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Sacred Conversations

Donegal, Ireland
August 17-23, 2025

Listening for Whispers of the Holy Wild

Have you ever walked into a particular place -- a forest or spot along a shore or a whole region and suddenly, unexpectedly felt as if you were home? A homecoming that often brings irrational tears, a remembering without words or logic. Maybe it's the place you were born.  Or the place where your ancestors lived. Often, it is even more mysterious than that. You feel as if you recognize an unknown place, or that the place somehow recognizes you. This knowing-and-feeling-known is a phenomenon of interconnected belonging.  

 

"There is a mysterious union that happens when we enter into relationship with the wild and practice sacred conversation." Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred

 

Have you felt this?  A bidding, a return of some kind, an alluring invitation to come closer, to listen, to enter into conversation.  This is how the call of the sacred wild feels. When a place calls you quietly and persistently like this, I call it terra cognita: known territory.  A territory of soul, connected to a particular land and sea. 

 

This experiential offering is one of saying yes to that deep irrational even mythic call of the sacred wild to return to soul in Ireland.  To listen with an open heart to the whispers of an alive and ancient world where we already and always belong.

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If you find yourself seeking a more wild spirituality, consider joining a cohort of like-hearted friends at Ards Friary on the northwest coast of Ireland. Accompanied by two hundred acres of thick forest peopled by native oak and rowan, craggy stoned beaches and vibrant azul Atlantic waters, this is one of those life-changing experiences where you can feel your old stories restructure to make room for a new way of being human in deep relationship with a sacred and living Earth.

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The Venue

ARDS Friary Retreat Center
Letterkenny Donegal Ireland

Traditionally a Capuchin monastery and retreat center, Ards Friary is transitioning to become a Center for Contemplative Ecology. Brother Philip, the "Guardian of Ards Friary," is one of the kindest, brightest most humble humans you could ever know. His vision for the retreat center aligns beautifully with the mission of the Center for Wild Spirituality:

 

Our vision at Ards is one of a world that is naturally beautiful, bountiful, just and life-giving, where we are able to remember we are all interconnected and learn to live as brothers and sisters with all of creation.’

 

Fee includes lodging at the retreat center.  Private single rooms with one double bed and shared dorm-style bathrooms.  Delicious daily meals that accommodate vegetarian restrictions as needed.  What is not included is your transportation to the retreat center.   

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Flow of the Retreat

You can expect a slow, reverent and contemplative flow with lots of time for rest, deep conversations with like-hearted companions, wandering about the enchanted forest or swimming in the invigorating sea. The focus is to listen to the sacred voices echoing between you and the rest of the living and sacred Earth. This is the way of reWilding.

O, kindly, generous Irish land,
So leal and fair and loving!
No wonder the wandering Celt should think
And dream of you in his roving.
The alien home may have gems and gold,
Shadows may never have gloomed it;
But the heart will sigh for the absent land
Where the love-light first illumed it

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stanza from"The Exile's Return, or Morning on the Irish Coast" by John Locke

Guides

Join a Clan
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COST INCLUDES:  

  • Guided four full day and two half day retreat.  Begins with dinner on Sunday and ends after breakfast on Friday.

  • Lodging and delicious meals at Ards Retreat Centre. (single rooms with one double bed and dorm-style bathrooms) 

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Not included: travel expenses

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Sacred Conversations

 Ard's Friary

Donegal, Ireland

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August 17-23 2025

$1950 USD 

 

A $500 deposit secures your place in the program

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Participant Reflections

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"...The retreat became a transformative space where I delved into my innermost longings and underwent a significant personal metamorphosis. I wholeheartedly recommend this once-in-a-lifetime trip to anyone seeking to step out of their norm and immerse themselves in sacred listening. Don’t miss the call to jump into your homecoming!”

Alex Balfour, Organization and Personal Coach

New York City

2023 Pilgrim

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