June Outdoor Gathering
June 22, 2025: Remembering Your Deepest Self continued…
We enjoyed our first gathering in nature this past weekend, coming together in Carver-Roehl Park. Our outdoor gatherings are co-created and less structured than the indoor gatherings. We begin and end the outdoor gatherings in a sacred circle, and in between, we experience the natural world with intention.
Our outdoor gatherings are always subject to change based on the weather, and we chose to shorten this one to an hour, given the heat advisory. Since our gatherings begin in the morning, time was on our side this particular day, and we could enjoy the park with presence before it felt too hot. We encouraged everyone to sign up for text updates so they could be informed about gathering changes and also get a reminder.
OPENING CIRCLE:
We began by acknowledging the earth and the sun, intentionally offering gratitude to the elements that sustain us before we set out to receive.
We reflected on the theme for June, and more specifically, how being in nature helps us remember our deepest Self.
WI Master Naturalist and AHC Advisory Council Leader, Sarah Sicard, helped us remember that nature doesn’t speak in words, but it does speak very loudly in other ways, and that nature is always in the present moment. She invited us to choose to bring our 100% presence as we explored the park so that we could open ourselves up to how the natural world is speaking to us, and how that may relate to remembering our deepest Selves. Then she invited us to set our own intention for the experience.
PERENNIAL WISDOM SOURCES:
INDIGENOUS
“Spirit Wheel” by Steven Charleston - an Indigenous Elder of the Choctaw Nation
Reading Selection – “Our Siblings” p. 90
Order from a local Rock County bookstore here.
CLOSING CIRCLE:
We closed the gathering with an invitation for all to share how being in nature helps them remember their deepest Self. One share led to another and before we knew it, our short hour was up. Jen shared our community blessing and an invitation for all to stamp their ancient hearts on canvas.
COMMUNITY BLESSING:
The heart knows. We go into the heart to remember, we go together, and we belong.
SPIRITUAL INVITATION FOR JUNE:
The invitation is about continually returning to the well of knowing our deepest Self...again and again until it is no longer foreign..until it is as close as the breath..our inner and outer experiences are integrated. What does it look like for you to return to your deepest Self? How does being in nature help us remember our deepest Self
NEXT GATHERING:
Sunday, July 13, 10:00 - 11:45 am
Location: Mocha Moment: 1121 Center Ave, Janesville, WI
