Retreat · Jan 31, 2027
Visioning ~ A Day of Ritual & Story
Envision the year ahead
Every January we're told the same thing ~ set goals, make resolutions, stick with them. This day asks something different ~ not what you want to achieve this year, but what you want the year ahead to feel like.
We'll spend a full day together in my home, a small circle of women surrounded by images and colours and conversations. The morning is for listening ~ noticing what you're drawn to, what inspires you. The afternoon is for creating ~ tapping into archetypes and symbols and rituals. Then we gather to tell the stories of what we've made, naming the words and images we're carrying into 2027.
This day is the second half of a pair. Two weeks earlier, Wintering gathers women on Bowen Island to rest, reflect and release the year gone by. Come to one or join for both.
- When
- Sun, Jan 31, 2027
- Format
- In-Person
- Location
- A Forest Sanctuary, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Schedule
- Sunday 930am – 4pm. Optional sauna 4pm – 5pm
- Day Retreat Cost
- $275.00 USD
Who this day is for
This is a day for women standing at the edge of a new year who want to enter it with intention rather than obligation. Maybe you're craving a slower, more creative way to meet January than goal-setting and resolutions. Or something is shifting in your life ~ a role, a relationship, a chapter ending ~ and you want space to feel your way toward what's next rather than decide it in advance.
You may have made vision boards before, but this experience will be different as we focus on ritual, story and symbolism to envision the year ahead. Join us for a day away from screens, where you ignite your creativity in the company of others. If you're drawn to the particular magic that happens when women gather in ceremony, this day is for you.
What to expect
We begin in circle with a simple opening ritual, and build the container together. The morning is contemplative ~ guided reflection and visioning, until you begin to sense the shape of the year ahead and land on a word to guide you. We'll tap into creativity and the power of play.
After lunch, we create ~ with every material you could want laid out and ready for you. Then we return to circle for storytelling, and each share the story behind what we've made. Being witnessed in what you're imagining is what makes it real.
Where we'll gather
We'll meet at my home in North Vancouver ~ a warm, quiet house tucked into the trees, with room to spread out and light that moves through the day. This is not a conference room; you'll have a comfortable place to sit, a surface to work on, tea within reach, and the forest just outside the window.
The full address and parking details come once you've registered. We're a short drive or bus ride from downtown Vancouver, and I'm happy to connect people for carpooling.
What you'll eat
Lunch, tea and snacks are included, all made with care by our private chef Marika Richoz. You'll enjoy a generous seasonal lunch that leaves you nourished and cared for, tea and coffee throughout the day, and something sweet to share as we close the circle together.
Tell me about allergies and dietary needs when you register and I'll make sure you're well taken care of.
What's included
Your registration covers the full day of guided facilitation, every material for your vision board, lunch, tea and snacks. There's also a special ritual gift for each guest, made with love.
We close the circle at 4pm, and from there you're welcome to stay for the cedar barrel sauna in the back garden, with a fire pit, a cold plunge and the light going soft through the trees. A chance for us to unwind after a day of making something together. Everyone is away by 5pm, with the evening still your own.
Itinerary
- 9:30am
Arriving
Please arrive between 9:30 and 10am to settle in, find your spot and pour a cup of tea. We begin promptly at 10, so the circle can open together.
- 10:00am
Opening
Opening ritual to connect us as a community of care, inviting each person to share an intention for the day ahead.
- 10:30am
Reflecting
Guided reflection and conversations on the year behind and the year ahead. What do you want 2027 to feel like?
- 11:00am
Harvesting
Magazines, papers, textiles and found materials. You collect what draws you, without explaining why.
- 12:30pm
Nourishing
A seasonal meal together, unhurried and made with love by our private chef Marika Richoz.
- 1:30pm
Crafting
Turning what you've harvested into a unique shape or form, with techniques that take a vision board well beyond magazine cut-outs.
- 3:00pm
Storytelling
Each of us shares the story behind our vision board, and our word for 2027. This is the heart of the day, as our visions are witnessed and come to life.
- 3:45pm
Closing
We close the circle by 4pm with care and something sweet to share, naming what lights us up and how we can support each other moving forward.
- 4:00pm
Optional sauna
Stay for a hot ~ cold ~ rest cycle: the sauna, the cold plunge if you want it, and the fire as the light goes. Optional, and weather dependent.
Facilitators
Megan Sheldon
Megan Sheldon (she/her) is a cultural mythologist, humanist celebrant, end-of-life doula, and co-founder of Be Ceremonial, the world's first guided ritual and ceremony platform. She is the author of Ritual Without Religion: A Humanist Guide to Creating Secular Ceremonies, and has spent years crafting ceremonies across the life cycle, with a focus on grief and loss. Her passion is helping people cross the silent thresholds and mark those seemingly invisible moments of change with meaning. She offers workshops, courses and in-person retreats near her home in North Vancouver, BC.