Sacred Dark

When the wild god arrives at the door,
You will probably fear him.
He reminds you of something dark
That you might have dreamt,
Or the secret you do not wish to be shared.

Tom Hirons
(excerpt from Sometimes a Wild God)

Deep in hidden corners of our being, we each carry parts of ourselves we have deemed too dark to welcome. Turning toward them can spark fear, a protective force that tries to keep us safe but also separates us from the wild beauty and lifeforce the darkness contains.

This workshop is a chance to develop new skills in your dance with fear and darkness, within a container that powerfully honors individual capacity, autonomy, and choice. Significant portions of the workshop will take place at night, with nature serving as mirror and foil for our exploration of those parts of ourselves we have turned away from. We will use archetypes, movement, counsel-style sharing, and time in darkness as allies on the journey to bring love, humor, acceptance, and clarity to those places the light has seldom touched.

Be ready to go deep, and to be fully present in mind, body, and heart for the entire workshop. Together we will meet the sacred dark with reverence and responsibility, and uncover the unexpected gifts waiting just beyond the edge of the light.

Note: This workshop is intended for participants who already have a degree of comfort with camping and who have the mental and emotional capacity to push some new edges. Expect to spend significant time moving on the land at night without light. You will have the opportunity to choose your level of physical challenge.

Program Logistics

Class will take place at our school’s 40-acre property from 5pm Friday to 3pm Monday. The program will take place outdoors throughout the weekend — please bring layers and dress appropriately for being outside all day in potentially cold weather. Participants should be comfortable moving across uneven ground, or contact us to see if we can accommodate your needs. 

Participants will be camping on our campus all three nights, and will need to bring their own food, tent, and camping gear. Potable water and porta-potty access will be provided.

Carlin Gettliffe

Carlin is a somatic coach, fungiphile, and rite of passage facilitator. His experiences in the tops of apple trees and sneaking around in the dark as a child led to a deep and lasting trust in the power of nature to invite our truest selves forward. As a synthesizer and edge-walker he has dabbled in many worlds, spending time as a business founder, science fiction writer, bartender, physics researcher, and hitchhiking vagabond. He weaves multiple complementary elements into his facilitation, including perspectives from somatic trauma therapy, gender reconciliation work, poetry and myth, archetypal embodiment, and the Light Dark Institute. Carlin is a graduate of the Immersion and Nature Instructor Training at the Wilderness Awareness School.