The Four Shields of Masculinity
2026-09-06 - 2026-09-12 | Mojave National Preserve, CA
The Four Shields of Masculinity
Stepping Into Purpose
An EarthWays program for Men
September 6 thru 12, 2026
Mojave National Preserve
$900 – $1,400 (Limited number of scholarships available)
($300 nonrefundable deposit by June 6th to hold your spot)
“Everyone has been made for some particular work,
and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.”
—Rumi

Our lives, and the world we live in, are changing fast. At times life and all we cherish can feel beyond our power to shape. How do we, as men, meet the demands and challenges of these times?
To move more fully in our lives we can consider the questions – What does it mean to be a man in these times? Who am I now? Who do I want to become? How do I live my life with purpose? What wounds need healing, and what gifts do I have to share?
Each of us meets the challenges of life in our own unique way. Is your way serving you? Is it time to step back and gain clarity on what a balanced and conscientious expression of the masculine means for you? We encourage you to take this time to explore your life questions in ceremony, and in wild nature.
During this week-long program you can expect daily check-ins, guided and silent meditations, and sharing council to prepare for a 24 hour solo fast. We’ll offer teachings on physical safety, right relationship to the land, rites of passage, and honoring the native inhabitants of the land.
We invite anyone who identifies as Male to join us in the beautiful Mojave National Preserve with a group of others dedicated to finding their greatest purpose in this one precious life.
We at EarthWays acknowledge that the lands upon which we offer our programs are the unceded ancestral homelands of the indigenous people who have lived here for thousands of years. While we are committed to cultivating healing and balance between modern-day humans and the Earth, there is much healing and reparation work yet to be done with the Native communities who have been persecuted and exploited for centuries. It is with deep respect and gratitude that we honor the Pomo, Coast Miwok, Wappo, Kashaya, Ohlone, Shoshone, Paiute, and Mojave peoples of California. Their endurance and wisdom inspire us to continue our efforts to create an inclusive, life-sustaining society that is in balance with Mother Earth.
Contact Info
For more information, contact Roy at roymremer@gmail.com or O at o.aschreiber@gmail.com

Register and Submit Deposit
×Policy Acknowledgement, Registration, and Deposit

Please read our policies and registration information. To register, complete this form and submit your deposit using the Agree and Pay Deposit button below. We have scholarships and payment plans available; please contact us to apply. Feel free to email with any questions you may have.

POLICIES & REGISTRATION INFORMATION

EarthWays (EW) fills our programs on a first-come first-served basis. Registration requires a deposit and holds your place in the program you have selected. For the benefit of all, EW screens participants to ensure compatibility with our programs that can sometimes be physically and psychologically challenging, especially the outdoor daylong and overnight programs. We require participants to be in good physical, mental and emotional health, appropriate to the particular program of enrollment. EW reserves the right to refuse enrollment based on our assessment of these and other criteria. If you are not accepted for enrollment, your deposit will be refunded in full.

Policies

Please take the time to carefully consider your decision to enroll in one of EW Programs; this decision represents a commitment to yourself and to us. Regarding our outdoor programs, we have found that it is common and even appropriate for fear and resistance to arise when you are preparing to step out of your ordinary life and go into nature alone: obstacles, (real or imagined, inner or outer), may present themselves to you and it may seem impossible or too frightening to proceed with the program. These obstacles and fears are an important part of your experience, and can serve to help you become clear about what your call to the wilderness means to you. Obstacles can pave the way for the insights and growth you will bring back to your daily life.

Deposits:

Each EW program requires a deposit to reserve a spot. Refer to each program for deposit amount. Deposits are non-refundable, unless we cancel the program or you are not accepted into the program.
Acknowledged

Cancellation:

If we are able to fill your reserved space from the waitlist your enrollment fee minus the deposit will be refunded to you.
Acknowledged

Fees and Payments:

Please make the requested deposit for each program. Please pay via PayPal or check made out to EarthWays LLC, cc “Name of Program”. If you are paying via PayPal, please not a 3% surcharge will be included for each payment. The final payment for your program is due prior to start date of the program, or you may bring a check payable to EarthWays LLC on the start date of the program.
Acknowledged

REGISTRATION FORM

Please fill out the registration form, agree to terms and submit your deposit. Once we receive your registration and deposit, we’ll contact you with all the information you’ll need to begin preparations for your EarthWays LLC program.

Name

Address

City

State

Zip

Phone (day)

Phone (evening)

Phone (cell)

Email

Program you are registering for:

Program dates:

How did you hear about EarthWays LLC?

Would you like to be on our email list?
YesNo

To secure your place in this EarthWays program, please submit the non-refundable deposit or the full payment

I have read, understood and agree to the deposit, cancellation and fee policies stated above.

Your Name

Date

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

×

Participant Agreement Form
×PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT, RELEASE AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK

In consideration of the services of EarthWays LLC, their agents, owners, officers, volunteers, participants, employees, and all other persons or entities acting in any capacity on their behalf (hereinafter collectively referred to as "EW-LLC"), I hereby agree to release, indemnify, and discharge EW-LLC, on behalf of myself, my spouse, my children, my parents, my heirs, assigns, personal representative and estate as follows:

I acknowledge that hiking, camping, and backpacking entail known and unanticipated risks that could result in physical or emotional injury, paralysis, death, or damage to myself, to property, or to third parties. I understand that such risks simply cannot be eliminated without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity.

The risks include, among other things: Slipping and falling; falling objects; water hazards; exhaustion; exposure to temperature and weather extremes which could cause hypothermia, hyperthermia (heat-related illnesses), heat exhaustion, sunburn, dehydration; and exposure to potentially dangerous wild animals, insect bites, and hazardous plant life; accidents or illness can occur in remote places without medical facilities and emergency treatment or other services rendered; consumption of food or drink; equipment failure; improper lifting or carrying; my own physical condition, and the physical exertion associated with this activity.

Furthermore, I also acknowledge that participating in an EW-LLC program and gathering in a group may expose me to infectious diseases including but not limited to COVID-19 – also referred to as "the coronavirus" and most officially as "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)". My potential exposure to any infectious disease entails known and unanticipated risks that could result in physical or emotional injury and even death. Contracting any infectious disease may cause damage to myself or to third parties. I understand that such risks simply cannot be entirely eliminated without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity.

The risks include, among other things: Becoming severely ill in remote areas that are far from definitive medical assistance. The closest medical facilities may not be able to effectively treat COVID-19 or other infectious diseases. Pre-existing medical conditions, both known and unknown to the guides, may increase the chances of injury or death. Despite efforts to screen all participants for signs or symptoms of infectious disease, both before and during an EW-LLC program, there is no way to ensure that all participants are free of infectious diseases before or while attending an EW-LLC program. EW-LLC will make good faith efforts to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 or infectious diseases, but preventive measures undertaken by EW-LLC and its employees or contractors may not be effective at preventing such transmission.

Furthermore, EW-LLC employees have difficult jobs to perform. They seek safety, but they are not infallible. They might be unaware of a participant's fitness or abilities. They might misjudge the weather or other environmental conditions. They may give incomplete warnings or instructions, and the equipment being used might malfunction.

I expressly agree and promise to accept and assume all of the risks existing in this activity. My participation in this activity is purely voluntary, and I elect to participate in spite of the risks.

I hereby voluntarily release, forever discharge, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless EW-LLC from any and all claims, demands, or causes of action, which are in any way connected with my participation in this activity or my use of EW-LLC's equipment or facilities, including any such claims which allege negligent acts or omissions of EW-LLC.

Should EW-LLC or anyone acting on their behalf, be required to incur attorney's fees and costs to enforce this agreement, I agree to indemnify and hold them harmless for all such fees and costs.

I certify that I have adequate insurance to cover any injury or damage I may cause or suffer while participating, or else I agree to bear the costs of such injury or damage myself. I further certify that I am willing to assume the risk of any medical or physical condition I may have.

In the event that I file a lawsuit against EW-LLC, I agree to do so solely in the state of California, and I further agree that the substantive law of that state shall apply in that action without regard to the conflict of law rules of that state. I agree that if any portion of this agreement is found to be void or unenforceable, the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect.

By signing this document, I acknowledge that if anyone is hurt or property is damaged during my participation in this activity, I may be found by a court of law to have waived my right to maintain a lawsuit against EW-LLC on the basis of any claim from which I have released them herein.

I have had sufficient opportunity to read this document. I have read and understood it, and I agree to be bound by its terms.

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

Your Name

Address

Phone

Date

Your email

PARENT'S OR GUARDIAN'S ADDITIONAL INDEMNIFICATION (Must be completed for participants under the age of 18)

In consideration of (enter minor's name): (print minor's name) ("Minor") being permitted by EW-LLC to participate in its activities and to use its equipment and facilities, I further agree to indemnify and hold harmless EW-LLC from any and all claims which are brought by, or on behalf of Minor, and which are in any way connected with such use or participation by Minor.

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

Name of : Parent or Guardian

Date

NAME AND DATES OF PROGRAM
Program Name
Enter Program Date(s)

×

Awakened Earth
2026-09-19 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Open Sky Retreat Space, Sebastopol, CA
Awakened Earth

Fall – Practice of Letting Go

A Day of Contemplation on the Land

Open Sky Retreat Space, Sebastopol

September 19, 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 fall, the land turns toward ripening and release—light softening, leaves loosening, the year’s labor slowly returning to the soil. This seasonal turning invites us to sense what within us has matured through lived experience, and what we are ready to set down. Together, we practice honoring the fullness of what has been, cultivating gratitude, discernment, and a gentle willingness to let go—trusting the larger rhythms that carry us through change and into what comes next.
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

Register and Submit Deposit
×Policy Acknowledgement, Registration, and Deposit

Please read our policies and registration information. To register, complete this form and submit your deposit using the Agree and Pay Deposit button below. We have scholarships and payment plans available; please contact us to apply. Feel free to email with any questions you may have.

POLICIES & REGISTRATION INFORMATION

EarthWays (EW) fills our programs on a first-come first-served basis. Registration requires a deposit and holds your place in the program you have selected. For the benefit of all, EW screens participants to ensure compatibility with our programs that can sometimes be physically and psychologically challenging, especially the outdoor daylong and overnight programs. We require participants to be in good physical, mental and emotional health, appropriate to the particular program of enrollment. EW reserves the right to refuse enrollment based on our assessment of these and other criteria. If you are not accepted for enrollment, your deposit will be refunded in full.

Policies

Please take the time to carefully consider your decision to enroll in one of EW Programs; this decision represents a commitment to yourself and to us. Regarding our outdoor programs, we have found that it is common and even appropriate for fear and resistance to arise when you are preparing to step out of your ordinary life and go into nature alone: obstacles, (real or imagined, inner or outer), may present themselves to you and it may seem impossible or too frightening to proceed with the program. These obstacles and fears are an important part of your experience, and can serve to help you become clear about what your call to the wilderness means to you. Obstacles can pave the way for the insights and growth you will bring back to your daily life.

Deposits:

Each EW program requires a deposit to reserve a spot. Refer to each program for deposit amount. Deposits are non-refundable, unless we cancel the program or you are not accepted into the program.
Acknowledged

Cancellation:

If we are able to fill your reserved space from the waitlist your enrollment fee minus the deposit will be refunded to you.
Acknowledged

Fees and Payments:

Please make the requested deposit for each program. Please pay via PayPal or check made out to EarthWays LLC, cc “Name of Program”. If you are paying via PayPal, please not a 3% surcharge will be included for each payment. The final payment for your program is due prior to start date of the program, or you may bring a check payable to EarthWays LLC on the start date of the program.
Acknowledged

REGISTRATION FORM

Please fill out the registration form, agree to terms and submit your deposit. Once we receive your registration and deposit, we’ll contact you with all the information you’ll need to begin preparations for your EarthWays LLC program.

Name

Address

City

State

Zip

Phone (day)

Phone (evening)

Phone (cell)

Email

Program you are registering for:

Program dates:

How did you hear about EarthWays LLC?

Would you like to be on our email list?
YesNo

To secure your place in this EarthWays program, please submit the non-refundable deposit or the full payment

I have read, understood and agree to the deposit, cancellation and fee policies stated above.

Your Name

Date

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

×

Participant Agreement Form
×PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT, RELEASE AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK

In consideration of the services of EarthWays LLC, their agents, owners, officers, volunteers, participants, employees, and all other persons or entities acting in any capacity on their behalf (hereinafter collectively referred to as "EW-LLC"), I hereby agree to release, indemnify, and discharge EW-LLC, on behalf of myself, my spouse, my children, my parents, my heirs, assigns, personal representative and estate as follows:

I acknowledge that hiking, camping, and backpacking entail known and unanticipated risks that could result in physical or emotional injury, paralysis, death, or damage to myself, to property, or to third parties. I understand that such risks simply cannot be eliminated without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity.

The risks include, among other things: Slipping and falling; falling objects; water hazards; exhaustion; exposure to temperature and weather extremes which could cause hypothermia, hyperthermia (heat-related illnesses), heat exhaustion, sunburn, dehydration; and exposure to potentially dangerous wild animals, insect bites, and hazardous plant life; accidents or illness can occur in remote places without medical facilities and emergency treatment or other services rendered; consumption of food or drink; equipment failure; improper lifting or carrying; my own physical condition, and the physical exertion associated with this activity.

Furthermore, I also acknowledge that participating in an EW-LLC program and gathering in a group may expose me to infectious diseases including but not limited to COVID-19 – also referred to as "the coronavirus" and most officially as "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)". My potential exposure to any infectious disease entails known and unanticipated risks that could result in physical or emotional injury and even death. Contracting any infectious disease may cause damage to myself or to third parties. I understand that such risks simply cannot be entirely eliminated without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity.

The risks include, among other things: Becoming severely ill in remote areas that are far from definitive medical assistance. The closest medical facilities may not be able to effectively treat COVID-19 or other infectious diseases. Pre-existing medical conditions, both known and unknown to the guides, may increase the chances of injury or death. Despite efforts to screen all participants for signs or symptoms of infectious disease, both before and during an EW-LLC program, there is no way to ensure that all participants are free of infectious diseases before or while attending an EW-LLC program. EW-LLC will make good faith efforts to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 or infectious diseases, but preventive measures undertaken by EW-LLC and its employees or contractors may not be effective at preventing such transmission.

Furthermore, EW-LLC employees have difficult jobs to perform. They seek safety, but they are not infallible. They might be unaware of a participant's fitness or abilities. They might misjudge the weather or other environmental conditions. They may give incomplete warnings or instructions, and the equipment being used might malfunction.

I expressly agree and promise to accept and assume all of the risks existing in this activity. My participation in this activity is purely voluntary, and I elect to participate in spite of the risks.

I hereby voluntarily release, forever discharge, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless EW-LLC from any and all claims, demands, or causes of action, which are in any way connected with my participation in this activity or my use of EW-LLC's equipment or facilities, including any such claims which allege negligent acts or omissions of EW-LLC.

Should EW-LLC or anyone acting on their behalf, be required to incur attorney's fees and costs to enforce this agreement, I agree to indemnify and hold them harmless for all such fees and costs.

I certify that I have adequate insurance to cover any injury or damage I may cause or suffer while participating, or else I agree to bear the costs of such injury or damage myself. I further certify that I am willing to assume the risk of any medical or physical condition I may have.

In the event that I file a lawsuit against EW-LLC, I agree to do so solely in the state of California, and I further agree that the substantive law of that state shall apply in that action without regard to the conflict of law rules of that state. I agree that if any portion of this agreement is found to be void or unenforceable, the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect.

By signing this document, I acknowledge that if anyone is hurt or property is damaged during my participation in this activity, I may be found by a court of law to have waived my right to maintain a lawsuit against EW-LLC on the basis of any claim from which I have released them herein.

I have had sufficient opportunity to read this document. I have read and understood it, and I agree to be bound by its terms.

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

Your Name

Address

Phone

Date

Your email

PARENT'S OR GUARDIAN'S ADDITIONAL INDEMNIFICATION (Must be completed for participants under the age of 18)

In consideration of (enter minor's name): (print minor's name) ("Minor") being permitted by EW-LLC to participate in its activities and to use its equipment and facilities, I further agree to indemnify and hold harmless EW-LLC from any and all claims which are brought by, or on behalf of Minor, and which are in any way connected with such use or participation by Minor.

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

Name of : Parent or Guardian

Date

NAME AND DATES OF PROGRAM
Program Name
Enter Program Date(s)

×

Honoring Those Who Have Walked Before
2026-10-24 09:00 - 17:00 | Open Sky Retreat Space, Sebastopol, CA
Honoring Those Who Have Walked Before

Footprints Into the Future

October 24, 2026

9am – 5pm

Open Sky Retreat Space

West Sebastopol

$150 – $275 sliding scale

Non-refundable deposit $75

(Scholarships available – please ask)

Cynthia Eisho Morrow and O. Andrew Schreiber

“The spirits of the dead may be invoked for the good of the living”

-Shinto saying

Deepening into fall, we enter a season of remembrance—a threshold time for honoring those who have walked before us. As the days shorten and the energy of the earth returns to its roots, we are invited to pause and listen to what the past continues to offer.
Remembering the gifts and shadows of those who came before helps cultivate discernment as we dream our way into the future. Who were our ancestors, near and far—whose shoulders do we stand upon? How did they live, and how did they die?
Across cultures and histories, human life has carried destructive patterns of oppression, marginalization, exploitation, and war, alongside profound goodness—a longing for dignity, hope for future generations, and a deep capacity for generosity and love. In this season of turning, we gently inquire: what did it look like when our people lived in greater balance with the Earth and with one another? What survival patterns, individually and collectively, might we be ready to transform or release?
This day is offered as a ceremonial space—part remembrance, part release, part intentional choosing. Together, we gather to remember our ancestors, however we wish to define them, and to listen for the wisdom that can emerge when the past is held with honesty and care. From this listening, we explore how we might carry forward what is life-giving, while laying down what no longer serves.
We may reflect upon ancestors in our direct family lines, our cultural and spiritual lineages, and the lands and peoples who have shaped us. Within a safe and intentional container, we will explore—through council-style sharing, earth wisdom, and shared ritual—what is ready to be honored, healed, or tended.
Our time together will include co-creating an ancestor shrine, guided meditation and sound bath, solo time on the land, a shared meal with ancestral offering, and story council.
Held on the ancestral homeland of the Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok peoples, Open Sky Retreat Space 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 supporting grounding, presence, and belonging.

Contact Info
For more information, contact O at: o.aschreiber@gmail.com or Cynthia/Eisho at: eisho@cynthiamorrow.com

Register and Submit Deposit
×Policy Acknowledgement, Registration, and Deposit

Please read our policies and registration information. To register, complete this form and submit your deposit using the Agree and Pay Deposit button below. We have scholarships and payment plans available; please contact us to apply. Feel free to email with any questions you may have.

POLICIES & REGISTRATION INFORMATION

EarthWays (EW) fills our programs on a first-come first-served basis. Registration requires a deposit and holds your place in the program you have selected. For the benefit of all, EW screens participants to ensure compatibility with our programs that can sometimes be physically and psychologically challenging, especially the outdoor daylong and overnight programs. We require participants to be in good physical, mental and emotional health, appropriate to the particular program of enrollment. EW reserves the right to refuse enrollment based on our assessment of these and other criteria. If you are not accepted for enrollment, your deposit will be refunded in full.

Policies

Please take the time to carefully consider your decision to enroll in one of EW Programs; this decision represents a commitment to yourself and to us. Regarding our outdoor programs, we have found that it is common and even appropriate for fear and resistance to arise when you are preparing to step out of your ordinary life and go into nature alone: obstacles, (real or imagined, inner or outer), may present themselves to you and it may seem impossible or too frightening to proceed with the program. These obstacles and fears are an important part of your experience, and can serve to help you become clear about what your call to the wilderness means to you. Obstacles can pave the way for the insights and growth you will bring back to your daily life.

Deposits:

Each EW program requires a deposit to reserve a spot. Refer to each program for deposit amount. Deposits are non-refundable, unless we cancel the program or you are not accepted into the program.
Acknowledged

Cancellation:

If we are able to fill your reserved space from the waitlist your enrollment fee minus the deposit will be refunded to you.
Acknowledged

Fees and Payments:

Please make the requested deposit for each program. Please pay via PayPal or check made out to EarthWays LLC, cc “Name of Program”. If you are paying via PayPal, please not a 3% surcharge will be included for each payment. The final payment for your program is due prior to start date of the program, or you may bring a check payable to EarthWays LLC on the start date of the program.
Acknowledged

REGISTRATION FORM

Please fill out the registration form, agree to terms and submit your deposit. Once we receive your registration and deposit, we’ll contact you with all the information you’ll need to begin preparations for your EarthWays LLC program.

Name

Address

City

State

Zip

Phone (day)

Phone (evening)

Phone (cell)

Email

Program you are registering for:

Program dates:

How did you hear about EarthWays LLC?

Would you like to be on our email list?
YesNo

To secure your place in this EarthWays program, please submit the non-refundable deposit or the full payment

I have read, understood and agree to the deposit, cancellation and fee policies stated above.

Your Name

Date

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

×

Participant Agreement Form
×PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT, RELEASE AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK

In consideration of the services of EarthWays LLC, their agents, owners, officers, volunteers, participants, employees, and all other persons or entities acting in any capacity on their behalf (hereinafter collectively referred to as "EW-LLC"), I hereby agree to release, indemnify, and discharge EW-LLC, on behalf of myself, my spouse, my children, my parents, my heirs, assigns, personal representative and estate as follows:

I acknowledge that hiking, camping, and backpacking entail known and unanticipated risks that could result in physical or emotional injury, paralysis, death, or damage to myself, to property, or to third parties. I understand that such risks simply cannot be eliminated without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity.

The risks include, among other things: Slipping and falling; falling objects; water hazards; exhaustion; exposure to temperature and weather extremes which could cause hypothermia, hyperthermia (heat-related illnesses), heat exhaustion, sunburn, dehydration; and exposure to potentially dangerous wild animals, insect bites, and hazardous plant life; accidents or illness can occur in remote places without medical facilities and emergency treatment or other services rendered; consumption of food or drink; equipment failure; improper lifting or carrying; my own physical condition, and the physical exertion associated with this activity.

Furthermore, I also acknowledge that participating in an EW-LLC program and gathering in a group may expose me to infectious diseases including but not limited to COVID-19 – also referred to as "the coronavirus" and most officially as "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)". My potential exposure to any infectious disease entails known and unanticipated risks that could result in physical or emotional injury and even death. Contracting any infectious disease may cause damage to myself or to third parties. I understand that such risks simply cannot be entirely eliminated without jeopardizing the essential qualities of the activity.

The risks include, among other things: Becoming severely ill in remote areas that are far from definitive medical assistance. The closest medical facilities may not be able to effectively treat COVID-19 or other infectious diseases. Pre-existing medical conditions, both known and unknown to the guides, may increase the chances of injury or death. Despite efforts to screen all participants for signs or symptoms of infectious disease, both before and during an EW-LLC program, there is no way to ensure that all participants are free of infectious diseases before or while attending an EW-LLC program. EW-LLC will make good faith efforts to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 or infectious diseases, but preventive measures undertaken by EW-LLC and its employees or contractors may not be effective at preventing such transmission.

Furthermore, EW-LLC employees have difficult jobs to perform. They seek safety, but they are not infallible. They might be unaware of a participant's fitness or abilities. They might misjudge the weather or other environmental conditions. They may give incomplete warnings or instructions, and the equipment being used might malfunction.

I expressly agree and promise to accept and assume all of the risks existing in this activity. My participation in this activity is purely voluntary, and I elect to participate in spite of the risks.

I hereby voluntarily release, forever discharge, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless EW-LLC from any and all claims, demands, or causes of action, which are in any way connected with my participation in this activity or my use of EW-LLC's equipment or facilities, including any such claims which allege negligent acts or omissions of EW-LLC.

Should EW-LLC or anyone acting on their behalf, be required to incur attorney's fees and costs to enforce this agreement, I agree to indemnify and hold them harmless for all such fees and costs.

I certify that I have adequate insurance to cover any injury or damage I may cause or suffer while participating, or else I agree to bear the costs of such injury or damage myself. I further certify that I am willing to assume the risk of any medical or physical condition I may have.

In the event that I file a lawsuit against EW-LLC, I agree to do so solely in the state of California, and I further agree that the substantive law of that state shall apply in that action without regard to the conflict of law rules of that state. I agree that if any portion of this agreement is found to be void or unenforceable, the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect.

By signing this document, I acknowledge that if anyone is hurt or property is damaged during my participation in this activity, I may be found by a court of law to have waived my right to maintain a lawsuit against EW-LLC on the basis of any claim from which I have released them herein.

I have had sufficient opportunity to read this document. I have read and understood it, and I agree to be bound by its terms.

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

Your Name

Address

Phone

Date

Your email

PARENT'S OR GUARDIAN'S ADDITIONAL INDEMNIFICATION (Must be completed for participants under the age of 18)

In consideration of (enter minor's name): (print minor's name) ("Minor") being permitted by EW-LLC to participate in its activities and to use its equipment and facilities, I further agree to indemnify and hold harmless EW-LLC from any and all claims which are brought by, or on behalf of Minor, and which are in any way connected with such use or participation by Minor.

Agreement to Electronic Signature

I agree that my electronic signature has the same force and effect as signing this document manually.

Name of : Parent or Guardian

Date

NAME AND DATES OF PROGRAM
Program Name
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Four Seasons of Storytelling - Full with Wait List
2026-12-05 | Sonoma County, Location TBD, CA
Four Seasons of Storytelling
~Full with Wait List~
Following Your Own Life Thread
The North Bay Redwood Cohort – enrolling through EarthWays

Monthly meetings: January to December 2026, different sites around the North Bay
Guide: Scott Eberle (with different co-guides and/or assistants for longer sessions)
Course fee: sliding scale of $1250-$2500 (scholarships available)
Payment: $500 deposit to enroll, a second $500 deposit due by the end of this year,
and final payment due at the second meeting in February.
Deposit and final payment are non-refundable.
Camping fees: $50-75 for each weekend session, payable at the time of each gathering.

(The Eagle Cohort is a Zoom cohort—with one weeklong gathering in person—that will start June 2026.
Enrollment is through the School of Lost Borders at https://schooloflostborders.org/programs_courses/four-seasons-of-storytelling-2026/ )

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
. . . Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
excerpt from William Stafford’s “The Way It Is”

An invitation: My latest book, The Soul’s Red Thread: Memoirs of a Guide, are my life stories. What are your own? And, through them all, what’s the life thread you’ve been following?
Come join me for four seasons of storytelling: an opportunity to tell your own life stories and to hear those of others. Each month, I’ll choose a theme from my book and invite you to explore this while you’re walking alone in nature. We will then circle together for a series of story councils. The format for the year will be a mix of half-day council meetings, all-day day walks, and weekend gatherings.
This is not a book club to discuss my book. This is a chance to tell your own stories.
Schedule:
January 24 (Zoom meeting): Introductions and Orientation
February 28 (half-day): What Are the Title and the Plotline of Your Own Life Story?
March 28 (all-day day walk): Your Inheritance: A Life Story Begins Before You’re Born
April 25 (all-day day walk): The Magical Child
May 30 (all-day day walk): The Confusion of Adolescence
June 27 (all-day day walk): The Young Adult: Hire Me, Marry Me, Trust Me
July 16-19 (weekend gathering): The Middle Passage: Connecting with Something Deeper Inside
August 8 (all-day day walk): The Elder Passage: Contemplating Impermanence
September 12 (all-day day walk): The Core Wound, the Core Blessing
October 9-11 (weekend gathering): In the Life Lodge: Keeping Relationships Current
November 21 (half-day): Incorporation: Turning Right Speech into Right Action
December 5 (half-day): Closing Council & Final Celebratory Meal
For more information, contact Scott at seberle@sbcglobal.net

This program is full with a wait list.

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