Seasonal School

Fall 2024

Sept 23- Dec 20, 2024

All classes will be recorded and uploaded to an easy-to-access online portal.

We're still in the time of plenty, harvest, long warm days, and sun-kissed cheeks. But in a few weeks, the quality of light will begin to change, and so will the feel in the air. We'll need to grab another layer in the morning, and evenings will start to cool.

We are moving toward the season of descent, where the energies of the earth are naturally drawn down and in. To support the inevitable time of turning inward, I am offering a seasonal school that will take us from the fall equinox to the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. This is not a typical school; it's a school of gnosis, of self-knowing through direct experiential insight.

I have gathered my favourite trusted practices and created a three-month experience to support folks who are looking for some structure in their intention of living intimately. To stay close. This offering is intentionally structured to provide a rhythm and routine that allows for a sturdy container without feeling heavy or intense while being robust enough that it encourages intimacy with life. It provides a consistent place to drop in and learn through direct embodied experience—a way of brightening our inner light in the darkening season. 

All these practices will help us stay close to the whispers from the soul and the deep self's yearnings. To stay close to the longings of the heart. Even knowing what these longings are requires devotion to our inner life. We need a devotion to listening and, eventually, loving all the messy and magnificent aspects of who we are. All of the practices shared in the seasonal school center around holding ourselves with gentleness, inclusion, care, and curiosity. They are the practices that I turn to again and again for refuge and resilience, some of them for over 20 years. 

I trust the season of descent and what it asks of us, just as I trust the sun to rise again in the morning. It's possible to make the journey exciting and engaging. Creative and life-giving. Forging these inner resources is an essential life skill, given all we face collectively in the polycrisis. It is how we nourish the soulful tethers to an embodied life.

Meditation

Three guided embodied meditations per week. We'll start by soothing our nervous system, grounding into the earth, and connecting with our three centers of intelligence before moving into a mindfulness practice of exploring our breath, sensation, and sound in a warm inclusive way.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7- 7:20am

Writing

The writing circle is a practice of staying close, showing up, and clearing the space to see what comes through. We begin with a brief meditation to help gather our attention. I'll then read a short quote, poem or archetype from the tarot or the planets. We'll then engage with a stream-of-consciousness writing practice. 

*No writing experience necessary

Thursdays at 11 am-12:15 pm PST

Monthly meetings

Each month, we'll gather to go over the themes we'll explore for the month ahead. This hour-long gathering will be somewhat in the theme of a dharma talk, going over the "why" of what we're practicing to illuminate and inspire. These gatherings will offer place-based outdoor practices, creative projects, and further readings.
Tuesdays Sept 24, Oct 29, Nov 26 11am-12pm

At the end of each month, we'll gather for an "ask me anything" session, a time to share insights and ask questions about how the practice is evolving.
Tuesdays Oct 22, Nov 19, Dec 17 11am-12pm

Yin Yoga
Participants of the seasonal school will have access to 20 pre-recorded yin classes through our online portal to practice at their convenience.

Weekend Practice
The cohort will decide on a one-weekend practice session in October or November. Options include dreamwork, a longer yin and meditation practice, or a combination of both.

Investment

$825 (in the currency of the country you reside in)

Please get in touch with info@carlyforest.com to register.If you are new to working with Carly, an introductory call will be set up to ensure this program is a good fit.
Payment plan options and a few scholarship options are available for those in need.