The Trees Are Calling

We need these deeply sacred relationships as we teeter on the edge of fear and despair. As we reweave frayed connections, we can restore our resilience and reclaim joy.

I had the honor of leading a retreat at Well for the Journey in MD last Saturday. On Thursday, I’ll be flying to Cedar Rapids to offer an in-person weekend retreat at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center. It is so good to be with others in places of sacred beauty where we can restore our weary hearts, reclaim hope, and recommit to the work to which we are being called.

I want to share with you another retreat opportunity that’s coming up very soon. If you are feeling weary, grieving for the state of the world, or missing the support of like-hearted ones, consider joining us for Singing the Trees (outlined below). If this retreat is calling you, I don’t want you to miss it. There’s still a small window of time to register.

Singing the Trees: Reweaving Connections in Edge Times

April 11-13, 2025, Friday 5 pm - Sunday 2 pm

Wellspring Retreat Center, Germantown, MD

"Earth and soul cry out for conversation… It is time to reweave connections for the sake of mutual thriving." --Leah Rampy Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos

Trees, our elders who have graced this Earth far longer than the human family, beckon us to wisdom, beauty, and peace. Join us as we sing and chant, engage in rich conversations, embrace attentive silence around and within, and exchange intangible, priceless gifts with the trees around us.

Note: You need not consider yourself a singer nor even feel that you can carry a tune; all are welcome to join in!

Join us to:

• Sing your heart out

• Wander in the spring woods

• Rest in deep Silence

• Participate in ceremony and council to salve the heart and encourage the soul

• Dance in sacred circles

• Listen to story both ancient and wild

• Weave community for resilience and hope

Retreat leaders:

David Rampy has sung in opera houses around the world and taught vocal music to individuals of all ages. He enjoys helping others open to music as a spiritual practice. Leah Rampy is an experienced retreat leader, the author of Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos, and the coauthor with Beth Norcross of Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees. Lindsay McLaughlin has been leading retreats that explore nature and soul for more than a decade.

Join us at Wellspring Retreat Center, on 200 wooded acres just north of Washington, DC in Germantown, MD. The center has a simple and beautiful gathering space and accommodates guests in three adjacent cabins; both the gathering space and cabins are designed in harmony with the wild land around them and feature window expanses connecting to the surrounding woods.

Space is limited for this retreat. Find more information and register online.

If you are in need of the support this retreat can offer, we look forward to having you join us.

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I apologize to my regular readers who have come to expect a weekly essay. I’ve been under the weather with bronchitis and have directed my small reserves of energy to the retreats. I hope to be back next week to my usual rhythm. In the meantime, I encourage you to stay well, walk in the woods, put your hands in the soil, and watch for the tiny miracles unfolding all around. Earth blessings to you.

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