The Living Tapestry

The Living Tapestry Experience: This 4-day retreat at Genesis Spiritual Center in Western Massachusetts is designed as an interactive and collaborative journey. Engage in guided meditations, workshops, and discussions that encourage self-reflection and communal exploration. Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature, drawing inspiration from its rhythms and patterns. As the threads of storytelling, spirituality, eco-spirituality, and indigenous wisdom converge, a living tapestry unfolds, inviting participants to weave their unique stories into the collective narrative. Ideal for those seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the environment, this retreat offers a space for growth, reflection, and community. Led by Maggid Jim Brule’ and Grandmother Hears Crow, respected leaders in their spiritual communities.

The full four days, including room, board, and programming, is $665 for a double room or $765 for a single. You can extend your payments over three months to make it easier. Meals are healthy, and include healthy, vegan, dairy free, and vegetarian options. Register or learn more about the program here; you can learn more about Genesis here.

Faculty:

Maggid Jim Brulé is a transformational storyteller, death doula, teacher, and mentor with a diverse background: he has advanced degrees in clinical psychology and artificial intelligence. His online school – Transformational Storytelling – trains spiritual storytellers from multiple traditions to tell stories that inspire healing and spiritual growth. It has been operating for seven years and is accredited by the National Storytelling Network; his faculty and students come from around the world.

He offers a series of classes and workshops on storytelling focusing on multi-cultural wisdom as well as facing end-of-life and grief. His latest book, “Stories of the Heart,” was co-authored with Rebecca Lemaire and offers eighteen stories from around the world to accompany one on the journey into dying and living.

Grandmother Hears Crow – Nootauau Kaukontuoh, “she hears it from him, the crow” – is a woman of the Eastern Woodlands. She lives her life in the tradition of the Nanhigganêuck, the people known today as the Narragansett. She is a Storyteller of Longhouse Tales told in the oral tradition, including some with Native Sign Language. She brings to life the oral tradition at museums, schools, community centers, Indigenous gatherings, and wherever the stories lead her.

As a ‘kuhkootomwehteâen’ (‘kuk-oot-om-weyt-e-ah-en’ – one who shares knowledge), thirty-five plus years of telling in these different styles, she brings forth the culture of the Longhouse People, through their stories.