Sacred Human I Am is a five-day retreat held in the stunning Wainui Bay in Golden Bay. The retreat is a chance to step away from the noise of everyday life and come together with others who care about community, ecology, meditation healing and wholeing. The work grows out of a need to create safe spaces where people can gather together to be authentic, to play deeply in the transformation and creative arts, open ourselves to bigger view of ourselves that include mythological and archetypal perspectives.

Across the five days we’ll explore meditation through the lens of Wild Mind, guided Open Floor conscious dance, group singing, and the Way of Council around the fire. A deeply transformative sweat lodge ceremony will also be part of the journey. Whether you’re new to these practices or already familiar, the retreat offers renewal, connection, and a return to what matters.

This retreat is hosted by The Centre for the Great Turning, a NZ registered charity. Our work is about helping people develop the inner resources for healing and wholeness, so we can better serve the world in these times of change. As a not-for-profit, we offer intergenerational programmes rooted in a nature-based map of human development.

"ReWilding, apprentice to the Soul was not just a container for exploration, it was a remembering.A remembering of what it means to be human, to be held, to be undone. It was a space held by skilled faciliatators, and like minded community, where one was invited to play with the ideas of psyche, human development, archetypes, poetry, story, dance, lodge, and Soul. Supported by two fantastic elders (Bill and Lois), a wonderful kitchen team, and a beautiful whenua, Jaime wove together a space and place for deep exploration.

So much aroha for the Vision of Jamie and his team toward more whole humans, community, and world. "

-Ben Clark, Outward Bound Instructor May 2025

The retreat takes place in Golden Bay at the Wainui Events Park, an extraordinarily beautiful place complete with Treehouse, Pentacle, Sweat Lodge, Dance Floor, Hot pool, beach walks and ocean.

Bill and Lois are once again in the role of Elders. The talented and hugely experienced Jola Siezen is bringing us some offerings from the archetype fo the fool and clown. Adge Tucker is in support. We will sing together, laugh, tell authentic stories, sweat, dance and thats just the stuff we know about.

This is one way to put some SPRING in your step.

We know retreats are a big investment of both time and money. We know also there are guardians that mark the threshold of real change. Yet despite this, the results can be deeply nourishing and dare we say life changing. This work is inspired by Bill Plotkin and his colleagues at Animas Valley. If you want to learn more we suggest reading any of his books or watching the you tube at the bottom of this page.

One thing is for sure, we need the right kind of trouble to open up new possibilities for what True Adulthood can be for our communities and families. and generation to come.

There are generous scholarships for those who want to come but are struggling financially.

TEAM INCLUDES

Guide Jaime Howell

Jaime is a trained Wilderness Rites of Passage guide, Work That Reconnects facilitator and experienced teacher of Open Floor movement practice. He is the founder of the Centre for the Great Turning a movement inspired by Joanna Macy, Bill Plotkin, Tarchin Hearn and many more.

Jaime is passionate to develop maps and inquiries that support the flowering of human creativity, wisdom and care for the generations of all life to come. He supports humans to awaken their ecological self, the innate sense of belonging to the natural world. Jaime has a Masters Degree in Education, he is a wild poet, a student of mythology and holds a mean blues guitar. He lives in the knowing of what it takes to live in a community aspiring to wake up. A friend to shadow, bruised and bumped with a heart still open. A recent new father and peaceful warrior to bring the right kind of trouble to a world waking up.

THE ELDERS

Bill McEwan

I’m a 80 year old retired counsellor with an academic background in Agricultural Science and Theology. I live in Blenheim with Lois. In 2015 I felt overwhelmed by an ignorance of climate awareness in Marlborough and sat in the centre of Blenheim for a week with my son Robbie and fasted. That led to the formation of Climate Karanga Marlborough. I’m giving a lot of attention to ways of being an older person in an adolescent society. I am a work in progress and treasure close listening, silence, patience, emotional warmth, tenderness where there is shame and support for the broken hearted.

Lois Mead-McEwan

I’m a 73 year old grandmother with a professional background in education and mental health. I’m passionate about the well-being of the ecosystem - in the widest sense of the word - and all that interconnects within it.

Running alongside this is a love for making collages, writing poetry and performing at open mic, creating functional household items using fibre arts, music and dance.

Family, friends, community, adventure, nature and humour also play an important role in my personal well-being.