Beloved friends,

It is with tremendous joy that I announce the opening of registration for our 15th autumn Grounding retreat. This will be a virtual retreat; I am enjoying the refinement of this form and look sweetly forward to sharing it with you.

Grounding 2021 will be luscious, flexible, and easeful. We’ll be trying something radical: there are absolutely no requirements. I will offer a simple menu of delicious resources. You are welcome to enjoy whatever feels right for you, in whatever way your own heart guides you. Ahhhhhhhh.

We will begin at the Autumnal Equinox and flow through the season turning at Halloween – that's 9/22 - 10/31.

What am I offering?

- Self-Love: Guided self-massage, deep relaxation and healing meditation. Live on three Saturdays (October 2, 16, 23) via Zoom from 9-10:30am Pacific (4-5:30pm UTC, Coordinated Universal Time). Sessions will be recorded so you can enjoy them at any time and as often as you like for the duration of the retreat. You are welcome to have your camera off or on for live events. If using one or both of your hands is challenging, I'd love to discuss that!



- Live Q&A: after these sessions there is the option of a half hour-ish of grounding conversation. Some of my teachers call this satsang, “gathering in truth”; others simply call it office hours. You can ask; I will answer.

- Circles & Individual Coaching: On the weeks when we do not have a Saturday session, we will have a circle: Introductions and Intentions 9/24, The Cusp of Now 10/6, Closure and Inspiration 10/28. Circles offer you the option to speak, be witnessed, bear witness, and learn in loving community. They take place via email in a private Google Group. I will write replies to each person who participates in the Cusp of Now circle offering support, teaching, coaching, or advice as you may wish. These replies will be delivered to the Group and will come slowly over the course of a couple of weeks to insure my best attention to all. (If you are used to my Home Meditation Courses, please note that this is different: 6 weeks, 3 circles, 1 reply. Circles are conversations that take place by email over several days; they have no set time.)

- Meditations: the weekly meditation Gatherings via Zoom which began during last autumn’s retreat and have carried on since will continue to continue. Wednesdays 8-8:55am Pacific (3-3:55pm UTC). These will be recorded in two formats. The Zoom version will be available to you throughout the retreat to enjoy as you please. Audio files will be yours to keep, providing you a library of meditation teachings and practices for your personal use over time.

- The Buddy System: You could buddy up! Having a (possibly new) friend to chat with for encouragement and support is a wonderful way to build intimacy, deepen your experience, and, if you wish, set intentions and be accountable to one another. During the spring retreat, my buddy and I checked in via text most days in the late afternoon or early evening, sharing our delights, challenges, and egging each other on. It really increased my joyful engagement! You could partner up on your own with a friend who's part of the retreat or let me play matchmaker and meet someone new.

-Me: I'm Kristie Dahlia Home; please call me Dahlia. I'm a wandering mystic who lives aboard a sailboat named Rejoice. I am a yoga therapist (I held clinician status at USCF Medical Center, specializing in working with cancer patients), body and energy worker (Thai Yoga Massage, Chi Nei Tsang, Reiki Master), meditation teacher, and minister-of-sorts. I have done this work since 1995, extensively, from hospitals to ashrams, from birthing rooms and weddings to deathbeds and memorials.

I am a devotional agnostic: I do not believe my tiny human brain is capable of understanding the fullness of existence. I also cherish the process of discovery: I believe in the science. And I believe that we are life, living itself; we are the life of the Earth and the cosmos, and I choose to call this sacred. I truly believe that love is the way.

In addition to the offerings noted here, I'll be available for 10 minutes before and a bit after each Zoom session so you can nab a moment for informal personal questions if need be. You can also schedule private sessions for 1:1 time with me during the retreat as at any other time, at my usual rate: a sliding scale of $60-150/hr. Private sessions can take place by phone or videochat. They might include of spiritual counsel (conversation), energy work, meditation, deep relaxation, or guided self-massage. I only teach full yoga sessions in person, but I will address specific questions about personal practice or tending to one's body.

If you'd like to check out my work before considering whether I am the right teacher or guide for you right now, you can find free audio recordings of meditation, deep relaxation, and energy work at beloved.org and there is a selection of my writing in the form of letters to my community that were written early in the pandemic here.

What is the cost?

I do not love capitalism and aim to set costs gently. I like the sound of $200-550 as a widely sliding scale; if somewhere in that range feels good to you, you can simply choose a price in that range and pay it. If you are able to pay more and wish to, that is much appreciated; it makes it easier for me to flex with others. If you wish to join and find the cost difficult, reach out to me and we’ll discuss what can work for you. To be clear: I have to take care with the size of the promises I make since one never knows how widely things will be shared, but my intention is that cost not keep anyone from joining.

I make a personal tithe of 5% of my income each quarter. For autumn I will be giving to the indigenous people of land where I grew up, the Onondaga Nation, through a network of friends.

Registration

If you'd like to register or chat about whether this retreat might be right for you, simply email me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Community Standards

Unconditional love and exquisitely clear boundaries are the core values I hold for my community. Liberation is the aim of the lineages in which I am honored to be a student; I wish to serve toward intersectional social justice and spiritual liberation for all beings. I respect each person's ability to know who they are, so in addition to our names, we will share our preferred pronouns. This is not a place for anti-vaccination materials. If you have concerns, I’d be delighted to discuss them with you.