One of the great British philosophers of our time, Dr Iain McGilchrist, talks of the three things that will bring well-being and happiness to a person.

They are community, nature and having a sense of the sacred. Space to Emerge holds all these things.

But, Jason and I didn’t set out with this in mind when we had the idea for our woodland retreat. We just followed what our spirit guides told us to do.

Seeking

Backtrack a couple of decades from now, and I was starting out on my spiritual path, knowing no-one who ‘was in to this kind of thing’.

What helped me most during those lonely years of seeking, were touchpoints: opportunities to try things out. After all, how can you know what you’ll be drawn to, what will speak to your soul, unless you give it a go?

At the time, there wasn’t much happening up here in the north of England. I found myself travelling down to the southwest, spending weekends in the healing fields of music festivals. I used to think: wouldn’t it be wonderful to have something like this back at home?

It was some years later that I met my husband Jason on a shamanic medicine wheel training course here in Lancashire. The year after we were married, Space to Emerge was born. We loved the feeling of kinship at our wedding, and we wanted to keep that spirit alive. We started with just 30 of us, and over the years it’s grown into a vibrant community of 200.

We are celebrating 10 years of Space to Emerge next spring, and I’m constantly blown away by what Space to Emerge has become.

There’s such variety over the weekend. You can dip in and out of workshops, follow your intuition, and you’ll always end up in the right place. The community is incredible: warm, welcoming, and so open-hearted.

Creating the new

In today’s world, where we’re surrounded by crisis and mental health struggles. It is distressing when you lift your head above the parapet. As the world gets crazier life seems to get tougher. We can feel powerless amongst global events unfolding that we have no control over.

But author Ross Caligiuri says that if we’re born into a world we find difficult, it’s because we are here to help create a new one. This is what our work through The Way of the Buzzard is about. And at Space to Emerge, for one weekend disappearing into the woods together, we do just that. While one world crumbles, another comes into being.

It’s a joy and a privilege to be alongside you, creating this new world together.

And we are in good company.

Game-changing

I know what it’s like to arrive at an event like this on your own. I used to. Back then, in the early years on my spiritual path, I felt completely alone in my thoughts and beliefs. I thought I was losing the plot and I know my family and friends thought the same of me. But as I sought out new experiences, I discovered I wasn’t alone. There were plenty of other folk like me.

Space to Emerge is a gathering of us edge dwellers. For one weekend, we step out of the margins. We can be fully ourselves, surrounded by people who understand.

Now Jason and I lead The Way of the Buzzard, a community of tens of thousands of people. Incredible to think, isn’t it, that there are so many people like us?

Many people come to Space to Emerge alone, and I know what this feels like.

I recently asked past attendees about their experiences, and Carole’s story touched me deeply:

“I had wanted to come to Space to Emerge for a long time, but my biggest fears were not knowing anyone and not knowing what to expect. In the end, what surprised me most was simply that I did it - it was the first time in my life I’d done anything like this on my own. By the end of the weekend, I realised how much I’d been holding myself back. I came away with a better understanding of what I believe in and how I want to live.

I now feel a sense of belonging which I never did before. I always felt I was sat on the edge of something but didn’t quite know where I belonged. Since finding like-minded folk, all that has changed. Now I am in a very different place, one of peace and understanding. If you’re sitting on the fence like I was, my advice is simple: jump. Take the leap, be brave, face your fears, you really won’t regret it.”

This is what coming together can do. It is literally life-changing.

So, if you feel even the smallest tug, come and join us in the woods. It might be one of the best decisions you make on your spiritual path.

A jolly good, warm welcome awaits.