Of Stone and Bone

A Wisdom School to Reclaim the Sovereign Wild

2024-2025 cohort has begun. Check back in Summer 2025 for details for next cohort.

Weaving participants from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of planet Earth, we will deepen into the meaning of each season, with the Cailleach as our guide, honoring the sacred elder and the sovereign wild discovered there.

Together we will live and dance, grieve and die with the veiled one of myth and memory. 

Join Tonja Reichley (Northern Hemisphere/ Ireland) and Alison Powell (Southern Hemisphere/ Australia) for a year-long immersion to reclaim the value and wisdom of the elder, honoring them in our own lives and in the broader culture. 

The Cailleach, the veiled one of myth and mystery, of the Celtic wisdom traditions, will be our guide as we participate, remember and embody the rhythms of the season and the power and magic we share with the Elements.  We will weave in magic and possibility as we tend to the land who is an embodiment of the Cailleach. We will work with native European and Irish herbs and practice ritual together for each of the holy turnings of the year.  We will remember who we are before patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy: when the wisdom and life of the elder was honored as sacred.  We will listen to myth and story of the Irish Wisdom Tradition and receive from these stories a compass to guide our path forward, hand in hand with elder.

Due to the deep and intimate spiritual work of this course, it is a brave space, a space of grace, for women/ femme/ trans women and those who identify as women. Nonbinary people and trans men are welcome to apply and we can discuss if this might be a supportive fit.

What we will experience together:

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School we will journey with the Cailleach to restore the wisdom of the elder, within and without.

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School we will gather in community, and, through that power, intention and commitment, we shall participate in restoring the balance of sacred wholeness, knowing that elder reverence is essential to this wholeness.

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School we will live with the seasons, celebrate the eight sacred festivals, connect with lunar cycles and, in that, discover our place of belonging in the cosmic rhythm.  By participating with those from both hemispheres of planet Earth we will feel into the dualities held by each, furthering our quest for wholeness.

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School we will work with herbs of the native European tradition and receive ancestral nourishment from them.

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School we will remember the sacredness of pause, of rest, of tending to ourselves and to the Earth. 

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School we will participate with the more than human realms including the land herself, the ancestors, the fairies, the Elements and the plants.

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School we will step fully into our role of dismantling colonialism, white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism, remembering that in coming back to our own roots and traditions we are part of the mythic resistance.  We will imagine into the future we believe, with the wisdom of the Cailleach, the sovereign elder, ever guiding our way on.

Please note, this is not a substitute for therapy or trauma work. Tonja and Alison are not mental health care professionals. Tonja and Alison are guides offering invitations to deepen into the mythic work of reclaiming our native roots, based on their Irish lineage and teachers, and work of many years.

In Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School, we will be:

·      Walking with the Cailleach, the veiled one of myth and memory, as our guide

·      In community with a cohort of women/ women-identified people from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere

·      Partnering with an anam cara, a member of our cohort to share the soul journey with, with intimacy and vulnerability

·      Reading Irish story and myth: discussing and practicing its relevance and purpose in our lives today in honoring the elder

·      Traversing eight golden thresholds, honoring the gifts of goddesses from the Irish Wisdom Tradition

·      Using guided journeywork to receive the wisdom of the more than human realms

·      Celebrating rituals aligned with each of the sacred turnings of the year

·      Dismantling systems of oppression by coming back to who we were before these artificial boundaries were invented

·      Allying with native European and Irish herbs

·      Using art and craft to deepen into our experience

·      Optional: Pilgrimaging on the sacred land of Ireland

Participants who engage in this wisdom school journey will be:

·      Curious and open

·      Willing to journey to the wild edges, willing to sacrifice fear for growth

·      Committed to the financial exchange

·      Discerning

·      Deep listening

·      Comfortable with nonlinear thinking

·      Disciplined and devotional

·      Playful

·      Embodied

Dates and Information for the 2024-2025 Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School Cohort We will gather in the following ways:

1.     Live in-person online (via Zoom) ritual for each of the eight holy days of the Wheel of the Year (specific dates below). 2 hours

2.     Live in-person online (via Zoom) gathering one weekend day per month (specific dates below). 3.5 hours

3.     Specific invitations (ie homework) to deepen into between sessions (including reading six books throughout the year, creative projects, holy pauses with self and land etc)

4.     Small group meet-ups (online) with each other, sprinkled throughout each month (an hour or less and on your own time)

5.     Connection with your anam cara (online), a member of the cohort from the alternative hemisphere, whom you will be paired to delve into specific topics

6.     Pilgrimage week: April 24- May 1, 2025, whether in Ireland or at your home (Eight spots available for Ireland/ eight spots available for self-guided, at-home pilgrimage)

 
Of Stone and Bone Wisdom School Dates:

NOVEMBER 2024:  

·      Samhain/Bealtaine Ritual: Nov 9 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Nov 10 at 8am Perth, 11am Melbourne

·      Wisdom School Gathering: Nov 23 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Nov 24:  8am Perth, 11am Melbourne

DECEMBER 2024:

 ·      Wisdom School Gathering: Dec 14 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Dec 15 at  8am Perth, 11am Melbourne

·      Winter/Summer Solstice Ritual: Dec 21 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Dec 22 at 8am Perth, 11am Melbourne

JANUARY 2025:

·      Wisdom School Gathering: Jan 11 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Jan 12 at 8am Perth, 11am Melbourne                                                          

FEBRUARY 2025:

·      Imbolc/Lughnasadh Ritual: Feb 1 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Feb 2at 8am Perth, 11am Melbourne

·      Wisdom School Gathering: Feb 8 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Feb 9 at 8am Perth, 11am Melbourne

MARCH 2025:

·      Wisdom School Gathering: March 8 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ March 9 at 8am Perth, 11am Melbourne                                                      

·      Spring/Autumn Equinox Ritual: March 22 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ 11 PM Ireland*

·      March 23 at 7am Perth*, 10am Melbourne*   *NOTE TIME CHANGE BECAUSE OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

APRIL/ MAY 2025:

·      Wisdom School Gathering: April 5 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ April 6 at 7am Perth*, 9am Melbourne*    *NOTE TIME CHANGE BECAUSE OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

·      Pilgrimage April 24-May 1 in Ireland or self-guided at home                                 

·      Bealtaine/Samhain Ritual: (during pilgrimage week, we all gather): April 26 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ April 27 at 7am Perth, 9am Melbourne                                               

JUNE 2025:

·      Wisdom School Gathering: June 7 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ June 8 at 7am Perth, 9am Melbourne                                                                  

·      Summer/Winter Solstice Ritual: June 21 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ June 22 at 7am Perth, 9am Melbourne

JULY 2025:

No class: IDIR AIT (the pause in-between)

AUGUST 2025:

 ·      Lughnasadh/ Imbolc Ritual: August 2 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ August 3 at 7am Perth, 9am Melbourne

·      Wisdom School Gathering: August 9 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ August 10 at 7am Perth, 9am Melbourne  

SEPTEMBER 2025:

·      Wisdom School Gathering: Sept 13 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Sept 14 at 7am Perth, 9am Melbourne                                                       

·      Autumn/Spring Equinox Ritual: Sept 20 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Sept 21 at 7am Perth, 9am Melbourne

OCTOBER 2025

·      Wisdom School Gathering: Oct 11 at 4pm California, 7pm NY/ Midnight Ireland/ Oct 12 at 7am Perth, 10am Melbourne* *NOTE TIME CHANGE BECAUSE OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

ENGAGEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE YEAR

All details for these projects will be shared at our first gathering:

1.     Reading list: 6 books.  All students must supply their own books.

2.     Crone/ Crane bag creation

3.     Wisdom Mantle/ Scarf creation

4.     Of Stone and Bone Wisdom Book

5.     Wisdom Soul Cards (one for each of the sacred turnings, total of 8)

Students should plan on 10+ hours outside of class each month for working on projects, reading, connection with anam cara, small group meet-ups etc.

OPPORTUNITIES AND INVESTMENT

With the desire to make this immersion accessible to as many as possible, we have created two options for participating.  One option includes a pilgrimage to Ireland for Bealtaine/ Samhain (end of April 2025).  One option includes engaging in the pilgrimage at your home (a guide will be sent to engage with) during that week, in concert with the pilgrimage in Ireland.  Both options include monthly gatherings (3.5 hours), creative engagement projects, eight rituals for the sacred turnings.

Option with curated pilgrimage in Ireland with Tonja and Alison (April 24- May 1): $3,500 USD total.  $500 USD non-refundable deposit upon acceptance to the program (fill out application below) and 12 monthly installments of $250 USD. ** PLEASE NOTE ALL SPOTS FOR THIS THIS OPTION ARE NOW FULL.

Option with self-guided, curated pilgrimage at your home (April 24- May 1): $2,108 USD.  $500 USD non-refundable deposit upon acceptance to the program (fill out application below) and 12 monthly installments of $134 USD.

Both options include wisdom school teachings and eight rituals.

Investment with curated pilgrimage in Ireland option includes a seven-day pilgrimage.  The pilgrimage in Ireland includes lodging, two meals per day, transportation within Ireland, guides and entry fees. Does not include airfare or one meal per day during the pilgrimage.

Investment with self-guided, curated pilgrimage at your home includes a guide to engage with practices mirroring the work we will be doing in Ireland.

Currency conversion calculator HERE 

Please touch in with any questions: tonjareichley@gmail.com or maryemmapowell@gmail.com

Your Guides:

Tonja Reichley, Herbalist, Ritualist and Author, has been teaching herbal classes rooted in Irish traditions, healing and spirituality for over 20 years.  She has lived part time on the west coast of Ireland for over 15 years, continually learning from the land, the plants, the people and the more than human kin. Tonja has led sacred journeys to Ireland for over 15 years including two-week Herb and Priestess Schools and bespoke pilgrimages.  Instagram: @tonjareichley/ Facebook: Dancing with the Wild/ Substack: tonjareichley.substack.com

Alison Powell lives in Fremantle, Western Australia. Alison is a ritual midwife and Irish Celtic spirituality guide. Over the past 13 years she has trained with both Amantha Murphy (Irish Shamanic Healer and Teacher)- and Karen Ward -(Counselling  Psychotherapy and Shamanic Energy Therapy) both based in Ireland. Alison is a Moon Mná Moon Circle Facilitator and regularly co-leads women's small group Pilgrimages to Ireland with Cath Connelly.She is passionate about the divine feminine as expressed in the land and mythology of Ireland and the relevance of this for women today. Her business in Sacred Thresholds.  Visit Alison’s website HERE

COURSE REQUIREMENTS and REGISTRATION/APPLICATION

To express your interest and commitment to this immersion, please download course requirements, read in full and then fill out the application if you are feeling the deep call. You will be notified within a week of your acceptance to this program and a $500 USD non-refundable deposit will be due at that time to hold your spot.

The deposit can be submitted HERE (via credit card) or via Venmo (@Tonja-Reichley).