Retreat · Apr 30, 2027 – May 2, 2027
The Art of Aging ~ A Ritual Retreat
Embrace the age you are
We spend an enormous amount of energy pretending aging isn't happening. There's a whole industry built to help women look as though we haven't aged, and almost nothing to help us grow older with intention ~ to meet our changing bodies, the shifting roles, the different seasons of life. Part of what we've lost is each other. Many of us move through life surrounded by people our own age, so women of different ages feel like strangers rather than guides. We end up learning about aging from advertising instead of from one another.
This weekend is an opportunity to gather women of all ages to celebrate each stage and age we find ourselves in. We will spend time naming a silent threshold we would each like to honour ~ a beginning, an ending, an invisible transition. Together, we will create a threshold to cross ~ grieving what needs grieving, celebrating what deserves celebrating, and saying out loud what needs to be said. You'll leave with a meaningful ritual practice to help you embrace the gift of aging.
There is an art to growing older and it's best learned in company.
- When
- Fri, Apr 30, 2027 – Sun, May 2, 2027
- Format
- In-Person
- Location
- Loon Lake Retreat Centre, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
- Schedule
- Friday 3pm – Sunday 3pm
- Shared (3-4 guests)
- $975.00 USD
- Semi-private (2 guests)
- $1100.00 USD
- Private room (1 guest)
- $1300.00 USD
Who is this for?
Women of every age and stage who are seeking intergenerational community. Some may arrive mid-transition, others having crossed that threshold already. It may be connected to your body ~ perimenopause, a fertility journey, a diagnosis or an illness. For others, it may be connected to the rhythms of daily life ~ an empty nest, a career or marriage ending, caring for aging parents.
Some may come looking for women further along who can share their experiences, others may recognize they are those women and want to share their stories. You mat not even need what you are moving through ~ you may simply feel a drawn to this place, this space, this community. No ritual experience needed.
What to expect
Mornings begin gently, with time together or on your own. The heart of each day is in circle, where teaching, storytelling and ritual design invites us to name and acknowledge the thresholds we have crossed. There is time to walk in the forest, sit by the fire, nap or read a book, or fall into conversation with someone you've just met. Evenings belong to the group, as we create ceremony together.
During the course of the weekend, you'll be invited to mark a threshold that never got marked ~ a last period, a birthday, a diagnosis, an ending or a beginning ~ and we'll design rituals for these transitions together. You'll also craft a ritual practice to carry home with you, with wisdom gathered and shared amongst guests.
Where you'll stay
We will stay and gather at Koerner Lodge, part of UBC's Loon Lake Retreat Centre in Maple Ridge ~ an hour from Vancouver, set among the trees on the shore of a quiet lake. Our lodge has three floors ~ on the main floor and lower level, there are twelve semi-private rooms, each with two single beds and a private washroom. On the upper floor, there are four family-style rooms, each with a queen bed + 3 singles and private washroom. You can choose a shared room, a semi-private or a private room.
We also have our own fireside lobby, a dining room to ourselves, and a covered patio overlooking the water. Koerner Lodge is wheelchair accessible, with elevator service, accessible rooms and washrooms. If you need extra support, please let us know.
What you'll eat
We offer fresh buffet-style and catered meals. Meal times are 9am, 1pm and 6pm. We have our own private dining space, serving health-conscious and dietary-inclusive menus, such as:
- Breakfast: Fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, muffins, plus hot options like pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, and sausage.
- Lunch: Fresh salads, hamburgers, fish tacos, cookies, and dessert squares.
- Dinner: Freshly baked breads, seasonal vegetable and protein salads, hot entrees, and homemade desserts.
- Special Diets: Vegetarian, vegan, and other specific medical or lifestyle dietary needs are routinely accommodated with advance notice.
What's included
Koerner Lodge has en-suite rooms in three configurations, so you can choose what suits you: $975 shared, $1,100 semi-private, or $1,300 private. Every option includes:
• 2 nights en-suite accommodation at Koerner Lodge
• 6 meals: Friday dinner through Sunday lunch, plus snacks, teas and refreshments
• All circle work, teaching and ritual guidance
• A journal to write and reflect in
• All ritual materials and ceremony supplies
• A session in the cedar sauna, with an optional swim in the lake
What's not included
• Travel to and from Loon Lake ~ though we'll help organize a rideshare
• Personal expenses and anything outside the retreat program
• Alcohol ~ this is a BYOB weekend
Itinerary
- Friday3:00pm
Arrive and settle in
Find your room, unpack, walk down to the water and let your worries fall away.
- Friday4:00pm
Opening circle
We gather for the first time as one circle spanning decades. A simple ritual to open the weekend, and space to say out loud why you came.
- FridayEvening
Dinner and fire
Our first meal together in our own dining room, then an intentional evening ritual by the fire. Stay up late or go to bed early ~ listen to your body.
- SaturdayMorning
Waking gently
Breakfast at 9am. Before then, you can enjoy a morning walk by the lake, lead your own yoga or movement practice, or sleep in and enjoy the quiet.
- SaturdayLate morning
The silent thresholds
Facilitated session on understanding the thresholds we cross without ceremony ~ such as the changing body, our shifting roles, those seemingly invisible moments that we cross without fanfare or acknowledgment. We'll each name a threshold we want to honour.
- SaturdayAfternoon
Open hours
Lunch at 1pm, then time that belongs to you. Walk the forest trails, take a turn in the cedar sauna we've rented, swim in the lake, sleep, or fall into conversation with someone you just met.
- SaturdayLate afternoon
Crafting the threshold
Together we'll build the ceremonial space for what needs to be honoured ~ shaping the threshold, preparing the objects, and setting the stage for later that evening.
- SaturdayEvening
The threshold ceremony
The heart of the weekend. After dinner, we will mark the thresholds that were never marked. You'll be witnessed as you cross it, and hold space for others to do the same.
- SundayMorning
A slow start
Breakfast at 9am. Before that, please pack up your rooms and enjoy a final walk by the lake or a quiet cup of tea.
- SundayLate morning
A ritual practice
We'll pair you in small groups for guided conversations about the role of ritual in your lives. Together, you'll each create a sustainable ritual practice that connects you to the wisdom we shared this weekend.
- SundayAfternoon
Closing circle
After lunch, we will close our circle with blessings offered across the generations ~ from the women ahead to the women behind, and back again.
- Sunday3:00pm
Departure
Arrive home by late afternoon, with a ritual practice ignited and a circle of women you can now call a community of care.
What participants say
Immersing in ritual and ceremony in a gorgeous environment with Megan was an experience I’ll never forget. The accommodations were wonderful and provided amazing meals. The days were filled with inspiring stories, gentle nudges, and a strong sense of community. These ladies provided a brave space to share, cry, laugh, and build relationships with.
This was my first time and the experience exceeded my expectations. A new person will experience a connection and openness with other participants of all ages and from all walks of life, which will enrich their individual experience and their intentions for attending.
My expectations to be nurtured and nourished in the company of open-hearted, extraordinary women was exactly what I needed.
Expect a well held, well planned, nurturing weekend with women in a beautiful setting with fabulous food, amazing co-creators and a warm, open convener.
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.