Sleeping In the Forest Retreat
Join Wild Hope Counselling for Sleeping In the Forest Retreat
I thought the earth remembered me, she
took me back so tenderly, arranging
her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds. I slept
as never before, a stone
on the riverbed, nothing
between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated
light as moths among the branches
of the perfect trees. All night
I heard the small kingdoms breathing
around me, the insects, and the birds
who do their work in the darkness. All night
I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling
with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.
We all carry within ourselves grief.
Grief could be related to the loss of a loved one, but it is also accumulative.
Maybe the loss of something that was meant to be like a career or relationship.
Maybe the loss of the ability to have children or feel financially secure.
All of these losses can compound deep grief.
We invite you to join us for this weekend which will follow the winter solstice.
Solstice means ‘sun stands still’ in the deep grief of our lives the sun does truly stand still.
This weekend will be facilitated by Ben Burns and Wayne Stevens, counsellors with years of experience dealing with their own and others’ grief.
This weekend we are invited to be with our grief and sense of loss and that the forest can hold us.
This retreat is for those looking to join other men who are experiencing grief or loss.
‘All Night I rose and fell as if in water, grappling with the luminous doom.’
Hosted by Wayne Stevens & Ben Burns
When: June 23rd – 25th 2023
Where: The Rock Mt Byron
Cost: $450 (Includes all food accommodation and materials needed for the weekend)
EARLY BIRD $420 BEFORE June 1st
Your Facilitators
We have a team of about 6 men who will help facilitate your experience on these retreats. All of these men have done significant work in their own lives and can create a place of deep knowing and safety. The weekend is based in nature, which provides a great container for being with grief and will include:
- Group processes
- Solo time
- Silence
- Opportunity to create personal grief rituals
- Plenty of time and space to simply be
Nothing will be forced. We listen to what is needed and understand that grief isn’t something to be solved or ‘dealt with’. There is no agenda to achieve. Grief has its own way.
Benjamin Burns
Ben Burns works in private practice as a Counsellor, with a focus on Men and has worked for the last decade with various men’s organisations in the UK and Australia running retreats and facilitating men’s circles, as well as rites of passage programs.
Ben also runs the Suicide Prevention in Communities program on the Sunshine Coast and Hinterland for Caloundra Community Centre. Ben works alongside people who are keen to creatively explore ways to bring more awareness of Suicide and as a result, reduce stigma and shame.
Ben is a husband, father, musician and poet and enjoys bringing this creativity into all areas of his life.
Wayne Stevens
Wayne Stevens is a Nurse and Counsellor. He has been involved in men’s retreats in Australia and the US and has had the privilege to journey with many men. Wayne currently works as a counsellor at Wild Hope Counselling and specialises in Men & First responders. I first floated the idea of this these retreats to give men a space to explore inner work in a safe community. The team and I work hard to create a space of authenticity and community.
Please Note THIS RETREAT IS DESIGNED FOR AND RUN BY MEN ONLY