Eagle Dance! May 23-25

May Day in the Fairy Garden was enchanting. The faeries were visible to the naked eye, dancing around the May pole and celebrating cross-quarter day, the mid-point between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Fertility rites were part of the celebration. Flowers and tiny clothes were strewn about the trilliums and ferns. What happens in the garden stays in the garden :) Legend has it that the Little People were here first, preparing the earth for the arrival of humanity. Probably a really good thing seeing as how humans can be a surprising hot mess, and lately human behavior has gotten even nuttier as the shifts are happening. I can see clearly the elementals, faeries, gnomes, and hobbits ringing the bells of our arrival. This parallel world of the Little People help maintain balance in the natural world and offset some of humanity’s impact on our planet. Basically they clean up after us, and teach us not to be “oh so serious”. Their mischief includes creating confusion, hiding our keys, and generally use us as an entertainment streaming channel that is totally free! There is a human drama channel, a mystery channel, action channel, comedy channel, Brit Box, and Oscar award winning channel. Take the time to remember them by leaving a plate of food for them each full moon in a special place outdoors. Be sure to include all 5 food groups + dessert + libation +coffee. They love all the same stuff we do! When you are in nature take the time to tune into them, lighten up, and lighten our world! Please join us for the upcoming Eagle Dance weekend! A great opportunity to heal old wounds and dance your dreams awake or be of service! See the info below.

Eagle Dance participant’s shields

May 23-25 is our 4th Annual Eagle Dance!  Humanity is calling for us to dance for change!We dance our personal and collective prayers to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum during the entire dance and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  The drum does not stop until we are complete! We will be fasting and dancing during the day until the energy loads and bursts up the tree and into the collective with our prayers. Drinking water is recommended.  The dance is a meditative/trance experience.  Dancing keeps us in our bodies and out of our head so we can receive “with care and with clarity” messages from spirit. The Dance brings healing to those in need and amplifies your intent. towards manifestation.Seriously, what you pray for happens:) We also pray to bring our beauty and purpose into the world around us. The people of Grandmother Earth need our prayers.  We have chosen to be alive in this special time and humanity is calling us to participate as we bridge the old world into the new one currently emerging.

Eagle Dance is a one day Sweet Medicine SunDance ceremony. The dance is an irreplaceable experience that can reboot your life. Sunday we will have a purification lodge to integrate our ceremony. Dancers and service people are welcomed to participate.

There are many preparations for the dance. If you feel called to dance, make the commitment, don’t be swayed by the preparations, they are doable! We will host a few craft days or connect you with an experienced dancer to guide you in the preparations of learning to make a shield and find the special regalia you need for the dance. RSVP to reserve a space and receive the prep list. Register by May 5th to receive the discount. Cost 125$ lodging extra. See details and registration page here

Garden Expansion & Fence Project We are well underway with the expansion of our food and herbal garden. Locust posts and T-Posts are installed and we are ready for pulling the fence. We need volunteers to help complete the fencing. Come as you are available. Scheduled work days are May 9, 10, 16, 17. Our desire:  The creation of a community garden in which all those in need and lend a hand will share in our abundance.  Our interdependence is part of what makes us stronger and knowing we can truly rely on one another when needed enables us to live within mutual benefit and welfare.  Let me know if you can lend a hand. I’ll be offering a meal and lodging for all who volunteer. RSVP Kelly for more info or directions here. 

July 26 & 27 Enchanted Handmade Brooms and Whisk Workshop We are excited to welcome Nam Joti Kaur Khalsa to SCL for this special broom making retreat. She specializes in both functional sweepers as well as symbolic and ceremonial pieces. Gather 'round for a charming and hands-on journey into the world of broom craft. In this magical workshop, you'll learn to weave your very own whisk or full broom by hand, using natural broom corn, twine, and traditional techniques passed down through generations.

Whether you're drawn to the humble beauty of handmade tools, the lore of old-world crafts, or simply the delight of creating something both functional and enchanting, this class offers a little something special. Each whisk broom you make will carry the mark of your hands—and maybe a bit of magic, too.

Perfect for beginners, dabblers, and curious makers alike, this workshop invites you to slow down, weave with intention, and leave with a completed whisk broom (or two) and the skills to make more. All materials are included. Come as you are! Bring your own lunch or a dish to pass for potluck.Choose a one or two day class.

Nam Joti Kaur Khalsa has been a weaver since 2016. While she is primarily trained in traditional Appalachian broom making, Nam Joti has also developed her own unique style over the years. Nam Joti is passionate about bridging the gap between Old World traditions and modern day living. Her work is a form of Functional Folk Art, rooted in practical application and ancient spirituality. She is not only a weaver of brooms, but also of

Visit Nam Joti Kaur Khalsa website to learn more: https://www.broomsandbaskets.com/

Register here: https://spiritcanoelodge.org/calendar/2025/7/25/broom-making-workshop

Spring gatherings @ SCL

Spring Greetings! Happy All Fools Day! No joking here, just gratitude.... After the destruction of Helene and a colder winter, spring reminds us that the circle of life continues no matter what. Blood root is one of my favorite spring harbingers, along with violets, and the sheer excitement of spotting your first morel camouflaged in leaf litter. With our much needed rain and warming soil it is time to start looking! Our garden sanctuary is starting to show signs of life too. The ramps are up, the goldenseal buds popping out, trilliums shooting up, the purple tips of blue cohosh, and solomon’s seal teasing the deer with their delicate tips. If you’d like to lend a hand this season in our medicinal gardens please let me know! We have a couple of events coming up this month including a volunteer day to expand our community gardens, read on below or see our calendar here for more information.

Our new Purification Lodge! Our rebuild weekend was amazing. We had 15+ wonderful humans show up over the weekend, including a few that had never been here before and took the jump! We shared hard work, meals, and a whole lot of laughter. Just as the sun was setting the lodge was completed. Many thanks to Olivia, Josh and Jack for bringing in willow! Thank you Carol Anne, Amanda, Nicole, Alex, Tia, Elin, Dale, Jimena, Kat, Jenny Jean, Taylor, Holly, Sybil, Emily, and Andrew. The lodge holds the heart space for healing here at SCL and your contribution of time to rebuild this womb space benefits all who attend ceremony over the next few years.

April 5th Honoring of an Elder This day we celebrate Dianne Vetter with her 60 year Rite of Passage. Dianne is on SCL Board of Directors, long time friend, teacher, women’s advocate, and bringer of fun and laughter. If any of you have gotten to know and appreciate her contributions to the lodge contact me to be involved or send a personal story of how Dianne has influenced your life!

April 12 - Full Moon Lodge Spring is the time of transformative change not merely because of the changing seasons, but because of the stability the earth provides. We might see springtime as the time to think about our hidden beauty. We are just like the beautiful flowering tree that births a stream of continuous beauty despite feeling perhaps we do not. We marvel at the beauty of our friends and those around us, yet often cannot see our beauty, our magic. At this Full Moon Purification Lodge, we will reconnect with our inner strength, our beauty, through ceremony, a process of balancing, to help us create the abundance we seek.

Micki Eagle Eyes – is pouring this full moon purification lodge. Micki is continuing her training and Kelly will be supporting her on fire crew. RSVP directly to Micki to attend by emailing mickikjpd@aol.com. We will gather on Saturday, April 12 at 1 pm, or noon if you are a new participant. RSVP for all the details and gifting protocols.

April 6 & 13 Community Garden Volunteer Days After Farmer Nathan created these beautiful growing beds with his expertise and a borrowed broad fork, we decided it will be worth the effort to expand the garden to feed ourselves and more of the SCL community (not the deer :) Our desire:  Is the creation of a community garden in which all who lend a hand will share in our abundance.  Our interdependence is part of what makes us stronger and knowing we can truly rely on one another when needed.  April 6 @ 10-4pm: We will be marking the space and digging post holes for the fencing. April 13 @ 10-4pm: We will be hanging the fence and gate. Let me know if you can lend a hand. I’ll be offering food to all on our work days. RSVP Kelly for more info or directions here. 

May 23-25 is our 4th Annual Eagle Dance!  Our personal and collective prayers are danced to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum during the entire dance and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  The drum does not stop until we are complete! We will be fasting, and drinking water is optional and recommended.  The dance is a meditative/trance experience.  Dancing keeps us in our bodies and out of our head so we can receive “with care and with clarity” messages from spirit. The Dance allows prayers for manifesting a specific intent for self, the Collective, and others. We also pray to bring our beauty and purpose into the world around us. The people of Grandmother Earth need our prayers.  We have chosen to be alive in this special time and humanity is calling us to participate as we bridge the old world into the new one currently emerging.

Eagle Dance is a one day Sweet Medicine SunDance ceremony. The dance is an irreplaceable experience and well worth your careful preparation.  Our ceremonial land at Spirit Canoe Lodge has a lodge for teaching & cooking, communal lodging or camping, purification lodge, and Eagle Dance Arbor.   There are many preparations for the dance. We will host a few craft days or connect you with an experienced dancer to guide you in the preparations of learning to make a shield and find the special regalia you need for the dance. RSVP to reserve a space and receive the prep list. See details and registration page here

See our Calendar for more upcoming events

Lodge Rebuild March 21-23

Late Winter Greetings! Is anyone ready for spring? The fairies and gnomes are. The wood frogs have made their journey to the pond to mate and lay their eggs. Crocus are peeking out. Bluebell leaves are poking their leaf tips out. The trout lily tribe in the holler will march out in force very soon. The new fairy house (compliment of Carol Anne) was just delivered. Things are looking up :) Of course a winter backlash is to be expected through early May but signs of spring lighten the heart and inspire things to come. What will we plant, in the fertile spring ground and in ourselves?

Our Winter Women’s Retreat was amazing. Our theme of PRESENCE was just what everyone needed as we enter even deeper collective chaos. The outer world is a reflection of our inability to quiet the mind. When we stop talking and listen deeply, the power to diffuse a situation is present. When we are in reaction our ego is activated and feeds the flames of chaos. No matter our opinions and beliefs, learning how to hold neutral presence enables us to see reality as it is even when things are not as we wish. During our time together we learned just how difficult it is to simply be in the moment, listen objectively, and hold space for ourselves, others, and life itself. It’s a muscle we must train into if our outer reality is to be the loving peaceful home we desire.

March 21-23 Rebuilding our Purification Lodge & Spring Equinox celebration: The Purification Lodge ceremonies have been the foundation of our community here, and attracts those who are seeking healing, growth, and other like minded humans. Every 2 years our lodge needs to be rebuilt. It’s a community endeavor to remove the old structure, cut new saplings, dig holes for the lodge poles, re-paint the stepping stones, and prepare the tobacco ties. On Sunday we have a consecration purification lodge ceremony for the community that has helped in it’s rebuilding. All those lending a hand over the weekend are welcome to stay over at no cost! RSVP Kelly

Shamanic Purification Lodges are a sacred ceremony that is open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and who choose to grow and evolve as humans. The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing.

There is no charge for the ceremony. Donations or an energy exchange for lodge maintenance are appreciated. *If you are new to the Sweet Medicine SunDance path purification lodge, you must RSVP to receive the protocols about how to prepare for this ceremony.

May 23-25 is our 4th Annual Eagle Dance!  Our personal and collective prayers are danced to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum during the entire dance and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  The drum does not stop until we are complete! We will be fasting, and drinking water is optional and recommended.  The dance is a meditative/trance experience.  Dancing keeps us in our bodies and out of our head so we can receive “with care and with clarity” messages from spirit. The Dance allows prayers for manifesting a specific intent for self, the Collective, and others. We also pray to bring our beauty and purpose into the world around us. The people of Grandmother Earth need our prayers.  We have chosen to be alive in this special time and humanity is calling us to participate as we bridge the old world into the new one currently emerging.

Eagle Dance is a one day Sweet Medicine SunDance ceremony. The dance is an irreplaceable experience and well worth your careful preparation.  Our ceremonial land at Spirit Canoe Lodge has a lodge for teaching & cooking, communal lodging or camping, purification lodge, and Eagle Dance Arbor.   There are many preparations for the dance. We will host a few craft days or connect you with an experienced dancer to guide you in the preparations of learning to make a shield and find the special regalia you need for the dance. RSVP to reserve a space and receive the prep list. See details and registration page here

See our Calendar for more upcoming events

Chinese NY Feast & Winter Women's Retreat

Winter Salutations! I love this picture of the snow covered arbor.  The spontaneity of someone creating a snow heart emoji, and the way the sun suddenly bursts through the clouds to create an upside down shadow image of the people and the center tree.   The as above, so below image is a beautiful message from nature. The light of awareness shines with clarity, changing our perception enough to feel the hidden hope within the shadow.  So it goes…our human experience. 

Our winter deep freeze has been intense.  Many of us have had emotions surface so they can be felt and released.  Personally it’s been a time of atonement and finding peace with the many parts of my life that are waiting for resolution in a mysterious timing only the Universe knows. Perhaps, you can relate? I was fortunate to stay close to home with others during the deep snow.  Sharing meals, playing Rummikub, and finding quiet kinship amidst the turmoil of our external world was the best New Year’s gift ever.   

Here are a few upcoming events I’d like to invite you to!  February 1st is our second annual Asian feast celebrating the Chinese New Year.  February 21-24 is our yearly Winter Women’s Retreat.  March 21-23 we will rebuild the purification lodge and celebrate the Spring Equinox.  See our full calendar here.

February 1 @ 2pm Celebrate the Chinese New Year and the year of the Snake with us! Bring your best Asian dish to share! Gather with community for an afternoon of fun and good fortune! If you’ve never been to the Lodge this is your chance to visit. Kelly will be offering her basket of silly fortunes! Come celebrate new beginnings! BYOB RSVP for directions to the lodge. If the weather is challenging, or you are traveling from afar, you may book a bed or a room in the lodge and stay overnight.

February 21-23 (24th optional) Winter Women’s Retreat Fully enter into the WOMB of WINTER by giving yourself a “special winter time-out”...This gathering is intended to hold sacred space for each other - to pay attention to the serious inner work we are longing to do but often resist. We are asking that everyone attending join us by Friday evening in time to open the Circle at 7pm - to create the matrix that will hold an atmosphere of intimacy where nothing is held back. There are 4 open beds remaining. Register here.

An optional Sisterhood Purification Lodge will be part of our weekend to release unnecessary resentments and patterns in order to free up our energy and be open to attracting our present desires. Many women have a personal vision they are seeding in coming together...so perhaps this is an intent we each share. Women that come together with focused intent create magic!

Meal teams and food sharing will keep the cost affordable.

March 21-23 Rebuilding our Purification Lodge & Spring Equinox celebration: The Purification Lodge ceremonies have been the foundation of our community here, and attracts those who are seeking healing, growth, and like minded humans. Every 2 years our lodge needs to be rebuilt. It’s a community endeavor to remove the old structure, cut new saplings, dig holes for the lodge poles, re-paint the stepping stones, and prepare the tobacco ties. On Sunday we have a consecration ceremony/sweat for the community that has helped in it’s rebuilding. All those lending a hand over the weekend are welcome to stay over at no cost! RSVP Kelly

Shamanic Purification Lodges are a sacred ceremony that is open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and who choose to grow and evolve as humans. The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing.

There is no charge for the ceremony. Donations or an energy exchange for lodge maintenance are appreciated. *If you are new to the Sweet Medicine SunDance path purification lodge, you must RSVP to receive the protocols about how to prepare for this ceremony.

Solstice Lodge December 21 @ 1PM

The starkness of winter can be a beautiful time. Bare branched skeletons on the mountain ridge holding their own against cold relentless wind. The wind makes them stronger as roots grip firmly to their rocky home. A clear indigo sky hosts shimmering jewels holding presence, mystery, and seeds of hope. Cozy in my bed, the howling wind is my night time meditation. A sliver of moon moves west across my window pane down through branches on the horizon and into another’s view a continent away from me. Bearing the seasons of life is full of surrender and quiet joys. Join us for the last gathering of 2024 with other like minded souls.

Solstice Purification Lodge, December 21 @ 1PM Join us for the last gathering of 2024. Bring a wrapped gift to exchange and a potluck dish for sharing. Newcomers arrive at Noon for a full orientation. RSVP Kelly

Winter Solstice is a special time to align with the season of Winter. This year's ceremony falls on the exact day this year! The shortest day of the year is a message to begin slowing down. I can hear many of you snickering inside "slow down? right..." in this world that only seems to be speeding up. However, when we slow down we actually increase our presence and ability to see more accurately the world as it objectively exists. With greater presence we see more clearly the choices that serve our higher good rather than moving so fast that we act in haste. The deep dark dreaming space of winter lets us gestate our desires without yet taking action. Spring encourages those dreams to awaken.

Shamanic Purification Lodges are a sacred ceremony that is open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and who choose to grow and evolve as humans. The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing. Come join us in a circle of reflections that we can make a jump in our evolution on a personal and collective level. There will be a potluck after the ceremony.

There is no charge for the ceremony. Donations or an energy exchange for lodge maintenance are appreciated. *If you are new to the Sweet Medicine SunDance path purification lodge, you must RSVP to receive the protocols about how to prepare for this ceremony.

A Gathering of Gratefulness, November 2nd @ SCL

The destruction left behind Hurricane Helene is no match for the beauty and resilience of our mountains and the people who live here. Nature recently provided a visual message of hope in the form of Northern Lights here in Appalachia. While there is much to grieve and let go of, there is even more to be thankful for and celebrate. Nature is wild and unpredictable and why many of us chose to live here. This wildness is in our hearts and we are willing to risk putting down roots that nourish our soul. An extraordinary life is one full of risk. While a disaster like this can make us feel powerless and it’s losses shake us to the core, it is also a reminder that we are still in choice about how we cope afterwards. The human spirit is a power to be reckoned with. The way our communities have supported each other in a time of need is all the proof I need to understand how interconnected we truly are. Our roots just got deeper and know I belong here more than ever…. and I for one am staying put!

A Gathering of Gratefulness, November 2nd, 12-8PM This event is replacing our Day of the Dead Dance. There was a small landslide on a portion of the arbor where we hold our dances, and…well, everyone’s thoughts are elsewhere these days. Our thinking is that we all could use a day of celebrating our strength and resilience as mountain folk. A “free day” to forget our worries, be grateful for all that we have, enjoy each others company, and be nourished by the sacred land we call home. As always there are tasks to help with if you feel called to lend a hand here. I know many of you have given tirelessly, and if you are one of them we invite you to just come and be fed. The most important thing is to be in fellowship with others and recognize the unique gifts we are to each other. Later in the day, we’ll have a brush burning bonfire if the weather is suitable. If you’ve never been here before RSVP for directions. Those of you traveling from afar let me know if you’d like me to save you a bed.

• Stop by to visit anytime during the day

• We will have food to share with all who stop by, and if you’d like to bring a potluck dish to share, please do.

• We will have an Ancestor Altar set up to honor our loved ones that have passed and hold prayers for those in need at this time. If you’d like to contribute your energy to the altar, you may bring a personal item, a picture, a candle, make a prayer bundle for yourself and the collective.

• If you’d like to lend a hand: We have chainsaw work from fallen trees in our medicinal garden area, wood splitting, making kindling, and moving new firewood, re-planting the landslide area in the arbor, digging out the spring over flows, and building a new raised bed in the galactic greenhouse!

• Optional Healing Lodge on Sunday. See the info below.

Sunday, November 3rd @ 1PM- Healing Purification Lodge To Re-Assemble Ourselves Post Traumatic Life Experiences: This special ceremony is…for everyone.  It is especially important right now for those who have suffered loss from the devastating floods here in the mountains.  Being human means we all meet challenges that are incomprehensible, pain that seems too much to overcome, and obstacles that seem insurmountable.  Traumatic experiences leave us with “triggers”, and it is not always as easy as “making lemonade” to get over them.  They will always be with us.  To the extent that we integrate these experiences and face them is how we move forward in our lives.  We all have imprints from painful life experiences.  No doubt some are worse than others and we each deal with them in different ways.  Traumatic experiences “take us apart”.  Something unimaginable has happened and it has changed our entire reality.  In this ceremony we have an opportunity to begin “putting ourselves back together”.  Whether you have an old trauma still causing pain, or a brand new one this ceremony is for everyone.  We all have “stuff” that builds up and needs to get cleared…let’s de-frag and reboot our spirit! 

Together we pray for understanding what has happened to gain a deeper internal mirror of self-reflection… a perspective shift on an event or problem.  We shall send prayers to our “enemy or tyrants”.  These may be people or events that push our buttons.  We acknowledge the triggers and ask to see more clearly any distortions in our perceptions.  We give-away resistances and all that blocks our way to greater balance, peace, and healing.  This letting go opens our hearts, releases resistance, and brings clarity to our troubles. We can see the bigger picture and a new way forward. 

RSVP to Kelly.  Newcomers arrive an hour earlier for a full orientation.  There is no charge for this ceremony.  Gifts and donations are requested for Lodge expenses, Kelly, and the fire crew.

December 21st, Winter Solstice Purification Lodge @ 1pm Join us for the last gathering of 2024 at Spirit Canoe Lodge! Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and a time to slow down our pace. It’s been quite of year and we are all ready to be tucked into winter’s cozy introspective season and stop the external busyness. As nature pulls back, we too are urged to pull our energy within. Time is precious and healing. When we align with the seasons, life can make more sense.

There is no charge for the ceremony.  Donations or an energy exchange for Kelly and the fire crew are a necessary part of participation.  RSVP to reserve your spot and receive the protocols that prepare you for this ceremony.

Shamanic Purification Lodges in the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path tradition are  a sacred ceremony open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and for those who choose to grow and evolve as humans.  The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing.  We come together so we can make a jump in our evolution on a personal and collective level.  

I look forward to the pleasure of your company! Kelly Jumping Mouse

Spirit Dance August 17 @ 6PM

Saturday evening, August 17th Our ecstatic ceremonial dance will be under the almost full moon of August.  We will be honoring the 5 Elements and 5 Worlds of Grandmother Earth and how we as humans must come into greater alignment with them. The dance is meant to be a prayerful, internal connection with ourselves and nature to gain greater insight and harmony to truly know how interconnected we are with everything.  As we develop a closer and caring relationship with nature, we find the solutions we seek are all around us in support!  As we gain greater inner peace and harmony our outer world begins to change also.  In this way we contribute in a simple way to the need for change in our world. Being part of the change does not always have to be hard work :) This will be a joyful evening! Dancers please arrive no later than 6PM. This will be a substance free event. RSVP

Matt Wasson is our 5 Rhythms Guide and DJ. He has created 5-40 minute sets for each of the elements/worlds. We will be dancing for 200 minutes! Sandra Diaz has graciously offered to add a cacao ceremony to open our hearts and senses as we unfold into a night of dance. Kelly Jumping Mouse will be calling in the powers of the 4-directions and 5 Worlds.

Costumes Encouraged:  Please wear regalia with a nature theme!  We are mending our communication lines with the worlds of Grandmother Earth and honoring the plant, animal, mineral, human, and spirit world (ancestors).  Ideas include…weather & elemental spirits, animal totems, fairy and gnome realm, mythological creatures (dragon, mermaid, etc…)

Suggested donation of 20$.  Donate your time to help prepare the arbor space and dance free!  Details about what to bring and dance location are sent out once you RSVP

Optional:  A Full Moon Purification lodge will be held on Sunday @ Noon the following day.  RSVP for lodging or camping if you decide to stay over for one or both events.

Full Moon Purification Lodge, August 18th @ Noon - This Lodge is on Sunday after the Spirit Dance.  Please RSVP if you are attending one or both ceremonies.  There will be a limit of 25 participants. Newcomers arrive at 11am

Sister Moon is an integral part of our life on Grandmother Earth.  The moon rotates around the earth.  Her face is lit by Grandfather Sun.  The earth’s shadow creates the moon phases in this magical rotation.  You could say she sees everything and knows everything as she witnesses our daily rotation.  Humanity is deeply impacted from this relationship.  Women’s fertility cycles align with her, optimal planting times have historically been practiced, and our planet’s water masses ebb and recede with her gravitational pull.  The full moon is the peak energy of the last 28/29 days of our life.  A lot has happened, a lot has been exposed, and as we look ahead…there is much to plan for.  Bring to our gathering what has been exposed within you this past month, this past season, and the willingness to continue on into the unknown with hope, faith, and trust.

Shamanic Purification Lodges in the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path are  a sacred ceremony open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and who choose to grow and evolve as humans.  The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing.  We come together that we can make a jump in our evolution on a personal and collective level.  There will be a potluck after the ceremony.  

There is no charge for the ceremony.  Donations or energy exchange plus tobacco for Kelly and the fire crew are a necessary part of participation.  If you are new to our purification lodge, you must RSVP to receive the protocols that prepare you for this ceremony.  If you are new to this ceremony please arrive one hour earlier for a full orientation.

I look forward to the pleasure of your company! Kelly Jumping Mouse

Spirit Dance August 17

Our ecstatic ceremonial dance will be under the almost full moon of August.  We will be honoring the 5 Elements and 5 Worlds of Grandmother Earth and how we as humans must come into greater alignment with them .  The dance is meant to be a prayerful, internal connection with ourselves and nature to gain greater insight and harmony.  As we develop a closer and caring relationship with nature, we find the solutions we seek are all around us in support!  In a world seemingly gone mad there is one thing we can do that will make a difference now….DANCE!  Being part of the change does not always have to be hard work :) This will be a joyful evening! Dancers please arrive no later than 6PM. This will be a substance free event.

Matt Wasson will be our DJ for the dance.  He brings his 5 Rhythms musical expertise and creativity with a soulful beat to connect our spirits, get our feet moving, and seduce our body to move without thinking.  Matt is tailoring a dance set for each of the 5 Elements & 5 Worlds. Be prepared to dance 5 - 40 minute sets!  200 minutes of ecstasy with nature!

Costumes Encouraged:  Please wear regalia with a nature theme!  We are mending our communication lines with the worlds of GME and honoring the plant, animal, mineral, human, and spirit world (ancestors).  Ideas include…weather & elemental spirits, animal totems, fairy and gnome realm, mythological creatures (dragon, mermaid, etc…)

Cost: 20-40$ sliding scale donation.  Donate your time to help prepare the arbor space and dance free!  Details about what to bring and dance location are sent out once you RSVP

Optional:  A Full Moon Purification lodge will be held on Sunday @ Noon the following day.  RSVP for lodging or camping if you decide to stay over for one or both events.

Full Moon Purification Lodge, August 18th @ Noon - This Lodge is on Sunday after the Spirit Dance.  Please RSVP if you are attending one or both ceremonies.  There will be a limit of 25 participants. Newcomers arrive at 11am

Sister Moon is an integral part of our life on Grandmother Earth.  The moon rotates around the earth.  Her face is lit by Grandfather Sun.  The earth’s shadow creates the moon phases in this magical rotation.  You could say she sees everything and knows everything as she witnesses our daily rotation.  Humanity is deeply impacted from this relationship.  Women’s fertility cycles align with her, optimal planting times have historically been practiced, and our planet’s water masses ebb and recede with her gravitational pull.  The full moon is the peak energy of the last 28/29 days of our life.  A lot has happened, a lot has been exposed, and as we look ahead…there is much to plan for.  Bring to our gathering what has been exposed within you this past month, this past season, and the willingness to continue on into the unknown with hope, faith, and trust.

Shamanic Purification Lodges in the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path are  a sacred ceremony open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and who choose to grow and evolve as humans.  The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing.  We come together that we can make a jump in our evolution on a personal and collective level.  There will be a potluck after the ceremony.  

There is no charge for the ceremony.  Donations or energy exchange plus tobacco for Kelly and the fire crew are a necessary part of participation.  If you are new to our purification lodge, you must RSVP to receive the protocols that prepare you for this ceremony.  If you are new to this ceremony please arrive one hour earlier for a full orientation.

I look forward to the pleasure of your company! Kelly Jumping Mouse

Garden Gala June 1st @ 1-7pm

Our Garden Gala & Fundraiser is June 1st, 1-7pm We have not had this event for a few years and our volunteers are going ALL out! If you’ve been wanting to check out the Lodge to find out more about our community, this is the perfect opportunity to dip your toes into nature, walk the land, visit the springs, and meet the people that help make it such a sacred place. We have some amazing food, family friendly activities, and some wonderful local donations in our raffle. If you’ve never been here before contact me and I’ll send you directions. The place is not visible from the main road. Kelly@SpiritCanoeLodge.org Your ticket $25 adult - $10/child, includes food, 1 herbal cocktail/mocktail, a raffle ticket, and any of the activities below. Here is our schedule for the day!

• 1-3pm – Tobacco Ties & Crystal Bowl Prayers with Carol Anne

• 1-3pm – Art Activities in the Arbor with Pari

• 1:30 -2:30pm – Medicinal and Native Plant Walk  

• 2:30-3pm – Parachute Play with Jenny Jean

• 3-4:30pm – Ecstatic Dance in the Arbor with Matt Wasson

• 4:30-5pm – Parachute Play in the Arbor with Jenny Jean

• 4:30-6pm - Art Activities with Carol Anne

• 4:30-6pm - – Tobacco Ties & Crystal Bowl Prayers

• 5pm - Medicinal and Native Plant Walk  

• 6:15pm – Raffle Drawing at the House! 

Donated Raffle Items: (FYI it’s not to late to donate let Kelly know)

• River Girl Fishing Co: 3 hour, 3 tube float

• Massage or Astrology session with ZAN

• SCL old espresso machine

• Sacred Egg Immersion Float Pass

• Photography Session with Ashley Warren

• Southern Gothic - Escape Room experience for 6 people

• Tea Basket

• 1 hour Sound Healing with Reiki session with Adara Collective

• Pottery Basket from Carol Anne

• 2 night stay in Raleigh Home with Dianne (haha separate rooms!)

• 180 Float Spa: Float & Sauna package

• Magick Basket of crystals and more

• Sound Healing or massage with Christian

• Angels by Sybil

• 2 night stay in the Hobbit House

• Foot massage basket (Carol Anne & home crafted nail polish (Olivia)

• Kelly’s photography

• $200 gift certificate toward a SCL event or lodging

• All the water bottles that have ever been left here are now for sale!

Eagle Dance May 17-19th! Early bird fee over Tuesday!

Eagle Dance May 17-19 We will be dancing in a sacred way to the “tree of life”, asking Spirit to guide our life walk. The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year. Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum during the entire dance and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree. The drum does not stop until we are complete! The Dance allows prayers for manifesting a personal intent and boosting collective change. All the children of Grandmother Earth need this energy more than ever. We also pray to bring our beauty and purpose into the world around us. This is a dance from noon to sunset. During the dance we will be fasting. Drinking water is optional and recommended.

There are many details and preparations, but I'm dedicated to helping you prepare if you have the call to dance. Contact me directly Kelly@SpiritCanoeLodge.org and I will send you the full information!

This Dance is from the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path in which I've apprenticed for the last 29 years. Eagle Dance is a one day ceremony that can change your life in surprising ways, activate your personal dream, and connect you with community.

If you would like to support the dance we also need your help! Events like these take many hands and hours of preparation.

SCL events through June! See website for more summer events!

• May 17-19 Eagle Dance! align with Grandfather Sun

• June 1st Garden Gala Fundraiser! celebrate our new galactic greenhouse and forest medicinal gardens with music, dance, auctions!

SCL EVENT OF THE YEAR! June 1st Garden Gala!

Vision Quest & Community Purification Lodge

We live in exciting times. Many of us are like the jumper in the picture above…. taking a risk from the known into the unknown, taking a leap of faith, that greener pastures await on the other side. Recently, a SCL guest asked me about fear and why it causes so much angst when in reality there is usually not a valid reason for it. Unless it is actually a physical danger that could threaten our life, our other fears are all about the unknown and making decisions in which our future is unpredictable once we make a choice. We spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to calculate the best choice. Our life can be like a chess game…if I do this then this happens…. However, we most often base those calculations on our past experiences…what worked out…what didn’t. What can help in those moments is to remember we are not the same person now that we were then. We have developed maturity from our life experiences and we have greater accountability for our own happiness. It’s not the end of the world if we make a mistake or a decision didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. The antidote to fear is courage, and the only way to get past our fears is to engage them. When we don’t, or we procrastinate doing something we know is good for us, we actually loose energy. There is nothing for us in the status quo but what we already know. This is our comfort zone. We know the mac & cheese is gonna be good…we’ve had it before and know our expectations will be met. I suggest getting comfortable with the discomfort of making changes that will bring greater happiness and abundance. The more you do it the easier it gets to engage with the unknown. Make the unknown known by jumping into a new experience. Once you do you’ll have more energy to put towards your future! Have I got a ceremony for you if your ready to jump…Vision Quest starts Friday evening and our Community Purification Lodge is on Sunday. RSVP

Heads up, SCL events! more info below

• April 26-28 Vision Quest weekend

• April 28 Community Purification Lodge celebrate Earth day all month!

• May 17-19 Eagle Dance! align with Grandfather Sun

• June 1st Garden Gala Fundraiser! celebrate our new galactic greenhouse and forest medicinal gardens with music, dance, auctions!

April 26-28 Vision Quest A full day of ceremony and overnight vision quest to identify and confront your fears in each of the 8 directions, to accept change as your greatest teacher, to know that you have nothing to fear except fear itself, and to align with your natural self and experience your oneness with the Everything. This first gateway ceremony is an intensive day and you will be taken to the edge of what you “think” you can hold. It is part of the process. You will be fasting for 24 hours, drinking only water. Know that you will survive and what an accomplishment it will be! Cost 175$ RSVP

April 28 @ 1PM Community Purification Lodge This sacred ceremony is open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and who choose to grow and evolve as humans.  The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing.  Come join us in a circle of reflections that we can make a jump in our evolution on a personal and collective level.  There will be a potluck after the ceremony.  There is no charge for the ceremony. Donations or an energy exchange for lodge maintenance are appreciated. RSVP

May17-19 Our 3rd Annual Eagle Dance!  Our personal and collective prayers are danced to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum during the entire dance and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  The drum does not stop until we are complete! We will be fasting, and drinking water is optional and recommended.  The dance is a meditative/trance experience.  Dancing keeps us in our bodies and out of our head so we can receive “with care and with clarity” messages from spirit. The Dance allows prayers for manifesting a specific intent for self, the Collective, and others. We have chosen to be alive in this special time and humanity is calling us to participate as we bridge the old world into the new one currently emerging.

Eagle Dance is an irreplaceable experience and well worth your careful preparation.  Cost 100$ early registration by May 3rd. For more information or to register contact Kelly

SCL EVENT OF THE YEAR! June 1st Garden Gala! Thank you Jenny Jean for this fantastic flyer!

Post Solar Eclipse/New Moon

A New Moon & Total Solar Eclipse occurred on April 8th, 2024. I got to see it while visiting my mom in Oklahoma. We took the camper to the very most SE corner of Oklahoma, Broken Bow, near the Texas and Arkansas borders. The forecast was for clouds all day and we were resigned to just “feel” the eclipse at a campfire rather than see it. Early in the day I conjured up a hopeful prayer that the cloud people would open up for us to see the astrological spectacle…. and let it go. I was spending time with my mom and aunt and that was the most important thing. We carried on through the day and just after 1pm I looked out the window and there was sunshine! Yikes! I ran outside with my solar glasses to check the progress. The sun was already covered by a third of the moon’s shadow. Totality was 40 minutes away and it would take 15 minutes to get my mom and the wheelchair outside! Three old ladies pulled the oldest one down the RV steps on her butt, into the wheel chair, over unforgiving gravel, and into a patch of sunlight. There we donned our solar glasses and assumed a neck position that did not cause too much pain…and looked up. When the moon shadow totally eclipsed the sun we lowered our glasses… The moment was truly magickal. The shadow of the moon fell over us, and in this momentary night there was a an unearthly pause, difficult to describe, but here goes... An interconnected…. mesmerizing meditation of spirit and universe filled with… potential. We are amazing creatures in a wondrous and mysterious universe. A rare moment like this is proof that nothing is out of reach. The mystery of life felt comforting and validated a hidden memory in my unconscious. Kind of like I knew everything… but understood nothing…and it felt great! This feeling lasted 4 minutes and then suddenly a single solar ray of white hot light shot out from the dark edge of the corona and every single person present cheered with delight! The sun had returned. Life was renewed. An amazing reminder that light means life. Take the energy of April’s new moon squared with the solar eclipse and go where you have never gone before! Let’s light some s#*% up!

Heads up, SCL events! more info below

• April 21st Violet Infusion workshop date change!

• April 26-28 Vision Quest weekend

• April 28 Community Purification Lodge

• May 17-19 Eagle Dance! align with Grandfather Sun

• June 1st Garden Gala Fundraiser! celebrate our new galactic greenhouse and forest medicinal gardens with music, dance, auctions!

April 21 @ Noon-6pm Aranyani Notestine teaches how to make wild-harvested herbal infusions. Spring is the time for violets, and a great time to harvest sassafras roots to create long-lasting tinctures with multiple health benefits. We will discuss the gifts of these plants during our day together.

During this workshop we will gather together to roam the property, gathering violet flowers and harvesting sassafras roots from the trees growing on the mountainside. Aranyani will teach you how to create your own herbal tincture that can be used in craft cocktails or taken as medicine whenever needed. We may find other wild herbs and perhaps morel mushrooms peaking out too! Enjoy sassafras tea while we craft our tinctures in the greenhouse.  Please bring your own bottle of 80 proof vodka, a gathering basket or bowl, and glass jars with lids. We will provide the instructions, labels, and other essential items so that you can walk away with your very own wild-harvested medicine that will last up to two years. Cost $30 RSVP

April 26-28 Vision Quest A full day of ceremony and overnight vision quest to identify and confront your fears in each of the 8 directions, to accept change as your greatest teacher, to know that you have nothing to fear except fear itself, and to align with your natural self and experience your oneness with the Everything. This first gateway ceremony is an intensive day and you will be taken to the edge of what you “think” you can hold. It is part of the process. You will be fasting for 24 hours, drinking only water. Know that you will survive and what an accomplishment it will be! Cost 175$ RSVP

April 28 @ 1PM Community Purification Lodge This sacred ceremony is open to all men and women that desire to connect with the elements, the worlds of Grandmother Earth, to pray (for self, life and others), to purify (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually), and who choose to grow and evolve as humans.  The alchemy of this ceremony creates a safe space for us to let go of what no longer serves us and connect with Spirit to receive guidance and healing.  Come join us in a circle of reflections that we can make a jump in our evolution on a personal and collective level.  There will be a potluck after the ceremony.  There is no charge for the ceremony. Donations or an energy exchange for lodge maintenance are appreciated. RSVP

May17-19 Our 3rd Annual Eagle Dance!  Our personal and collective prayers are danced to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum during the entire dance and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  The drum does not stop until we are complete! We will be fasting, and drinking water is optional and recommended.  The dance is a meditative/trance experience.  Dancing keeps us in our bodies and out of our head so we can receive “with care and with clarity” messages from spirit. The Dance allows prayers for manifesting a specific intent for self, the Collective, and others. We have chosen to be alive in this special time and humanity is calling us to participate as we bridge the old world into the new one currently emerging.

Eagle Dance is an irreplaceable experience and well worth your careful preparation.  Cost 100$ early registration by May 3rd. For more information or to register contact Kelly

SCL EVENT OF THE YEAR! June 1st Garden Gala! Thank you Jenny Jean for this fantastic flyer!

Animal Totem Workshop March 15-17

Animal Totem Workshop March 15-17,2024 This is a weekend to learn about your Sacred Animal Totems, the keepers of balance, harmony, and naturalness! Many of us have had pivotal moments in our life when an animal showed itself to us and became an ally or totem to assist us in our human journey. Kelly Jumping Mouse and Michael Star Dreamer will guide participants during this special weekend.

• This workshop presents teachings from the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path and will connect you with your birth animal totems according to Sun Bear’s “Earth Astrology”. 

• Friday evening we gather together with our intent as humans learning about the animal world and the gifts they offer.

• Saturday you will experience a “drumming down” ceremony to meet your circle of animal totems and search for your center power animal. These animals become lifelong allies.

• Saturday evening is craft time! You learn how to create a medicine shield that portrays your personal circle of animals, and/or make a personal bundle. These items are needed for the Eagle dance we hold in May, if you plan to participate.

• Sunday you have time for a nature walk and participate in a purification lodge to deepen your connection with your animal allies and celebrate the Spring Equinox with our greater community.

• The weekend includes teachings, ceremony, and 2 nights of lodging! Cost: $175 RSVP to Kelly & Register here

March 30th Mushroom Inoculation Workshop - We have room for 5 more particpants! Come learn how to cultivate your own healthy, delicious shiitake and oyster mushrooms outdoors on logs.

• We will cover tree selection and harvesting.

• Spawn selection and how to inoculate logs.

• Log placement and care for longevity and successful fruiting, harvesting and preserving mushrooms and much more.

• This is a hands-on workshop. You’ll get to inoculate (drill, fill and wax) a log and take it home with you. You’ll gain all the knowledge and skills needed to make more logs.

Workshop led by Christina Morrison and Virgil Ryan. They have a gourmet and medicinal mushroom farm in Yancey County and have provided their region with shiitake, oyster, and foraged mushrooms since 2013. They have experience growing many varieties of shiitake for fruiting in all four seasons and different climates.

Registration - $75 RSVP to Christina Morrison

April 13th @ Noon-6pm - Violet & Sassafras Infusion Workshop Join Aranyani Notestine at Spirit Canoe Lodge as she teaches how to make wild-harvested herbal infusions. Aranyani is a self taught herbalist of five years, and an experienced forager and medicine maker. Spring is the time for violets, and a great time to harvest sassafras roots to create long-lasting tinctures with multiple health benefits. We will discuss the gifts of these plants during our day together.

• During this workshop we will gather together to roam the property, gathering violet flowers and harvesting sassafras roots from the trees growing on the mountainside. We may find other wild herbs peaking out too! We will keep our eyes peeled for morels also!

• Aranyani will teach you how to create your own herbal tincture that can be used in craft cocktails or taken as medicine whenever needed.

• We will also enjoy brewing up some sassafras tea while we craft our tinctures in the greenhouse. 

Please bring your own bottle of 80 proof vodka, a gathering basket or bowl, and glass jars with lids. We will provide the instructions, labels, and other essential items so that you can walk away with your very own wild-harvested medicine that will last up to two years. 

Cost is $30 RSVP or register here

Medicine making Craft Day, April 15th 12-5pm Eagle Dance preparations can often feel mysterious and overwhelming, so we are gathering to support Eagle Dancers in crafting their ceremonial items for Eagle Dance. It is recommended that one start preparations 2-4 weeks in advance of the ceremony.

Here is what we will be doing: 

• Learn to make your own Shamanic Shield. You will learn your circle of birth sitting place animals to create your first shield.

• What is a Forked Pole and how to make one.

• Guidelines for making Turkey Whistles and Plumes honoring the give away of the birds. Order kits through the links.

• Hokkshideh (protection) Bundles. These align you with the worlds and powers of Grandmother Earth and protect your own essence when wearing.

• What is Regalia and how do you create your own ceremonial clothing.

Cost: Hokkshideh Bundle materials & blessing ceremony 20$ Donations

Bring your own materials for Fan making, Shield making or any other craft project you would like to work on that day! You may cut saplings from the land to create a hoop for the Shield. We do have a leather punch, glue, and other simple supplies to share.

I’ll send more info when you RSVP.  Kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

Eagle Dance - May 17-19 Our personal and collective prayers are danced to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum that keeps our feet and spirit dancing…for up to 10 hours! If you are new to the dance there is much preparation so contact Kelly for details about joining our 3rd annual Eagle Dance!

February 10th Chinese NY Feast @ SCL

Chinese New Year Feast 2024 & Spirit Canoe Lodge

Gather with the Spirit Canoe Lodge Community for an afternoon of fun and good fortune as we celebrate Chinese New Year-The Year of the Wood Dragon. As the luckiest and most auspicious of the 12 animals, the dragon is thought to signify unprecedented opportunities. In a dragon year, people are said to be able to harness the creature’s intelligence, leadership and abilities to pursue their dreams with creativity, passion, courage and confidence.

Date: Saturday, February 10

• Time: 2-7pm

• 2pm-Gather for celebratory cocktails and mocktails.  BYOB

• 3pm-Our feast begins. Bring your favorite Asian dish to share that has been prepared ahead of time. The stove is available for reheating. 

• Dress for good luck: In the year of the dragon wear Red or Emerald Green (dragon scale colors) clothing to bring good luck all year long.

• Fortunes-Kelly will be offering her basket of auspicious fortunes! 

• Games and Crafts and community shaking off the winter doldrums..

• Prayer Bundle Making-Set your intentions for new beginnings.

*If the weather is challenging or you just want to spend time at the lodge, you may book a bed or a room overnight. Contact Kelly prior.

February 11th we will be repairing the Lodge from snow damage, for those of you staying over we could use your help. RSVP for directions to the lodge. kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

March 15-17th, Animal Totem Workshop - This is the weekend to learn about your Sacred Animal Totems, the keepers of balance, harmony, and naturalness! They hold a special place in our subconscious of the many ways we have honored and feared them. Many of us have had pivotal moments in our life when an animal showed itself to us and became an ally or totem to assist us in our human journey. This workshop will connect you with your birth animal totems according to Sun Bear’s “Earth Astrology”.  You will experience a “drumming down” ceremony to meet your circle of animal totems and search for your center power animal. This weekend includes teachings, ceremony, and 2 nights of lodging! Register here

Welcome SCL New Caretakers! Yani and David have moved into the new property just down the road to help me care for SCL!! Please give them a big welcome next time you are here and get the chance to meet them. I’m very grateful to have this help! They have their own business offering herbal products and wellness coaching. Right now they are offering 25$ Reki sessions in February. Contact them here:

https://www.adaracollective.com/

March 17th, Community Spring Equinox Lodge - See the details here

March 30th Mushroom Inoculation Workshop - The above photo is the fruit of our labor from last year’s workshop! Oyster mushrooms…. the shitake logs have barely begun to fruit. RSVP to Christina Morrison who is leading the workshop.

Eagle Dance - May 17-19 Our personal and collective prayers are danced to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum that keeps our feet and spirit dancing…for up to 10 hours! If you are new to the dance there is much preparation so contact Kelly for details about joining our 3rd annual Eagle Dance!

2024 Greetings & Beginning teachings start soon!

Snow…and more snow! Here at the Lodge we had a couple of snows amounting to about a foot…it’s been a few years since we had this much. The land is in deep reception of this gift. Did you know that snow has a purifying energy? Snowflakes are crystals, individual and unique imprints from water. Crystals increase our ability to communicate, receive, listen, and come into greater balance by clearing out pollution of all kinds. If you’ve been outside when snow is falling you can hear the crystals falling, landing, and layering the forest with cleansing white crystals. Often you can smell a hint of clean crisp ozone. The sound is like no other…shhhhz, a whisper...that tells you it’s time to tuck yourself in and be nurtured with silence and warmth. It’s time to not do a thing but be still. Find a sanctuary and shut down the outside world. Turn off your “notifications” and reset.

Beginning Medicine Teachings: There is still time to join us! Teachings begin on Tuesday. I'm happy to be sharing the foundational knowledge of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path.  If you attended the series last year you are welcome to attend for a refresher @ N/C! These simple wheels create the foundation upon which many...maybe even ...hundreds of subsequent wheels can be overlaid upon.  After many years of study I come back time and again to this basic knowledge.  It has changed my life and is always there when I need help to shift my perspective and find alignment with a particular element or power. There is a workbook that goes with these teachings but you can get started the first month and get the booklet the following month, or just take your own notes.

This is a Series of 4 Sessions once a month.  January 30, February 27, March 26, April 30. Register on the SCL Shoppe page or make arrangements with Kelly.

February 10, 2-7pm - Chinese New Year Feast! Bring your best Asian dish to share! We are celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Wood Dragon. Gather with community for an afternoon of fun and good fortune! Kelly will be offering her basket of silly fortunes! Come celebrate new beginnings! If the weather is challenging, you may book a bed or a room in the lodge and stay overnight. BYOB. RSVP for directions to the lodge.

March 15-17th, Animal Totem Workshop - For more info see our calendar here

March 17th, Community Spring Equinox Lodge - See the details here

March 30th Mushroom Inoculation Workshop - The above photo is the fruit of our labor from last year’s workshop! Oyster mushrooms…. the shitake logs have barely begun to fruit. RSVP to Christina Morrison who is leading the workshop.

Eagle Dance - May 17-19 Our personal and collective prayers are danced to the center tree.  The “tree of life” acts as an antenna to spirit as we pray for guidance from the Universe in the coming year.  Drummer singers maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum that keeps our feet and spirit dancing…for up to 10 hours! If you are new to the dance there is much preparation so contact Kelly for details about joining our 3rd annual Eagle Dance!

Winter Solstice Greetings & Integrating 2023

Winter Solstice is quickly approaching. The shortest day and the longest night of our calendar year is a time of soul searching and looking within…a perfect time to reflect on the past year of experiences. 2023 has not been an easy ride for many of us. There is a constant demand to meet new challenges and move through them in order to upgrade, or meet the energy, and roll with the changes. Many of our friends and family have departed. Our personal paths have diverged from those we were once close with…and unexpectedly converged with others we now feel kinship with. There is much grief in our world right now. Why must the lessons of humanity be so painful? Does the inner war we wage against ourselves manifest in the outer war we wage against others? Now is the season to have peace within, to anchor in the knowing that the good within each of us has value and with practice that good will transform the world. How to do this is always the question. If it was easy we would all be enlightened and the world would be a safe and peaceful planet. Over the years of “self help” study, I remember reading a quote addressing this paradox: “LIVE THE QUESTION.” Think about what this means to YOU. What in your life causes struggle or pain? To live without the answer or the cure? And yet to live each day with reverence knowing your thoughts, feelings, and actions are part of the answer. Live with peace in your heart, mind, and spirit…. to the best of your ability. Train yourself to catch those “less than” thoughts and turn them around. Think about what you are excited about creating in these wild times of change…. and then do them! Make happiness a priority in 2024! It’s easier than we think…

Community is about coming together to support and be supported. At SCL something is changing…. I’m not totally sure what it is yet, but I feel that people want and need to have more connection. To contribute to something that matters can make all the difference in a person’s life. The Lodge always has projects going on: Green burial project, completion of the greenhouse, the forest medicinal garden, land planning, ceremonial space… Let us know what you are hungry for! Nurture your spirit’s desire of community. Take a respite at the Lodge and donate time  to one of our projects that inspires you. Hang out with others who want to make a difference. You will nurture each other and more… The land at Spirit Canoe Lodge always fills our cups. We want to support your dreams as you support ours. 

Winter Solstice Purification Lodge & Gift Exchange - December 17th @ 1PM We look forward to being together to complete 2023… and we have a full house already! If you’d like to be on the wait list please check in with Kelly to see if there have been any cancellations. New folks please arrive by 12:00 noon for orientation. A short teaching on Gift giving and Tithing begins at 1pm. Gift exchange and Potluck follows the lodge. No charge for ceremony. Gifts and donations for Kelly and the fire crew are requested.

Wise Women’s Winter Gathering - January 12-14 (11th for Crones and Monday the 15th optional for all) : This year we are exploring the Maiden-Matriarch-Crone wisdom! Crones ( 54 +) arrive on Thursday January 11th for craftyness and top secret stuff. Women 18+ are welcome Friday evening! A purification Lodge is optional at no additional cost. Gifts requested for Kelly & the fire crew. RSVP Cost $150/includes 2 nights lodging, add 25$/extra per night stay.

Beginning Medicine Teachings: I'm happy to be sharing the foundational knowledge of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path.  These simple wheels create the foundation upon which many...maybe even ...hundreds of subsequent wheels can be overlaid upon.  The beauty of how these overlays work together becomes apparent the deeper you dive into these teachings.  After many years of study I come back time and again to this basic knowledge.  It has changed my life and is always there when I need help to shift my perspective and find alignment with a particular element or power.

This is a Series of 4 Sessions once a month.  January 30, February 27, March 26, April 30. Register on the SCL Shoppe page or make arrangements with Kelly.

Place your order for your $15 workbook by the January 15th here. 

March 15-17th, Animal Totem Workshop - For more info see our calendar here

March 17th, Community Spring Equinox Lodge - See the details here

March 30th Mushroom Inoculation Workshop - The above photo is the fruit of our labor from last year’s workshop! Oyster mushrooms…. the shitake logs have barely begun to fruit. RSVP to Christina Morrison who is leading the workshop.

November 11-12 Forest Medicinal Work Weekend

Forest Medicinal Work Weekend, November 11-12, 10-4pm The above photo is from last years work weekend. Join us this coming weekend in putting the native medicinal gardens to sleep for winter. We will be preparing new beds on the forest hillside and planting seeds, native rootlets, and much more for spring sprouting! Contribute a few hours or come for the weekend. Let me know if you would like to lend a hand. Susan, our Sanctuary director will be leading our work and sharing her knowledge of forest natives. RSVP

Kassie, a dear friend and the lodge web designer, has been visiting and helping me with so many things around here! I’m so grateful for all her assistance. Here are a few of the slate tiles she has painted for the Lodge and display garden. Beautiful…can’t wait to put them in place!

Spirit Ghost Dance! What an amazing time we had dancing under the late October full moon! Many thanks to Matt Wasson for his DJ skills, the dog soldiers that cared for the fire and the space, Maria and Micki for working in the healing arbor, and the ladies that sang and drummed their beauty into the heart space of the arbor. We sent a ripple for balance and change into the collective. I already know it has made a difference. We will do it again!

Spirit Ghost Dancers 2023

Winter Solstice Purification Lodge & Gift Exchange - December 17th @ 1PM Join us for the last gathering of 2023 at Spirit Canoe Lodge! Newcomers must arrive by 12:00 noon for orientation. A short teaching on Gift giving and Tithing begins at 1pm. Gift exchange and Potluck follows the lodge. No charge for ceremony. Gifts and donations for Kelly and the fire crew are requested. Details sent when you RSVP

The Galactic Greenhouse is online! Check out our newest addition on the website!

Greenhouse project

Brook is hard at work on a beautiful fall day. She really rocks that tool belt! The use of sacred geometry in the design of the greenhouse was recommended by Brook and Lisa when we began planning the greenhouse and it really is becoming a beautiful place to be for plants and humans alike…come visit and get a Cosmic boost soon!

Spirit-Ghost Dance & Full Moon Ancestor Lodge

Spirit-Ghost Dance- October 27th, 7-11PM  Have you been wondering how to make a difference in the world gone mad?  This is an opportunity to defend the “withered tree of life”.  There is no charge, no excuses, no second thoughts…just say yes!  The time is NOW.  Why do you think you’re alive at this critical time?  If you are a drummer…we need your help!  The October Full Moon will shine upon us and awaken an ancient connection that can bring healing in these modern times.  RSVP   

The original intent of these dances was to maintain respect for the elements, nature, and all living things and restore the place that humanity holds within this web of life.  The people danced when imbalances occurred.  There is no argument that the imbalances that exist today are monumental.  So large are the imbalances that it seems impossible to do anything about them and many I fear have given up entirely.  This is why we must DANCE NOW!  Many of us have lost our way, our power, our voices, and our motivation to make a difference.  We let our fears guide our action or lack of action.  We must stand up and free ourselves from being at the effect of the polarity in the world around us.  Live your own life in balance.  Be an image maker of courage to live your life the way that makes you happy and in good relations with all of our brothers and sisters.  Change your own life for the better and the world around us will change! Here are some of the themes coming into our imagination and we will dance for:

• Mending the lines of communication with nature and to listen more deeply to the teachings they have for us. 

• Reminding future generations to remember how to live in balance.  We are part of the 7 generations to come and support their well being.

• ·Enlisting the ancestors who came before us and the spirit protectors of mankind to send us the support needed to save humanity.

• Ending the disinformation that scatters and separates us from one another.  We pray to have discernment of our own truths and values and to live by them.

• Agree to disagree with respect and without war. To find peaceable solutions.

• Good stewardship of Grandmother Earth 

The origins of the Ghost Dance began in South America thousands of years ago and are traced within the Borgia codices and the Popol Vuh (Mayan Holy Book) by author Michael Stuart Ani in his book “The Ghost Dance”. Notably Ghost Dances were revived in the 17th and 18th century when the Americas were invaded by European settlements in North and South America.  Indigenous cultures danced to save their people and their way of life within nature.  It is time to revive the dances that can bring salvation to humanity. More information and schedule to be sent to those that RSVP

Full Moon Ancestor Lodge - Saturday, October 28th @ 1pm This October Full Moon falls on October 28, near All Souls Day usually around Nov. 2nd also known as the "Day of the Dead" a celebration of our loved ones that have crossed over. This lodge will celebrate the human path and all who have traversed it. The opportunity we have within this ceremony is one of self evolution. Any personal work we do contributes to healing patterns of pain within our blood lineage. We acknowledge that the growth we attain in this lifetime heals and supports the past and future generations and that death is part of the process of life! RSVP

SCL and Lifestyle Habits for the Long Haul

Greetings!

What a busy busy summer!  A priority in life is learning to care for your physical body…you know that thing that houses our spirit! If we put off self care, illness and dis-ease pop up to remind us to pay attention, slow down, re-evaluate, and listen to the messages that are always present… but we so often ignore because….we gotta git stuff done! However, if our body shuts down we can no longer do all that stuff! Right? The universe forces us to pay attention. Care for our bodies is a good investment as we age, it improves our quality of life, mobility, AND longevity to really get that stuff done that we WANT to do before we return to spirit. Not enough money, not enough time? I will work to make this workshop possible for you. If your reading this message and you know it’s for you…. now is the time to claim your spot to work with nutrition goddess Mary Vance at Spirit Canoe Lodge in October! I have worked with Mary and know her program works.

We are extending the early bird fee of $550 until Friday, September 1st!  

Lifestyle Habits & Nutrition for the Long Haul which includes:

• lodging for 4 nights October 12-16, 2023

• 3 meals per day and 2 snacks per day

• daily movement

• daily teachings on nutrition and hydration

• daily rest

• one on one time with Mary to personalize your program

• for details and registration click lifestyle-habits-&-nutrition

Mary’s dedication for living a healthy lifestyle speaks through her practical “way of living”.  In her early late 20’s, as a mother of 3 young children she was over 240 pounds, sick with chronic inflammation, fatigue and overall ill health. She was told by her physician at the time to get her Last Will and Testament in order to ensure her children would be cared for.  Now, at age 46, Mary is over 100 pounds lighter, and has kept it off for over 10 years, and lives a health conscious lifestyle that brings HOPE and INSPIRATION to many! During her healing journey, Mary gathered extensive knowledge of functional medicine as well as traveling to study plant medicine and cleansing/longevity techniques with elders of the following lineages: Lakota, Cheyenne, Yaqui, Cherokee, Apache, Mayan, Incan as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine. Mary is Founder and Owner of Mary Vance Lifestyle, LLC A Massage Therapy, Nutrition, Education and Coaching based Company. Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Sports Nutritionist, Certified Personal Nutritionist, Lifestyle Habit Change Coach & Lifestyle Habit Change Retreat Leader. For more information about embarking on a practical journey towards your greater health consciousness with Mary:  www.maryvancelifestyle.com and maryvancelifestyle@gmail.com

“I have done so many diets throughout the years, and yet Mary showed me new strategies that worked!  I took off 30 pounds in 3 months in preparation for knee surgery!  I am so grateful for Mary’s knowledge and support for my health!”  ~Kassie

I look forward to being with you soon! KellyJumping Mouse

Blueberries & Juice Cleanse @ SCL July 14-16

I’ve just done the first pick of blueberries at the Lodge! The first week of picking is filled with the best of the best. The larger and sweetest variety ripens first. The harvest will be the smallest I’ve seen since moving here due to a late frost. The freezer will not be packed this season with the blue gold that provided winter cobblers or nutritious smoothies into 2024 as in the past. Scarcity makes the heart grow fonder? We will survive the “black squirrel winters” and any thing the universe throws our way…like a pandemic. Spring will come again with it’s assurance of love and beauty that life will thrive…in spite of whatever is happening on the world stage. Our life situations do not define us….it is how we deal with our life situations that can make all the difference. The awareness of how precious the gifts of this holler are continue to fill me with gratitude. The spring water, the amazing wildlife, medicinal native plants, the blueberries, blackberries, stinging nettle, and the privacy of this mountain sanctuary that nurtures myself and others who visit… When you can wake up in the morning and say to yourself “I love my life!” there’s not much that makes it better than being able to share it with others. Hope you can stop by and visit this summer! Hey, and come help me pick the blue gold that there is to pick in the next month!

Kelly Jumping Mouse

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July 14-16 Juice Cleanse Retreat If you would like to give yourself a slower weekend and some well deserved self care…. Why not come, even last minute? There are some blueberries to pick and juice or eat! We are hosting our 3rd annual Juice Fast and Purification Lodge for extra cleansing! This has been very rewarding each year and an opportunity to slow down, clean out physically, mentally, emotionally, and reconnect with self care. Contact Kelly to register!

October 12-16 We are hosting Lifestyle Habits & Nutrition for the Long Haul with Mary Vance. A few of you know I’ve been on a journey of losing that C19 weight and that I’ve had success with this program so that I know how to get back to a baseline more consistently. If you’ve tried every diet in the world with little success….I highly recommend this program and you can learn it over this long weekend. As a group we always achieve more together. Check out the links above for more information and contact me if you are interested! The cost for this retreat includes meals and lodging. Early Bird Special $550 if paid before August 15th.