SCL SUMMER BALANCE & CHOREOGRAPHY DANCE

As I head off to my yearly trip to SunDance land to do ceremony, I invite you to consider what needs to be danced out in your life to have better balance and choreography? Would a physical cleansing help you get more intimately in touch with your body to be your best to do your best? Do you need a tune up in how you give with your emotions with tenderness, and communicate with heart-to-heart communication in your relationships? Are you ready to receive and integrate knowledge that works for physical mastery? We are offering a variety of in-person events to empower you with more purposeful energy and joy!

I look forward to seeing you after SunDance! ~Kelly Jumping Mouse

---

Dianne Vetter will be leading a Summer Study Group to further explore the Balanced Choreography Wheel from Basic Medicine Teachings Series from last spring. The first of four sessions is Wednesday, June 28. Click the link for more information.

---

July 14-16 We are hosting our 3rd annual Juice FastJuice Fast & Purification Lodge Retreat& Purification Lodge. This has been very rewarding each year and an opportunity to slow down, clean out physically, mentally, emotionally, and reconnect with self care.

---

August 17-20, We welcome back Amara Charles & Shyena for the Evolved Lover Retreat. This gathering is for couples and singles. Click on the link to discover more. Amara has been focusing on relationship coaching for the last several years and her workshops are always fun, passionate, and bring attention to what your spirit is hungry for. You can register in my shop or on Amara’s site and contact me if you need lodging.

---

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.

SCL Summer Events

Busy Times @ SCL A quick recap of 2023 so far! We hosted a Winter Women’s retreat, Spring Equinox Lodge, Mushroom cultivation class, 4 Beginning Medicine classes, the Lodge Rebuild, our 2nd Eagle Moon Dance, 3 training lodges with Micki, and monthly Crone zooms. We’ve accomplished a lot in the last 6 months! I couldn’t have done it without the help of so many including Ian the last helper at the Lodge. He handled all the heavy lifting and AirBnB housekeeping. He has moved on to a full time job (congratulations!). I am need of a new helper this summer so please let me know if you have any suggestions or can connect me with someone looking for a new situation like this. Check out the links below for more information on events this summer.

Coming up next is our yearly Vision Quest Weekend June 2-4. We have room for a few more if you’d like to get outside of your box and recapitulate your life and shake things up let me know! We will have a Community Purification Lodge on Sunday, June 4th @ noon. RSVP Kelly your place if you’d like to join us. A fire crew is still needed for this lodge to happen contact me if you would like to be of service, thanks!

July 14-16 We are hosting our 3rd annual Juice Fast Retreat. This has been very rewarding each year and an opportunity to slow down, clean out physically, mentally, emotionally, and reconnect with self care.

August 17-20, We welcome back Amara Charles & Shyena for the Evolved Lover Retreat. This gathering is for couples and singles. Click on the link to discover more. Amara has been focusing on relationship coaching for the last several years and her workshops are always fun, passionate, and bring attention to what your spirit is hungry for. You can register on Amara’s site and contact me if you need lodging.

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 covid 19 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 link for more information and contact me if you are interested! The cost for this retreat will be posted soon and we will do our best to keep it affordable.

SCL Rebuild April 21-23

Lodge Rebuild April 21-23 The Lodge has been a part of massive change in the last few years! Most of all Community coming together for personal and collective growth!  What a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day!  We will also be taking care of general maintenance to see us through the next few years of ceremony....and this is gonna be fun!!  You are invited to come as you can or come for the entire weekend beginning Friday.  You will be welcome to stay over in the house through Monday if you are traveling to help out.  The consecration sweat will follow the completion of the rebuild tentatively Sunday @ noon.  All those that contribute are welcome to sweat. RSVP here

You will learn about some of our unique alchemy in the building of these healing lodges and the ceremonies that go on behind the scene before each and every Lodge.  Saturday Michael Star Dreamer will be leading a training for those of you that have desired to learn more about being on the fire crew and a few of you will be needed for the fire crew on Sunday. 

We took down the old lodge last Sunday! Thanks to all those that helped!

Full Moon Eagle Dance - May 5-7 Our 2nd Annual Eagle Dance will be held 2PM-Midnight to advantage of the Full Moon energies!  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 and an amazing sound system maintain the heartbeat on a pow-wow drum non-stop and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  If you’ve never danced before contact Kelly for details or to register. We will also need several dog soldiers to be of service over the weekend if you’d like to volunteer.

To see the full calendar click here! Hope to see you in the holler this spring!

Spring Events @ SCL

Late Winter Greetings! Signs of spring are everywhere…I heard the first peeper today! Daffoldils and crocus are blooming. Bluebells, twin leaf, and larkspur are poking their green tips out of the cold wet earth. The wood frogs are almost finished with their mating rituals on the ponds. Winter has been challenging for so many of us and now it feels as if energy is starting to move again. Nature is waking up and you can feel the potential for new life. The tractor man has arrived at last! He has headed 2 new springs for drinking water in our forest here and is about to start work on a retaining wall in front of the lodge. We intend to build a greenhouse off of this wall. Before he leaves the driveway will be repaired at last and I know that will make many of you very happy. It’s exciting when some of your plans begin to manifest. May everyone’s roadblocks be released this spring! Check out our spring events below and I’ll look forward to seeing y’all soon! FYI there is still room in our mushroom cultivating workshop April 2nd, see announcement below!

Eagle Dance Q&A March 2nd @ 7PM Preparing for a major ceremony can often feel mysterious and overwhelming. Kelly will be answering questions to help you along in your process. It is recommended that one start preparations 2-4 weeks in advance of the ceremony. RSVP for the zoom link. We may add another date as more folks become interested.

Spring Equinox Purification Lodge, March 19th @ Noon The Spring Equinox is a time when the night and day are of equal length, the sun rises due East and sets due West. A moment of balance, stillness, the anticipation of Resurrection, and dominance of light. Spring Rites are all about celebrating fertility becoming receptive to the seeding of life and light as our days become longer. RSVP here

---

Men’s Purification Lodge & Potluck @ Thunder Awakener’s Lodge in Chapel Hill, March 25, 4:30 PM Men gathering together to witness, support and challenge each other confers a Blessing. We will share & pray for our hopes, dreams and challenges. Together, we will purify in the tradition of the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path of the Twisted Hairs. RSVP to Michael Star Dreamer

---

Mushroom Cultivation Workshop, April 2nd @ 12-4pm 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, 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. Sliding scale donation: $55 - 75. Some scholarships available

Workshop led by Christina Morrison and Virgil Ryon. 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. For more info contact Christina at 828-273-7131, selvasong@gmail.com You may register here on the SCL shoppe page.

Earth Day Weekend - Rebuilding our Purification Lodge, April 21-23 Whether you come for a couple hours or for whole the afternoon, you will learn how lodges of our tradition are built with sacred geometry and alchemy. Those that help build the lodge can participate in the Consecration Ceremony on Sunday. This is always a fun weekend and we update a lot of things in the ceremonial space as well as building the lodge. Those helping over the weekend are welcome to stay at the lodge. RSVP here.

Fire Crew Training will also be available during this event. Learn the alchemy of fire safety and the joy of being of service to your community.

Full Moon Eagle Dance - May 5-7 Our 2nd Annual Eagle Dance will be held sunset to sunrise to take advantage of the Full Moon energies!  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 from sunrise to sunset and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  If you’ve never danced before contact Kelly for details or to register. We will also need several dog soldiers to be of service over the weekend if you’d like to volunteer.

To see the full calendar click here! Hope to see you in the holler this spring!

Winter Solstice Blessings 2022

Winter Solstice Blessings We are nearing the Solstice, the shortest day of our year. As the sun comes up on that day take a moment to understand the brief and precious time we have. Don’t beat yourself up for what you have not accomplished yet. Let the faces of those who love you come into your mind. Dream about what you long for……I’m full of emotions this morning as I look back on the year. The blessings, the challenges, love, heartache, and growth lead me to a deeper peace of what I cannot change and to be more engaged with what I can. My desire to help has shown me where to pull back and just love. Relationships we cannot heal are particularly painful. I have many tools in my years of experience to offer as guidance. However, there are times when nothing I offer seems to help. One of my teachers shared with me that when you reach an impasse, put those things in a basket. Raise the basket to the sky and give them away to Spirit to “figure out”. From your hands to the hands of spirit. Blessings to each of you. May our troubles be small and our gratitude great…

Winter Solstice Purification Lodge Ceremony December 17th @ 4PM The lodge is full at the moment unless we get cancellations you can check in with Kelly RSVP here

Sunday December 18th Holiday Fundraiser Party Noon-4pm. Heavy hors d'oeuvres (just love saying that) and libations 20$/person plus some other wonderful things for sale or dip in the hot tub. RSVP Kelly to donate/help/attend! or Carol Anne for donations. Visit the SCL shoppe to see some wonderful donations that have been sent in. Your cash donations are tax deductible and support the lodge and our ability to offer events to the community.

December 23 @ 7PM Crone Zoom Our final meeting of the year as we finish exploring the The 13 Original Clan Mothers book by Jamie Sams and adding our energy toward the changes needed within our collective. For more info see Crone on the website.

January 10th @ 7PM Beginning Medicine Teachings We’ve scheduled our dates for the new year and it is not too late to sign up! For the full info click here. RSVP to Kelly if you’d like to sign up. Fees for the 2023 Beginning Teaching Series: 4 sessions is $40 + $15 for the book = $55.

February 10-12, A Gathering of Men: Exploring Balanced Masculinity Michael Star Dreamer is back to host a special gathering for men @ SCL! Read the full write up for this special event here. Michael also hosts events in Chapel Hill at his Lodge Thunder Awakeners, and has a NY Eve purification lodge planned (I’m on the fire crew!) if you’d like to attend this or the men’s gathering contact Michael directly to register at Thunder Awakeners Lodge

February 17-20, Women’s Womb of Winter Retreat This gathering is a women’s favorite not to be missed and a gift given to yourself as a special time with women of all ages. Susan Campbell will be offering a 5 Rythms session and I’ll pour a purification lodge. We also will introduce a Crone Mentoring ceremony this time around! Similar to our mirroring ceremony for women in transition. For more information visit the website here. This retreat usually fills up fast. So, if it appeals to you sign up early.

Visit our calendar for more events! coming up in 2023

Community Zoom Tuesday @ 7PM

Invitation to Community Forum & SMSD teaching series Zoom, November 15th @ 7-9pm Dear community, I've decided to change the meeting a bit and to have an open forum to hear from YOU what you need in your life right now and the kind of teachings or gatherings would feed you in the coming year. While we will be doing beginning teachings starting early next year I also want to offer teachings, ceremony, or gatherings, that support a deeper level for those of you that have been around awhile and are apprentices needing more. I’d also like to bring up some of the exciting projects we have in the works at the lodge for it to be more sustainable in the future and reach out to those that may want to volunteer for specific projects that sing to you.

For beginning teachings we will choose our dates based on everyone’s input and begin in January. We will be working with the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path Course of Study Series A. These are the beginning medicine wheel teachings and each one includes a personal ceremony. You will need to purchase the book either online or from Kelly in person. There may also be other items to stalk for your ceremonies. Please join us and bring your 2023 calendars and questions! RSVP here for the zoom link

Fees for the 2023 Beginning Teaching Series: 4 sessions is $40 + $15 for the book = $55.

November 19th @ 10-4pm Medicine Making Craft Day Fall Craft Day is an opportunity to gather in community and create medicine items, such as shields, smudging fans, bundles, prayer ties, and more. Contact Kelly for more information. The above shield was made by Megan Owen for the Eagle Dance last spring!

Please welcome Ian Nichols our new helping hand at Spirit Canoe Lodge! Some of you know how much I need help around here and I am so grateful to have found such an amazing man to help me care for this place. Right now I hear him outside splitting kindling! From all the airbnb chores to keeping the house warm (now that we have gotten the water stove going again) and tidy I am very blessed right now that I can focus on other things…. like writing this newsletter!

Winter Solstice Purification Lodge Ceremony December 17th @ 4PM Join us for the last gathering of 2022. Bring a gift to exchange and a potluck dish for sharing. NEWCOMERS, plan to come an hour earlier for orientation. This lodge is almost full. RSVP here

Sunday December 18th Holiday Fundraiser Party Noon-4pm. Heavy hors d'oeuvres (just love saying that) and libations 20$/person plus some other wonderful things for sale or dip in the hot tub. RSVP Kelly to donate/help/attend! or Carol Anne for donations.

Visit our calendar for more events! coming up in 2023

Fall Back & Move Forward Faster!

Aligning with the Seasons….

Fall sits in the North of our medicine wheel. The element of air, wisdom, knowledge, logic (our mental aspect), and the animal world all sit North. Winds of change are the season for clearing out our mental aspect and bringing us clarity and flexibility in our mind. Being open minded and receptive with our mind is in proper alignment with the element of air. Ever been on a mountaintop or even your own backyard with the relentless wind in your face? Just as it clears the leaves from trees and freshens the air it moves the dusty negative inner dialogue from our mind…if we allow it. It is refreshing! Most often we try to figure out how things fit into our beliefs or cultural dos and don’ts before we make decisions rather than from what our spirit and soul is hungry for…is that so wise? More often than not we decide to NOT listen to our intuition or guidance from spirit that is calling us to a different or alternative choice. A choice that may make others frown or question our sanity…To hell with that! Let’s enjoy life as much as we can and feed our true hungers. Life has so many challenges to face and those challenges are teaching us to go for the more make change our ally and choose to be happy. To heck with what anyone thinks! We might all ask “What would my higher self say about that?” Spirit speaks in gentle and loving voices to us, so if you are hearing a voice pointing a critical finger at you…that is not the voice I’d listen to :)

Full Moon Harvest Purification Lodge October 9th @ 2pm I am only taking new rsvps for the waitlist if folks cancel I will let you know. RSVP to Kelly We have so many new folks attending which tells me the shifts in the world are opening up and many are reaching out and searching for alternative healing. Pay attention to the events happening in your personal world right now. Meeting challenges head on (rather than procrastinating about them if you are indecisive) helps keep the doorway open for quicker change. The full moon will be direct around 4:30pm when we are in the lodge or coming out! Lots of opportunity for massive change and reality checks about the inner shadow and light.... that our shadow protects. We each carry a unique gift the collective needs. Even if you cannot attend use the full moon energy!

Forest Medicinal Work Weekend Oct. 21-23 Join us 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 new Sanctuary director will be leading our work and sharing her knowledge of forest natives. RSVP Kelly

Tuesday October 25th, @ 7PM, New Moon Crone Gathering Zoom Women who are 54+ years old are welcome to this event, the wise blood time. As we age the elders say that “our beauty steals inward”. Women 54+ are welcome. Our work is to dream the success of future generations and re-establish the importance and respect of the elders within our cultures. The magic we do as grandmothers is deeply needed within our communities. Our time together will include a purification lodge. Please check in with Kelly in order to be prepared for the lodge.
No Cost: RSVP to Kelly

Ancestor Honoring Purification Lodge, November 6th @ 2PM This November Beaver or Frost Full Moon on November 8 falls 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. We acknowledge that the growth we attain in this lifetime heals and supports the past and future 7 generations and that death is part of the process of life! RSVP here

Invitation to SMSD teaching series Zoom, November 15th @ 7-8pm In this FREE in person/virtual meeting you are invited to join us to voice your availability in 2023 for a new teaching series that we have once a month for 4 months. We will choose our dates based on your availability and ease. We will be working with the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path Course of Study Series A. These are the basic keys and wheels teachings and each one includes a fun personal ceremony. You will need to purchase the book either online or from Kelly in person. There may also be other items to stalk for your ceremonies. Please join us and bring your 2023 calendars and questions! RSVP here for the zoom link

Fees for this Series: 4 sessions is $40 + $15 for the book = $55.

November 19th @ 10-4pm Craft Day Fall Craft Day is an opportunity to gather in community and create medicine items, such as shields, smudging fans, bundles, prayer ties, and more. Contact Kelly for more information. The above shield was made by Theresa Haislip for the Eagle Dance last spring!

Winter Solstice Purification Lodge Ceremony December 17th @ 4PM Join us for the last gathering of 2022. Bring a gift to exchange and a potluck dish for sharing. NEWCOMERS, plan to come an hour earlier for orientation. RSVP here

Visit our calendar for more events! coming up in 2023

Summer Events at Spirit Canoe Lodge!

Crystal Planting Ceremony for SMSD Lodges!

I only recently have returned from my annual ceremonial time in Arizona and well….what can I say it’s so good to be home in the Blue Ridge and my own comfy bed. Several of us at the Dance participated in a Crystal Planting Ceremony to support the growth of our Lodges from all over the planet. 60 crystals each representing a Sweet Medicine SunDance Lodge were planted in between the Tree Arbor and the Water Arbor. Prayer Flags imbued with the dreams of each lodge were hung on top of the mesa that overlooks our ceremonial land. The word from Spirit is that we will have many new seekers searching for spiritual and community connections in these wobbly times. The dance was a dream full of hard work, personal edges of maturity, and a new dream is birthed to sustain our endeavors in the coming year. The star seeds released from the tree of life will hit their mark as needed. We will be ready for whatever may come!

Juice Fast & Purification Lodge Retreat July 15-17 There is room for a couple more participants! Get a boost from the group dynamic to change food habits. Juice cleanses are shown to heal medical conditions and reduce the need for pharmaceuticals to fix our symptoms. A cleanse can bring greater clarity and increase our will to incorporate healthier eating habits. When we make changes with the support of others it is much easier than starting something on our own. We gather Friday evening to set our intent. The weekend will be filled with juicing, lymphatic shaking/dancing, meditation, QiGong with Sybil, sharing circles, and personal ceremonial time on the land. Both women and men are welcome to this event. Saturday evening we will have an optional Purification Lodge to further purify our heart, body, mind, and spirit.

$150 includes 2 nights of lodging. To save costs people will be given a produce list to bring for communal juicing. SCL gives one scholarship to each event to participants in financial need. There is no charge for the purification lodge. Please bring gifts for Kelly and the fire crew to bring balance for the ceremony. RSVP here with a deposit to reserve your space.

August 5-8, 2022 Maneuvering Transitions in the 5th World

Friday, August 5th @ 6PM We welcome Sweet Medicine SunDance Elder, Mary Lightening Strikes Twice to SCL!  She will present a lineage address about humanity’s transition into the 5th world. The times they are a changing…even faster than before.  Humanity is taking a big leap and it feels like there is not much to hold on to.  The old structures in our world are disintegrating and the new way is not yet in place. Social and political extremes are the norm and yet there is a feeling of excitement that we are on the precipice of something huge. There are so many distractions keeping us from seeing that happiness, health, humor, hope, and harmony are truly within reach. Sound familiar?!  Want to learn how to navigate it better?  Join us for a new look at our changing reality and why we are here now.  For those of you who have not met any of my teachers from Arizona this will be a unique opportunity to meet an amazing mentor.  Cost $30  Register here.

Mayan Book of Life Readings with Mary will be available Friday afternoon, Sunday morning, and Monday morning.  A book of life reading offers an annual reflection of guidance that highlights your focus, challenges, and potential opportunities in the coming year.  Mary quickly pierces the veil to reveal what your higher self is asking of you.  Cost $160.  Please bring payment in cash or check to Mary directly. Also, bring an audio recording device to record your appointment (phone, personal dictation, etc.). Reserve your appointment here.

Lodging for the weekend or specific days: The Lodge will fill up so plan ahead. 25$/per person/night. Camping is an option for 20$ land use donation. Reserve lodging

Saturday, August 6th @ 9AM- 8PM Transitions into the 5th World

A Personal Rites of Passage to Honor our Transition into the 5th World by recognizing and acknowledging our Transformations.  Seminar from Mary Whispering Snow and Kelly Jumping Mouse.  

Spend the day exploring our natural cycles and how they can empower our movement into the Fifth World.  We will be breaking into smaller groups to investigate how the Universe provides us with unique opportunities based on our age.  A specially designed personal Rites of Passage ceremony, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their past, claim what is present and take their vision into the future with the support of all the Worlds of Grandmother Earth.   

• 9am-12pm Teachings & Moon Cycle (includes small group workings)

• 12-1pm Lunch (bring a bag lunch)

• 1-3pm  Ceremonial instructions & send off

• 3-7pm  Nature Walk Talk Ceremony

• 7pm  Dinner (Pie on the Mountain pizza & salad or bring your own dinner)

• 8pm Debrief & time with our mentors at the Campfire

Cost $125 ($140 to include dinner) Register

Sunday August 7th @ 2PM:  Kelly’s 60 year Rite of Passage. This is an Honoring of the Elder ceremony, which is a purification lodge poured by Mary Lightning Strikes Twice.  If you are attending the full weekend you are invited to help on the fire crew, participate on the inside or outside of the lodge, or take the afternoon off.  For more more information on this event, contact Mary ND at mary@naturejourneyslodge.com 

Saturday, Aug 27-28, New Moon Crone Gathering

Women who are 54+ years old are welcome to this event, the wise blood time. As we age the elders say that “our beauty steals inward”. Women 54+ are welcome. Our work is to dream the success of future generations and re-establish the importance and respect of the elders within our cultures. The magic we do as grandmothers is deeply needed within our communities. Our time together will include a purification lodge. Please check in with Kelly in order to be prepared for the lodge.
No Cost: RSVP to Kelly Donations for Lodging

There is no charge for ceremony however cash donations and medicine gifts for Kelly and the fire crew are requested to cover the costs and create balance for what you receive.

Visit our calendar for more events! coming up the rest of the year.

Forest Medicinal Sanctuary Open House Sunday June 5th

Sunday 10-4pm June 5th Forest Medicinal Sanctuary Open House

The Laughing Buddah is the guardian to the entrance of our medicinal display beds. Further up the hill are the many beds we have planted over the last 3 years with many Appalchian forest medicinals. We continue to plant a series of new native plants each year and are excited to see what comes up this spring. We want to share this magical space with you!  Join us at this fundraising gala for garden tours, enjoy a serene sit spot in nature, and meander through our sacred forest.  Pick Stinging Nettle to take home. For a donation of 20$ you can have a cocktail, mint or nettle tea, and snack plate. Make your own spring roll!   Come visit our forest medicinal sanctuary! RSVP for directions kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

Our goal is to expand the native and medicinal garden each successive year by creating forest pathways with unique plantings.  We need your donations of time and funding to make this happen.  If you cannot attend our event and are interested in making a tax deductible donation to Spirit Canoe Lodge: https://www.paypal.me/SpiritCanoeLodge501

Juice Fast & Purification Lodge Retreat July 15-17 Get a boost from the group dynamic to change food habits. Juice cleanses are shown to heal medical conditions and reduce the need for pharmaceuticals to fix our symptoms. A cleanse can bring greater clarity and increase our will to incorporate healthier eating habits. When we make changes with the support of others it is much easier than starting something on our own. The weekend will start with a purification lodge on Friday evening and will be filled with juicing, lymphatic shaking/dancing, meditation, sharing circles, and personal ceremonial time on the land. Both women and men are welcome to this event.

$150 includes 2 nights of lodging. To save costs people will be given a produce list to bring for communal juicing. SCL gives one scholarship to each event to participants in financial need. RSVP here with a deposit to reserve your space.

August 5-8 Maneuvering Transitions in the 5th World

Friday evening we welcome Sweet Medicine SunDance Elder, Mary Lightening Strikes Twice to SCL! She will present a lineage address about humanity’s transition into the 5th world. For those of you who have not met any of my teachers from Arizona this will be a unique opportunity to meet an amazing mentor. Saturday we have Rite of Passage Transitions seminar from Mary Heartsong and Kelly Jumping Mouse. Mayan Book Of Life readings with Mary LSTwice can be scheduled during these dates. RSVP Kelly to reserve a bed or camping space. More details forthcoming about costs and classes.

Sunday August 7th @ 3PM: Kelly’s 60 year Rite of Passage. Invitation only (community lodge members) Fire crew will be needed. Monday August 8th TBA ceremony or Book of Life Readings scheduled.

Eagle Dance Gratitude! A heartfelt THANK YOU! to each and everyone of you for helping to make this dream finally happen! This image taken a few days ago shows the energy of the dancers and how strong of a dance we actually did. Like spokes on a sacred wheel we moved back and forth to the tree of life. As in our everyday life we met challenges, edges of resistance, and kept dancing because life is short and we are the ones walking across the rainbow bridge and will make a difference in the 5th world. Dancing all day is no simple task yet a small price to pay for the boost in confidence of what we CAN survive and of what we are capable of in this life when we put action into our ideas. I have no doubt our prayers will manifest in beautiful ways and life will unfold mysteriously toward our desires. The greater collective will be impacted with our light.

Dancer Shields were amazing!

Dancers, drummers, and dog soldiers on clean up day!

Time is speeding up again. How do we align? How Eagle Dance can help.

Center Illustration by Stayce Leanza, background courtesy Dreamtime images, composite Kelly Clampitt

Time is speeding up again… and yes there IS a Mercury retrograde in attack mode. Visit my recent blog to hear the rant about the speed of life (approaching light speed..maybe that’s the point..the light) The fifth world is happening now and I don’t know about you but the pace of life feels overwhelming. Have you ever said to yourself “I’ll do that when things slow down”? I certainly have and after (almost) 60 years on this planet I finally have learned to stop and really schedule the important things into my life now. If I put it on my calendar it’s more likely to happen. My discovery is that things are not slowing down and in fact are only speeding up. No matter how much time I think I have there are always competing priorities (love this new phrase) that need my attention these days. For instance last week the garage flooded and a swarm of carpenter ants hatched in a guest room that was booked. On the lighter side of chaos a bear stole my entire trashcan never to be seen again, and tried to eat a brand new hot tub cover. Remember to laugh your way through life’s challenges it really does help. The truth is that humanity is getting a much needed upgrade and many of us are having resistance to hitting the “upgrade now” button. Why? Because we know our computer or life will freeze for god knows how long for this update to install and then we have to reboot, restart, and learn an entirely new program. We don’t have time for that right now do we?! AND we can’t afford to no hit that button in theory as our to do list for today is already over the top! Ultimately, if we are able to align with any situation that pops up and fight off the urge to resist or “give up” our life receives an instant mini upgrade. All these little improvements add up to the bigger change we really desire but don’t want to commit to…yet. Alignment with this energy increase is what we are seeking to learn so we don’t burn ourselves out in this massive upgrade. Eagle Dance ceremony can help. I know many of you want to attend but feel overwhelmed with the list of preparations. It is still doable. I am committed to assisting you first time dancers and have extra supplies to make it happen IF you can feel the call I will support you this time. Next time you will know for yourself that it is doable. Contact Kelly to register for Eagle Dance

May 14th Work day preparing the Drum Arbor and setting stone in the east altar and fire pit. Let me know if you can lend a hand. Contact Kelly

May 20-22 Eagle Dance! An Eagle Dance is a one day ceremony.  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 from sunrise to sunset and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  Dancing keeps us in our bodies and out of our head so we can receive “with care and with clarity” messages from spirit.  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. Children are welcome as long as we have extra support to care for them during the day. They will be dancing in the arbor during the afternoon to bring us fresh energy when we need it. Guests are welcome if they contribute to helping support the dance outside the arbor. We will have a dedicated arbor space if a guests wants dance. Guests can also ask specific dancers to dance their prayers for them if they are unable to physically dance themselves. Saturday evening we break our fast and Feast together in celebration. Sunday everyone on the land can participate in a purification lodge for deeper integration. Afterward we all help to take down the arbor and leave the space better than we found it. Dancing back and forth to the center tree creates energy that amps our prayers. The more energy we create together the easier our prayers manifest. An analogy would be how much energy do we actually put into manifesting what we desire? The more we engage with what we want the more likely it is to happen. Prayer can work this way also. Life is a dance. This ceremony can give us the mojo and understanding that when we are tired and feel like we cannot go on…to just get up and dance through the resistance, pain, stories, and feel the love that we are truly supported by the universe to love and be loved. Even when it feels like no one is there for us …grandmother earth is, spirit is, the stars beckon us to believe in the magick we are. Our ancestors who have gone before have our back. Feel the love that is there for us. Yes, dancing for 12 hours is…a life challenge. 24-36 hours of a microcosm of all of life experiences and if we survive we will know we can do so much more. Come give it up and soak in all the love you can give to yourself. So excited and scared to be hosting this for the first time…so is the way of life. Be here with me! From the one to the many and the many to the one. Inspirational soapbox complete.

SCL’s Open House & Native Gardens Gala! June 5th 10-4pm Come visit our native plant and forest medicinal sanctuary. We continue to plant a series of new native plants each year and are excited to see what comes up this spring. We planted 200 new goldenseal rootlets last fall and we want to share this magical space with you! Details will be coming soon.

 Join us at this fundraising gala for garden tours, enjoy a serene sit spot in nature, and meander through our sacred forest. 

• Have a product/service, or time you can volunteer for this event? Contact Kelly. kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

 Our goal is to expand the native and medicinal garden each successive year by creating forest pathways with unique plantings.  We need your donations of time and funding to make this happen.  If you cannot attend our event and are interested in making a tax deductible donation to Spirit Canoe Lodge:  

https://www.paypal.me/SpiritCanoeLodge501

Earth Day Work Weekend in the Arbor! Friday-Sunday

Morels are making an appearance on the land at Spirit Canoe Lodge! Join us at the work weekend and spend some time hunting for these amazing mushrooms.

April 22-24 & May 7-8 Work Weekends for Eagle Dance: Lend a hand for a few hours or stay the whole weekend to assist in preparing the land and ceremonial space for our first Eagle Dance! There will be stonework done on the altar, native plants to be put in, and drainage work. We will also have time to help dancers with their preparations and regalia for the ceremony. Contact Kelly to register for Eagle Dance or lend a hand over the work weekends. Much gratitude to our community for helping to make this happen. May 20-22 Eagle Dance! An Eagle Dance is a one day ceremony.  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 from sunrise to sunset and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  We will be fasting, and drinking water is optional and recommended.  The dance is a meditative 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 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 an irreplaceable experience and well worth your careful preparation. We highly recommended to attend a Craft Day at SCL to make some of your items.  The first time participant will need several items and dance regalia. Contact Kelly for the Eagle Dance preparation list.

Vision Quest Weekend April 29-May 1 We have room for one more participant! One of the first ceremonies on our path is “Night on the Mountain of Fear”. This intensive ceremony is open to all seekers as a way to gain maturity, self discipline, and return to your naturalness…..The higher self wants to make choices and decisions that bring about our potential, increased levels of consciousness, perception, and objectivity...risking the unknown for a better happier life...ceremony creates a shift in our perceptions that lead to new productive patterns enabling us to manifest the change and beauty we long for. Contact Kelly for more information or to register.

May 7-8 Arbor preparations continue. Kelly is also offering craft time to help first time dancers prepare by making their whistles and plumes, a shield of intent, a Hokkshideh-protection bundle, and to learn about the dance regalia needed to dance! Bring a lunch potluck to share. Let Kelly know if you would like to attend or need the Eagle Dance preparation list.

May 20-22 Eagle Dance!

SCL’s Open House & Native Gardens Gala! June 5th 10-4pm Come visit our native plant and forest medicinal sanctuary. We continue to plant a series of new native plants each year and are excited to see what comes up this spring. We planted 200 new goldenseal rootlets last fall and we want to share this magical space with you! Details will be coming soon.

 Join us at this fundraising gala for garden tours, enjoy a serene sit spot in nature, and meander through our sacred forest. 

• Have a product/service, or time you can volunteer for this event? Contact Kelly. kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

 Our goal is to expand the native and medicinal garden each successive year by creating forest pathways with unique plantings.  We need your donations of time and funding to make this happen.  If you cannot attend our event and are interested in making a tax deductible donation to Spirit Canoe Lodge:  

https://www.paypal.me/SpiritCanoeLodge501

Spring Greetings from Spirit Canoe Lodge!

Spring Greetings! Mid February brought the Wood Frogs to the pond for mating. They left behind large clouds of fertile eggs clinging to the pond edges. Frog medicine bridges the water and earth element and helps clean up emotional imbalances. Water brings fertility so that things can grow. Frog is a fecund messenger of metamorphosis, the power of rebirth, and connecting with one’s creative source. Use your instinct and make the jump you yearn for this spring!

This Saturday March 12th Craft Day! 10AM-4PM In preparations for the Eagle Dance in May we are adding a few craft days in to our schedule to help first time dancers prepare by making their whistles and plumes, a shield of intent, a Hokkshideh-protection bundle, and to learn about the dance regalia needed to dance! Bring a lunch potluck to share. Let Kelly know if you would like to attend.

Craft Day in Raleigh April 9th 10AM-4PM Dianne Cougar Warrior Woman is hosting a craft day at her home in Raleigh for those of you on that side of the state. Contact Dianne if you would like to attend and work on your Eagle Dance preparations!

Friday March 18th Drum Practice @ 5PM Join us as we practice and drum in preparation for our upcoming Eagle Dance in May. The March 19th, Full Moon-Spring Equinox Ceremony had a big response from community and is now full. We usually have a few cancellations so let Kelly know if you’d like to be added to the wait list. Covid considerations are still in effect and we will all be doing a health assessment and waiver to attend.

Vision Quest Weekend April 29-May 1 One of the first ceremonies on our path is “Night on the Mountain of Fear”. This intensive ceremony is open to all seekers as a way to gain maturity, self discipline, and return to your naturalness….. to learn how not be at the affect of situations, tyrants, negative internal dialogue, and social conditioning that often keep us running in the same old karmic patterns. The basic self wants to keep everything the same and live in the comfort of what is known...living life through subjective filters of projection or past experience. The higher self wants to make choices and decisions that bring about our potential, increased levels of consciousness, perception, and objectivity...risking the unknown for a better happier life...ceremony creates a shift in our perceptions that lead to new productive patterns enabling us to manifest the change and beauty we long for. Contact Kelly for more information or to register.

April 22-24 & May 6-8 Work Weekends for Eagle Dance: Lend a hand for a few hours or stay the whole weekend to assist in preparing the land and ceremonial space for our first Eagle Dance! We will also have time to help dancers with their preparations for the ceremony. Contact Kelly to register for Eagle Dance or lend a hand over the work weekends. Much gratitude to our community for helping to make this happen. May 20-22 Eagle Dance! An Eagle Dance is a one day ceremony.  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 from sunrise to sunset and maintain the energy for us as we dance back and forth to the center tree.  We will be fasting, and drinking water is optional and recommended.  The dance is a meditative 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 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 an irreplaceable experience and well worth your careful preparation. We highly recommended to attend a Craft Day at SCL to make some of your items.  The first time participant will need several items and dance regalia. Contact Kelly for the Eagle Dance preparation list.

Enjoy the unfolding of spring……

2022 Greettings from SCL and Crone Retreat!

2022 Greetings! Winter has finally come to the holler, 9 degrees early this morning. Snow has a purifying energy that blankets the land and brings peace and stillness. You can really feel it. Allow it to sink in and cover up any of your worries. It’s a new year with new possibilities! Here is a link to see our 2022 calendar.

Crone Gathering Retreat @ Spirit Canoe Lodge, Friday January 14 @ 6PM- Sunday January 16 @ 3PM

As we age the elders of our tradition say that “our beauty steals inward”. The wise blood time can be our most creative birthing time of all! Women 54+ are welcome. Our work is to dream the success of future generations and begin re-establishing the importance and value of the elders within our cultures. The magic we do as grandmothers is deeply needed within our communities. We will plot and plan within our wise cauldrons over the weekend through ceremony and brainstorming. Our weekend opens Friday evening with a one hour zoom introduction from Janneke Tateshina, an elder leader from the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path. You may attend the zoom only portion if you cannot attend in person 25$ donation and I will send you a link.

Meet Janneke Koole:  Janneke is our most senior teacher from our path.  She gets to the heart of the matter with a compassionate yet direct manner that makes it clear your life... is your experience...so how will you stay connected to your will to make something happen even when you meet perceived blocks.  She has shown me time and again my beauty and where I have chosen to give up :)  She is an experienced Sweet Medicine SunDance Teacher, member of the Hereditary Lineage Leaders. Known as the “keeper of lineage knowledge”, Janneke’s eternal love for learning sparks hope in others to find their joy in living, the meaning and purpose in adversity, and creative solutions within all forms of relationships. She invites others to take another look at life with a tender boldness.

To register contact Kelly

Womb of Winter Women’s Retreat Fri, Feb 18, 2022 5:30 PM - Sun, Feb 20, 2022 4:30 PM

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. The agenda is open and will come into focus on Friday evening as we design our time together. A Sisterhood Purification Lodge may 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!

Retreat Costs:  $195 -2 nights lodging with bed  or $165 -2 nights bring your own sleeping gear or $145 without lodging . RSVP to Kelly for more information and to register. This one fills up fast.

Welcome Rachel & Brian Crawford! Our new help exchange couple here at the Lodge have settled in to Winter chores and will be here while I’m at Gold Lodge in Arizona. They’ve made good friends with Loki the lodge cat and I’m so grateful for the help so I can do things like write this newsletter and a zillion other administration tasks needed to keep the place running. Thank You Brian & Rachel!

Our Holiday Fundraiser! We made 600$ for SCL at the end of this year. Many thanks to those of you that donated items this year! There are still items for sale including this lovely talisman already blessed and empowered through ceremony visit the SCL Shoppe.

SCL November Happenings

November 20th Full Moon Craft Day & Evening Fire Ceremony: The November Moon is often referred to as the Beaver Moon. A time to prepare the home for the winter months. This full moon also has a near total lunar eclipse late Friday night. Eclipse energy can bring massive and immediate change. Learning how to direct the energy that is present in our world right now so that it supports us is an important skill to learn. Our collective is undergoing historical and much needed change. Together we are more effective. By supporting one another in the personal changes we each desire creates a jump in collective change.

Craft Day Saturday, November 20th 10AM-4PM: This is a time to work on projects that have been on your back burner. You can get advice on how to make a fan or work on items needed for our Eagle Dance in May, like your first ceremonial shield or make a protection bundle. RSVP Kelly for more information.

Full Moon Fire Ceremony, November 20th @ 6PM: We did this ceremony last year in November and it was highly effective and back by popular demand. The format is much like our purification lodge. We will gather together for a brief exploration of male/female balance, a talking stick sharing time, and make tobacco ties to be burned in the fire. Individually we will go to the firebox to pray for ourselves, for others and the collective, give away what blocks our beauty, and listen to spirit for direction and clarity. We conclude as a group and share a potluck meal. RSVP to Kelly

October Forest Medicinal Work Weekend: Thank you Susan our sanctuary director and our many volunteers that lent a helping had over this very productive weekend! We planted roots of trillium, black cohosh, lily of the valley, yellow lady slipper, seeded stratified ginseng, and planted 200 golden seal rootlets. Good company, good food, and best of all restoring our forest with Appalachian native medicinal plants. If you would like to be involved contact Kelly.

Winter Solstice Full Moon Ceremony December 18th @ 4PM: RSVP Kelly for details

SCL Holiday Fund Raiser Party December 19th @ 10AM-4PM: We’ve been collecting wonderful items to sell. Maybe you still need a few more Christmas gifts! Bring a dish to share during the day. Have something to donate to help us raise funds for SCL operating expenses in 2022? Contact Kelly to RSVP or donate items, or make a 2021 donation now!

SCL 2022 Calendar:

• January 2, New Moon Drum practice

• January 14-16, Crone gathering, women age 54+

• February 5, Winter Craft Day to support Eagle Dance preparations

• February 6, Drum practice

• February 18-20, Womb of Winter Women’s retreat

• March 18, Full Moon Drum Practice

• March 19, Full Moon Equinox Ceremony

• April 3, Drum Practice

• April 22-24 Earth Day & Work Weekend Eagle Dance Prep

• April 29-May 1, Vision Quest Ceremonial Weekend

• May 14, Craft Day to support Eagle Dance prep

• May 20-22 our first Eagle Dance!

• June 5, Native Forest Sanctuary Garden Open House

• July 15-17, Women’s Juice Fast Retreat

• August 10-14, Rites of Passage for children and adults

• August 13 Kelly’s 60th ROP ceremony

• August 27, New Moon community ceremony

• September 10 Fall Craft Day

• October 9, Full Moon Harvest ceremony

• October 21-23, Forest Medicinal Work Weekend

• November 19 Craft Day

• December 17, Winter Solstice Ceremony

FALL GRATITUDE & FOREST MEDICINAL WORK WEEKEND

View from the Lodge Fall beauty is building. Now is the time to begin pulling in and aligning with the force of nature and it’s ability to instinctively change. Change is natural and prepares us for the next season. Let us take a cue from nature and listen to the whispers of our higher self guiding us onward.

Forest Medicinal Work Weekend October 16-17 Join us 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 new Sanctuary director will be leading our work and sharing her knowledge of forest natives. Read more about Susan below. RSVP Kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

Click here to view the SCL Calendar through the end of the year

Work Weekend Gratitude Thank you Richard, Zach, Fred, Sybil, Erica, Tia, Taylor, Micki, Carol Anne, and Jenny Jean for coming out in August to help construct the Drum Arbor in the future Eagle Dance space! We also laid out the arbor design, marked where the outer trees will be planted, marked the east altar, and dug out the children’s fire pit. What is an Eagle Dance? A dance from sunrise to sunset to the tree of life. You pray and intend your desires for the coming year. Much like a mini sundance the drum beats the entire time we are dancing, lifting our spirit to keep us going and connected with the stream of life where there is no separation only the present moment and the potential of what we are dancing for! More info about how to prepare will be shared as we move closer to this dance. It’s not too early to intend your presence :) I am so grateful for community that lends a hand so that the lodge can continue to offer new events and thrive. The space will also be used for large gatherings and Tai Chi-QiGong with Sybil.

The Arbor space is taking shape. It was such a relaxed and enjoyable time working together.

Jenny Jean was the kitchen queen during our weekend with her gourmet on! We ate it up!

Richard gave us chainsaw safety lessons on this locust trunk with his rechargeable Stihl…..I’ve got to get one of those for the lodge!

Taylor goes hillbilly packing the Amigo with our tools.

Please welcome our new Native Sanctuary Garden Director! Susan Turman Susan’s involvement with plants and the natural world is a journey that began over 20 years ago as an apprentice on a permaculture farm in Maui. Susan went on to become an organic farmer for 10 years, growing vegetables and producing pasture-raised meats for the high country community. She has most recently finished her degree in natural resource management specializing in wildlife and Silviculture. Susan has been involved with Spirit Canoe Lodge since 2016 and has danced as a Sundancer with the deer tribe. She loves connecting with nature from the trail, spending days or weeks at a time with nothing but a backpack. Her great interest is in habitat restoration and regenerative forestry of Oaks , native chestnuts, and longleaf pines. She lives in Todd, NC on her organic farm.

SPIRIT CANOE LODGE AUGUST WORK WEEKEND 2021

Eagle Dance Arbor Update, Work Weekend, Call for new SCL Board Members & new Native Plant Sanctuary Director, and September Work Exchange needed @ SCL see below for details!

Eagle Dance Arbor Update: The center tree was planted on May Day. An auspicious day for pagan celebrating and dancing! A Dawn Redwood (once thought to be extinct), was chosen for the tree we will be dancing to in our future Eagle Dances. This variety is a deciduous conifer known for their long life and height and grows well in our mountains. The spiritual medicine of a redwood tree includes: wisdom, longevity, protection, renewal, and the interconnection of roots within a community. The element of fire is closely associated with western redwoods and their ability to survive fire. The Eastern Redwood is called Shui Shan (water fir) by the Chinese where the Dawn Redwood was discovered to be living in remote mountain forests. Trees are communicators and bring healing to the earth and her inhabitants. Dancing to a tree awakens our human dream and seeds the earth with beauty…. We will dance in the next year! The above image is a mature dawn redwood at the Bailey Arboretum in NY. As our tree grows with us through the years it will express it’s own unique and wise character becoming a magnetic community symbol of a world re-imagined through our dances.

Work Weekend August 20-22! Please join us as we work together to create this dreaming space! Come as you are able for an afternoon or the whole weekend. There will be beds for those that come to help. We will be finishing the final design of the Eagle arbor space. Marking the location of the outer circle of trees, constructing the drum arbor (4 poles and simple roof), creating the east altar and children’s fire pit, pulling weeds, marking the space for the medicine wheel stones, and working on drainage. Covid considerations: If you are not feeling well or may have been exposed do not attend. If you have concerns about being at risk do not attend. Community ceremony will be offered Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Contact Kelly to RSVP and reserve a bed. A Sound Bath Healing with Christian may also be offered! see info below.

---

SCL Board of Directors needs to fill 3 seats in 2022. As a non-profit we must maintain a volunteer board that meets and has recorded minutes concerning our goals, operations, and fund raising. Becoming a board member is a great way to use your talent to help make things happen in a community you care about. Giving your time and energy to a worthy cause is a form of Tithing. Giving in balance opens the stream of attracting abundance in your own life. Responsibilitiesfor these positions include brainstorming, following through with tasks, and committing to service at SCL events as you are able. We meet 4-6 times a year for about 1.5 hours on Zoom or in person. Tasks we take on individually have not been laborious but we may up our game in the next year as we take on events again. Courtney Stiles, Christian Lannie, and Micki Nyman will be rolling off the Board at the end of this year. Thank you Courtney for your expert accounting of all the board minutes and the files meticulously posted on our Google shared documents! Christian thank you for the time you gave and the presence of the “man” energy. Thank you Micki for hosting the vice-chair seat! Positions needed are: Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice Chair. We also need help in our sub committees as we plan events. Contact Kelly for more information or to recommend someone! Prospective Board members will attend our final meeting in December 2021.

---

---

Sound Bath Healing is another way to cleanse and renew! When bathed in resonant sound, different areas and systems of the body respond as the waveform travels through the body to the cellular level, creating alignment. This will take you on a sound journey that will relax and de-stress you, and bring your whole being back into a state of harmony on all levels; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Donations suggested. Christian Lannie 336-682-7492

Our Native Plant Sanctuary Director Sidhe Kirk has moved on to focus on her herbal business Hedge and Hollow. We are grateful for the time she gave and wish her all the best success. She pioneered our first 2 years and got us off to a great start. Now we need a new Sanctuary Director. Please see our SCL native plant sanctuary page for more information about our sanctuary mission and the opportunity to manage our native plant program. While this is not a paid position there is opportunity to charge and host your own events at the Lodge and teach community about this precious Appalachian resource.

---

SCL Work Exchange needed September 8-25!

A helper is needed at the Lodge during September while I am traveling. Responsibilities include taking care of Cat Loki #1, AirBnB guest services and housekeeping. Enjoy staying at the lodge with a view! I’ll cover food and expenses during your stay. Contact me to discuss details! Kelly

Charitable Contributions & Tax Changes for 2020 & 2021

The Covid Care Package has increased charitable donations for the 2020 and 2021 tax year also. This means that singles can deduct up to 300$ and couples 600$ for donations to qualifying charities like Spirit Canoe Lodge. Please contact your tax advisor to confirm. If you desire to donate to Spirit Canoe Lodge to help fund our projects like the landscaping and purchase of trees for the Eagle Dance Arbor, please click DONATE. You will be sent a receipt for tax purposes.

HAPPY SUMMER!

Summer Greetings, I'm on my way home from a most unusual SunDance ceremony. The message I most would like to share is the dreaming of how the fifth dimensional world might look like for humanity. How many of us have actually taken the time to put energy into imagining the beauty of the New World that is emerging with or without our input. We dream our reality into existence. Let us dream forth a new world of male-female balance, let us talk less and listen more to each other, let us make peace with our differences, and unleash the beauty and light within us to make the world a better place. Let us stop giving energy into divisive polarizing chatter that does not move us into this fifth world dream. Create beauty in your life, and before you know it, the outer world will BE a mirror reflection.

Get a boost from the group dynamic to change your food habits at the Women’s Juice Cleansing & Ceremony Weekend. July 9-11 will be filled with juicing, lymphatic shaking/dancing, meditation, sharing circles, and personal ceremonial time on the land. SCL is offering one scholarship to each event to participants in financial need. See calendar and RSVP for more information.

Sound Bath Healing opportunity on August 8 is another way to cleanse and renew! When bathed in resonant sound, different areas and systems of the body respond as the waveform travels through the body to the cellular level, creating alignment. This will take you on a sound journey that will relax and de-stress you, and bring your whole being back into a state of harmony on all levels; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Donations suggested. See calendar for more information and RSVP to Christian Lannie 336-682-7492

Charitable Contributions & Tax Changes for 2020 & 2021

The Covid Care Package has increased charitable donations for the 2020 and 2021 tax year also. This means that singles can deduct up to 300$ and couples 600$ for donations to qualifying charities like Spirit Canoe Lodge. Please contact your tax advisor to confirm. If you desire to donate to Spirit Canoe Lodge to help fund our projects like the landscaping and purchase of trees for the Eagle Dance Arbor, please click DONATE. You will be sent a receipt for tax purposes.

SPRING EQUINOX & FINDING BALANCE

Spring is Imminent! The Equinoxes are a prime time to re-evaluate balance. The day and night are the same length. Our balance or imbalance may feel more acute than ever given current events in the world right now. How are we managing or resisting the energy upgrade (opportunity) that is happening? What is the state of our inner masculine (active) energy and our feminine (receptive) energy. Is it time to put into action what we’ve been dreaming about this winter? I’ll be hosting an Equinox Ceremony March 20 @ 6pm. This will be a small gathering RSVP asap to Kelly. Hard to believe it is one year later…many of us have not even seen each other and I look forward to the pleasure of your company once again as you feel called. Visit on your own or join us in a gathering in the coming year. Kelly Jumping Mouse

Our Zoom Series will begin Sunday March 14th @ 4-6PM The Sweet Medicine SunDance Path of the Twisted Hairs of Turtle Island is one face of a contemporary shamanic practice. Its varied Teachings and Ceremonies weave into a cohesive whole.  This series of Zoom gatherings will provide deeper insights into the fundamental knowledge that forms the foundation of this Path.  You will learn how these teachings accelerate your desire to grow and evolve, and how they will make a difference in your everyday life. For more information and To register contact Kelly

Session #1 March 14th @ 4-6PM: Where do these Teachings come from? How to relate to the Teachings. The nature of circular thinking. The Medicine Wheel as a tool to deepen our learning & understanding. The elements of creation in relation to our human aspects, the powers of the universe and what these have to do with our everyday life. 

Session #2 March 28th @4-6PM: The Worlds of Grandmother Earth and how to gain their insights. Living our daily life in harmonious balance, the consequences when we do and what happens when we don't. 

Sessions will be 2 hour Zoom meetings. Cost 25$ each teaching.

Carol Anne, a longtime SCL supporter will be gifting her daughter Kiera one of her kidneys. Their surgery date is March 23rd. Many of their expenses will be not be covered by insurance please consider sending them a monetary donation or let us know if you can spend some time bringing food or helping with their post surgery care. https://gofund.me/08ce8f75

Lodge Rebuild & Work weekend - April 9-11 Even though our lodge has not been used much this past year it is time to rebuild it. As we work, we pray for the return to balance and the freedom to worship in community again. As we imagine it will be so. A variety of tasks are needed from wood splitting, landscaping, and the new lodge construction. Please put this on your calendar and RSVP to Kelly.

SCL is in need of a new work away helper! A significant date is May 10 - July while Kelly is traveling. Contact Kelly for more information Kelly

Vision Quest Weekend is happening this year! April 23-25 RSVP early Kelly.

There are several online Deer Tribe Events happening soon! Please visit these links for more information and to register. List of online events from DTMMS

Share Your Story There are many wonderful experiences to share from those of you who have done ceremonial work at Spirit Canoe Lodge. Write from the heart and know your story can make a difference. We are seeking inspiring stories and testimonials how ceremony has changed your life to add to our newsletter and website. Contact Kelly to contribute! Kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

Spirit Canoe Lodge, PO BOX 111, Warrensville, NC 28693, USA

WINTER SOLSTICE ZOOM & HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER

Closing out 2020 & Holiday Fundraiser Zoom, December 20, 2020 @ 3PM. Contact Kelly here to RSVP for the necessary link! Cov%#*! struck again and we are moving our fundraiser online. You will be able to see the items during our Zoom 3-5pm. We will be creating a store for the lodge on our website and you can contact Kelly to purchase an item during the Zoom or at later date. Donations include: art, pottery, tinctures, fans, cabin vacations, wild sustainable organic Angels, body work, syrup, clothing, and more! Thank you SCL community for all your generous donations. Many thanks to Carol Anne for coordinating with donors! As we open the Zoom Kelly will honor this most important Winter Solstice energy with prayers for collective healing and our community family. See below message from Kelly and please tune in! 

Blessings from Grandfather Sun! This photograph truly shows how we are blessed each and every day with life. There is a rainbow in every ray of sunlight. We are not always present to the gifts happening in every moment…but they are there in the best and worst of times. This moment was a 2020 highlight for me and I’ll be sharing the full story soon. Please join us Sunday when we open our Zoom @ 3pm We’ll start with a prayer and a calling in of the directions, honoring the Solstice and prayers for Humanity to move forward into the social/political/personal changes being demanded. Next, I’ll share a review of the year at the Lodge and some of the things we actually accomplished! Then I’d like to hear from all of you that show up on the Zoom your own experience of 2020. This really helps me get a sense of what is needed in our community as we plan the new year. Before we close we will show the products donated for our fundraiser! You can contact me directly to purchase any of the items and we will list them soon on a store page on the SCL website that will always be open! We have chosen to be alive at this critical time on Mother Earth to cultivate and share our Dharma (our gifts) in a world that needs it more than ever! I look forward to the pleasure of your company! RSVP here Kelly

There are several online Deer Tribe Events happening soon! Please visit these links for more information and to register. They are all 20$ or less or free but you need to register to get the link!

December 19, (Australia timing) The Four Doorways to Regaining Balance with Janneke Koole

December 19, 3-5pm Re-Wire for Dharma with Sara Register

December 19, (Australia timing) Welcoming the Journey with Kristin Viken

List of online events from DTMMS

Share Your Story There are many wonderful experiences to share from those of you who have done ceremonial work at Spirit Canoe Lodge. Write from the heart and know your story can make a difference. We are seeking inspiring stories and testimonials how ceremony has changed your life to add to our newsletter and website. Contact Kelly to contribute! Kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER

Get some Holiday shopping done and donate to a great cause! Funds are still needed for our Eagle Dance Arbor. The tractor work continues! We are creating a FB page to show our wares, updating with pictures as things come in. If you are able to make a donation please send Kelly a photo and recommended minimum bid price so it can be posted. Items will be available for purchase right away or you can make a minimum bid. Thank you to those who have already made donations! Open House December 19-20 @ 10-4pm. Stop by over the weekend to purchase an item, make a prayer bundle (intentions for 2021), and say Hi! Our craft day was sensational and we made several items some of them will be for sale!

• Jewelry

• Smudge Fans

• Pottery

• Bodywork

• Original paintings

• Clothing

Check the SCL FB page for more information or contact Kelly to make a donation or purchase: Kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org

Covid considerations: If you are at risk or have possible exposure do not attend. This will be an open house drop in event with people making short visits to see the items. You may purchase online and pick up later if you don't feel comfortable attending. Please wash your hands often throughout your time here and use hand sanitizer.

Welcome Simone! Our new Lodge work-away, Simone is standing in front of a painting she just finished. WOW! Also an amazing cook and creative in many other ways. She is here for the winter and studying midwifery while helping out at the lodge. I’m so grateful for the help which enables me to focus on other things and feel good about traveling. Please welcome her and stop by to meet her!

Welcome Loki! (AKA Crazy Cat) So far he doesn’t answer to any particular name… He is about 7 months old, has a bobbed tail, came from a rescue center in South Carolina, I dated him online for a couple weeks before we met, and felt good about sleeping with him on the first night home. He is starting to create mischief everywhere but is currently taking a nap on my desk whew!

Share Your Story There are many wonderful experiences to share from those of you who have done ceremonial work at Spirit Canoe Lodge. Write from the heart and know your story can make a difference. We are seeking inspiring stories and testimonials how ceremony has changed your life to add to our newsletter and website. Contact Kelly to contribute! Kelly@spiritcanoelodge.org