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Awakened Earth

Spring – Practice of Emergence 

A Day of Contemplation on the Land 

 
Open Sky Retreat Space, Sebastopol 
April 18, 2026 
9am – 5pm 
 
$150-275 sliding scale 
$75 non-refundable deposit to hold your place 
(Scholarships available – please inquire) 
 
Cynthia Eisho Morrow 
 
 
“For us to survive, both as individuals and as a species, we need a revolution in consciousness. 
It can start with our collective awakening. Looking deeply, with mindfulness and 
concentration, we can see that we are the Earth and, with this insight, love and 
understanding will be born.” 
-Thich Nhat Hanh 

 

You are invited to a day of contemplation at a beautifully tended sanctuary retreat space on eight acres of private land in West Sebastopol. This is a day of shared practice, presence, and belonging—rooted in relationship with the living Earth. Guided by the mirror of the land and the wisdom of contemplative practice, we will create a container spacious enough to hold the “ten thousand joys and sorrows” of our worldly lives. In difficult times, we can either close down or allow the heart-mind to open. Together, we invite opening and insight to arise through stillness, silence, and the illuminating shared stories of our lives.

In spring, the land itself is practicing emergence—tender green shoots rising toward the growing light, and the quiet insistence of new life awakening after winter’s dormancy. This seasonal turning invites us to listen closely to what is beginning to stir within us—even if it is not yet fully formed. Together, we practice meeting life as it arises, cultivating patience, care, and the courage to remain open to what is possible—to trust in unfolding, even when the way forward is not yet clear.

Grounded in the Dharma and earth-based awareness, this day offers an opportunity to practice awakening not only for ourselves, but as a relational and collective experience that benefits all beings. Through sitting meditation and solo time on the land, we will reflect on the awakened nature that already abides within us and within the wider web of life.

On the ancestral homeland of the Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok peoples, Open Sky offers a spacious meditation hall and eight acres of land to wander, with grazing sheep and a guardian llama, panoramic views, gazebos, gardens, and abundant birdlife—each inviting a fuller experience of the present moment.

Our day together will include guided and silent meditation, Dharma themes for reflection, time for walking the land with intention, and council-style sharing. With the land as teacher and sangha as container, participants are invited to listen deeply—to themselves, to one another, and to the more-than-human world.

Awakened Earth Sangha welcomes people at all stages of contemplative practice. No prior experience is necessary. All that is asked is a willingness to arrive with curiosity, care, and an open heart.

Contact Info

For more information, contact Cynthia/Eisho at: eisho@cynthiamorrow.com

 

 

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