Sacred Conversations Retreat
July 29 - August 2, 2026 | Blue Ridge Mountains, VA
"There is a mysterious union that happens when we enter into relationship with the wild and practice sacred conversation." - Victoria Loorz, Church of the Wild
Somewhere beneath our usual ways of noticing, there lies a capacity to enter into the sacred conversation of the living world.
In the Blue Ridge foothills, morning light moves through tall oak and tulip poplar. Wood thrush and Carolina wren call from the understory. The Rapidan River carries its steady sound over stone. Warm air holds the scent of leaf litter and sun-warmed bark, and by evening, fireflies begin to pulse along the meadow edge. When you slow down and listen with reverence, you remember that the whisper of nature’s interconnected kinship includes you.
The Sacred Conversation Retreat is four days of contemplative presence with the wild ones.
Led by Victoria Loorz—author of Church of the Wild and founder of the Center for Wild Spirituality—this intimate experience invites you to remember how to listen for the call of the Holy Wild and rekindle kinship with the living world.
Through eco-spiritual practices from Seminary of the Wild Earth, we gather to remember the reality of unbroken relationship with one another and the more-than-human community that hosts us. We will wander the ridges and meadows, sit beneath ancient oaks, engage in conversation with soul and river and owl and spirit. We will journal and share with one another, sing, dance, drum and be drummed, and remember the stories of our belonging. We will honor our encounters with ceremony.
-
Some will be preparing for Seminary of the Wild Earth or discerning their participation.
-
Alumni will join because the practices have become part of their lives.
-
Others simply feel a tug, a call of the wild, they cannot quite explain and want to follow it long enough to listen for meaning.
You do not need prior experience. Only a willingness to be attentive.
Seven Oaks Retreat Center holds 120 acres of forest and field at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along the Rapidan River. The land remembers older human stories as well, including the presence of the Monacan and Mannahoac peoples. We come as guests, practicing respect and reciprocity with the place that receives us.
What to Expect:
-
Contemplative Practices: Nature-based invitations to listen to the teachings of the forest and the water.
-
Sacred Ritual: Fire ceremonies in a shared circle, star-gazing without light pollution, and rituals that honor the living Earth.
-
Spacious Wandering: Dedicated time to follow the "quiet nudge" of your own soul across the 120-acre sanctuary.
-
Nourishing Hospitality: Locally grown and prepared meals with both private and shared accommodations available.
Cost ranges from $1650 to $1900 depending on choice of room.
