FAQ

• Access to 11 Temple spaces, all ceremonies and event flow offerings.
• Six simple and gorgeous meals beginning Friday dinner through Sunday lunch.
• Access to one-on-one healing sessions at the Healing Sanctuary (no additional cost for 1:1 healing).
• Access to wisdom keepers for 1:1 heart share and counsel.
• Free entrance for kids 10 and under.
• The Sunday Trade Circle where participants can sell handcrafted items with no vendor fees.
• Camping at the #1 voted Hipcamp location in NH.

Our Heartfelt Welcome We come together at a time when our world — and many of us within it — are in the midst of deep remembering, repair, and renewal. Forest and Village is a space rooted in rites of passage, and reverence for the mystery. These guidelines are offered as a living agreement — a way to tend the container we are co-creating, with respect, clarity, and care for all who enter.

We welcome each of you who feels called to this space — honoring your sovereignty, your dignity, your lineage, and your choice to gather with us. Thank you for showing up with your heart and presence.
We recognize that each person brings their unique story, ancestry, and history to this gathering. We hold particular awareness that for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other women of color, healing spaces have not always felt safe, accessible, or created with your needs in mind. Forest and Village is committed to holding this container with care, accountability, mutual respect, and active listening — working to build a space where your wisdom, presence, and leadership are valued and honored.
We also acknowledge that we are living in a time of great polarization and change — when the ways we understand safety, identity, and belonging can feel very different from person to person. In this context, Forest and Village offers a brave space — one that asks us to come together with courage, openness, and the willingness to grow, even when it feels uncomfortable or perhaps challenging. We are not here to foster utopic or idealistic thinking but rather to cultivate with our labor, lifeforce and choices, a place we can grow ourselves into ever more reliable and trustworthy community of women who can voice and take action, who can stand for one another and the earth.

This requires building trust and understanding through honest connection and shared values. We recognize that feeling seen and held means different things to everyone, and that this container will ask us all to lean into vulnerability and compassion, especially as it is full of transformational experiences that can bring us to deep emotional and raw places. Having these agreements is a way for us to move forward with gentleness and care for ourselves and each other.

Forest and Village is a woman-centric gathering that embraces the many expressions of womanhood — biological, spiritual, ancestral, chosen, and lived.

We welcome trans women, non-binary, Two-Spirit folks who feel called to take their place in this container. Our intention is to create a space where many truths of identity and embodiment coexist, and where those who resonate with this work feel seen and supported while also acknowledging that this may potentially hold challenges and risks too as we continue to learn and grow together. We also want to be transparent about the language and themes that will be present, so you can make an informed, empowered decision about your participation.

Language, Discernment, and Care
The language most frequently spoken—words like womb, woman, blood, bleeding, birth, motherhood, menarche, menopause, breastfeeding, grandmother, even goddess—can carry profound meaning and energy.

For some, these words may feel affirmative and powerful, ancient even; for others, they may be unfamiliar, or even triggering or alienating. Please know that women without wombs, women who are not going to have children in this lifetime, women who are not grandmothers, women who don’t bleed or never breastfed, women who lost or gave up children are not only welcome at Forest and Village but your stories, experiences and shared wisdom are part of our wholeness because these experiences exist among us. You belong here and we hope that you will choose a place here which can hold your many life experiences in the many temples and offerings.

Please look at the flow of the gathering to discover what speaks to you.
We invite you to listen closely to what feels aligned with your experience and needs. Your engagement often calls for active discernment and self-care—please honor your boundaries, take space when needed, and engage in ways that feel nourishing to you.

Saturday night, there will be a late-night offering where several personal rites of passage can be witnessed that you may further identify with. Also, you are always welcome here to speak the language that most resonates for you. We will learn together as we share in the village our multi-universe of the many lived realities.

On Microaggressions and Harm We May Not See
We are all shaped by culture, conditioning, and unconscious bias. Forest and Village is committed to being a space of ongoing learning, where we take seriously the subtle but real harm that can arise from words or actions that may not be intended to harm — yet do. These are known as microaggressions — small, often unconscious behaviors or comments that reinforce stereotypes or cause people to feel unseen, “othered,” or unsafe. When we bring attention to these moments that can transpire, it is not to shame anyone, but to grow. We want you to be responsible for understanding what microaggressions are so that they will not remain unconscious.

Some examples related to race include:
● Asking, “Where are you really from?” or commenting, “You’re so articulate.”
● Speaking to someone as a representative of an entire group: “What do [Black/Latinx/Asian/etc.] people think about…?”
● Making assumptions based on appearance or accent especially in regards to education, financial background, profession, etc.
● Touching someone’s hair or body without consent, or commenting on it in exoticizing ways. “Your hair is so wild!” or reaching out to touch it without permission.
● Saying things like “I don’t see color” or “We’re all just human” or “We all go through hard things — it’s no different.” which can dismiss lived experiences of racial identity and discrimination.
● Telling someone, “You’re being too sensitive,” when they share feelings of hurt or discomfort related to race.

Here is one resource on Microagressions and we encourage you to learn more and research them if you are unfamiliar: https://sph.umn.edu/site/docs/hewg/microaggressions.pdf

Some examples related to gender and sexual orientation include:
● Asking a transwoman if they were born male or born female.
● Misgendering a transwoman, non-binary or gender expansive person.
● Saying things like, “You don’t look trans”: This implies there is a specific way someone should look to be considered trans.
● Hetero-normative statements, such as assuming someone’s sexual orientation based on their appearance or gender.
● Asking intrusive questions about someone’s sexual activity or relationships. This can be a violation of privacy and reinforces harmful stereotypes.

Microaggressions can land heavily on the receiving end, especially when repeated time and time again over a long span of one’s life. They may seem to someone who is saying them, very innocuous but they do indeed cause harm even if unintentionally.

If you are a person who experienced a microaggression and you want further support or a place to be heard, please know that members of the Peace Council are available for you to decompress, to voice and to be witnessed if you choose.

If someone shares with you that something you said or did caused harm, we invite you to pause, listen with presence, and respond with humility rather than defensiveness. This is not about blame, but about building a space rooted in care. If this happens, we ask you not to pursue a dialogue with the person who spoke to you. We suggest a sincere apology- without asking in this exchange to be more understood, or for them to listen to your point of view or how you did not mean it, or how they misinterpreted you, etc. This could result in further hurt. This can be confusing since you want more than anything likely to be seen with your good intentions and good heart. Over time with dismantling work however, we learn the wisdom of letting someone share impact without our defending and then learning from this so we can do better next time.. If you need more support please find a person in the Peace Council for further discussion and to help unpack the interaction if useful. Learning what a micro-aggression is and how not to inadvertently make one is part of an important step that we will learn over time together.

This is part of how we build the culture we long for — together. And this is how we learn to unlearn what has been for too long in the unconscious overculture.

How We Move Together
We ask that people be responsible and accountable for their experience here and for their actions. We ask that people take a pause if you feel that you are becoming dysregulated emotionally and find support before there is reactive behavior, knowing that you will be offered spaces, support groups and people to co-regulate with.

We ask that people take care of themselves by knowing what is best at any given time for you to feel that you can maintain the healthy boundaries that you may need.

We ask that people take deep breaths to help with responses versus reactions.

We ask that we not use language of shame, blame, judgment or diminishment but rather curiosity, deep listening, humility and a willingness to learn together. At Forest and Village, we uphold the values of compassion, honesty, presence, kindness, accountability, and non-violence. This is a sacred space — and sacred spaces require agreements and mutual respect to remain intact.

If unresolved conflict, harm, or discomfort arises, we invite you to bring it forward gently, with the support of our Peace Council — a group of trusted guides here to hold space for listening, repair, and resolution.
If harm continues without willingness for accountability, or if core agreements are not respected or honored, we reserve the right to ask a person to step away from the gathering. This decision will be made with as much clarity and care as possible, always in service to the integrity and respect of the collective gathering.

This is a shared journey. We ask everyone to bring their whole selves with openness and respect, to notice moments when unconscious bias may arise, and to support each other in creating a safer, more inclusive space.

Remember: your feelings and experiences are valid. Your care for yourself and others is essential. And your participation in these ways helps build a community based in trust, healing, and belonging.
In Gratitude

Forest and Village is rooted in the wild, the mythic, the soul- journey and sometimes it might even be messy as we brave new terrains that we choose to explore together. There is much being given here from everyone and out of this we can live forward whatever this future brings us because we are saying yes to a world rooted in our love. Thank you for taking your place in this precious circle at this time on earth.

Respectfully and with gratitude, – The Village Keepers

We have 24 work trade spots this year and they filled really fast. If you want a work trade spot next year, join the email list and register early!

• We offer a 33% discount for BIPOC women. Please email Chantelle at chantelle@solunamedicines.com for the code.
• Our Scholarship Fund is directly dependent on donations. Partial scholarships are given to elders and single mothers as funds are available.
• To support the Scholarship Fund to help low income elders and single mothers attend, you can make a donation via Venmo @Forest-and-Village or donate through the Registration page.
• If you are an elder or single mother and would like to ‘apply’ for a scholarship. Please email Raven at villagekeepers@forestandvillage.org with a statement of need.

If you are not eligible for a scholarship, here are some ideas to cover ticket price that have worked well for others.

• Trade Circle: On Sunday afternoon from 1-3pm we have a trade circle that is open to all participants to lay out a blanket and sell their home crafted creations. Women have done really well and more than covered their ticket price and we do not take a fee or cut.
• Personal fundraising: Several women in our community have successfully created GoFundMe or Venmo campaigns to crowdsource funds for their ticket.

On Sunday afternoon from 1-3pm we have a trade circle. This is a mini village market during which village keepers and participants alike can lay out a blanket on the grass and sell handmade crafts, herbal creations, artwork, and more.

• No vendor fees.
• Great way to offset your ticket cost.
• Many participants made meaningful income here last year.

Yes!

• The Hearth is the home base for mamas and wee ones. There will be support and activities there for children under 5.
• There is a Kid’s Camp near the Hearth that will have programming for kids ages 5-10 during all 4 ‘Workshop’ Blocks.
• There is a full track for Maidens ages 11-18 including a Maiden temple and camping area, Menarche Rite and programming during all 4 ‘Workshop Periods’.

Yes, Inside the Healer’s Sanctuary there will be a designated First Aid station and free access to the Herbal apothecary with remedies for common acute ailments.

Temple Calls are virtual gatherings hosted by the Temple Leads to:

• Build community.
• Offer a taste of the medicine and intention behind each temple.
• Temple Calls are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 7-8:30pm. Next calls are June 11, July 9.
• Seeding Regenerative Culture Calls are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month @ 7-8:30pm. Next calls are June 25, July 23
• Join the Forest and Village Facebook Group for the zoom links!

It’s a beautiful way to orient to the space before arriving in person.