Braided Way Retreat, 2018

Friday, October 19

Arrival from 4:30.

5:30: Official Check-In

6:30: Welcome (Michael Olin-HItt)

6:45: Native American Singing as a sacred opening. (Pam Stropko and Greg Vengehl)

7:00: Drum Circle: (Cindi Hedderson Whaley and Dwight Whaley)

9:00-Late: Fire Circle and Connecting.

Saturday, October 20:

7:00-8:00—Optional Nature Hike (Cal Reed and maybe Sandy Reed)

8:00-8:45— Breakfast

9:00-10:00— Yoga, Part 1: With Spiritual Teachings (Betsy Black)

10:00-10:15—Break

10:15-11:15 — Kabbalist Chant (Shulamit Elson)

11:15-11:30—Break

11:30-12:30— Sound Meditation (Shulamit Elson)

12:30—Lunch

1:30-2:00—Break

2:00—4:00-Oracle Session (Michael Olin-Hitt)

4:00-5:30—Break

5:30—Dinner

6:30-7:30—Break and/or Fire Circle

7:30 Open Mic (Everyone). Poetry, song, visual art.  The children come at the beginning to share their art and revelations.  Greg Vongehl and Pam Stropko will do Native American singing between presenters.

9:00-Late: Dead Poet’s Society (Sandy Reed)

Sunday, October 21

7:00-8:00—Wake up and smell the coffee.

8:00-9:00—Breakfast

9:30—11:15–Native American Ceremony (Panoka)

11:30—Yoga, Part 2 (Betsy Black)

12:30—Lunch

1:30-2:30: Christian Healing Prayer (Jennifer Olin-Hitt)

2:30-3:00 Break

3:00-4:00: Buddhist Sitting Meditation (Jeremy Garver-Hughes)

4:30—Closing Ceremony (Jennifer Olin-Hitt). Probably some Pam and Greg singing.

The kid’s program is for ages 5 to 15+. Organized by educators, we will have different actives for different age groups.  

We have tried to make the Kid’s Program affordable. The fees for the kids fees are 35% below the adults, and we do have a “family plan.”  If your configuration of kids and adults is unique, just e-mail Michael Olin-Hitt at molinhitt@gmail.com.

The Kid’s Program will include:

-Nature Education Hikes
-Kid’s Meditation
-Kid’s Yoga
-Crafts and Creativity
-Storytelling
-Plenty of physical activity for busy bodies and minds.

Older youth (15 and older) will have the option to join the adults for programming.

The kids will join the adults for all meals, the Friday evening drum circle, and the beginning of the open mic, during which the Kids are encouraged to share their art and revelations.

-Kabbalah Jewish Chanting
–MediSounds and SoundPrayer:  Kabbalah-Based Jewish Meditation
-Yoga
-Christian Healing Prayer
-Muslim Prayer
-Native American Ceremony and Singing
-Morning Nature Hikes
-Oracle Session with Michael Olin-Hitt
-Friday Night Drum Circle
-Saturday evening Open Mic for sharing poetry and art
-Plenty of break time for reflection, hiking and community building.

-Kabbalah Jewish Chanting and MediSounds SoundPrayer:  Kabbalah-Based Jewish Meditation with Shulamit Elson

Shulamit Elson is the creator of MediSounds® meditation, as well as the founder of The Great Octave Foundation. She has taught extensively throughout the world and works privately with students from all walks of life. Shulamit is the author of the highly acclaimed book, Kabbalah of Prayer ~ Sacred Sounds and the Soul’s Journey, and the creator of two Apps for the iPhone: MediSounds for Sleep and Snap Nap. Additionally she has produced several downloadable recordings, including MediSounds – The Path to Wholeness; as well as Beyond Words – Sacred Sounds of the Tree of Life; and as Vibration ~ Shulamit and the Drepung Gomang Buddhist Monks. A website www.soundpharmacy.com (in Spanish and English) was recently created as a public service to help sufferers of trauma as a result of hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma and the earthquake in Mexico. Visitors to this site can listen to the soothing MediSounds streaming audio for free. www.shulamitelson.com

-Yoga with Betsy Black

Betsy Black is a NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) certified Ayurvedic Health Practitioner currently practicing and teaching in Northeast Ohio. She is a graduate of The Ayurvedic Institute, where she studied with the renowned Dr. Vasant Lad in both Albuquerque, NM and Pune, India. Since 2012, she has been engaged in the study of Yoga as a spiritual science with her beloved guru, Swami Shri Ashutosh Muni. With a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Conservation, a Certificate in Watershed Management, and a deep love for the Earth, Betsy spent 10 years working in various wildlife and environmental organizations throughout the country before fully pursuing her path in health and wellness. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher, a Reiki Energy Healer, and currently studying Massage Therapy. She also has monthly Ayurvedic health blog, which can be found at www.ayurvedawithbetsy.com.

-Christian Healing Prayer with Jennifer Olin-Hitt

Jennifer Olin-Hitt is a Mental Health Therapist and Spiritual Director. She holds licenses in the state of Ohio as a Professional Counselor and as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She lives in the Akron, Ohio area where she spends most of her days listening for hope and direction in people’s lives. Jennifer is clergy in the United Methodist Church and has been a public speaker in many venues. In her spiritual direction training through the Haden Institute, she learned to appreciate the wisdom of Christian mysticism and Celtic spirituality.She has several articles in Braided Way Magazine.

-Native American Singing with Pam Stropko and Greg Vengehl

Greg Vongehl and Pam Stropko are ceremonial singers and musicians. They have travelled extensively
over the past 10 years bringing their peoples drum and voices to many events and ceremonies.
“Our Drum is the peoples Drum, to collaborate with the heartbeat of Mother Earth so we can all resonate with the vibration of life. We were taught the old songs, so we share what we were given. We sing new songs and so we share what were given. We gather to pray and sing the songs so the people remember to celebrate and love and heal with each other.”
Greg and Pam reside in Northeast Ohio have three beautiful children, two outdoor felines and a loveable Chihuahua named Pepper.

-Islamic Prayer with David Oliver Kling

David Oliver Kling is a graduate of Wright State University holding a B.A. degree in Religious Studies and a B.A. degree in Philosophy. He has a Master of Divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio with a specialization in Black Church and African Diaspora Studies. While in college he worked as Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Yellow Springs and while in seminary he served the Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship as consulting minister. After seminary, he served as a chaplain resident at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia. He is a Muslim convert and has a religious background that includes Christianity, Unitarian Universalism, and Ecology-centered spirituality.  He currently works as a hospice chaplain in Northeast Ohio.  His academic interests include race and class issues, comparative theology, spiritual care and practical theology.

-Native American Ceremony with Panoka

Panoka Walker is of mixed French and Anishinabe decent from the Deer Clan. Her traditional name is Waabiskaa Waa waash keshi, White Doe. Panoka strongly identifies with her Indian roots as a traditional storyteller, song carrier, hand drum maker, and traditional crafts woman. Encouraged by her elders after years of apprenticeship inside the sacred circle of life, Panoka is a facilitator of women’s ceremonies. She also teaches workshops and group presentations to adults and youths. Panoka is a member of the United Plant Savers and is affiliated with the Mother Earth Water Walkers, who bring awareness to the Water, the Lifeblood of the Earth. Panoka is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters being brought up in the traditional way. She, along with her husband Deer Walker and daughters. make their home in Monroe, Michigan.

-Morning Nature Hikes with Cal and Sandy Reed:

Cal Reed spends a lot of time on the road as a Field Service Engineer. He is a self-taught primitive archer, capable of making a complete archery outfit from materials directly from the landscape. He has taught many earth-based living skills to youth and adults including self-bow making, flint knapping, basketry, hide tanning, primitive cooking, traps, wild edibles and awareness skills, to name a few. One of his notable achievements is when he harvested a deer with a homemade osage bow and hand-made flint tipped cane arrow. He has taken numerous classes from the Tracker School in New Jersey and has instructed at Mid Atlantic Primitive Skills Gatherings (MAPS Meet). Cal strives to have command of all skills necessary to live purely in nature with no fabricated resources. He loves spending time in nature and gives freely of his time to any youth and adults interested in strengthening their connections to the Earth. Cal is the father of two grown children and he lives with his wife, Sandy, as they share their time between their rural Ohio home and the wilds of West Virginia.

Sandy Reed is a classroom educator for 30 years, Sandy graduated from The Ohio State University with a BS degree in Education followed by a Masters degree in Gifted Education through Ashland University. She is also a certified American Montessori middle school teacher. Her classroom teaching has focused mainly on middle school aged students engaged in science and environmental curriculums. She has served as the K-12 Environmental Education specialist for her current school district for five years, developing curriculum and international programs for students K-12. She has lead high school credit bearing field study courses with students throughout the US and internationally to Belize and South Africa. Her most recent achievement came in 2014 when she was presented with the “Green Difference Award” recognizing her as one of the top Outstanding Green Educator Program Directors in the country. She has been an instructor with Coyote Trails School of Nature since 2006 where she teaches survival and earth-based living skills to youth, adults and families. She is a Level 2 International Wildlife Tracker, certified through Cybertracker in Track ID and Trailing. She often travels to South Africa to practicing tracking and trailing in the bush. Outside of the classroom, Sandy is most comfortable in the woods where she ties together primitive skills and ceremony. She pours sweat lodges (inipi) ceremony in Ohio and West Virginia in the Braided Way tradition. Sandy is currently president of the non-profit Spiritual Quest Foundation. She lives with her husband Cal and two children in Pataskala, Ohio.

-Oracle Session with Michael Olin-Hitt

Michael Olin-Hitt, Ph.D. is a writer, publisher editor and teacher. He has been a Professor of English at the University of Mount Union since 1993, where he teaches courses in creative writing, American Literature, Native American Literature and World Mythology. He is the guiding editor of Braided Way Magazine and has published five books. In his spare time, he likes to write, remodel the house, read, write more, gather spiritual seekers, rent large machinery and leave almost-finished projects throughout the house, which he shares with his wife, Jennifer, their two children, Samuel and Lydia, and their dog, Zia and Cat, Theodore.

We have rented the lodge at the Cuyahoga Environment Education Center. The rooms are “bunk bed” style, with four bunks per room. There are shared bathrooms, one for men one for women. We cultivate and expect gender inclusivity with respect for personal privacy and integrity in the bathroom facilities.

If you would like more privacy, feel free to register for “days only” and stay off site at home or a hotel. There are numerous hotels available close to Peninsula, Ohio.