Ancestors Welcome Here [Online]

*For self-identified white people. If you identify as white and are committed to racial justice, land and liberation, this retreat is for you. Registration for this program closes on November 14, 2025 at 5pm Pacific Time. To inquire about joining after registration closes, please contact guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org. 

An Ancestral Healing Retreat for White Practitioners Committed to Racial Justice

White people: We need all the help we can get.  Who can we be today to change the conditions of our world for the better, to right the wrongs of the past in the present, and to find the way to the future, so we can become good ancestors to the world to come? Working at the level of the body, we will welcome our wise and loving ancestors of blood and bone to extend their blessings to us, and to give us their full support and backing in our efforts to end white supremacy, and all its impacts, in our lifetimes.  We are the representatives of our lineages here on Earth at this time, and our bodies know the way.

We all come from people who lived in interdependence with each other and connection with the Earth.  Welcoming and honoring ancestors is an ancient spiritual practice found in many cultures and traditions, including those of European lands. This retreat invites a reconnection to our lineages through meditation, healing and repair, so that we can know ourselves and our inherent belonging more deeply.

In a container of silent and non-silent practice we will explore healing, and the action we can take to end injustice in the world, with the support of our wise and loving ancestors, the Earth and all our relationships.

Practices we will be in together include:  directly engaging with our ancestors of lineage, including those we inherited by birth and those we claim such as spiritual and political lineages, working with unhealed patterns in order to relate more wisely and compassionately to ourselves and our people, inviting connection with the Earth through tending our relationship to land and spirit by offering gratitude, and listening and receiving the Earth’s wisdom.  This ancestral healing work makes it possible for us to more fully embody our commitment to racial justice.

Hear more about this Program and Teachers

“Being invited into ancestor (re)connection in ways that feel authentic to my European-American heritage has helped me feel more grounded and resourced in all that I do.

I know that feeling the ancestral grief and longing for lost land and traditions that Whiteness disconnected me (and generations) from is essential to my healing and my activism. Being able to feel and speak to that grief has made me a more solid comrade in Land Back movements; it has given me more understanding for other people-assimilated-into-whiteness, which helps me bring people in; and it supports my parenting and teaching to feel the ancestors’ ancient grace, love, and humor always supporting me.”

Sady Sullivan – Nipmuc, Pocumtuc and Wabanaki Land, Conway, MA

An Online Retreat

This retreat will be an interactive online retreat. Online retreats offer the unique opportunity to deepen your practice in a “real world” setting, where meditation practice and regular life intersect more than in a typical residential retreat. This can be supportive for integrating the practice into daily life.

Please plan to be present for the entire retreat and all the sessions.Presence is important for your personal practice and continuity, as well as the community container of retreat. The online retreat will be offered over Zoom. Please plan to have your video on during the sessions.

At registration you will receive a link with a landing page for the online community that includes the Zoom and schedule information for the online component of this program, along with any other helpful tips before, during, and after your retreat. This link will be emailed to you again 24 hours before your retreat. The retreat recording will be available within 48 hours of the retreat.

See more of our online offerings on our SoundCloud, Dharmaseed & YouTube channel.

WHAT IS A RELATIONAL RETREAT?

Mindfulness and nature-based Relational Retreats and Workshop Intensives at BBRC are a different style of retreat than a silent meditation retreat. They are more interactive while still holding similar themes of connection with self, each other, and nature. The intention is to cultivate a mindful awareness that can be integrated into our everyday lives.

Schedule

Below is a sample schedule to support in planning ahead. All times PST and subject to change. A final schedule will shared a month before the retreat begins.

Friday

7 – 9 pm        Retreat Opening

Saturday

7 am – 9 pm          Full day of Retreat

* Expect periods of seated and walking meditations in addition to teacher guided sessions and talks. There will be breaks for meals & short bio breaks throughout the day.

Sunday

7 am – 4 pm          3/4 day of Retreat

4 pm – 5 pm          Retreat Closing

GENEROSITY

Retreat Cost & Fees:

Our sliding scale option for this online retreat includes financial support for teachers. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports the teachers as well as Big Bear Retreat Center and your fellow practitioners who need to pay less. We price fees to make programs as financially accessible as possible.

Is cost a barrier? Nobody is turned away at Big Bear Retreat Center due to finances. We ask that financial assistance be prioritized for those who self-identify as BIPOC, hold marginalized identities, or are in financial need. For more information, please contact us at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.

FEEL WELCOME AND INCLUDED: A PLACE TO BELONG

Our intention is to be as accessible as we can, even in ways that we may not be aware of yet. We hope this is a space of inclusivity where people feel welcome and held. For us, it is a practice of consistent attunement, presence and care to our community. However you identify – race, gender, sexuality, disability, mental health, and so on – it is our wish to meet your needs for belonging.

What retreat participants have to say about our online programs

“Big Bear created an online retreat experience that was inclusive, supportive, and responsive. I felt held and cared about throughout the retreat.” – Bernadine

“This was a spectacular experience and one that could be appreciated by novice and experienced mediators and everyone in between. Doing it at home has helped me envision how to live more mindfully throughout my day.” – Deb

I felt very connected to the teachers, the teachings and the other participants, even while being on Zoom.  As a more experienced practitioner, this felt like such a good fit for where I am at and it met a need to bring mindfulness into my day-to-day home life. I felt Big Bear did an amazing job with the technical aspects of making sure we felt our questions were being heard and answered, and it just ran very smoothly.  I’m so impressed.  I feel so fortunate for the experience of getting such a well-curated online/home retreat.  – S.B.