An invite-only, exploratory and experimental

year-long adventure in

Living as Creature, Not Machine

for grown-up “but the emperor’s not wearing any clothes!” kids;

who felt rejected, punished, or mocked for seeing things differently and have now spent years managing and altering themselves to fit in;

who struggle with finding a way to connect with people or be successful that doesn’t involve hiding or abandoning themselves;

who feel increasingly over-stimulated and out-of-step with much of modern life;

and increasingly empty, bitter and impatient in their relationships or at work.

And the more they seem to be reaching the end of their rope (unable to maintain their socially-acceptable masks, and without the capacity to be everyone’s rock anymore), the more they’re having to both fight their urge to burn their lives down and run away to the woods and fearing everyone they love will leave them.

Exhausted from this war between their inner and outer worlds and fearing rejection from every direction, they’re yearning to find the middle way where they can:

let false selves fall away, relax into their more authentic creature self, and experience more connection and success… in ways that feel meaningful, real, and life-giving

(and who want to help me build out a body of work along the way)

August 3, 2026 - August 1, 2027

I could use your help!

See, over the last handful of years, I’ve been shifting from learning what I practice to embodying it.

And now I’m shifting again - this time into teaching it.

I’ve got a lot of things I could share but I’m getting stuck trying to organize it all because I don’t have a whole lot of feedback from others - what works for them, what doesn’t, what’s confusing, what lands…

And so I’m issuing an invitation into a year of exploring, together. Where I get to test out a whole bunch of stuff and you get to help me out… all while growing your capacity to trust yourself and be more connected, to be more alive and live less like a machine.

The “What” (in brief):

In modern times it feels like we’re frequently torn between honoring ourselves or being connected with others; between being successful in life and being good to the world.

It feels like the relational dance of compromise has become all about self-abandonment and self-sacrifice (especially for more porous nervous-systemed and webby-brained humans). And if there’s any beauty or meaning or spirit to be found in the world, we have to work really hard to find it… or even worse, generate it ourselves.

And this leaves us swinging like a pendulum between feeling caring or resentful; on fire or burned out. We have few places where we feel like we can truly relax and be ourselves, so we’re constantly having to manage everything all the time. All while trying to hide that we feel lonely, anxious, performative, disconnected, and empty. And many of the approaches we turn to to help us in this moment leave us hyper-aware, but not actually changed. Our very humanity still feels like a liability. And relationships that feel real and life-giving seem rare.

I offer that at it’s heart, these challenges stem from abandoning our creature selves so we could try to survive in a de-animated, de-souled, unwell world. (You can hear me flesh out more of this perspective here).

And the antidote to a de-humanized world is likely not going to be found through more techniques to hyper-manage ourselves, or to be like machines, or to expand our capacity to tolerate BS, or fit in in an unwell society.

But rather the antidote might be found by looking for wisdom from when our ancestors lived in more creaturely, land-based ways. By re-animating and re-ensouling our vision of the world, while reweaving our own sense of belonging to:

• body and place,

• heart and community,

• soul and culture

And this is what we’ll grapple with and explore over the course of the year. In a more intimate, invite-only offer for about 8-15 people.

Testing out various pieces that weave together of my love of:

• seasonal living,

• spirituality and meaning-making,

• movement,

• story,

• the outdoors,

• craft and ritual,

• right relationship... and more.

All to be delivered in a mostly-asynchronous format.

You can expect:

Prompts and exercises recorded and dropped weekly for you to explore in your own time. These might be: guided meditations; suggested movement practices; seasonal living prompts; old stories to listen to and be with; energy healing transmissions/ attunements; self-inquiry or journaling prompts; guidance for rituals or things like setting up sacred space in your house; nervous system tools and practices; etc.

Live calls as a group a couple times/ month (though think more along the lines of "camaraderie and fellowship" than group therapy here). These might be: movement sessions, live story times of animist folk tales and myths; skill-building and practices best done in groups; or rituals and energetic transmissions.

All on a PWYC basis with no one turned away for lack of funds. (What's more important to me than what you can pay for this experimental year, is that you have enough time and space in your life to actually engage with the exercises and share your experience with me so I'm not creating in an echo chamber and can finish growing something actually useful to world builders, dreamers, and humans on the side of humanity.)

And I’m asking of you:

A strong request/ expectation that you stay engaged with the offering and in communication with me about your experience with the prompts/ exercises through comments, voice notes, etc. This is a big part of the reciprocity of the program and where you helping me comes in. I create best in conversation with actual humans - seeing how the exercises and prompts land (or don't!) in your bodies and nervous systems; hearing your questions, confusions, and concerns; seeing your wins and transformations. All of that not only helps feed me and keep me going, but also helps ensure I'm creating offerings that are deeply effective, considerate, and meaningful. (The world doesn't need more half-developed things that don't really solve problems cluttering it up.)

The Deeper Context:

I see these times we're in as a wildfire - sweeping through and clearing out old detritus, creating space where new life can sprout.

And I foresee a time when that bare, cultural Earth will be ready for new seeds.

I don't want the only people seeding it to be billionaire capitalists and technocrats pushing colonial and anti-human/ Earth agendas. (If you’re reading this, you likely don’t want that either.)

And I'm concerned that though we "humanists" have immense wisdom for these times; though being able to name when the emperor isn’t wearing clothes is the exact super-power these times need… we're still struggling.

Struggling to survive. Struggling to connect. Struggling to actually embody a different way of being so we don’t keep perpetuating the same sh*t that’s killing us.

Sh*t like:

• the lone pioneer/ martyr: having to do it all alone, without community support, mentors or guidance. within systems designed to exalt modern day (white, wealthy) humans as if they’re the pinnacle of evolution and could provide the answers to all things;

• deductive reasoning vs holistic understandings: breaking things down into parts, fragmenting and compartmentalizing individuals and webs of kinship so life becomes inanimate, de-souled, and more easily extracted (rather than interconnected, emergent, and regenerative);

• “i think, therefore i am”: being stuck in our heads and our analysis as the only place to listen, know, and relate from instead of our brains being one tool we have alongside bodies, hearts, and nervous systems;

• “real life” vs “fantasy”: a false binary between things that are tangible and things that are intangible; with false legitimacy being granted to only tangible or mental things while things like wonder, emotions, and the subtle world along with our subtle senses are stripped of legitimacy and left to atrophy;

• empire and industrialization: worldviews which look at everything as resources to fuel more of itself, leading to transactional, de-humanized, extractive, and exploitative interactions and dynamics between us humans as well as worsening climate crises and ecocide… (rather than an animist worldview that understands everything as relationships, always in emergent reciprocity);

• nervous system and emotional capacity that feels a bit stuck at a younger, more immature age age: a product of not having gone through proper initiations ourselves and lacking the guidance of initiated elders; leaving us lashing out and isolating instead of connecting and relating even in times of risk and conflict.

• and more…

And this is where I think I can help a bit.

Not as savior, but as someone who has burned out time and time again trying to keep up with machines, trying to numb out my sensitivity and deeply intuitive nature. Who found that through unlearning much of what I’d been taught as “normal” and “necessary to survive in this world”, I actually began to thrive. I became happier, healthier, better at relationships, and more able to love myself - not as liability but as someone perfectly designed to live in a more wild, sacred world.

So that’s what I’m aiming to build. A space to:

• gather time-tested wisdom of our long-ago ancestors and their animist world views (and those who want to root themselves more deeply into and through those treasure stores).

• practice the fundamentals of what it takes to be human, in a good way, in the places where we live, in these times.

• restore wholeness, harmony, and coherence (personally and within our ancestral lineages), as best we can.

• build the skills necessary to live and relate from our bodies, hearts, and souls.

• re-enchant and re-ensoul our minds and bring more wonder, curiosity, and mythopoetic memory to our conversations with each other and the world.

• world-build in relationship with the Holy and the Land and from an immense capacity to love and be loved - beautiful, messy, and imperfect as we are.

(A tall order, sure. But note I said "aiming"... )

The More Specific Ask/ Invitation:

So, to zoom back in a bit to details -

We'll start August 3, 2026 and go until August 1, 2027.

I'm looking for about 8-15 people who:

• feel aligned and inspired by the premise, as stated above (some differences in perspective are welcome, of course. this is not a cult. but I request you at least be open, supportive, and respectful of where I'm coming from. I'll do the same for you. we will all get the most out of this if we feel safe enough to take risks and play);

• are down for a year-long adventure in a co-creative process where things are messy, rough, probably include a few fails and pivots.. and are also fully vibrant and alive. I'll give you my best and through witnessing how it lands and how you engage with it, you'll help me build out an offer suite;

• are excited to give this an investment of about 3-5 hours/ week** to do the weekly asynchronous practices and exercises; join one or two live monthly calls (or watch the recordings***); and participate in giving me feedback/ sharing your experience;

• are willing to actually live the content, not just observe or engage with it as a philosophical debate;

• enjoy a mix of guidance from someone, self-responsibility, and camaraderie with peers;

• aren’t carrying so much "group trauma" you're unwilling to engage with each other a bit. (shyness is welcome. hesitation to be vulnerable with relative strangers is a totally normal response we don't need to bypass. and this is not a space for distancing yourself from the group and seeking lots of 1:1 attention. You're welcome to sign up for 1:1 sessions if you want that.)

** 3-5 hours is a rough estimate. you're always welcome to set aside more time or get really into it. and maybe you could get away with less. but I don't want you jumping in and then feeling stretched too thin to engage or get anything out of it. And I don't want the time commitment to be so much that it feels impossible in your life.
*** live call days and times will be determined by poll and majority vote once the expedition group has formed

In exchange, I'm offering:

• empathy, context, and guidance for when your heart yearns to feel alive again even as inner and outer pressures are getting to you. When you know there has to be more to life than :gestures broadly: this. When something in you is whispering "things can't continue as they are" but you're done with trying to life-hack and bully yourself into "functioning." When you want to see what happens if you let yourself be human.

• weekly practices to support you "living as creature, not machine" - delivered via google docs (or an online course platform) as text, audio, and/or video so they're asynchronous and you can engage with them in your time.

  • these practices might include things like: guided meditations; suggested movement practices; seasonal living prompts; old stories to listen to and be with; energy healing transmissions/ attunements; self-inquiry or journaling prompts; guidance for rituals or things like setting up sacred space in your house, etc; nervous system tools... and more

  • some practices will be 5-15min, to be done daily; some may be one-time practices of around 15-30min, to then see how they show up in your life through the week

  • some or all weeks I may share a couple practices and let you choose which one (or more!) you want to do

  • they'll generally support what Mary Oliver exhorts us to do: "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it"

• a moderated feedback/ share space - not on FB, probably not as a group message chain either - possibly through google docs or a course platform - for some group connections and sense of fellowship as well as feedback for me

• my passion for this and my absolute best of what I have to offer (even when it's messy and imperfect)

So…what are the outcomes you can expect?

Honestly- I'm not sure.

But I don't think you'll feel worse.

A few years ago, a client of mine told me she had decided to cut back a bit on her therapy sessions so she could do more sessions with me. She said she arrived at the decision because her then-partner mirrored to her that when she left her therapy after an intense session, she seemed to feel worse. And when she left sessions with me, even if it had been intense and she was still raw, she seemed to feel better. I think that's probably some of what we're looking at here. Some possibility, clarity, affirmation, hope. Perhaps a bit more internal breathing room even if you still feel raw from time to time.

And, look, I can't promise the year will always be easy, fun, or magically solve all your problems in the exact way you want them solved. Life will still be life. Society will likely still be suffering from cultural amnesia and the sickness of empire. But I've got several decades of facilitating spaces where people consistently report leaving feeling markedly better - more connected to themselves, their loved ones, and some vision of a bigger meaning and purpose to it all. So I can pretty confidently say you'll leave with at least that. And with knowing you helped me build something, hopefully, pretty great.

** A note on “scope of practice”:

While I don’t expect this to be a problem, there’s always the chance that tuning into your creature self again (especially where there are more extreme patterns of numbing, addiction, or self-harm involved as ways of coping and trying to fit in with machines) might awaken old wounds/ traumas and a need for deeper/ more specialized support. If it feels like that’s happening and you’re struggling to cope, especially if it starts to affect the group or create concerns about safety, I reserve the right to say something in a manner as non-shaming, supportive, dignifying, relational, and consenting as possible. If the deeper support you might need is within my scope of practice, you’re always welcome to book into 1:1 sessions with me. If what would serve you best is outside my scope of practice, I’ll encourage you to get that support. And I reserve the right to gently end or pause our agreement for the year until things feel more sustainable to continue - not as punishment, but as an act of love for you, for all you’ve been through, and for all the ways your soul is aiming to find aliveness again.

A Possible Rhythm and Flow for the Year:

We'll start right at the beginning of the harvest festivals in the Northern Hemisphere - energetically, a good time to start grounding in and shoring up as the light wanes. So, I'm imagining the first three months (Fall; August-November) will cover things like:

• context and fundamentals;

• setting up sacred space in your home;

• movement and connecting with the natural world in this season;

• shifting from relating to your life from your head to relating more from your body;

• tending to what's most acute and on the surface when it comes to our feelings of cracking under pressure, struggling in relationships, etc

The second three months (Winter; November-February) will be a time of deepening and resting:

• meditations, gentle movement, rest, and silence (enjoying the sacred space we set up in our homes!);

• self-inquiry and journaling or other creative projects;

• practicing the fundamentals;

• relating from body and heart (as opposed to just head);

• rituals;

• community gatherings and relationship tending;

• who are we when we take some of the pressure off?!?;

• story and myth, etc

The third three months (Spring; Feb-May) will be a time of emerging:

• put the skills we've been building even more into practice as we take them out into our wider circles (and then tend to the consequences of that, exciting or scary);

• intention setting and ritual;

• movement practices for bringing more energy in and getting things moving after winter (in a sustainable, not hustle-and-grind, healthy pressure way!);

• nature connection and possible (easy! and super beginner-friendly!) foraging, etc

And the final three months (Summer; May- late July) we'll be tending, circling back, celebrating, whatever feels right as we wrap the year's expedition.

As you can see, we'll be roughly aligning ourselves with the energy of the seasons. That said, it is possible for our inner season to be different from the outer season. Where that's the case, we'll practice navigating that, too.

There will be a lot of freedom and room for interpretation here. I want this to work in your life - supporting what you love, while also challenging and changing the parts of your life that are slowly killing you. Or at least take steps in that direction. I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from a couple of my ancestral traditions, but there will be room and encouragement for you to research or apply it to your own lineages as well.

One of my super powers is reading the room - both individuals and groups - and there may be shifts to this outline in response to YOU. That's where this all comes alive.

Pricing and exchange:

I'm inviting you on a PWYC basis, either as a one-time, upfront payment or a monthly auto-debit.

To give you a rough sense - when everything is developed out, I imagine there will be courses in the range of $50-$350 depending on length/ depth, etc for a one-time purchase. And membership in The Grove - the library of courses and practices, live calls, etc - which will be about $100/ month.

So if you HATE the idea of PWYC and you just want someone to give you a number, you're welcome to pay $55/ month or $660 for the full year.

But that's just a guide number.

There is truly no pressure for you to pay that if you can't. And if you can pay more and want to support this endeavor financially as well as with your time, attention, and feedback, you're welcome to do that, too.

It matters most to me that I get to spend the year nerding out on all my favorite things, with you: some of the most bad-ass, brilliant humans I know.

A note on cancellations and risk:

The general policy/ request is if you commit, please stay committed. It helps us build trust and helps me feel supported and encouraged to keep going. And I'm aware that life can take unexpected turns and a year holds a lot of unknown. Sometimes disaster strikes and our time and financial resources change dramatically. And while sometimes in those moments, it turns out that this kind of thing is actually exactly what we need, it can also be that we need to prune back and tread water. If that happens, or it really feels like this turns out to not be a right fit for you (not just that it feels hard or resistance comes up - those are often served by seeing it through - but truly not a fit), let's have that conversation. No one should feel trapped here. It ruins the vibes all around.

If you have questions, please feel free to reach out. You can send me an email (kate@wildsacredjourney.com) or a voice note on Signal or WhatsApp: +1 703-635-8229.

On sharing this wider with friends/ family:

If you're reading this and someone I don’t know yet but you do keeps popping to mind as being a great fit, please feel free to connect us or share this with them. Just share with discernment (and not on social media). This is a bit of a vulnerable offer at a trusting price point.

Come as you are. Bring your curiosity and your courage. Let the adventure begin.

PLEASE NOTE: this is truly PWYC. I set default prices for those who don’t want to choose an amount, but these amounts are not expectations and you’re completely welcome to change the price and pay less or more. IMPORTANT FOR MONTHLY AUTO DEBIT: you’ll need to change the “QTY” to reflect the dollar amount you want to pay. 1 “unit” equals 1 dollar. You can find the “QTY” in the lower left of the text. I’ll track your payments and cancel your subscription after 12 payments.