-on skills in Earth Regeneration & Stewardship including: Nature Connection, Water Works, Patterns Recognition & Design, Soil Building Strategies, Plants & Food Forest Gardening, Wild Plant Identification, and much more. This course will also focus on cultivating deeper connection to ourselves and to the natural world through observation, song, story, dance, health, nutrition, healing, and other activities. Grace Grove will offer a range of healing services available for retreat participants at special rates. For a more detailed description of the healing services as well as topics and activities for Elemental Each Day, see below.

Topics & Activities to Include:

Health & Healing Services at Grace Grove

Grace Groves offers a range of health and healing services which will be available to retreat participants at special rates. Healing services include Colonics, Massage, Shamanic Work, Quantum Scaler Wave Laser Treatments, far Infrared Saunas, Ionic Foot Baths, Nutritional Coaching, and more. For more information on these services contact Grace Grove.

Turn Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance! - April 21, with Brad Lancaster

A portion of the entire 5 day workshop/retreat on Water Day will be opened up to the general public as a 1 day workshop from 10 am - 5:30 pm: Turn Water Warcity Into Water Abundance! This course will show you how to conceptualize, design, and implement sustainable water-harvesting systems for your home, landscape, and community. Learn how to access on-site resources (rainwater, greywater, topsoil, sun, plants, and more), apply a diverse array of strategies to maximize their potential, and utilize guiding principles to create an integrated, multi-functional, and water-sustainable water-harvesting landscape plan specific to your site and needs. For more information and registration into this 1 day workshop click here.

Permaculture Elementals

Regenerative Retreat for People & Planet Through Five Elements

April 20 - 25, 2010

Grace Grove Retreat Center, near Sedona, Arizona

Tuition & Registration

Course Tuition is $499 U.S. dollars, with basic camping accommodations on the beautiful Grace Grove grounds, includes delicious & nutritious communal meals provided by the health conscious Grace Grove staff. Private or shared rooms are available for an additional $45 per night. Retreat is limited to 20 participants, so register soon to reserve your spot.

Early Birds & Local Discount

Site Details - Grace Grove Retreat Center

Grace Grove Retreat Center is a sacred space for groups and individuals to deepen their connection with this Earth and thereby to one another. The property upon which the Center is situated is truly unique both in terms of location, beauty, and peace. This desert oasis 20 minutes south of Sedona is home to an amazing array of wildlife. From coati mundis, and Javelina, to skinks and horny toads. Many animals are found only in this part of the world, 81 species of birds were logged on a recent hike. You need to experience this variety and abundance in order to appreciate the magic the location has to offer with every changing season.

Food, Health, Nutrition, & Gardens

Grace Grove is home to a 100+ fruit tree orchard and an organic garden that is ever changing and growing. Their intention is to grow as much as they possibly can while learning the magnificent art of becoming gardeners and making the connection between food and place. Grace Grove community members are strong believers that the food we eat play's an extremely important role in our overall well being. Grace Grove is designing their center and programs in service to the personnel development of one's awareness and consciousness around their diet and lifestyle. Accordingly they cater conscious, delicious, & nutritious food to the vegetarian, vegan and raw food community.

Directions to Grace Grove

Grace Grove Retreat Center located 20 minutes west of Sedona, Arozona and 15 minutes east of Cottonwood. For more specific directions click here. Grace Grove Address: 280 E. Willow Point Rd., Cornville, AZ 86325-6014

Transportation

Phoenix Aiport (PHX) - If flying, arrive at Phoenix Internaitonal Airport (PHX)

Sedona-Phoenix Shuttle brings you to nearby Cottonwood. Grace Grove can pick you up in Cottonwood for a $10 fee one-way or $15 roundtrip. To view the shuttle schedule and make reservations for the airport shuttle to Cottonwood, please visit www.sedona-phoenix-shuttle.com or call 928-202-2066.

Reservations for either shuttle, as well as for optional pickup in Cottonwood (Sedona-Phoenix Shuttle only) must be made in advance.

Ace Xpress can bring you to Casey's Corner in Cornville which is about 3 miles away. To view the shuttle schedule and make reservations exshuttle.com call 1-800-336-ACEX (2239).

Please contact Grace Grove in advance to schedule a pick up in Cottonwood if taking a shuttle there.

Contact

For questions and more information regarding the workshop

e-mail: elementals(at)livingmandala.com

phone: (707) 634-1461

For questions about the hosting site contact

Grace Grove Retreat Center: http://gracegrove.com/

email: puma(at)gracegrove.com

phone: (928) 649-0456

Air

Principles & Patterns in Nature

Observation & Site Analysis

Design Methods & Process

Climate & Microclimate

Bird Language

Water

Water on the Landscape

Water Scarcity to Abundance

Rainwater Harvesting

Grey Water

Healing Water Ceremony

Spirit

Nature Connection

Ceremony & Ritual

Health & Healing

Song & Dance

Story Telling

Instructors, Facilitators & Guests

Kay Cafasso

Kay Cafasso is a permaculture designer, teacher, natural builder, gardener, celtic dance instructor, and buddhist practitioner inspired by the ability to sustain healthy and regenerative systems in landscapes, dwellings and communities with lessons learned from nature. She received her permaculture design certification through Naropa University in 2001 and has since been in involved in permaculture courses and projects all over the country. Kay holds certifications in solar home design and natural building construction from the Solar Energy International, and is a seasonal earth plasterer of straw bale homes. She has experienced community life at the Isle of Erraid in Scotland, has helped to start up a member owned Co-op Powers, and is often found teaching ancient Celtic dances to children and adults. Kay offers courses in permaculture design through Greenfield Community College and with the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute. She is the founder and director of Sowing Solutions, which offers permaculture design, education, and implementation.

Facilitator

Jay Ma

Jay Ma is a permaculture designer, facilitator, and community organizer committed to cultural healing through Peacemaker Principles. He received his first permaculture design certification through Naropa University in 2001, a B.A. through New College of California in Culture, Ecology, and Sustainable Community with a concentration in Eco-Dwelling/Natural Building, and is a graduate of the pioneering two-year training intensive in Regenerative Design & Nature Awareness. Jay has developed educational programs, retreats, workshops, and events as well as community land development projects with organizations including the Regenerative Design Institute, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Gaia University, Harmony Festival, and others. Jay is co-founder and director of programs and development of Living Mandala - a collective of educators, designers, and consultants, and works with other regenerative educators and institutions organizing educational courses, workshops, and events for ecological, personal, and social-regeneration in the Pacific Northwest & thoughout the United States. He is currently an associate with Gaia University in Organized Learning for Eco-Social Regeneration. Jay is also a certified Permaculture Teacher, a Fire Walk Instructor through Sundoor International, and is passionate about renewing Rites of Passage experiential programs for people of all ages.

Facilitator

Brad Lancaster

Brad Lancaster is a permaculture teacher, designer, consultant and co-founder of Desert Harvesters. Brad has taught programs for the ECOSA Institute, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Prescott College, Audubon Expeditions, and many others. He has helped design integrated water harvesting and permaculture systems for homeowners and gardeners, including the Tucson Audubon Simpson Farm restoration site, the award-winning Milagro and Stone Curves co-housing projects. Brad is the author of the best-selling, and award-winning books Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain Into Your Life and Landscape and Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks, and creator of the information-packed website www.HarvestingRainwater.com. Living on an eighth of an acre (0.05 ha) in downtown Tucson, Arizona, where rainfall is less than 12 inches (304 mm) annually, Brad practices what he preaches by harvesting over 100,000 gallons (379,000 liters) of rainwater a year.

Brad and his brother Rodd have created an oasis in the desert by directing this harvested rainwater not off their property and into storm drains, but instead incorporating it into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape that includes habitat for wildlife. This living example, dynamic public talks, and countless hands-on workshops have inspired thousands of citizens and numerous businesses in Tucson and around the country to harvest water and sustainably grow their local resources.

Brad's engaging style and entertaining and informative speaking and teaching are in demand resulting in interviews with National Public Radio, New Dimensions, and Natural Home and Garden, along with presentations and workshops for the Bioneers Convergence, the Green Festival, the Texas Natural Building Colloqium, the New Mexico Xeriscape Conference, Organic Farming Conferences, and more.

Guest Instructor

Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson has been practicing sustainable living since 1994, when he began working on organic farms. He later developed a market garden business and co-created a mobile environmental education program for schoolchildren in Appalachian Ohio. Chris earned a Permaculture Design Certificate in 2001 and became a Rainwater Catchment Systems Accredited Professional in 2008. Chris is Vice President of Eden on Earth, LLC, an ecological landscaping company specializing in creating abundant and edible landscapes that are irrigated naturally with rainwater and greywater. Chris gardens at his West Sedona home and is creating a community Food Forest at the Crescent Moon Ranch Community Garden.

Guest Instructor

Kerrie Dancing Butterfly

Kerrie Dancing Butterfly artfully integrates the fields of self-empowerment, Shamanic teachings, emotional release, spiritual studies, meditation techniques and energy healing. Her core body of work is devoted to assisting people with their personal transformation through the integration of optimal physical, emotional and spiritual health. She is sought after for her private transformational empowerment sessions, sacred ceremonies, inspirational workshops and CD's, rejuvenation retreats and lifestyle coaching.

During her most recent travels to Peru, Kerrie worked with Shamans in the Amazon and Andes to establish a deeper connection to "Pachamama" (Mother Earth) and the Four Elements while learning Ancient Healing Ceremonies and Sacred Rituals. She has received training in the use of Shamanic Journeying and Healing techniques by best-selling author and Shaman, Michael Harner. Kerrie also studies with author and healer Jessie Ayani integrating the tools for Healing and Awakening the Rainbow Body. She is a certified deep emotional release work practitioner and was trained by master healer and Shaman, James Hyman. She is trained in the art of "Healing with Divine Energy" by master healer Ariel Hubbard. Kerrie is an ongoing advanced practitioner of the Self Awareness Institute led by Steven Sadleir, where she studies the awakening of consciousness through meditation. She is a certified yoga instructor with "Pure Yoga" and ongoing student of master teacher and Yogiroj Rod Stryker. For six years, Kerrie has been studying the healing properties of living foods and working with best selling author and leading authority on raw food nutrition, David Wolfe.

Through this rich and diverse background, Kerrie combines the teachings of the masters with life experience and a personal touch to gently facilitate profound transformation.

Ceremony Facilitation Support

Affiliated Organizations