a year of tending and retreat
in-person at Darkwood in Asheville, NC
*only 2 seats left*
Get started by filling out this “self-selection” application.
2025 Rest & Ritual Circle
Could you devote a year to restoring your Self?
Whether you’re tired from studying in one of The Darkwood School programs or offering your work to the world, it might be time to rest.
You’re invited to come to Darkwood for a year of rest and rituals.
Spend a day each season receiving gentle seasonal attunements, sharing, and getting deeply nourished.
- gather at my woodland sanctuary, Darkwood, 8 times throughout the year
- devote time to resting and restoring
- enjoy a beautiful homemade meal on my screened porch or by the woodstove
- receive care and wisdom upgrades through in-person ritual and divination
- become part of a devoted circle of Darkwood grads
you’ll get
- One-on-one Advisory Call with me each season
- A private Archetype Alignment Call with me in January to determine the Archetype Walk for your Work in 2025.
- Year-Ahead Spread zoom class
- 8 in-person retreats (with lunch!)
- The Darkwood Beat for each season
- The 2025 Darkwood Almanac
- invitations to one-off graduate classes
Testimonial
I recommend the Rest & Ritual Circle to adult women who know how to be in intimate communion–in Circle–with other women; who know how to let go and Rest and want to do it better, more deeply, more fully as a honed skill; who sense the value of turning off their screens and tuning in; who intuitively know what comfortable
clothes and altar items and gifts for sharing should look like on any given retreat day; who can be in-person
in the Asheville area and disappear into the mists and the mountains and Timelessness to Rest for awhile.
In Circle, we share deeply and rest deeply. It is a beautiful ritual of closure from the last season and all
that has happened in our lives; it is also a beautiful ritual of opening that sets the stage for the next season
and all that is to come. We tend one another and are tended with such love that we carry forward to survive
the hardships of life. We grow and thrive, drawing upon the wellspring of deep rest and feminine
connection.
It has provided a safe space for revealing parts of myself that I don’t share anywhere else. It has offered an opportunity to practice new patterns of behavior. It has opened a portal for learning from and being inspired by women I respect and admire. I have formed deep bonds that I didn’t think I wanted or needed… and are now
indispensable to me!
— Courtney Stiles, 2023
details & FAQ’s
what are the retreats like?
The retreats are lovely and chill. You’ll arrive to warm tea and a beautiful apothecary with a seasonal altar at the center; or sometimes we’ll spend the morning outside by the fire. We’ll begin the retreat with an opening ritual, then spend time sharing and reflecting. This is a potent way to get a lot of wisdom of your life and what’s going on for you.
Then we’ll gather on my screened porch or beside the woodstove for one of my homemade lunches. This time is spent chatting, getting to know each other, and exploring interesting topics.
After lunch I’ll invite everyone to rest deeply for a while. You might nap, chat, stroll down the country road, or sit by the fire and stare off into space.
Once you’ve rested, we’ll spend the afternoon in guided ritual. These rituals are sweet and gentle, designed to nourish you and support you as each season begins. Many of the rituals have become traditions at Darkwood, offered year after year.
General daily flow:
- 10 – 10:25 arrival: sit by the fire, chat, stroll, “be” at Darkwood
- 10:30: morning session begins
- 1 pm: lunch & discussion
- 2:30 – 3:30 rest & digest
- 3:30 – 5 ritual
- 5-5:30 closing remarks and open the circle
** Darkwood is located about 25 minutes east of downtown Asheville. Because it’s on the side of a mountain, you’ll need either 4WD/AWD or be able to walk up a short, steep trail to access it.
when are the retreats?
all retreats are 10 am – 5:30 on Fridays
- Priestess | Feb 7
- Girl Child | Mar 21
- Tantrika | May 2
- ** Queen | June 20 (this one might shift, and I will know by Oct)
- Warrior | Aug 1
- Mermaid | Sept 26
- Wisdom Keeper | Oct 31
- Dreaming | Dec 19
why does it go until 5:30 this year?
The women who participate in the Rest & Ritual Circle are dynamic (read: busy), which is often why they enroll; to get a break and restore from their daily grind.
Ending the retreat at 5:30 puts us “after work”, and after school pick-ups. This will help you spend the day in true rest, alleviating you from the temptation to “squeeze in one more thing” after you’ve just spent a day cultivating a restored nervous system.
Also, I’ve noticed over the last 2 years of offering this circle that I need more time around the ritual portion of the day. Ending at 5:30 will give us time to sink into the ritual, and process/chat about the day before we part ways.
This policy is a nudge to help you stay and enjoy a luxurious afternoon in ritual: If you cannot stay until 5:30, please leave after lunch.
what’s the attendance policy?
There is no attendance policy.
While your presence is beloved, it’s up to you whether or not you attend. No matter how many retreats you miss or partially attend, you will still be obligated for the full tuition, including monthly payments.
do I get one-on-one time with you?
Yes! a bunch!
To help you individualize your experience, you will have a 30-minute Advisory Call with me per season (excluding the Dreaming Season); seven in total.
During Advisory Calls I’ll listen deeply to the ways you are applying the season’s teachings and then offer potent reflection and guidance. These calls will help you understand how you’re aligning with and benefiting from the season and archetypes. We’ll also discuss your year-long archetype and how it’s contributing.
Plus the Archetype Walk Call!
We’ll begin the year with a phone call to determine the archetype that you’re going to walk with this year. This will help you align with the specific evolution and “wisdom upgrade” you’re ready for. During our call I’ll use a variety of writing prompts, divination techniques, and meditations to help you know your yearlong archetype, then we’ll end with a short-but-sweet ceremony honoring your 2025 Archetype Walk.
what is an “Archetype Walk”?
Each year the grad students and I align with a Darkwood archetype and “walk with her” for the full year instead of just her usual 6-week season.
At the beginning of the year, you and I will plan a phone call (outside of your seasonal advisory call) where I’ll help you align with the archetype you’ll be walking with. Then, you’ll spend the year seeing through her lens, paying attention to her times of day, moons, and seasons, and noticing her patterns in Nature and yourself. You will learn to alchemize her with every season and every archetype.
If you do the work, the Archetype Walk is a lovely, efficient way to evolve and upgrade your wisdom.
what is the “Year Ahead Spread”?
Using the oracle deck of your choice, together we’ll create a layout that will help you understand the “wisdom upgrade” for each 2025 season. Using a specific set of prompts, you’ll pull 1 or 2 cards for each season, then log this information for easy access and reference all year. You’ll learn how to look for patterns, circuits, and deep meaning in this spread, and most importantly to allow it to unfurl rather than predict the future.
who participates in the Rest & Ritual circle?
This program is open to 6 women or femmes, graduates of Darkwood 101 (aka The Mystical Year).
Participants are all well-versed in the Darkwood archetypes and Wheel of the Year. They are devoted to their self-worth and well-being, and for that reason invest time and energy in themselves. Rest & Ritual participants are social and enjoying sharing about their lived experience and receiving support and reflection from their circle mates. They also appreciate ritual, and willingly participate by following instruction, suspending disbelief, engaging the imagination, and offering their words and insight generously.
In general, Rest & Ritual participants are dynamic women leading complex lives. They require space and time devoted to beauty, support, nourishment, and mysticism to restore their energy so they can continue offering their important work to the world.
is there a pre-requisite class?
Yes. Completion of the Darkwood 101 program (aka The Mystical Year) required.
can I do the Rest & Ritual Circle and another grad program like Writer’s Residency at the same time?
Yes! And! If you sign up for the Rest & Ritual and another program, you’ll get your tuition reduced by $150 per program.
The tuition reduction is in honor of your commitment, and also to compensate for the Archetype Walk call and seasonal Advisory calls that won’t be doubled up on. If you enroll in multiple programs, you will get 1 Archetype Walk call, and 1 Advisory Call per season.
are there requirements for attendance and other things?
Attendance: no requirement
Advisory calls: students can “no-show” or cancel without notice only once.
Tuition: students on the monthly payment plan will be invoiced and must pay on time, with a penalty fee for missed and late payments. Students who are dismissed for non-payment or late payment are still responsible for making their monthly payments.
Intellectual Property: students will enroll with a clear understanding that the Rest & Ritual Circle is not a teacher training, and that participating in the program is not permission or preparation to teach or practice this material. In fact, every program at The Darkwood School positions you to create your own pedagogy, techniques, and methods that are unique to you, instead.
Student Contract: All participants will sign a contract clearly outlining requirements, rules, and agreements, including a waver for being in-person at Darkwood.
why so many rules?
In short, to help you show up for your Self.
Sadly, we live in a culture that encourages women to blow off plans with themselves when work, family, and/or romantic partners “need us”. Women have been trained to consider self-care and self-betterment “low priority” our whole lives; plans with our Self often reads as “no plans” and get easily replaced.
I know this because I’ve done it. A lot.
These rules are in place to help you stick to the plans you made for your Self and prioritize the relationship with “her” (you). They are here to support your commitment to self-awareness and personal growth. These rules are hearty incentives to show the fuck up for your beautiful, unique, miraculous Self.
I will be showing up for you for a year. I want you to show up “for you”, too.
Tuition & enrollment
tuition:
- In full: $3,400 by Dec 19, 2024
- Monthly: $300 for 12 months, beginning December 1, 2024
Enrollment opens October 1, 2024
Start by completing this “self-selection” application. We will never read it; it’s for your benefit only.