Four Directions Workshop
The Four Directions Online Workshop is a six week program for anyone who wishes to deepen their connection to nature and soul. The group will meet once a week for 2.5 hours and there will be solo explorations in nature between group meetings.
People in any profession and any stage of life will find this workshop of value as an in-depth application of eco-psychology and as an opportunity for personal growth.
What makes this workshop unique?
The small group intimacy and support that develops online makes this workshop special. The content of the program is described on our website: a presentation of the Four Directions or Medicine Wheel, an archetypal model of human wholeness that’s found in many cultures and traditions.
The particular tradition we utilize came to us in the 1970’s from H. Storm, a Native American writer and teacher. We’re grateful to him for sharing this beautiful material and allowing us to utilize it in our work.
It’s also important to note that we’ve adapted, modified and re-imagined this work over the past 40 years with a diverse population ranging in age from 15 to 80 and representing many different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities.
How the Program works
Each week, there is a presentation of some aspect of the model, some principle that connects human nature to the natural world, and even to the cosmos. This presentation forms the “didactic” part of the program and is backed up by detailed notes (sent after each meeting) and online videos.
For each presentation of the model, there is a corresponding assignment to be undertaken in nature. Participants can undertake this task at any time during the week between meetings. We suggest at least an hour for the task, but even a half-hour can result in a meaningful experience. On the other hand, people may spend a few hours with a task or give it some time each day over a few days.
The task in nature yields a story—the encounter of the individual with the symbol or meaning that the assignment yields up for them. We’ll first present the principles of Council to help create a safe, strong, and intimate group container. The leaders will then invite participants to share their stories for each assignment. Then they’ll reflect or “mirror” each story, drawing on personal and transpersonal themes, mythology, and years of experience working with this kind of nature-based narrative. Taken together, these stories reveal the nature of the “map” of the Four Directions that each person holds, suggesting their ways of being in the world.
Our way of holding these story sessions feels intimate and sacred, allowing the soul to shine through and be witnessed. It’s in these story sessions that the work moves from conceptual to deeply personal and even revelatory, with the whole group holding the space for this kind of depth.
The Four Directions Workshop starts online, Sunday January 15th, 6pm – 8.30pm GMT
Blog by Mike Bodkin, the Executive Director of Rites of Passage.
Mike has guided and trained people in nature-based transformational programs for over 40 years.
Testimonials
I am really feeling blessed to be in this course with you, so thank you again for creating and holding this wonderful space. I have been loving the balance you are striking…. I think the sharing of the participants and then your reflections and offerings to each of us, plus the opportunity to reflect ourselves to our fellow participants is incredibly rich. I think your notes are fabulous…. The vitality and richness seems to be in the exchange, and then the notes (and now the videos) assist in personal reflection when we aren’t together. A wisdom community is a rare thing these days, and you have created the space for one, so well done!
– Dave L., Physician, Canada
The power of the course is hard to suggest. The time here, on the land and with these people, has led me to great awareness that will help my in my own life. Most importantly, it has opened my heart, connected me to the beauty in humanity and in myself. I know the gifts given to me over these five days are only the beginning.
– Bianca Di Salvo, businesswoman, Yonkers, NY