“There is only one life you can call your own and a thousand others you can call by any name you want.” David Whyte
In a largely egocentric consumerist society, which is molding us into shapes to fit the system, how are we finding our truth, how are we discovering and living our authentic soul infused life? It is said that in the soul of every human there is an image, which carries, just like any seed, the blueprint of a sacred destiny. We were born with gifts, purpose and meaning, and we carry the responsibility of delivering them to the world. Some wise people say that only when we do this, we become true adults.
The modern world has forgotten the ways of initiating people into true soulcentric adulthood, and thus people of all ages are stuck in various versions of adolescent consciousness, navigating their lives through vicious circles of existential crises, survival, mental health challenges, overwork, escaping, unhealthy behaviors.
How would it be if we grew up in soulcentric communities and families, where mentors and initiation guides would see deep inside of us, listen to our existential longings and usher us into maybe the most important journey of our lives, the journey of meeting our Soul, our deepest meaning, our sacred image that we were born with.
“The Path to Adulthood – an initiatory experience into a life of depth and meaning” is an invitation to dive deep into the world of Soul, Nature, Mystery, Meaning. In this realm wild allies are waiting to talk to you, natural elements are planning to shape shift you into more real and raw versions of yourself, Mystery is following you to drop synchronicities along your path, and eyes and ears of hungry fellow wanderers are praying for your heart to open, to crack, to expand.
And when you return from this journey, perhaps you will carry a drop of sacred medicine, visions, dreams, ideas, which are deeply needed by your village and your people. In this way, you will be an agent of cultural evolution, feeding and inspiring the hungry souls that surround you. We pray that this experience will give you a new way of looking at yourself and at the world and you will root yourself more in a soulful way of being and living. And become a source of inspiration and empowerment for the generations that will follow.
As this is an Erasmus+ project, you will be invited to envision yourself as a youth worker, mentor, coach, facilitator, trainer of the young souls and become your own version of space holder for the unique unfolding of the youth in your village.
Program intentions:
- To create a deep immersion, a ceremony, a ritual of initiation into adulthood, serving the transition into a soulcentric way of life.
- To root ourselves in wholeness and cultivate our inner resources and capacities, which can allow us to live in authenticity and meaning.
- To expand the ecological and existential consciousness, by creating intimate and personal relationships with the more than human world and the greater web of life.
- To create a space for authentic and vulnerable relating between people, thus fostering healthy human communities.
- To expand our life visions and become agents of cultural evolution, who give their gifts to their people and become leaders of their communities.
How are we going to work
We dream of enacting an initiation rite, a process, a journey, which will allow the participants to slow down, tune to the rhythms of nature, of their bodies and hearts. Engage in sacred ceremonies, spend intentional time in nature, sit in circles and speak from the heart, be witnessed, mirrored and invited to step deeper into the personal callings.
The guides will offer a bundle of practices and activities, that are rooted in the principles of soulcentric development, such as: wandering in nature, embodiment practices, deep imagery journeys, symbolic art, the way of council, praying, fasting, meditation and mindfulness practices, guidance through questions, mirroring and personalized invitations, silence and solitude, singing, drumming, dancing, storytelling, soul-poetry, community work, conversations with the natural world.
Program guides:
- Bogdan Romanică (Romania)
Bogdan is a human development guide, trainer, and mentor, from Romania. In his work, he intuitively combines elements of eco-psychology, nature connection, experiential learning, outdoor education, storytelling, and art. He loves exploring nature and the human soul. He feels in his element when inspiring and empowering people to become the truest versions of themselves. He has worked locally and internationally in the field of human development since 2010. He developed his craft by engaging consistently in deep and meaningful work and training with the Animas Valley Institute from the USA (organization founded by Bill Plotkin), the Mankind Project, Illuman and other organizations and teachers. Born in Romania, he feels deeply connected with the lands where he lives, the hills, mountains and forests that spread not far from his city, Cluj-Napoca.
- Sandra Horea (Romania)
Sandra is a human development guide and mentor who creatively and heart-fully invites people to be in intimate and meaningful conversations with their Soul. She calls humans to fall in love with nature, metaphor, symbol, feeling and therefore with themselves and live their bigger lives delivering their gift to the hungry world. As a guide, she creates purposeful spaces of self-discovery incorporating in her work her experience regarding depth psychology and soul-based practices, eco-centric development, embodiment, storytelling, poetry and deep imagination. She has a wide experience of 12 years in working with youth and adults in facilitating spaces of personal and community transformation. She graduated the Wild Mind Program (focusing on eco-depth psychology of wholing and healing) within Animas Valley Institute from the USA and at the moment she is studying within the same organization, furthermore the mysteries of psyche within SAIP – Soulcraft Apprenticeship and Initiation Program, an in-depth study of soul-initiation practices and guiding skills.
- Panayiota Karayianni – apprentice (Cyprus)
Panayiota Karayianni comes from a background of Social and Cultural Anthropology and in profession she is a Traditional Hatha Yoga Teacher where she incorporates relaxation and meditation techniques along with breathwork for nervous system regulation. Aside from her experiences gained directly from the residential life in the ashram in India, which was an exquisite and unique life experience, she has been exploring ways to support female bodies in particular, which led her to further trainings like Yin Yoga, Prenatal Yoga and Womb Sciences Immersion which included specific use of herbs and practices for alleviating the Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and menopause symptoms, but also practices regarding the strengthening of the pelvic floor. She finds that a slower paced healing practice helps women to get in tune with their menstrual cycle and she loves to work in this therapeutic and holistic way. As a practitioner and a facilitator, she has a great interest in holding women’s circles to share her teachings and experiences both as a woman and as a trained person that would be delighted to guide and help other women embrace their Feminine Nature. Her teachings reflect her core characteristics as an easily adjustable and adaptable person who’s willing to hold space and listen, to acknowledge and comprehend people’s needs, and therefore come up with the appropriate teachings and practices.
Who are we calling for: Wanderers, Explorers, Questers
We are calling for those who feel their Soul pulsating under their everyday consciousness; for those who want to taste the sacred and live in harmony with the world; for those who are ready to pursue their deeper need;, for those who are ready to let go of what doesn’t serve them anymore; for those who love the Earth; for those who want to speak with the divine; for those who this program feels right.
Thope who will be selected must be over 18 years old and have a good level of speaking English. We are mainly looking for people who are involved in the human development field and who work with young people, as coaches, mentors, facilitators, trainers, youth leaders. Being part of an organization is an advantage, but not an exclusion criteria.
Countries involved and number of participants:
- This program is for people from Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.
- 25 places available.
- 3 participants/country.
Practical aspects (traveling, location, costs, preparation)
The arrival day in Cluj-Napoca is the 15th of June (no later than 16.00) and the departure day is 23rd of June (after 12.00 from Cluj-Napoca). There are 7 full training days. The training location is one hour away from Cluj-Napoca.
The place and our future home
The program will take place in a beautiful and wild area, in the Carpathian Mountains, near the village Măguri Răcătău. A village located at an altitude of 800 m and 45 km from Cluj-Napoca. We will be accommodated in several wooden cottages that provide basic conditions. The participants will share rooms for 3 people or more and the bathrooms are common. The meals will consist of vegetarian food.
Traveling
The project is financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, thus all the activities, accommodation and food are 100% covered by the EU grant. The travel costs will be reimbursed to the participants after the course in the amount limit presented below.
- Romania – from Cluj-Napoca to the location and back
- Cyprus – 275 Euros
- Italy – 275 Euros
- Spain – 360 Euros
- Slovenia – 320 Euros (green travel)
- Poland – 320 Euros (green travel)
- France – 275 Euros
- Greece – 275 Euros
* Green travel: means of transportation with lower carbon footprint, such as trains, buses, carpooling. Green traveling may take longer but is a necessary action for the environment.
Financial contribution
Each participant is asked to offer a financial contribution, on a sliding scale from 60 to 100 Euros (each person will choose according to possibilities).
Each participant must have comprehensive travel and medical insurance, covering both the travel and the stay from the first until the last day of the way back home. The insurance should be covered by the participants.
If you plan to arrive earlier or leave later your expenses for accommodation outside of the days of the training will not be covered by the project.
Participation in this training requires a preparation phase.
Those who will be accepted in the training should follow an online learning process (reading different materials, articles, watching videos) related to the topic of the training.
The participants will receive several suggestions for personal work before coming to the program (e.g. journaling on certain questions, self-time in nature and several other invitations). Applying to this program also requires the commitment to follow the preparation process.
A vision with a task
After the training course we want to pay special attention to the dissemination activities. As a continuation of the experience, each participant will have to implement at least one ACTION in their own community (dissemination event/workshop for youth).
IMPORTANT: NO alcohol – NO drugs policy
The practices and activities that will be done during the training require our full mental and physical capacities. Thus, we invite the participants not to consume any alcohol and drugs during the whole training duration.
Application procedure and deadline
If you feel a deep calling to participate in this training course, you must fill in the application form available at this link:
https://forms.gle/BNyT6vUUVqszvYBq8
Deadline for application: 21st of April.
Selection results: 23rd of April
Contact
Primary contact – Bogdan Romanică (Romania) – project coordinator and guide
