Professional outcomes
I feel this retreat confirmed this path I am on as an organizer and facilitator. I feel I am becoming more and more comfortable with that role. I know that I have a gift for this and my community is going to rely more and more on me for it-- to weave people together, to create containers that build community, and to inspire people to connect to their ancestral roots and become better stewards of this planet.
Ophir and I also created beautiful food and are considering offering our services of cooking more. I would also like to potentially run cooking classes. Our food ties in our Moroccan and Israel ancestry with modern health diets such as vegan, paleo, nutrient dense, and Ayurveda.
I also believe that I can consult individuals and groups on how to put on retreats and this OP can showcase that.
Outcomes in the field
When I came up with the idea of this retreat, I had no idea that it could actually contribute to the larger commons, that it was something new and needed. It just felt natural what needed to happen. Yet, there are a few ways it helped contribute to the larger commons:
- Helped build the jewish community in the Boulder area. The retreat planted seeds of connection and inspiration for many of the participants to bring back to the Jewish community
- Re-connected participants to their ancestral traditions. Many participants had dissociated with Judaism and remarked how the retreat helped them reclaim their Judaism and be excited about it.
- Participants kept on asking Ophir and me to write a book on Re-wilding Judaism and we are seriously considering it.
- Hopefully, others can use this OP as a template to build a weekend-long retreat.
- We have already got messages from people who heard about the retreat wanting to be part of one or start their own re-wilding Judaism retreats
Personal outcomes
This retreat process both empowered and humbled me. I really felt my transformation as a leader and how comfortable I am with organizing and holding space. The retreat went smoothly overall and I felt I was able to stay calm throughout the whole process. Ophir and I got along well for the most part, except for a few hiccups here and there (over what we are going to eat for lunch as we were prepping for the retreat). Ophir and I saw that we took on too much for ourselves (logistics, cooking, and facilitation). We love doing all of the things but its too demanding of us. We need to let more people in. It emerged for more people to take roles (leading facilitation, organizing the group, etc) but we can be intentional about it.
Political and Patrix effects
This retreat is a reclamation of wildness and our necessity to reclaim earth-based spirituality. Without that connection, it's hard to imagine a shift in the political and ecological landscape.