Mentoring and School

School for the Practical and Sacred – A Place of Joy

Practical hands-on mentorships are now available. Interested parties please email Barbara here and learn of the many ways to work together and with our Earth. Our goal is to bring balance and harmony through stewardship of the landscape. As we work into the physical realms we discover the landscape of our soul also deepening and coming into balance.

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 This is no ordinary school. It is not really a school at all, but there isn’t a good descriptor that conveys the true meaning. Old-fashioned, grounded and common sense come close. It is a place where you can truly be yourself and feel comfortable doing so. There are no set rules and regulations, with the exception of kindness, respect, goodwill and peace towards all sentient beings, the earth and Gaia. We will work and play in ways that are meaningful, from a place of curiosity and joy. You will choose how to spend your days, out of the treasure trove of my life. I am an elder now and it is time to pass on the fruits of my labor on this sweet Earth, with its poignant lessons and enough adventures for several incarnations, all of them lived in one bodyaurora1

If you are attached to “normal” this might not be for you. We can discuss this in a conversation prior to your arrival. For those who would like to stay for a longer period, (more than one month) we can do a week’s trial, to confirm that the lands’ and our individual needs will be met. There is nothing like being somewhere and not being totally relaxed in your skin. I totally understand this as I have been in that situation more than I care to let on. We humans are still learning to share our hearts with each other and it seems to be taking longer than we might have thought. Nevertheless, we can still have some fun together. It won’t be long now before time and space no longer exist in our reality and maybe by then, we will all be doing fine…the intention is to keep the faith, love and hope alive that points in that direction. This is the main aspect of what our time together will be about—faith, love and hope—so that we can come alive with humor and humility.

There will be time each day of stillness and silence for morning and evening meditations. Meditation can be fun and will definitely enhance and help the day to unfold sweetly. We will enjoy nutrient dense food that nourishes in body, mind and spirit, prepared with love and warms us twice over. And we shall work and play together to enhance deep sleep and rest.

Some days we might do nothing more than play kick-the-can or another non-virtual game or form of play. We decide. Play is good for the brain, the heart and the soul, allowing flexibility and levity to keep the creative juices flowing. Or, maybe it will be music that guides our souls.

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For those who would simply like to rest, you can do that too. Sometimes doing nothing, for days at a stretch, is exactly what a person needs. Otherwise, and for those who would like to be active, there are a number of projects and activities to chose from, not limited to planting and watering, daily greenhouse and garden tending, hiking and exploring in the beautiful Kootenay River Valley and environs, (which has some stunning wilderness areas and wildlife), biodynamic and sacred agriculture practices, nutrition, land stewardship and conscious composting, homeopathic remedy preparation, heirloom seed cultivation and harvest, subtle energy work that nourishes the earth and Self, rainmaking and attention to balance in the landscape, construction and cob projects, a laboratory for light root (a plant that feeds the human etheric body) research, a bath house and living/sleeping quarters and any number of other details that arise by way of natural building projects, Reiki teachings and initiations, teachings on wolves and light root, readings in anthroposophy and whatever else you might wish to learn, do and be.

Mostly, we will learn to be with the earth, each other and the etheric realm (the elementals) with love, affection, joy and beauty.

You may also undertake a project of your own, as long as it fits into the landscape that I call home, which will be yours too.

The basic idea is to be innovative, respectful, self-reliant, flexible and sovereign and thereby free in terms of what you can do and become, without limitations that don’t exist in the first place. We will dance with the rhythms and forces of the universe—waking, sleeping, resting—and attend to useful and sacred arts, skills and energetic healing according to warmth, cold, wind, rain and sunshine. These are miracles of life that change minute-by-minute and day-to-day. And we will celebrate their reflections, as they simultaneously meet our essential being and touch lightly and sweetly upon the land.

There will be practical hands-on and subtle energetic work, as we come to feel how the material and spiritual realms are interconnected, that we live in a realm of form and formlessness and are one with both.

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There is no electricity or running water on the land and these are available a short distance away. I choose to live simply and without electricity, as I have discovered that it plays havoc with my nervous system and that I relax and sleep much more deeply without buzzing AC currents in the surrounds. This is also true for the etheric beings that manifest form out of the formless sphere, which we ignore at our peril. Our work cannot happen without them. We will remember how life can be, when we awaken from a long period of hypnotic amnesia and collaborate with the cosmic creative beings, which are the light bearers of our hearts and the world.

I am moving towards soul consciousness and am happy to share with you what I have learned on that odyssey. Eventually I hope to have many of these teachings online, particularly those on sacred agriculture, so you can learn and practice from your own hearth.

And we shall sit around many a campfire and tell stories. Yes, stories. Stories bring new worlds into sharp focus, make the world go around and will turn ours ever so sweetly under sunshine, moonlight and starry skies.

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Note to Applicants: The work that takes place on the land, for instance meals and the preparation that goes into cooking and eating, building projects and garden work will be done together. Formerly, I hosted an apprenticeship-training program and was the main person doing the work. This is not what will take place here. We will work together on projects so each can learn the practical and sacred details that are involved and we hope to have fun doing so. As mentioned in the write-up, I absolutely understand the need for rest and if that is why you are coming please advise me from the outset.

Where: Southeastern British Columbia in the Kootenay River Valley, 10 acres of conifer trees, creek, gardens, outbuildings, cob structures and homestead.

When: By arrangement April 1st to December 1st. Hardy folks may come during the colder months. Transportation to and from the land is your responsibility and there will be a waiver/release for you to sign prior to arrival. Start Date: April 2017.

How: Apply to Barbara@soulmedicinejourney.com and state your interest, aspiration and inspiration, along with a short biographical sketch. There is room for one person initially and tent space is available for a reduced fee. Eventually, with more structures, it will be possible to accommodate more guests.

What: Practical and Sacred Arts and Skills

Financials: Contact Barbara here regarding financial details and fees. There are also in-kind work exchanges available. Maybe you have construction experience and few funds. This can be another option and there are any number of unique ways for us to come together, to get the work underway and completed while enjoying ourselves. I am open to those new ways and please feel free to ask.

Diploma: Granted for individual disciplines per choice. (Sacred Agriculture, Energetic Healing of the Land and Self, Reiki I, II, III and IV certificates and we can discuss further the disciplines that are of interest.

See https://www.soulmedicinejourney.com for Barbara’s resume and life’s work.

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Email for further details and financial arrangements.

“Barbara is one of those rare individuals who lives their truth absolutely. She has lived and continues to live, a life of total conviction dedicated to caring for this beloved Planet. Added to this is her penetrating intellect, and monumental energy. She combines strength with gentleness to fearlessly take her work in soil and seed with her wherever she goes.      

Murray Rushmere – MD/MFHom