What is Woman Time?
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Dates & Booking |
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Woman Time is an immersive and experiential Rite of Passage in nature. It is designed to crack open your soul and help you fall deeply into who you really are. You will have an opportunity to discover your own connection to the power of ceremony and ritual. There will be time to be creative and to share reflections, skills, poems and songs. There will be opportunities to learn new ways of deep listening, using all your senses to tune into the animals, birds and energy of the land. You will remember and re-connect to that ancient place of wisdom within you that you have never lost. You will re-discover yourself to be a part of a greater Earth community. The process may be challenging and can take you outside of your comfort zone into the edge-lands of your soul.
Why is Woman Time important? These times of collapse and renewal are calling into being a new generation of women. These women are deeply connected to their own inner nature and sense of purpose. They are growing into the confidence, compassion, skills and resilience to live through these challenging times with courage and grace. They want to help vision and shape a future which supports all life on earth. Woman Time invites you to become a woman of these times. To bring your hopes and passions, meet and connect with a community of young women on their own life paths, tell your story, face your fears, challenge yourself to step into a new stage of your life and encounter the person you were born to be. The intention of this Nature Based Rite of Passage is to discover your purpose, recover your power and commit to your future path in the world. It’s time! Are you ready for change? Are you up for the challenge? Are you ready for a tech detox? Are you ready for a night alone in the woods? What will we do in Woman Time? Each day will combine inner and outer practices, mixing activity with reflection, as well as experiencing community and time alone. We will begin by forming our circle, finding our place and orienting to the landscapes inside and outside of us. We start where we are, opening to what is. We remember the story that has lead us here, whilst knowing that we are each much more than our mere biography. We will spend time sharing stories in circle, walking into the woods, cooking together, around the fire and camping under the stars. We will discover and learn to orient, using a rite of passage change process called The Four Shields, created by The School of Lost Borders. This model brings an appreciation of ancient wisdom together with a more modern understanding of human development, nature connection and psychological processes. As the days unfold, we will move together through the four directions. We begin with reconnecting to our experience of our own childhood in the South. There is an invitation to tell stories, play, connect with our physical bodies, sensations and emotions. We then revisit our experience of and attitude to adolescence in the West before encountering the North – the threshold of womanhood. We complete our journey in the East – the place of illumination, wisdom and understanding. During our time ‘in circle’ we will learn a special way of speaking in ceremony called ‘The Way of Council’. This is a simple but profound way of being together which gives time and space for each person to be deeply heard. We will have opportunities to share our dreams, our call to adventure, the challenges that we individually and collectively face. We will honour our own and one another’s gifts and qualities as well as the hurts that have shaped us. The ‘Way of Council’ will help us deepen into the ceremony of Woman Time. We will learn about and become confident in creating our own individual ceremonies. We will find out more about what a Rite of Passage is and what it means for each of us. There will be guidance and support to help you create your own individual Intention. This intention helps you be specific about what you are marking or celebrating in Woman Time. Are you marking an ending, a beginning or a change of state, habit or way of being? We will learn about ‘Severance’ from the past, the in-between-time of ‘Threshold’ and learn how we might ‘Incorporate’ fully the teachings we have learnt throughout this transitional process. Join us if you: - need time away from everyday life to reflect on your next steps and life decisions - want to be part of a small community of like minded young women - are ready to mark a significant moment and undertake a Rite of Passage - long for your life to make a difference to the Earth in these turbulent times - feel drawn to the challenges of being in the wild woods The Place Our woodland wild camp is within 100 acres of beautiful forest in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. Home to roe deer, badger, fox, squirrel and many other creatures. Our basecamp has an open sided roundhouse, perfect for sitting and listening in council. A well equipped camp kitchen, with rocket stove, gas stove and campfire for cooking on. Picnic tables for eating at, tarps to hang if the weather is wet, and an open fire-circle for evening campfires if the weather is cool. The place is the home of Neroche Woodlanders, close to Taunton and yet far enough away to feel away from everyday life. Who are we? The Guides are Fern Smith and Jenny Archard, both experienced women in our 50s, and vulnerable and flawed. We have lots to offer, know the land well, love being inc community and teaching. Most of all we like to listen and help you find your story. We're assisted by Katie Slee who came on the camp last year. She can tell you more... |
Woman Time
We are not yet planning to run this programme for 2023. If you would like something similar please contact us. 
You have questions? Want to chat to us and find out more?
email and we can arrange a call [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] To book Download the booking form here (pdf) or here (word). £450 for six days and five nights. Deposit of £150 to secure a place. Full payment by June 1st. Price includes vegetarian food that we prepare together; use of tools and resources. Bring your own camping gear, or use the bell tent plus mattress (two sharing) for an extra £10 per night. email us for [email protected] or [email protected] “In July 2018, I went camping for a week with a group of women I had never met before. What I thought would be a relaxing getaway, turned out to be a deeply nourishing return to myself. Jenny and Fern have crafted an exquisite, immersive experience that allows young women to follow the wisdom of ceremony to connect more deeply to themselves, their environment and their community. I arrived in the woods as a stranger; in joining their circle of open-minded, big-hearted women, I left with new friends to journey with on the path to a deeper, more connected life.”.
“The place felt very special. The roundhouse, the approach, where we had our tents. I can’t believe how well the shields mapped onto the lay of the wood – I thought your teaching of the shields and then the medicine walks worked so well. It was amazing having the chance of seeing a deer or a badger or a woodpecker or an owl. Thank you, Jenny for cultivating such a magical place for learning and living – I loved cooking with you all, I even loved the compost loos.” Woman Time
For Women over 25 2019 dates TBC Young Wood, Somerset if you want to join the email list, please contact us |
our base in the roundhouse
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feasting
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woodland camping
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Fern & Jenny
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The Earth is calling to us. “During a night-time wilderness vigil in the mountains, I found myself surrounded by stars, night hawks and bats. In the early dawn light, in that space between worlds, I felt a group of young women surround me, singing. They call to my soul, ask for help to bring a new world into being, one that supports young women in being who they are, and creating deep, honourable connection with Grandmother Earth.”
