Interbeing 10: New Moon || Transformation

Friday, September 19 – Sunday, September 21, 2025
Ages 18+
$432
|| purchase tickets before July 19 with code “EARLYBIRD2025” for $99 off! ||


@ Silvae Spiritus Northwoods Nature Retreat
68441 Rhine Lake Rd Finlayson, MN 55735

Program:

Welcome to Interbeing 10: New Moon || Transformation, a personally engaging and special weekend curated by a group of multidisciplinary friends to help awaken and enliven our bodies, engage our minds, relax and rejuvenate our spirits, and spark artistic fun and flow—all in partnership with Nature. This weekend-long camping retreat accompanied by the new moon is centered around quieting into the introspective side of our wholeness – considering what stories we want to craft as we move forward with the shifting seasons – steeping our innate wisdom in community connection, nature, reflection, and embodiment.

In past years, Interbeing retreats have typically focused on a single theme or wellness modality; in 2025, we are delighted to offer two weekend-long retreats – Interbeing 09 and Interbeing 10 – that offer a little something for every part of your whole being: from prompted journaling to dance parties, guided meditation to yoga for all bodies, sound bathing to nature relation, ephemeral art to spaciousness, thermic cycling to naps, music to story circles. Guests will be invited into a weekend of relaxation, curiosity, shared wisdom, open-heartedness, and community.

At our Interbeing retreats, every participant is valued and encouraged to explore the intersection of nature, creativity, wisdom, embodiment, reflection, and joy. Unlike traditional lecture-based gatherings, this is an interactive experience, fostering collective participation and shared growth.

While here, you’ll be able to explore 30 acres of wild and tended forests, meadows, ephemeral ponds, with walking trails throughout as you camp for the weekend. We provide morning and evening meals, and guests are encouraged to bring their own food to share or enjoy at their leisure. Embrace nature’s beauty and nourish your soul in this inclusive and serene environment with abundant wildlife and expansive skies.

Interbeing 10 offers you a unique opportunity to recharge, explore, learn, play, and immerse yourself in the harmonious entwining of sound, movement, reflection, and nature. As you connect with like-minded souls, you’ll find yourself elevated in mind, body, and spirit, leaving with newfound energy and a sense of wholeness.

We take deep pride in the feedback from our past attendees, who have described Interbeing events as “life-changing.” This testimonial is our greatest honor, inspiring us to mindfully curate an experience that allows the spaciousness for authentic resonance, touching hearts and transforming lives.

Join us at Interbeing 10, where community, wellness, and interconnectedness await. 

Presentations:

Circle – Opening, Storytelling, Closing
Hosted by Katona Barnes

Join us for a community circle of reflection, embodiment, and sacred transformation. These gatherings offer space to pause, release what no longer serves, and reconnect with the possibilities waiting to unfold. Through breath, movement, and shared presence, we’ll root into care and collective intention, creating space for new visions, deeper alignment, and personal renewal.  In coming together, we remember that transformation does not happen in isolation, it is nurtured in relationships, in truth-telling, and in the sacred work of holding space for one another’s becoming. 

“Restorative circles are where healing begins and belonging is remembered—where truth is spoken, wounds are witnessed, and the sacred work of community becomes possible.” – Unknown

Community Art + Ethical Foraging
Hosted by Leigha Horton

Over the course of the weekend, participants are invited to contribute to a community ephemeral art piece – one that will serve as a mindful and bodyful exploration of, and interplay with, natural materials, colors, shapes, and patterns to create impermanent art infused with personal resonance and generous intention.  

The Friday evening session will be an introduction to the art piece “skeleton,” and I will offer a framework in which we can respectfully engage and interact with the work as it emerges over our three days together. Additionally, we will discuss Ethical Foraging, as outlined by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer – botanist, poet, and acclaimed author of the seminal work, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants – so that participants can forage respectfully from the Silvae Spiritus land from a place of relation rather than extraction.

Forest Bathing
Hosted by Leigha Horton

Forest Bathing is a slow-moving, deeply sensory, mindful and bodyful Nature exploration that has shown to result in measurable physiological, cognitive, and emotional benefits – most importantly, a reconnection to animate Nature in concert with our inner nature. How can we be more effective stewards of the land while honoring the land’s sovereignty? How does it feel to step into a place of deep listening – where consciousness transcends the physical yet can still be perceived? The answers can unfold through offering simple attention and the willingness to wander.  This early-afternoon session will be guided along the trails through the 30 acres of woods and meadows and past the ephemeral ponds of Silvae Spiritus. We find that rain heightens the senses and can make for truly magical experiences, and therefore the walk will take place outdoors rain or shine.

Illuminating the Path: Transformation Through Mythology, Art, and Water
Hosted by Melissa Dessart and Laura Libby

Join us for a two-part creative journey where mythology, meditation, and art-making come together to illuminate your personal path of transformation. Guided by the ancient stories of the Sirius star system — a symbol of renewal, brilliance, and the courage to evolve — we’ll work with the element of water to explore the deep currents of change within us. 

Drawing from the ancient wisdom of Sirius — who’s rising once signaled life-giving floods — we’ll honor water as a master teacher of transformation: boundless, shape-shifting, and resilient through every change. Through guided meditation and intuitive watercolor painting, you’ll connect with your emotions, awaken your inner wisdom, and envision what’s ready to emerge. 

In our second session, we’ll weave these inspirations into a powerful manifesting ritual, creating a spiral of affirmations to anchor your new intentions. No art experience is needed — only a willingness to listen deeply, create boldly, and embrace the flow of transformation. Come curious. Leave luminous.

Meditative Sound Immersion
Hosted by Dendrotic

An exploration of the resonance between your inner nature and the natural world, between mental and physical wellbeing, and between personal and collective growth.  Sound Immersion sessions at Silvae Spiritus offer an opportunity to travel freely through our ever shifting emotional and mental landscape, creating communal space in which serene audio and meditative instrumentation gently guide us toward a restorative state of deep simplicity and true relaxation. This invitation to temporarily decenter from the overactive chatter and ego narratives which drive our day-to-day functioning can allow our inner voices to speak with greater clarity.  Released from distraction, we are beckoned back into relationship with the present moment, luxuriating in the river of time as it flows around us.  Untethered from anxiety, our mental and physical systems come back into equilibrium and are able to function at their peak potential.  This is the core concept that motivates my approach to “sound healing” – if there is healing to be had it will emanate from your own personal strength – your intuition and intention coupled with your body’s innate ability to reach for the balance it needs.  Concurrently, if there is to be “magic”, it will be conjured in a manner of co-creation, as opposed to any special variable that I alone might bring to the equation.  Rather, it is together that we have the honor and delight of letting the process unfold around us, bathing in the medicine of frequency and vibration while undertaking a journey of introspection and connection.

Drawing on my history of live electronic music performance while interweaving the acoustic energy generation of melodic drums, crystal singing bowls, chimes, bells, and percussion I’ll be seeking a holistic nourishment of body + mind + heart, one that can replenish the core vitality we all hold as humans.  My hope will be for participants to leave enlivened with the physiological refreshment and psychological focus that can serve as a foundation for engaging deeply with the more beautiful and limitless world that awaits us…

What to bring: any pillows or blankets you’d like to help find your cozy place; an open mind + a compassionate heart + curious ears.

Morning Yoga + Meditation
Hosted by Laura Libby

Step into the morning with a transformative 45-minute yoga practice, where breath, movement, and music weave together to open the path to renewal. With each gentle flow and mindful breath, we’ll invite personal awakening and connection to the present moment. Open to all levels, come as you are — leave refreshed, smiling, and ready to shine.

Soft Fascination + Smoke medicine
Hosted by Michaelton + Leigha Horton

In this two-part session, Michaelton shares recent and ongoing studies about the science of “soft fascination,” an awareness practice that offers an alternative to directed attention, and has been credited with placing us in our most creative states. Immediately following, Leigha Horton will give a brief introduction to the folk history and usage of smoke medicines, and together we will lightly forage for plants that can support us physically, psychologically, and spiritually, then craft them into small burn bundles for each participant to take home.

Somatic Dance: BLOOM
Hosted by Laura Libby

Somatic Dance is an all-levels, moving meditation practice where movement is about feeling, not perfect steps. Using the life cycle of a plant as our guide—from seed to bloom and back—we’ll explore the contraction and expansion of change to release tension, and awaken vitality. This class invites you to reconnect with your body, embrace your unique rhythm, and find pleasure and joy in every movement. No experience needed—just come as you are and let your senses open.

Wood-fired Sauna + Cold Plunge + Wood-fired Hot Tub + Bonfire
Hosted by Leigha Horton and Travis Norman

Hot. Cold. Rest. Rehydrate. Repeat.

Thermic Bathing Cultures can be found around the world and throughout history. Finnish Sauna, Korean Jimjilbang, Native American Sweat Lodges, Mexican Temezcal, Turkish Hammam, Icelandic Spa, Japanese Sento, and Russian Banya all have one thing in common: people coming together in community to experience the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing that can occur with exposure to intense heat and steam. 

Our clean, modern wood-fired sauna nestled in the woods and designed to be harmonious with the landscape features high-quality heat from an elegant wood-fired stove surrounded by heavy stones, fresh air ventilation, natural steam, and large windows with 360-degree forest views to bring you into closer connection with nature. The exterior features a cold water bucket-shower and two cold plunge tubs, a Goodland wood-fired hot tub, as well as outdoor seating with a Solo Stove fire pit for those looking to join the community but stay temperate.

An antidote to the pace and distraction of modern life, this restorative session is an opportunity to refresh and revitalize while reconnecting us with ourselves, each other, and our living world.

Woodland Dance Party Under the Stars
Hosted by Dendrotic

Out past Cricket Circle, past The Orchard, past the Hidden Stream, on the far side of the Far Meadow’s Nursery lies the bushcraft-style Woodland DJ Booth.  There, sound sculptor & musical explorer, Dendrotic, will entwine danceable beats with the abundant nature surrounding us. Bonfires and fire torches will light our surroundings, and the starry sky will arc high above. Come as you are, move how you like.

Retreat Agenda:

Friday:

4 – 7 pm  – Guest Arrival, Check-in, Camp Set-up  (The Lounge + the land)

7 – 8:30 pm – Dinner – grilling (Patio + Guesthouse)

8:30 – 9:30  pm – Welcome + Orientation + Community Mandala Intro + Thermic Cycle Intro (The Lounge)

9:45 – Midnight – Wood-fired Sauna + Cold Plunge + Wood-fired Hot Tub + Bonfire + DJ sets (Thermic Oasis)

Saturday:

9 – 9:45 am – Session #1: Morning Yoga + Meditation (Outdoor / rain: Lounge)

10 – 11:30 am – Brunch + Beats (Guesthouse)

11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Opening Circle (The Lawn / rain: Lounge)

1 – 3 pm – Session #2: Forest Bathing (The Crossroads)

3 – 4 pm – Storytelling Circle / Siesta / Open Time (Cricket Circle / rain: Lounge)

4 – 5:30 pm – Session #3: Illuminating the Path, Part I (Cricket Circle / rain: Lounge)

6 pm – 7:30 pm – Session #4: Soft Fascination + Smoke medicine (The Lounge, then the Far Meadow)

7:30 – 9 pm – Dinner – taco bar (Guesthouse) 

9 pm – 1 am – Dance Party with Dendrotic + Guest DJs (Woodland DJ booth in Far Meadow)

Sunday:  

10 – 11 am – Session#5: Somatic Dance: BLOOM(Outdoor / rain: Lounge)

11 – 12:30 pm – Brunch & Beats  (Guesthouse) 

12:30 – 2 pm – Session #6: Illuminating the Path, Part II (Location TBD)

2:30 – 3:30 pm – Closing Circle (The Lawn)

3:30 pm – Spaces Reset, Pack up, + Goodbyes

Facilitators:

Katona Barnes

Katona is a student and practitioner of spiritual traditions, aspiring healer, and educator whose journey through adversity has deepened her commitment to sacred transformation, collective care, and the restoration of wholeness. Guided by the sacred relationship between land, water, and spirit, Katona creates spaces where reflection, transformation, and collective care are rooted in ritual, embodiment, and community connection. 

Katona’s practice is grounded in the power of vulnerability, truth-telling, and the courage it takes to step into healing. She believes that restoration begins when we bravely name what has been broken, tend to the wounds with compassion, and choose to move forward in a relationship. 

With over two decades of leadership in anti-racism, anti-bias education, trauma-informed practice, and systemic transformation, Katona designs and facilitates professional development and healing spaces that help people recognize, unlearn, and dismantle oppressive systems. Her work spans classrooms, private organizations, state agencies, and communities, where she has served as a speaker, trainer, and guide for leaders, educators, and changemakers committed to equity and justice. 

As a creator of trauma-responsive, healing-centered learning experiences, she weaves together experience, storytelling, and embodied practice to support meaningful and lasting change. She holds space for people to honor differences, celebrate identity, and return to the wholeness of their own spirit. Her work centers community, courage, and the sacred responsibility we hold to one another. 

Dendrotic

A.K.A. Travis Norman, is a co-founder of Silvae Spiritus, as well as a musician, DJ, and sound explorer committed to staying ever curious. Passionate about helping others deepen their relationship with our living world, Travis is a certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide & purveyor of ways in which vibration, frequency, and resonance shape our shared reality and can help welcome us into the home we call the present moment. Whether letting loose on a dancefloor or relaxing in a sound immersion, he hopes you’ll join in on this journey of rewilding, reconnecting, and remembering.

🔊 Click here for original music releases or here for DJ mixes || instagram.com/dendrotic

Melissa Dessart is an artist, entrepreneur, educator, and spiritual seeker. She founded Creators Space, a 34,000-square-foot center in St. Paul, MN, where she and her team built a diverse community of nearly 200 individual members and organizations, united by a shared belief that creativity is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. This integration fostered mentorships, profound relationships, and collaborative problem-solving across deep cultural and economic divides. As an artist, she explores many creative modalities to express her observations of the human spirit and our connection to nature, including painting, writing, and the healing arts.  Her art is influenced by a self-study of depth psychology, philosophy, esoteric spirituality, and as a student of nature.​​  

In 2025, she launched Illuminating Your Inner Artist, a unique approach to exploring the human spirit to cultivate our fullest potential. She shares this self-discovery practice with organizations and individuals through workshops, 1:1 sessions, and a Personal Oracle tool, weaving together mythology, art-making, and mindfulness practices. 

MelissaDessart.com

Leigha Horton is the Silvae Spiritus co-founder, an ANFT-Certified Forest Therapy Guide since 2018, a Certified Morning Altars Teacher™, and a communicator by training and by trade. Leigha has spent over 24 years as a professional voiceover actor – voicing and producing national television and radio commercials, museum exhibits, documentaries, video games, training films, educational games, animation, and audio books – and has contributed to several medical research grants by conceiving, facilitating, and producing audio-guided Forest Bathing walks for study participants. With nearly 15 years additional experience in the museum field – developing and delivering programming about science, history, and arts to tens of thousands of visitors at the Walker Art Center, The Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota History Center, Leigha now continues her passion for guiding and teaching through inquiry via nature-connected modalities – Forest Bathing, Morning Altars, and Woodland Sauna, on behalf of Silvae Spiritus – co-created with her husband, Travis Norman, in 2018.   

🔊 click here to listen

Embodied Artist, Creative Healer, and Empowerment Guide, Laura Libby is a world-renowned performer and Joy Alchemist who believes movement, music, nature, and laughter are essential medicines. A certified yoga and meditation instructor with decades of experience in bodywork, sound therapy, and holistic healing, Laura creates opportunities and spaces where people can reconnect with their bodies, awaken their senses, and remember the simple magic of being alive. 

She shares her work through classes, workshops, 1:1 sessions, and immersive community experiences designed to spark deep restoration, bold self-expression, and unapologetic joy—celebrating the wild, creative spirit that lives in us all.

LauraLibby.com

Michaelton (Michael Johnson) is a musician, sound artist, educator, and music technologist. While he wears many hats—both figuratively and literally—his mission is clear: to serve music and those who create it. A lifelong student of music and the natural world, Michaelton was drawn into the world of ambient music in 2020, when the quiet of the pandemic sparked a deep, inward journey. It was then he discovered that everything he needed for peace was already within him—waiting to be unlocked through sound.

Michaelton believes that sound is one of the most impactful and observable forms of energy on our human bodies—a powerful force for healing, transformation, and connection. He has spent years studying its effects on the nervous system and exploring how we can enter altered states of consciousness by integrating it with modern technology.

His current project, Michaelbath, is a series of immersive ambient music performances designed as sonic sanctuaries—spaces where listeners can down-regulate their nervous systems, reconnect with themselves through deep meditation, and experience the restorative power of sound. He is also diving deeper into the world of neurofeedback technology to develop products that expand the ways sound can support well-being and self-awareness.

🔊 click here to listen

Event Logistics:

• Arrival: Silvae Spiritus is located at 68441 Rhine Lake Road, Finlayson, MN 55735. Upon arrival, we will greet you, direct you to a parking space, get you checked in, and guide you to a campsite. You may arrive as early as 4 pm to set up your campsite. Dinner is at 7 pm. We request that all guests be on-site and fully set-up prior to the weekend’s Opening Circle on Friday at 8:30 pm.
  
• Amenities: 24-hour restroom with potable water and additional porta-potty available. 24-hour hot tea station. 24-hour access to device charging outlets.
  
• Campsites: we offer an array of campsites throughout our woods and meadows and will guide you to your preference upon check-in. We can assist in hauling your gear to your site (campsites are hike-in / cart-in only – you will not be able to park next to your tent). Due to parking limitations, any camp trailers will need to be parked in the orchard, unhooked from the vehicle, and the vehicle re-parked in the main parking area.
  
• Campfires: there are multiple fire rings throughout the land to be shared by all guests. You may bring your own firewood ONLY if it was obtained within Pine County (please do not bring firewood from any other areas, including your home, to help prevent the spread of tree diseases and parasites).
  
• Fire Safety: this area is at high risk for forest fires, and therefore ample water will be provided at each fire ring for full dousing. Do not leave fires or smoldering embers unattended at any time – fully extinguish all fires before departing.
  
• Other Lodging: If you prefer not to camp, Silvae Spiritus has a luxury Tiny House with two queen-sized beds available for rental during the retreat – contact us for details. Additional lodging can be found within a 20-minute drive of the area – for more information, visit the Interbeing Retreats page on our website, and scroll down to “Lodging for Interbeing Retreats.”
  
• Quiet Hours: 12 pm – 8 am
  
• Trash + Recycling: this is a pack-in / pack-out event. Please be sure to take all your trash with you upon departure. We will have recycling bins available on-site.
  
• What to bring: all personal camping gear, lunch and snacks for each day if desired beyond the brunches and dinners provided. If bringing perishable items, be sure to bring a cooler to keep food items fresh, as refrigerator space will be unavailable, refillable water bottle, swimsuit(s), towel(s) + flip flops for sauna and cold plunge activities, flashlight or headlamp for navigating the land at night, clothing for all kinds of weather, hat/mittens/blanket in case it gets chilly, and your bright, open spirit. Please also share this information with any friends/guests for whom you might also have registered.
  
  Additional considerations:
  
• weather: check the weather before you depart and plan accordingly, keeping in mind that weather in Minnesota is quickly changeable. We often get unexpected passing rain clouds.
  
• severe weather: in the event of severe weather (lightning/hail/tornado warnings/fire), do not stay in your tent due to risk of falling tree branches and trees as well as debris thrown by the wind. Take immediate shelter in the Guesthouse or your vehicle or fully evacuate the area if appropriate. While the risk of tornadoes are low in this area, keep aware of changing weather conditions, as tornado sirens cannot be heard here.
  
• cold nights: the nights here get significantly colder than they do in Minneapolis / St. Paul, even on hot days. Be prepared to need and use multiple clothing layers in the late evenings.
  
• food: brunches and dinners provided (including vegan options), bring your own lunch and snacks if needed/desired. Be sure to keep all food items secured and stowed away to avoid unexpected encounters with wildlife. The nearest convenience store is Petry’s in Finlayson (an 8-minute drive), and the nearest grocery store is Chris’ Food Center in Sandstone (a 20-minute drive).
  
• valuables: all guests are responsible for their own valuables at all times – keep them secure in your vehicle or other safe location.
  
• wildlife: the Minnesota Northwoods are home to abundant wildlife and we have regular impressive visitors to the land – be sure to secure all food so as not to attract curious critters to your tent.
  
• medical emergencies: the nearest Emergency Room is at Essentia Health – 705 Lundorff Drive, Sandstone, MN – a 20-minute drive from our location.

Registration:

All are welcome (ages 18+), registration required no less than 24 hours prior to event start.

Full weekend + camping passes – $432 per person

Discounted tickets available for Early Birds! Register by July 19, 2025 and use promo code “EARLYBIRD2025” for $99 off your ticket! Tickets are transferable, but non-refundable.

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ABOUT INTERBEING EVENTS AT SILVAE SPIRITUS

We focus on the wisdom at the center of the circle:

At Silvae Spiritus, we embrace a philosophy of personal awakening and development within a context of “progress, not perfection” – an attempt to meet people wherever they are on their journey, and an acknowledgement that each step along that path is necessary and can be offered spaciousness.

Our Interbeing Events give participants an opportunity to slow down, shift from your everyday routine, and re-focus your attention toward yourself in relation to community. In contrast to the vast majority of wellness events, ours are a more interactive experience: rather than solely absorbing what we and our guest facilitators offer, participants are invited to contribute their own insights and unique gifts, thereby co-creating a more richly nuanced and memorable experience for everyone.

One of our foundational beliefs is that when we come together to immerse ourselves in shared authenticity, a deep wisdom may be accessed; one which emanates not from any particular individual, but arises from the center of the circle: the point of intersection which joins each perspective and coalesces into something greater than, and more true than, any individual would be capable of on our own. We don’t come with any answers or prescriptions for how to best navigate these complicated times, but we are honored to hold space for the conversation to unfold.

We believe effective ecology starts with love:

One of the most simple and accurate definitions of the word “love” is the expansion of self to include another. Within the context of deep ecology, the term “ecological self” describes how a natural maturation of the human is toward ever-widening fields of relevance and caring, as your self-interest expands from being just what affects you (constrained by long embedded notions of yourself as a discrete and isolated entity) to encompass your family or community or country, to eventually include what happens to Earth.

People protect what they love.

The levels of energy, buoyancy, optimism, and compassion available to a person actively enraptured in the process of falling in love are unequaled in the vast scope of human experience. This abundance is just what we will need to meet the challenges ahead. Join us at an Interbeing Event as we remember how to fall in love with Earth.

We encourage nourishment for body + mind:

All Interbeing Events at Silvae Spiritus include Nature as an active participant, not just a setting. Whether Forest Bathing, thermic cycling through the practice of Sauna + Cold Plunge, Star-gazing, Bonfire-sitting, or immersing in an ambient sound exploration, we believe an embodied interaction with the community of flora and fauna are what supports full, grounded wellness.

What to expect when you arrive at an Interbeing Event:

Whether you’re new to the practices and modalities on offer, or an experienced enthusiast, and whether the totality of your experience with nature is a houseplant or you’re a lifelong wilderness backpacker, we believe that nature is for everyone and all are welcome here.

Upon arrival you will be greeted, checked-in, and given an agenda and an overview of the land and available facilities. Coffee, tea, water, and healthy snacks are always provided.

We’ll fully communicate with you to ensure you arrive prepared and have anything you might need to comfortably participate.

Questions? Contact us anytime.

“In ecology, we understand that the wellbeing of one is inseparable from the wellbeing of all… In the story of Interbeing, life is a gift. The world and everything in it is a gift.” 

— Charles Eisenstein