What can you expect at the Great Mother Conference?
Any day at the Conference could include Sufi chanting, a lecture on the Alhambra, dancing, the telling of Celtic myth, quiet time by the lake, a poetry reading, sitar music, or a simple campfire. The week tends to be a mixture of both large and small group activities. One of the goals of the Conference is to nourish the heart, the body, the mind, and the soul – and to do so in community.
Story
Each year, the Great Mother Conference is held, guided, and informed by a central theme, centered by a story. A living thing in its own right, story breathes through and gives breath to the entire week. The central story or stories become the needle moving the thread of the Conference through the week.
Small Groups
At the start of the week, a piece of the story is unveiled to each attendee without the context of the greater story. Those that gravitate towards a particular moment of the story form a Small Group, led by a member of the community, which meets each day. These intimate groups provide a way to delve into the story in a more immediate, intimate way and to share and talk through the unfolding experience of the Conference.
Emergent Spaces
Throughout the week, there will be opportunities for spontaneous, emergent spaces and activities - led by anyone in the community - to take root.
Workshops
Over the week, the teachers of that year lead workshops that they design, to further investigate the themes of the year or their own inquiries via their practice and medium - poetry, painting, geography, language, mathematics, medicine, ritual.
Evening Programming
Ranging from stand-up comedy to poetry readings, dancing, music, personal storytelling, and beyond, attendees gather each morning and evening in the main hall to experience something only the container of the Conference can provide.
Youth Program
The Youth Program at GMC is thoughtfully curated to engage children ages *5-12 in activities that weave art and adventure while building a vibrant community founded on friendship, intention, and shared experiences. From daily circles and rituals to exciting adventures, campers make new friends and rekindle older connections while listening, sharing, creating, observing, learning, and playing.
Camp runs from 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm each day (your child will be in your care during lunchtime).
* Four-year-olds are also welcome to participate in our activities and find that they also may need to spend some time with their parents during the stretch of the day. We’ll make every effort to scaffold activities to include the youngest and eldest of our community.