If you feel deeply drawn to nature, Celtic spirituality, and the beauty of autumn at Kirkridge, this annual weekend retreat may be the invitation that brings you back “home” to the mountain.

Over the course of the weekend, you will explore the lessons and gifts that emerge as we walk awake together into the Celtic New Year. In the natural world, this is the season when the woods are transformed: leaves blaze with color before drifting to the forest floor, animals gather food in preparation for hibernation, and the days grow shorter as winter approaches.

Within the Celtic Wheel of the Year, we enter Samhain, the last of the three Celtic Harvest Festivals and the beginning of the dark half of the year. The ancient Celts saw this time as one where all things begin in darkness, which is why Samhain is often called the Celtic New Year. In Celtic spirituality, it is also a threshold moment, when the veil between worlds is believed to be at its thinnest — a liminal “betwixt and between” space where the ancestors, the recently departed, and the world of the Fae may move closer to us.

Like nature itself, this annual retreat is always a little different. The rhythm of the weekend will unfold in response to the group, the weather, the land, and what nature offers in the moment. Shared gatherings may include sessions on past and present aspects of Celtic spirituality, with special attention to the Celtic New Year and honoring the ancestors; nature walks that invite awareness of the seen and unseen; and the ongoing weaving of history and mystery linking this mountain range with the Isle of Iona in Scotland. The weekend will also include ritual, ceremony, morning meditations, time for wandering, song, and poetry.

On Saturday evening, guests will also have the chance to attend Columcille Megalith Park’s memorable Samhain/Celtic New Year Celebration, held among its torchlit Standing Stones. Those who wish are welcome to dress in Celtic or Halloween attire for the occasion.

How to prepare for this magical weekend:

Bring your love of nature and your curiosity about Celtic spirituality, Kirkridge, Columcille, and Iona.
Sessions will take place both indoors and outdoors, so please be ready to walk Kirkridge’s wooded paths and explore the standing stones of Columcille.
A more detailed itinerary will be sent to registered participants a few weeks before the event.

If you plan to attend Columcille Megalith Park’s Samhain Celebration, please note that there is an additional suggested entrance donation of $10.00 per person, collected by the retreat facilitator during the retreat before the event.

Denise Crawn

A former Kirkridge employee, Columcille Board Member, and mountain resident now living in Scotland, Denise Crawn has been captivated by Celtic traditions from an early age and enjoys spending as much time as possible in nature and at ancient sacred sites.

Owner of Walking Awake, LLC, and author of Walking Awake: The Faces In Nature and the Walking Awake on the Isle of Iona Inspirational Card Deck and Book Set, Denise’s connection with the natural world began in childhood during long stretches outdoors with her father and siblings. Most at home while wandering and foraging, she has a sharp eye for tracking and a gift for noticing, interpreting, and sharing nature’s hidden messages.

As an ordained Interfaith Minister through One Spirit Learning Alliance in New York City, with experience in the performing arts, hospitality, and Celtic shamanism, Denise brings together a rich blend of myth, history, poetry, and music. She describes her ministry as companioning and mentoring others on their personal path toward a deeper awareness of humanity’s innate connection with nature. Since 2005, Denise has led Celtic and nature-focused workshops, and since 2009 she has guided group pilgrimages to the Isle of Iona. She is delighted to be called “Nana” by her 6-year-old granddaughter, Charlotte, and a “Bonus-Nana” to Nick’s four grandchildren.

Nick Prance

Nick Prance was born in the north of Ireland, raised in Liverpool, and has lived in Scotland for more than 20 years. His career in mental health included work as a psychiatric nurse and later as a cognitive behavioural therapist. During that time, he also trained for and was ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church. He later took a career break to spend three years on the Isle of Iona with the Iona Community, helping organize and run the program for guests arriving on pilgrimage and retreat, and became a member of the community during that period.

After leaving Iona, Nick took a much-delayed gap year traveling the world, including a profound and perspective-shifting journey to Antarctica. Since then, he has stepped away from the church and the Iona Community, retired from full-time work, and embraced the fullness of simply being — living in the vibrant present moment. He now spends his time leading pilgrimages and workshops, walking in the wild and beautiful places of Scotland, watching far too much sport, playing guitar, and learning from nature and his four life-affirming young grandchildren.

As a couple:

Not so long ago, Denise encountered the Circle of Standing Stones at Columcille Megalith Park, an experience that called her to visit the small Hebridean island of Iona in Scotland. Ten years later, during one of her many returns to Iona, she met Nick on a ferry, and their own “Ferry Tale” began. They were married in Scotland in October 2016, surrounded by family and friends.

Since then, they have traveled together throughout Scotland, England, and Wales, as well as to other magical places, visiting standing stones and ancient sites and loving every minute of it. As co-leaders and life partners, they bring together backgrounds in ministry, theatre, mental health, shamanism, and mindfulness, along with a shared love of poetry, song, story, music, and nature. Together, Nick and Denise enjoy sharing these passions and adventures through pilgrimages to the Isle of Iona, Scotland, and through workshops and retreats on both sides of the pond.

Festivals in Bangor