Deepening Into Nature ~ The Land
2025 May - July
OVERVIEW
Anything that has ever happened in our human incarnation here on this planet it has unfolded on the land. The land is our incarnational partner providing us with the co-creative incarnational structure for everything to happen. It meets us, supports us, receives us, co-creates with us and incarnates for us again and again. It holds us in place in a living communicating and responding field and assists us in our ongoing evolutions. What does this mean in our everyday lives? How do we notice it? How do we play with it?
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Land manifests Gaia’s radiance. It is the fields and mountains, forests and deserts, urbanscapes and arctic icefields. It is Gaia’s core light emanating through all life, including ours. Each of us has our own spot on our earth’s land. Land offers us the opportunity to deepen our sense of self and relationship to all life on earth. Land is the vitality of Gaia’s manifesting love.
Land is the theme for Deepening Into Nature’s first three-month session in 2025. We all live upon the land, whether in a remote house in a forest or in a fourth-floor apartment. The nature of the place may be different, but land carries values and deep understandings regardless of the surrounding area. It is why we chose land as our theme to begin our nature exploration this year.
We will explore the nature of our land by expanding our physical awareness of our land through sensory exercises and the practice of deepening our connection with nature at a place near our home. This year, we will place more emphasis on our subtle awareness of nature in the surrounding land. The class will feature new sections on the alliance with humans, the Sidhe, and nature. We will also journey more deeply into the subtle realms of the nature spirits, Devas, and subtle formative beings and forces that shape the manifestation of life.
Above all, the class's focus is on relationship—relationship to the land and the nature that dwells upon it, and relationship with one another as we explore and experience our connections with nature, the subtle beings of nature, and a deepening sense of ourselves. We learn through communing with nature and through community amongst ourselves as participants in the class.
We will engage in conversations, in individual projects, and in participating in presentations to everyone. Deepening Into Nature is like a small ecosystem where everything and everyone endeavors to support the manifestation and wholeness of everyone else.
Join us in this space, guided and held, as we explore these questions and the delightful mysteries and resounding truths of what it is to be incarnated on this planet. A part and partner with Nature as our natural selves.
COURSE FORMAT
Deepening Into Nature will be held on our online education site, Lorianeducation.com. Through your ongoing Learning Library, you will have access to the online discussion and materials 24/7.
The format for Deepening Into Nature is changing this year. Unlike in previous years, when we condensed presentations and conversations or “Chat Times” into a short time period, we extended each class session to three months. This session runs from May through July, and the next session will be from September through November.
Each month will have one primary presentation and, during most months, a supplementary presentation. Each month will also include three conversational times, one for each of the first three weeks of the month. These informal “Chat Times” are where we get together to share our experiences, ask questions, and develop deeper relationships with each other.
The Nature Library, a compilation of books, articles, art, and other resources and information that we wish to share with one another, will be on the class site. Our personal projects will also have a home there.
One of the big changes for this year is that the program will flow "continuously." People may join at the beginning of each session, but the content will be an ongoing learning engagement.
We see opportunities for new types of class material and engagements to emerge and look forward to developing them with all of our participants.
Please note: Unlike other Lorian classes, if you do not take the other sessions, you will not have access to the class after the next session begins. Of course, you can always download any materials made available during the class.
You can choose to pay for the whole 3-month session with one payment or pay by the month.
Full Price - $225.00
Three Monthly Payments - $75.00
Scholarships are available. If interested, please contact Susan at susans@lorian.org.
Our exploration of the natural world is the recognition and expression of embodying Incarnational Spirituality in the field of our lives. David expressed this well at a Commons Community meeting this past summer.
“As Incarnational Spirituality has developed, it’s become apparent that it’s only half of the picture. The other half is that we are here as partners in the Incarnation of Gaia, the incarnation of the world, as a great living being. And for that, we need each other. For that, we need nature. For that, we need the Earth. And for that, we need the subtle worlds.”
~ David Spangler
Lorian Covenant of Confidentiality
Please Note: Your registration in a Lorian class confirms your commitment to uphold Agreements of Confidentiality and mutual respect which govern the spirit, the intent, and the practice of our education experience together.
Facilitator - Deb Scrivens
Deb worked professionally as a naturalist and environmental educator for 45 years and trained as a spiritual counselor and healer since 1997. A graduate of Huxley College of Environmental Studies, she studied with Tom Brown Jr., Jon Young, Sandra and Michael Harner, and Sandy Ingerman. An avid outdoorswoman, gardener, and world traveler, she lives in Oregon on the Sandy River with her husband and two cats.
Facilitator - Freya Secrest
Freya Secrest, MSD has worked with Lorian since its inception in 1974. First ordained by Lorian in 1984, she currently serves as the Community Commons Coordinator. She is a parent, educator, mentor, and grandmother who is passionate about exploring new attitudes and ways of relating with nature and each other that can shape a more interconnected world.
Facilitator - Mindy Springer
A practical adventurer, Mindy has followed her inclination toward beauty across the country and throughout her life. She resides in the home at the confluence of the Klickitat and Columbia Rivers with her two kids and two cats. A diverse career path has given her the opportunity to develop her skills as a facilitator, commune daily with nature, and weave her spiritual practices throughout.
Facilitator - Ron Hays
Ron, an ordained Lorian priest and current Board Treasurer, has worn numerous hats in Lorian, including website developer, blog editor, and operations manager. As a Faculty member, he is channeling his passion for Incarnational Spirituality and nature into a program to create new relationships with the natural world.
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for more information on our online classes for information on late registration, refunds and privacy.