Services At Heartstone Center
The center provides a location for a variety of services, including retreats, supported councils, adventures, workshops, gatherings, and ceremonies. See our calendar for available events.
Retreats at Heartstone
In 2008, we began to offer guided and supported Retreats at our Center. This is an opportunity for you to step away from everyday routines in order to reflect, rest and rejuvenate, clarify goals and dreams, and be cared for by the love of the land & our staff.
Our yurt sits in a sloping meadow within a grove of maples. It is a 5 minute walk to our main house providing access to support while affording enough distance for privacy and quiet. Retreats are designed with Kris to take into consideration your desires for meals, ritual, counseling, massage therapy, or other support needs or simply to be left to your solitary time with supported fasting. Some individuals choose to take retreats in a questing way; staying on the land with minimal provisions or in tents. Our lean-to, or Toadstool, is also available for this retreat.
The cost of your retreat is determined based on length of stay and nature of support desired. Due to our modest size and our many activities, we are only able to support a limited number of retreats per year. They are available from June through October.
“My retreat at Heartstone allowed & encouraged me to unfold into, around and above myself. I felt fully supported & free to be whoever, wherever & however I needed to be. What a gift!”
S.C.
Supported Councils
We are very excited to offer Supported Councils at Heartstone. A Council is a group of people, hand-picked by you, who gather together to offer YOU their support or guidance around something that’s important to you.
You might create a council to…
- Help you with a specific issue or challenge or assist you with an important decision;
- Focus on a broader theme such as turning 30 or 80, becoming a parent, dealing with children growing up and moving into their adult lives;
- Create a vision for yourself…to gather ideas, insight or support for your dreams unfolding;
- Receive love and feedback from people who know and care about you;
- Create action…kick off an idea for a project, a change of lifestyle, a garden plan, healing protocol, a run for office.
Your Council can be made up of your closest friends, family & colleagues, people you barely know, or both. Your Council may include ceremony, fire circle, modest food (unless catered), and Kris’ help with facilitation, if desired. A Council may be structured formally with a set agenda and process, be very informal and open-ended, or blend these together. You may choose to gather for a few hours or 1-2 days.
This is a wonderful opportunity to gather your resources around you and let them be of service to you. Typically, everyone in the Council benefits from the gift of being there with you.
Our yurt is available for council gatherings of up to 30 people and Kris’ office in Ithaca, NY can accommodate a small gathering of 5-10. Kris is available to consult with you in planning stages, for facilitation during your gathering, & for follow-up, as desired.
As with other services, fees are based on the nature and amount of support desired. As with our retreats, our modest size and many activities limits the number of Council we can support each year. Kris is available to assist with Council at other locations as well.
Adventures at Heartstone
We are available to design workshops tailored to different groups & organizations such as herb walks, workshops & special events. See our calendar for events you can sign up for, and contact us if you'd like to schedule a specific event or workshop.
Gatherings and Ceremonies
We are available for modest Gatherings and Ceremonies that require simple or rustic provisions. Our barn kitchen is available for these occasions. Kris is available to facilitate groups in a variety of ways and will officiate naming and marriage ceremonies. She is ordained by the Universal Life Church.
“It was wonderful to have Kris officiate our wedding! She was so thoughtful about all aspects of how we wanted the ceremony to feel and she really made sure that she understood what we wanted. She helped us come up with ideas but did not push anything on us – we created our own unique ceremony, but Kris’s input helped us to clarify what our desires and how we wanted to express them. We have been to about 5 weddings in the 4 months since our wedding so it really gave us an opportunity to see the style of some other officiants and we noticed how many of them felt like a “performance” – but with Kris, it was really authentic and personal. We highly recommend her!”
“Thank you for taking the time to listen to our story, connect with our ideas and create a beautiful, cozy, ceremony. It truly felt like me, who I was, then joining, uniting with another person… it felt perfect.”
“We could not imagine a wedding more suited to us. Your help in creating the ceremony was incredible and your words were perfect. We will read them often over the years together, reminding us of the day and helping guide us. We are grateful beyond what words can express.”
