spring edition
a retreat space to explore your unique connection with Spirit
spring edition
a retreat space to explore your unique connection with Spirit
experience the sacred in your body.
“Embodied Devotion” is a journey of bringing the body into connection with The Sacred, whatever that means to you.
Your spiritual sovereignty is honored while we explore spiritual practice & lineage that includes your animal body.
Our themes are healing, devotion, community, and curiosity.
quick logistics
when: 3pm on Thursday, April 18th through 12pm on Sunday, April 21st 2024
where: Boyne City, Michigan @ The Croft Residency, (5725 West Road, Boyne City, MI 49712), a 20-acre nature-based artist residency that overlooks Lake Charlevoix
donation based: you decide, suggested sliding scale of $333 to $888
what to expect:
- shared space of ritual, ceremony, & healing
- a culture of generosity with self, others, & nature
- celebration of the sacred
why we gather
Many of us long for co-created spaces of spiritual devotion – places where our authentic connection with Source has room to blossom. We may have inherited generations of disconnection, but now we are ready to rise in circle together in the truth of our bones once more.
Yes, most of our roots were severed from the great tree of spiritual lineages that pulses with Life. We know well the horrors of colonialism, wounded patriarchal systems, the witch hunts, the suppression of the Sacred Feminine, disembodiment, sexual trespass, war culture, and on.
All this pain contributes to a deep longing for emotional intimacy, which often expresses in shadow as numbing, distracting, pain-deepening behaviors of addiction.
There is a need for healing our roots of connection with The All.
The Embodied Devotion Retreat is a space to remember ritual, rites of passage, and community trauma healing that our bright and well ancestors knew long ago. It is a place to remember how it feels to be together with others who seek a devotion to Life.
As we allow these communal movements to settle the imbalances of our nervous systems, we can then experience the intimacy we long for with ourselves, with the world, and with the cosmic dimensions.
This spring, join for this vision: for beauty, for honor, for connection, for truth.
I can’t wait to be with you at Embodied Devotion.
join us for
simply express your interest by replying to this short form
schedule
(this is an approximate overview, real times may vary)
thursday
3pm – Arrival
5pm – Dinner
7pm – Opening Circle
9pm – Quiet Time
friday & saturday
7am – Morning Practice
8:30am – Breakfast
10am – Playshop 1
11:30 – Unstructured Time
1pm – Lunch
3pm – Playshop 2
4:30pm – Unstructured Time
6pm – Dinner
7pm – Evening Activity
sunday
9am – Breakfast
10am – Closing Circle
12pm – Goodbyes and Departure
2pm – Latest Departure Time
your retreat includes:
- a Grandfather fire ritual for emotional release of anger, grief, and fear
- a cacao “Sophia Circle” ceremony with the Divine Feminine
- tools to heal your nervous system & experience embodiment
- guided meditations, movement, and creative channel work
- exploration of your “god wound” & calling in your heart’s truth
- celebration and play with the beauty of Life
- unstructured time to be in reciprocation with nature and community
- organized potluck-style meals to nourish each other
- add-on option: bodywork and / or tuning fork sound healing
… and more as intuitively guided!
this is for you if…
• you are curious to understand more about who you are & why you are here
• you would like to experiment with devotional practices to see what’s aligned
• a shamanic and animistic lens is resonant with your spiritual orientation
• you enjoy the “growth edges” inherent in group experiences
• you want to celebrate the divinity of your holy body, the body of Earth, & all other living things
Your retreat is facilitated by:
aria everts
Aria Everts is an expert in catalyzing change through healing, ceremony, and spiritual coaching. She gets to the root of blocks, so that joy, mindfulness, and spiritual connection can grow. Her clients include founders, speakers, scientists, creatives, and folks from all walks of life, who believe together we can create a world where all life is honored. Learn more at www.ariamae.com.
Tuning Fork Biofield Healing* is available during breaks with:
Courtney Miller
Courtney Miller is a full blooded Anishnabe Water protector and Medicine person. Her journey as a Wisdom Keeper (Turtle Clan) and Spirit-guide began as a child, and has developed to include medicine songs, ceremonies, massage, personal training, and healing with cannabis. She offers Biofield Tuning, a specialized modality that pin-points and dissolves the root of pain and disease, using harmonics of tuning forks.
Bodywork* is available during breaks with:
Benjamin Cheney
Benjamin Cheney is a performer and designer from Northern Michigan. He is the founder and Artistic Director of The Croft Residency, a dance residency in Horton Bay, MI. His personal movement practice centers on moving meditation, with a focus on somatic, intentional, and metaphoric improvisational movement. Ben completed Willoway and TC Studio Pro’s massage training program. He has taken John Barnes’ Myofascial Release 1, 2, and Unwinding.
*Suggested additional donation for Biofield and Bodywork is $50 per half-hour session.
testimonials
mfc
Before working with Aria, I felt an aching desire for a depth of spiritual journeying and knowing that I had not yet experienced. Aria created and provided that space, in which I expanded, evolved, and transformed in ways I had not before experienced, all while feeling safe, held, and respected. It is a gift to work with someone who embodies the vastness of the self work and study they have done themselves, and is also so “human” and relatable, and also to be held with such care and courage.
asa
Aria guided me through the deepest healing process I have been through – one that was essential for my development, and for the health of my relationship with my partner. She is a truly skilled and nuanced facilitator who embodies the work she shares. She brings a felt sense of safety, presence, and fun to every step of the journey. I highly recommend working with her.
laurel
Aria led me through our work with a confident and compassionate hand, and I felt so much support from her spiritual foundation while working within my own traditions.
nic
Aria is a gifted guide and healer – she approaches her craft with confidence and solid direction while displaying comfort with the unknowns this process naturally entails. From my very first phone call with Aria I sensed her commitment to this work. This certainly showed in her preparatory care and ongoing aftercare. Aria is intuitive, yet organized and planful. This allowed me to trust in the process and freed me to heal in dramatic ways. Since my care with Aria I have been able to continuing my healing journey with agency – while showing up with more vitality and presence for those I serve.
simon
On retreat with Aria I have felt both gently held and free to listen to what wanted to unfold. She always offered options and was precisely attuned to my energy in the spirit of supporting what was in service to healing, restoration, and integration. Aria is truly a worldclass retreat guide: self possessed, well-resourced, spiritually embodied, tuned in, and a clear channel.
FAQs
How does the sliding scale payment work?
The suggested donation is anything between $333 and $888, but it can be more or less. Please tune in with your higher self and Spirit to find the amount that feels like a real commitment, but will not put you into financial hardship.
How many people will be there?
The group will have a maximum of 10 participants, plus helpers.
What are the accommodations like?
We will stay in a large home with several shared bedroom spaces, three bathrooms, and a shared kitchen. If you have any special needs related to sleeping arrangements, please communicate them in the application survey. Camping is also available if you prefer.
I'm busy - do I have to attend for the entire time?
Yes, you are invited to slow down and receive the full three days of the retreat by prioritizing your intention for attending and creating space for the retreat.
What's your technology policy?
You are encouraged to be totally offline during the retreat, so please make arrangements with loved ones and work as needed. If you absolutely need to check your messages, you can use the time during breaks. If you’d like Aria to hold your phone in a safe place, simply turn it off and hand it over at the beginning of the retreat, and she will return it when we are complete.
Additional Questions? Simply email Aria at aria@ariamae.com.