“Human beings buffer themselves from seeing the natural world directly. Language, custom, ego, and personal advantage strategies all work against clear seeing. So the first wholeness is wholeness with nature.”
— Gary Snyder, The Real Work, p 172.
Whether you want to learn about the life of a plant or consider yourself a wild bird in this universe, whether you are a participant who wants to explore the relationship between us and the other-than-human, or you are the professional who wants to learn about how nature heals, our experiences are designed to Plant, Bridge and Grow: we plant the seed that nature is our home for well-being. The bridge symbolizes that we cross over to new ideas, perspectives and spaces less familiar, with the hope that we grow from our experiences.
Workshop themes include Human Development; Native Plants, Herbs and Healing; Ritual and Spirituality; Sustainability and Quality of Life; Expressive Arts and Creative Writing; Mindfulness; Native Landscapes and Geology; Wisdom Traditions; Recovery Groups in Nature, Ecopsychology, and integrative combinations of the above.
The San Diego County location allows for almost year-round programs. We offer:
- Activities: Weekly or monthly weekday activities, 1 to 3 hrs, when participants meet and explore nature on a regular basis and form community.
- Workshops: Weekend workshops, lasting from1 -2 days, when participants learn, experience, and discover how to deepen their relationships with nature, Self, and community.
- Events: Special events, such as Open House, Nature Retreats, and Music Festivals to explore and enjoy our Center.
Surprise Farm Retreat Center offers three types of workshops:
- Workshops, completely designed and run by ourselves (the officers and staff, board of directors and advisory board). (regular programs and specialized for grants)
- Workshops, codesigned, created and run together with other individuals and organizations with similar mission statements. (grant collaboration)
- Workshops and space to organizations with similar mission and interests who use the Center’s grounds and service, to support their service activities.
if you are interested in collaboration, please contact us.
OUR MISSION
Surprise Farm Retreat Center offers educational programs in the surround of nature, organic farming, and heritage sites.
The experience of being in place, with creative intentional community, encourages well-being.
Our Mission includes learning from each other about meaning and purpose, in workshops and around the firepit.
We seek a caring and sustainable interaction between human nature and Nature, inviting Nature to heal us.