The Hidden Place
Fall Herbal Retreat + Wellness Salon
An immersive, day-long herbal retreat focusing on seasonal living, plant-spirit medicine, and deep nourishment + a wellness salon featuring personalized herbal consultations and body work
Sometimes we need to escape time and routine and go outside, to sit and to be in a place that’s just to the side of everything we think, and know, and do.
On October 19th and 20th, we invite you to join us at one of these sacred edges as we spend two days in retreat, in community, in nature.
The Hidden Place is a zone away from zones, a time away from time, a place that feels “elsewhere” but really is more “here” than we ever usually allow ourselves to be.
Like the cave behind a waterfall or the meadow at the top of the mountain, the Hidden Place offers you an experience of care, consciousness, and tending to your heart’s secret depths with plants and the natural world as guides.
The Hidden Place is The Elderberry’s new offering for those seeking holistic wellness support during the Autumn season.
At Bridge Between the Worlds in Keswick, our herbalists will lead participants through ceremony, plant journeys, a nourishing meal, and workshops on the first day, which will feel familiar to those of you who’ve joined us for past seasonal Herbal Day Camps.
The second day will feature a wellness salon where participants can enjoy a tranquil resting place on plant-filled grounds overlooking a lake, sip nourishing herbal tea, and participate in group activities like qi gong and a guided plant journey. You can also book in for a 2-part individualized healing session featuring an energetic herbal session and craniosacral therapy session.
Welcome to The Hidden Place
Behind the scenes of The Hidden Place Summer 2024
Day 1: Autumn Herbal Retreat Saturday, October 19th
Featuring:
Ceremony
Autumn Wellness Workshop
Plant Walk
Seasonal Fall Lunch
Plant-Spirit Journey
More details below…
Day 2: Wellness Salon Sunday, October 20th
The Salon will feature:
A relaxing space where you can sip nourishing herbal tea, walk through the wooded area around the lake, enjoy group qi gong, and participate in a guided plant journey.
Plus an option to add a 2-part individualized session that includes craniosacral therapy and an herbal ceremony.
More details below…
Registration Options
Saturday Retreat ONLY
Includes:
Access to the day-long Saturday Retreat
$175 until September 29th, then $200
Sunday Wellness Salon Day Pass (No Sessions)
Includes:
All-day access to the Sunday Wellness Salon
Sliding Scale $45 - $75
Sunday Salon with Personal Session
Includes:
A personalized herbal/craniosacral session on Sunday
All-day access to the Sunday Wellness Salon
$150
Hidden Place Bundle
Access to the day-long Saturday Retreat
A personalized herbal/craniosacral session on Sunday
All-day access to the Wellness Salon
Camping available
$325 until September 29th, then $350
Fall Herbal Retreat
Saturday, October 19th 9am-4pm | Bridge Between the Worlds, Keswick, VA
This day long retreat is an invitation to mirror the energy of each season and remember that you are a part of nature.
We observe each of the distinct seasons that Virginia offers us, along with the astrological weather, to host a day-long retreat that allows you to feel both fully present to your unique experience AND immersed in the larger energies that are moving through the collective and through the earth.
Join us for:
Ceremony
We will have an opening and closing ceremony to drop into the space and offer gratitude for the land and all its inhabitants. We will give ourselves the time and space to move at our own pace while remembering the sacredness of ceremony.
Fire Cider Making
We will make a big batch of Fire Cider, not just to send off with the participants of the retreat, but also so we can engage in mutual aid and send some health, warmth, support, and solidarity to our neighbors south of us who are experiencing the devastation of hurricane Helene.
Nourishing Seasonal Lunch
We’ll be serving herb-inspired, seasonal fare suitable for plant-based, gluten-free, and carnivorous diets. You’ll taste firsthand how to support your digestion as you head into Autumn.
Autumn Wellness Workshop
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Metal element corresponds with the season of Autumn as well as the lungs and large intestine. In this workshop, we’ll learn why now is an excellent time to give a little love to your digestive and respiratory systems and how to support these systems physically and energetically.
Plant Journey
We’ll be leading a plant journey — a somatic exploration of energetic plant medicine — where you’ll be able to experience the energetic imprint of a a plant and how it affects your system.
Wellness Salon
Sunday, October 20th 10am-6pm | Bridge Between the Worlds, Keswick, VA
When you walk into the space at Bridge Between the Worlds, it will be like walking into a secret garden where you are encouraged to move at whatever pace suites you, to stop and smell the flowers, to be fully present so that you can tune into the medicine that the Fall season has for you.
With a loose programming schedule, you can create your itinerary as you choose. Join us for qi gong in the morning and afternoon, a guided plant journey later in the day, walk the grounds, chat with other participants, and take in the medicine of the space.
If you’re looking for a more bespoke experience, book in for a two-part personalized wellness ceremony: an energetic herbal session and a heart-centered craniosacral session. These sessions will be complementary to the herbal retreat from the day before, allowing you to deeply integrate the teachings from the retreat.
2 Ways to Participate:
Wellness Salon Day Pass
Come enjoy the beautiful space at Bridge Between the Worlds, created for you to be able to relax and receive the medicine that the Fall season has to offer you. Throughout the day, the venue will be open for you to walk the grounds, sip warm herbal tea, enjoy our herbal library, and participate in the actives that are scattered throughout the day, including group qi gong and a guided plant journey.
Book a Personalized Wellness Session
If you choose to book this 2-part personalized wellness session, you will receive two back-to-back 45 minute sessions: an energetic herbal session and a craniosacral therapy session (more details below). These sessions will take place outdoors, with the land and natural surroundings providing additional support. You are also welcome to enjoy the space at Bridge Between the Worlds from 10am - 6pm.
Personalized Wellness Sessions Include:
Herbal Ceremony
During these herbal sessions, we will be guided by the energetics of the season in tending your personal constitution. We will talk about you, specifically, and how you experience the season, the heart, and through this conversation will make a personal plan with herbal, ritual, and lifestyle suggestions to carry forward with you for long-term care and wellness.
Craniosacral Therapy Session
If you were able to have a conversation with your heart, what would it say? What does it want from you, what dreams does it want to help you accomplish?
This part of the session will use craniosacral therapy, a form of body work that uses very light touch, to open up a channel for you receive messages directly from your heart, all while deeply relaxing your nervous system.
Wellness Salon Schedule
Schedule Coming Soon
Available All Day:
Relaxing grounds to enjoy
Tea and light snacks
Infared sauna (30 min sessions, 8 spaces available) + outdoor shower
Library of herbal resources
Event Info + FAQs
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Where: Bridge Between the Worlds in Keswick, VA
When:
The retreat is Saturday, October 19th 2024 from 9am - 4pm
The Wellness Salon is Sunday, October 20th 2024 from 10am - 6pm
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Herbal Retreat:
We ask that you join us for the entire day. We want to create a container where nourishment and rest can deepen over the course of the day. We are not offering half-day passes.
Wellness Salon:
You are welcome to come and go as you please during the salon. If you book a session, please show up 30 minutes before your session begins to give yourself time to park and settle in.
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No, you can come for Saturday only, Sunday only, or both days! See the registration options for more details.
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Yes, there are 5 tent camping spots available on a first-come-first-served basis. Note that you will need to provide your own meals (i.e. Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast, Sunday Lunch). We will provide lunch and snacks Saturday and light refreshments Sunday.
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Kids 14 - 17 are welcome with a parent or guardian.
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Herbal Retreat:
You’ll be creating a nest that will be your home base for the day. Bring a yoga mat, a cushion, a blanket, warm clothing, and anything you’ll need to make yourself feel cozy.
A covered vessel for tea.
A notebook to capture those little “Aha!” moments
Optional: something for the altar (you can either leave it or take it back at the end of the day)
Wellness Salon:
You’ll be creating a nest that will be your home base for the day. Bring a yoga mat, a cushion, a blanket, warm clothing, and anything you’ll need to make yourself feel cozy.
A covered vessel for tea.
A notebook to capture those little “Aha!” moments
Bathing suit, towel, etc. if you will be in the sauna
Lunch, if you are staying all day. Light snacks will be provided.
Optional: something for the altar (you can either leave it or take it back at the end of the day)
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We will serve a variety of dishes appropriate for the season that will include vegan and gluten fee fare.
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If you can no longer join us, please email us as soon as you can. Please note that we are not offering full refunds for this event. If you cancel by October 16th at 11:59 pm, we will refund you half of your event ticket price. If you cancel on October 17th or later, we are unable to refund you, but you are welcome to give your spot to someone else.
