Spring Equinox Community Gathering – A Morning of Ritual and Renewal

At the bright turning between winter and summer, we gather in celebration - of light returning, of earth awakening, of the quiet joy of being alive together. Join us to celebrate the Spring Equinox!

This is a morning of earth, art, and shared ritual - just like spring, the experience will be bright, gentle, spacious, and quietly alive.

We begin in circle, arriving fully. We'll intentionally step onto the land with open senses and a spirit of curiosity. Guided by a Morning Altars–inspired practice, we wander, notice, gather, and create - allowing the natural world to surprise us. There is something playful and reverent in the experience, something that feels both ancient and entirely fresh!

With simple materials offered by the season, we will shape something impermanent and meaningful. No artistic skill is needed, only presence. What unfolds is personal, beautiful, and often unexpectedly moving. We hold it lightly. We celebrate it. And when the moment is right, we let it go.

From this place of connection and creativity, we will enter the labyrinth together. Walking its winding path becomes a living threshold - an embodied honoring of what has carried us through the darker months and an opening to the warmth and possibility ahead.

Your presence - the gift.
And the magic belongs to the moment.

What we can promise is this: a morning that feels like a mini-retreat! A shared crossing. A celebration of season and spirit. An invitation to step into spring with clarity, gratitude, and a quiet kind of joy.

We would be honored to celebrate this turning with you.

Laura Kirk is enjoying the freedom of a new chapter as a strategic consultant and mentor. Throughout her career, she has focused on empowering people to be the best versions of themselves, charting their own path. Laura draws on her experience as DHM Design’s first woman President and Managing Partner, and Co-Founder of DHM’s Carbondale office where she was committed to nurturing personal growth. Laura was the lead landscape architect for the True Nature Peace Garden and is a trained labyrinth facilitator using the labyrinth as a tool to awaken our voices, as a place for exploration of challenging issues and questions. Laura has lived in Carbondale since 1998 with her husband and two grown sons.

Amy Fairbanks is an educator and artist of several mediums including pen and ink, fiber arts and nature art in Carbondale, Colorado. She is also a certified Morning Altars Teacher. Her vision is to weave together nature art, fiber arts, and earth-based ritual in Colorado mountain towns. With a background in education and arts, Amy has designed workshops, installations, and gatherings that invite people of all ages into mindful, build relationships with the land—from Morning Altars-inspired practices to collaborative outdoor art experiences. Living and working near Carbondale, Colorado, Amy is passionate about making creative, spiritual, and nature-based experiences accessible to everyday people, not just retreat- goers—offering down-to-earth spaces for slowing down, tending grief and transition, and remembering our connection to Place.

Sliding Scale | Collective Care

This gathering is made possible through a web of generosity - our facilitators Laura and Amy, our donors, the Connection is the Medicine Foundation, and each person who chooses to participate. Together, we create a model where care, presence, and access are shared.

• Community Rate: $8 – Offered with the understanding that everyone deserves a place in the circle
• Sustaining Rate: $18 – Helps hold this gathering within a subsidized ecosystem
• Generosity Rate: $35 – Offered in the spirit of shared abundance, helping ensure these gatherings remain accessible to all

Your presence matters. We do not want cost to be prohibitive.

If none of these options feel accessible, please reach out to for scholarship access.

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At True Nature and Connection is the Medicine Foundation, we strive to create intentional, nourishing spaces and experiences for community connection and personal growth. To support a respectful and easeful experience for all, please view our, also listed below.

If you have any questions, you may contact Megan Miller, Director of Education and Programming at [email protected]

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This programming is brought to you through the Connection is the Medicine Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to co-creating opportunities for people to connect – with self, community, and the natural world – so they can discover meaning, purpose, and happiness in service of our shared consciousness. We envision a world where connection is embodied as a core value that nurtures wholeness within and between us all.

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True Nature and Connection is the Medicine Foundation reserve the right to cancel any program or event at any time. In the event of a cancellation by TN or the Foundation, participants will receive a full refund.

Please note that certain programs may have unique cancellation policies—refer to individual program descriptions for specific details.

Unless otherwise noted in the program description:

• Refunds are available (minus processing fees) up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled start time.
• Tickets are transferable to another guest with prior approval from the Event Manager.
• No refunds or credits will be granted for: Cancellations made day-of or after the event has started, No-shows, Early departures, Dissatisfaction with event content or presentation

For all refund or transfer requests, contact Megan Miller, Director of Education and Programming at: [email protected]

To support the integrity of the experience for all participants, we ask that you please observe the following guidelines:

• Arrival Time: Please arrive 15 minutes early to check in and settle. Events begin promptly at the scheduled start time.
• Late Attendance: Doors will close at the stated start time (e.g., 6:30 PM) to honor the sacred nature of the container and minimize disruptions, and late arrivals will not be admitted
• Substance Use: We ask that all guests arrive free of the influence of drugs or alcohol to maintain a clear, safe, and respectful space.

What to Bring & Community Care: You’re welcome to bring personal comfort items such as an eye mask, a small pillow, an extra blanket, or a yoga mat.

As these are shared community experiences, we kindly ask that you:

• Be mindful of personal hygiene and health
• Respect personal space and boundaries
• Refrain from using scented products that may affect others

Thank you for co-creating a respectful and enriching experience with us. We look forward to welcoming you into our sacred space.

Community Conduct and Shared Space Guidelines: Connection is the Medicine Foundation programs are designed to foster meaningful connection, reflection, and personal growth within a supportive communal environment. We ask all participants to honor a shared social norm of respect, presence, and care for one another’s experience.

If at any time a participant is experiencing an unusual, heightened, or disruptive reaction or response that impacts the collective space, the Foundation and/or Facilitator reserves the right to intervene and, if necessary, ask the individual to step away from the gathering. This is not intended as a judgment, but as a means of protecting the integrity of the shared experience, ensuring that all participants continue their journey without undue disruption.

We invite all participants to practice self-awareness, personal responsibility, and compassion to help us maintain a safe, welcoming, and nourishing environment for all.

If you have questions or concerns regarding Event Etiquette and Policies, you may reach out to Megan Miller, Director of Education and Programming: [email protected]

Disclaimer and Hold Harmless Agreement: The views and opinions expressed by facilitators during True Nature and Connection is the Medicine Foundation events, discussions, or any related activities are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of True Nature or the Foundation. We are committed to providing a platform for diverse perspectives and open dialogue, and the words of facilitators should be understood as their individual viewpoints. Any information or advice shared by facilitators is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official statements or endorsements by True Nature or the Connection is the Medicine Foundation. Participants are encouraged to critically evaluate and form their own opinions based on their own judgment and understanding. True Nature assumes no responsibility for the content shared by facilitators and disclaims any liability arising from the use or reliance on such content.

By purchasing a ticket for this event, you agree to a general release of liability for True Nature and the Connection is the Medicine Foundation. You hereby release and discharge the Connection is the Medicine Foundation, its Board of Trustees, Administrators, Staff, Volunteers and other participants or guardians (herein termed Affiliates) from any and all liability whatsoever of any nature or sort for any property damage or personal injury suffered by the participant.

The participant, to the fullest extent allowed by Law, shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Connection is the Medicine Foundation and its Affiliates from any and all liability for any claim of any nature arising out of any activity, conduct, act or omission of the participant.

Media Release: By completing this registration, the participant grants True Nature + Connection is the Medicine Foundation, and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish photographs and/or videos of participants, taken by True Nature or its agents, for editorial, trade, advertising, and any other purpose and in any manner and medium; to alter the same without restriction; and to copyright the same. The registrant and participant hereby release True Nature and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability relating to said photographs or videos.

The registrant and participant hereby affirm that they are over the age of 18 and have the right to contract in expressed name. You agree to have read the above authorization, release, and agreement, prior to its execution, and are fully familiar with the contents of this document. This document shall be binding upon me and my heirs, legal representatives, and assigns.

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