Compass 

a Seasonal Study of Ritual and Craft with the Elemental Forces of Change

There is nothing so steady as change. 

At present, I find myself securely positioned in the Nature is change; I am nature locus of life. 

The constant in all this change is the ritualistic web woven by the five elements, one feeding another, two balancing a third, all of us entirely possible because of the whole of them. 

Thus is born Compass, a study of these energies and their edges, the in between spaces, and the parts of us that press up against them, willingly or less so.

Join me and a close cohort of no more than five humans as we move through the seasons with the elements. 

We’ll begin now with directional wood in spring, crafting the life before us; stir with fire as summer moves in, relishing intensity and harnessing it for our alchemical motions; tend the earth with every mark of change, understanding in our very depths the grace between them all; liberate our spirits with metal as autumn breezes carry us into all the wisdom we find in our bones; and dance through and around and in and beyond with water in the depths and darkness of winter. 

This is a gathering for beings in the northern hemisphere to mark the seasons and steep in them and wander through them to these places where change happens and know ourselves to be not only capable but masterful in our presence and our agility there.

Click here to find more information about Compass including our expected timeline.

past event details

e p h e m e r a APRIL 13 10-12:30

[ ephemera // the fleeting ones, here for just the sweetest window of time ]

We’ll have a pot of herbal tea on the camp stove when you arrive, with time to gather and land and talk about what brings you to the woods this day. We’ll welcome some poetic guidance into our midst. We’ll talk briefly about some of the plants who are really out and about at the moment. I’ll offer a simple introduction to making flower essences for those who are interested and provide supplies to you in case you’d like to take a vessel with you to make your own. Then you’ll have a good chunk of time to yourself, to wander or find a spot and rest or stick to the circle and talk about these things together. Finally, we’ll gather again, chat a bit about the connections we’ve made in the world, and harness a bit more of that poetic medicine before we go on our ways.

This gathering is so much about making space and time to be lean into our connection with the world. Connecting with the plants at early spring moment can mean all sorts of medicine for us. It’s my hope to host seasonal gatherings like this where we get to tap into the energy of the moment in this beautiful place, sense the changes of the seasons, and offer some of ourselves to the story.

If you have questions about the gathering, please reach out to me! graham@rootdeepliving.com. If you want to be there to celebrate this ephemeral moment, be sure to register.

spring ephemeral plant walk APRIL 14 1:00-3:00

[wandering with wild ones]

This little journey won’t take us too far from point a to point b, but along the way there are so many early spring blossoms and other sprouting plants to connect with. 

Spring ephemerals hold a special place in the human heart, easing our burdens as we move from winter to spring and wake our own spirits to the life around us. The little yellow bellwort and bright trillium blooms, sweet wood anemone, brilliant geranium… opening us into the moment. 

We’ll start with a little cup of herbal tea to sip while we talk about the ecology of this particular zone, how it helps to shape the Southern Appalachian ecosystems, and what kinds of plants you might find here. We’ll cover some very, very basic botany to attune our senses to the intricate beauty of these small and significant flowers and then go walking to look for the spring ephemerals and their neighbors. If you want to get close, you can peer through a loupe to see even more of what is happening in the flowers. And if you’re a tree person, you should know, we still have cherry blossoms and the dogwoods are just starting to bloom. It’s going to be a beautiful day.

If you have questions about the gathering, please reach out to me! graham@rootdeepliving.com. If you want to be there to celebrate this ephemeral moment, be sure to register.

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