Owning Wisdom with guest faculty Wolf Martinez
Reclaim the Transformative Power and Joy of Thanksgiving
Nov 25 - Nov 30, 2024 in Santa Fe, USA Led by: Wolf Martinez, Sue Izzo, Robert King
Financial aid is available. Apply Here.
Cultivate Deep Gratitude, Joy, and Connectedness by exploring Ancient Indigenous Thanksgiving Traditions
Thanksgiving can be a complicated holiday for people.
It’s supposed to be a time for family and community and for being thankful for everything you have.
But what if you don’t have a family or community to celebrate with – or if recent challenges are making it hard for you to feel thankful or celebrate the holiday in the same way?
Or what if you recognize the darkness at the heart of the Thanksgiving tradition, in terms of the generations of harm colonial settlers inflicted on the Indigenous people who taught them the tradition of giving thanks in the first place?
The answer isn’t to reject the holiday but to get back to the ancient heart of Thanksgiving and rediscover the wisdom traditions that Indigenous people have practiced for thousands of years to foster greater community and connection with each other and the natural world.
In this special Thanksgiving-themed Wisdom workshop co-facilitated with Native American Ceremonialist Wolf Martinez, you will explore millennia-old Indigenous practices – including sweat lodge and a shamanic journey – that will help you reconnect with your inner self and experience the profound gratitude, kinship, and awe that come from honoring the sacred interconnectedness of all living things.
What You’ll Gain
Through a combination of our MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum and Wolf’s Indigenous teachings, you will:
Come prepared “to live again” (the Lakota definition and purpose of Inipi, or sweat lodge ceremony) and to purify yourself with clear vision as a result of this powerful week of renewal.
Meet Your Faculty
Wolf Martinez
Native American Ceremonialist and Guide
Shiatsu Practitioner | Wellness Teacher | Expanded Consciousness Trainer
Wolf Martinez has been practicing healing in ancient earth-based traditions for 30 years. He leads Inipi (sweat lodge), Hanbleceya (Vision Quest), and other Indigenous Ceremonies, yet remains a student of life. He is also a Shiatsu practitioner and offers healing, wellness, body work, and expanded consciousness training.
Wolf has Spanish, Ute, and Navajo ancestry. He was initiated into the Lakota tradition in his twenties and over the years has had the opportunity to meet elders from many traditions around the Americas, North, Central and South America, as well as internationally. He is committed to providing tools and exercises that help people cultivate better health, mindfulness, connection, humor, and relationships – and to deepen our understanding of our Oneness with All that Is.
This workshop is for you if you're...
Feeling disconnected from yourself, from others, and the world around you
Finding it hard to feel gratitude or be thankful – especially with everything that’s happening in the world
Ready to shift your perspective and open yourself up to a great way of being in the world
Eager to expand your consciousness by participating in traditional rituals such as Sweat Lodge, Talking Circle, and Vision Quest
Interested in living a more fulfilled life that includes consideration for the seven generations before and yet to come
Ready to heal the blocks within you that are stopping you from connecting more fully with others and the world around you
Excited to discover a new way of relating to yourself, others, and the universe in a way that inspires and fulfills you
Willing to abstain from using alcohol during the retreat and refrain from using drugs or alcohol, including marijuana, for four days prior to arrival
Santa Fe, USA
Rising Circle Ranch
An upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and spanning nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, with ancient petroglyphs, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.
Meet Your MEA Facilitators
In addition to the powerful sessions conducted by Wolf, you will be guided through the core MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum by our faculty members:
Sue Izzo
MEA Head of Facilitation
Sue Izzo is the former female “Jerry McGuire” who founded an industry-leading sports agency and represented top Olympic athletes, X-Game medalists, World Champion surfers, ESPY winners, and television personalities, before evolving into a growth consultant and coach for business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals.
After a battle with cancer, Sue realized she was ready for a change and now she leads equine-assisted learning workshops at our workshop in Santa Fe. She has dedicated her life to helping others achieve their dreams and deeply understands what it takes to get what you want in all areas of your life.
Robert King
Experience Facilitator
Robert King is a family medicine physician and award-winning ceramic artist with work in private and public collections all over the world. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklohoma and lives in Galisteo, New Mexico with his fearless and furry companion, Wilbur.
As an artist, Robert continuously seeks new ways to express himself, utilizing the natural resources found in the surrounding landscape. He describes his body of work as “a love letter to the high desert”. You will appreciate his creative perspective and deep appreciation for the natural environment in which you’ll be doing this soul-empowering work.
The Fact Is, We All Come from Indigenous Roots
This workshop is for everyone – regardless of your racial, ethnic, or religious background. We are all one race, one human family, and all are welcome here. We are all related and all come from Mother Earth – from the land and the water and the fire and the wind.
But modern life can make us feel profoundly disconnected from our environment, not to mention our fellow humans and ourselves.
If you want to feel healthy and whole, not just in your mind and body but also in your spirit, it’s time to evolve beyond your limited thinking, embrace your shadow self, and reach beyond your circle of comfort to forge deeper connections with the universe around you.
