The Receiving, A November 7th Retreat

Some people reach the holidays carrying everyone. Others reach them wondering who will carry them. The Receiving was created for both. THE RECEIVING A Forest Retreat for the Ones Who Give So Much Before the season asks you to give, come receive. You don’t have to make the magic this time. You get to experience it. ABOUT THE RECEIVING Some people reach the holidays carrying everyone. Others reach them wondering who will carry them. The Receiving was created for both. Maybe you are the person who cooks the meal, remembers the traditions, buys the gifts, checks on everyone, manages the plans, notices who is uncomfortable, and makes the magic happen. By the time the holidays arrive, you are already tired. Or perhaps the season is difficult for a different reason. You may not have a built-in person or circle waiting for you. There may be no full calendar of invitations and no obvious table where you know you belong. The world can feel very social while still feeling profoundly lonely. The Receiving is a full day in the forest where neither person has to perform a role. You do not have to host. You do not have to entertain. You do not have to prove you are okay. You do not have to create the experience for anyone else. For one day, the care moves toward you. Food you did not cook. Conversation you do not have to carry. Ritual you did not have to create. Space you did not have to manage. Rest you did not have to earn. THIS RETREAT MAY BE FOR YOU IF: • You are usually the caretaker, organizer, host, helper, emotional anchor, or person who keeps everything moving. • You are already bracing for the holiday season and want to enter it feeling more grounded. • The holidays can feel lonely, tender, complicated, overstimulating, or strangely empty. • You are tired of relationships that sound warm but rarely become real plans. • You want more depth than small talk, politeness, or “we should hang out sometime.” • You want to meet people without networking, performing, or forcing vulnerability. • You need a day where quiet, rest, nature, bodywork, creativity, and connection are all equally valid choices. • You want to remember your own rhythms before the season becomes loud. WHAT YOU GET TO RECEIVE SEASONAL NOURISHMENT Breakfast, an abundant build-your-own power-bowl lunch, and an afternoon French croissant + phyllo pause make being fed part of the retreat itself. RESTORATIVE BODYWORK Every guest will have the opportunity to receive one 25-minute, fully clothed bodywork session with Kimberly Krueger or Katie Brewer. All touch is consent-based. CHAKRA CHROMOTHERAPY LIGHTS Indoor bodywork at Knob N’ Wood will be held beneath Chakra Chromotherapy Lights. Kimberly’s sessions may also include crystal singing-bowl sound therapy. INDIVIDUAL AURA PORTRAIT Every guest who would like one will receive an individual aura portrait with Elise Dixie Jane. Portrait appointments will be woven into short windows throughout the day. GUIDED SYLVOTHERAPY FOREST-BATHING WORKSHOP This optional guided experience travels through the wider Wild Indigo forest with sensory invitations, slow observation, relationship with trees and place, and a closing tea ceremony. YOGA, MEDITATION + SOUND The day includes accessible yoga and pranayama, guided meditation, a dedicated sound bath, and a closing ceremony with reflection, ritual, kirtan, and a weather-permitting bonfire. CHOICE + FREE TIME Swim in Princess Leia’s Pond when weather permits, join an art experience, rest, wander, enjoy personal leisure, receive bodywork, or attend your scheduled aura portrait window. WILD INDIGO HERBAL RITUAL MAGIC Every guest will take home an herbal care package created around receiving and returning to yourself. The details will remain mysterious until retreat day. REAL CONNECTION This deliberately small gathering creates room for names, reciprocity, meaningful conversation, and connection beyond politeness. COMING ALONE Coming alone is explicitly welcomed. You will not be expected to figure out belonging by yourself. The arrival, opening circle, lunch, choice periods, and closing will offer natural, low-pressure ways to meet people. Gentle pairs and trio prompts will be offered early in the day. Shared-table conversations may move from light to meaningful without requiring oversharing. Collaborative and individual activities allow connection to develop beside something rather than beneath a spotlight. You can be deeply social, quietly present, or somewhere in between. There is no requirement to arrive with a friend, partner, or built-in person. There is also no requirement to exchange contact information. An optional closing moment will offer space for mutual contact exchange and, when it feels right, one actual next plan. You can come exactly as you are. SEASONAL NOURISHMENT Food is one of the major ways The Receiving will feel different from a typical retreat. At Wild Indigo, gastronomy is hospitality: seasonal ingredients, fermentation, color, texture, abundance, and a table worth lingering around. BREAKFAST Quiche, phyllo bites, and savory and sweet frittatas. Come hungry. BUILD-YOUR-OWN POWER-BOWL LUNCH Fermented and pickled foods, cooked greens, seasonal root vegetables, beans, quinoa, rice, Williamson Farm protein, toppings, herbs, sauces, and seasonal extras. AFTERNOON CROISSANT + PHYLLO PAUSE French croissants, flavored whipped butter, preserves, fruit nibbles, and phyllo bites before yoga. COMPLIMENTARY BEVERAGES Unlimited Berkey-filtered water, homegrown herbal tea, Sunergos coffee, seasonal juice, and Wild Indigo’s welcome tonic. DIETARY CARE Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher, halal, dairy-free, egg-free, nut/peanut-free, soy-free, sesame-free, shellfish-free, and other dietary needs can be discussed in advance so we can confirm what our kitchen can safely accommodate. For celiac disease, strict religious observance, or severe/anaphylactic allergies, sourcing, preparation, and cross-contact requirements must be discussed and confirmed in advance. Come hungry. Leave cared for. THE DAY’S FLOW 9:00–9:55 AM Seasonal breakfast, arrival, complimentary beverages, first bodywork sessions, and aura portrait appointments 10:00 AM Opening circle with connection, gentle movement, nervous-system support, and reflection without forced vulnerability 11:30 AM A spacious transition toward lunch 12:00–1:30 PM Build-your-own power-bowl lunch, with bodywork and aura portrait appointments continuing 1:35–3:35 PM Optional guided Sylvotherapy forest-bathing workshop and tea ceremony 1:35–3:45 PM Choice and free time for art, rest, wandering, weather-permitting swimming, bodywork, and aura portraits 3:45–4:00 PM French croissant + phyllo pause 4:00 PM Accessible yoga, pranayama, guided meditation, and sound bath 5:00–5:10 PM Transition break and final aura portrait appointments 5:10 PM onward Closing ceremony with reflection, integration, kirtan, an optional Plans, Not Promises connection moment, and a weather-permitting bonfire BELONGING, CONSENT + CARE The Receiving is invitational, not demanding.