WEAVING THE GOLDEN THREAD
Thresholds — The Doorway to Remembering
A Journey of Initiation
Thresholds.
Lea Motlow and Sierra McFeeters
A Soul Quest Retreat - Indigenous Roots
6304 Rte. 14
Woodbury, Vermont 05681
Firday, October 31 - Sunday, November 2, 2025
An Immersive Spiritual and
Nature-based Retreat. Step into the Mystery.
Join us for a transformative, three-day ceremonial immersion designed to guide you through the sacred rites of grief, release, and soul renewal. Rooted in ancestral wisdom and elemental ritual, this gathering offers a held and holy container for personal healing, community witnessing, and spiritual rebirth.
We begin by entering the Grief Lodge — a sacred space where the unspoken stories of the heart are honored and brought into the light. Through smudging, the medicine wheel, and council circle, we create a foundation of safety and trust, inviting you to speak your truth and feel deeply.
On Saturday, we walk the Path of Transformation, moving through somatic grief practices, creative expression, and fire ritual. The land, the body, and the breath become teachers as we remember how to transmute pain into power and sorrow into soul.
Sunday is our return — not to who we were, but to who we are becoming. Through sweat lodge, pipe ceremony, and rebirth rites, we reemerge from the Death Lodge into the womb of Mother Earth. A Despacho offering, fire ceremony, and naming ritual complete our journey, honoring the self that has been born anew.
We close in celebration and stillness — nourished by community, spirit, and the beauty of your becoming.
This is more than a retreat.
This is a rite of passage.
A remembrance.
A return.
The Sacred Quest
Day 1: Friday
During this retreat, we’ll engage in a series of transformative ceremonies and activities.
October 31 | 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Opening Sacred Space
Smudging Ceremony
Cleanse the space, clear the energy, and arrive fully into presence.Medicine Wheel Invocation
A prayerful alignment with the four directions, elements, and ancestors to anchor our collective journey.Housekeeping & Orientation
Grounding into shared agreements, logistics, and the energetic container we are co-creating.Grief Circle
A sacred space to witness and be witnessed — where sorrow is held as sacred, not judged.Reflective Inquiry: Why Are You Here?
What inner call brought you to this gathering? What longing or knowing led you to this threshold?Heart Question: What Grief Are You Holding?
A gentle invitation to name the sorrow or burden resting in your heart.Initiation Prompt: What Must Be Released?
What are you willing to lay down in order to step through the doorway of transformation?
Day 2: Saturday
November 1 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Rebirth & Renewal — Returning Through the Sacred Doorway
Emerging from the Death Lodge
We begin in silence, honoring the passage we’ve walked. As we leave the Death Lodge, we return to the womb of Mother Earth, preparing for sacred rebirth.Grandfather Tobacco Prayer
A guided ritual with sacred tobacco to offer gratitude, receive clarity, and ground into the new self emerging. Bring your prayers and listen deeply.Pipe Ceremony
A sacred circle of shared breath and intention. If you carry a pipe, please bring it. If not, come with an open heart — all are welcome in the smoke.Sweat Lodge: Rebirth Through the Waters of the Earth
Enter the sacred womb of the lodge to cleanse, shed, and emerge anew. This is the final rite — a purification for your rebirth into the world.Community Potluck Celebration
Break bread in joy and fellowship. Bring a nourishing dish to share. We eat as one circle, nourished by the journey we’ve taken together.
Day 3: Sunday
November 2 | 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Final Day: Integration, Naming, and Return
Despacho Offering – A Gift to the Great Spirit
Bring your Despacho bundle or offering created with intention. This sacred prayer bundle is a living altar — woven with gratitude, prayers, and symbolic items — offered to the elements for collective and personal blessings.Fire Ceremony – Sacred Release & Illumination
Gather at the flame to offer your Despacho and any final prayers. Fire is the great transformer. This is a moment of reverence, release, and renewal — where we give all that must be surrendered to Spirit and call in what longs to be born.Birthing & Naming Ceremony
Having crossed the threshold, we now honor your rebirth. In this sacred rite, you are witnessed in your new name, identity, or soul expression — spoken aloud, sealed in the presence of community, and grounded in truth.Closing Circle – Sealing the Container
We complete our time together in deep presence, integration, and gratitude. This is the moment to speak your final reflections, receive the group’s blessing, and step forward carrying the medicine of your journey.
What’s Included
Nourishment & Hospitality
Light snacks will be provided on Friday evening and throughout Saturday to support your journey gently and mindfully.
On Saturday night, we will come together for a community potluck dinner — please bring a dish to share, made with love and intention.
On Sunday, we will serve a simple, grounding lunch of soup, salads, and fresh bread to nourish your integration.
A variety of herbal teas will be available throughout the weekend for comfort and connection.
We have space to accommodate 3 to 4 additional guests. Please reach out if you would like to reserve one of these spots.
Cancellations?
25% non-refundable deposit guarantees your spot (unless Golden Threads cancels the retreat). Full Payment is due 21 Days prior to start of Retreat. You may cancel 60 Days prior to Retreat for Refund (minus the 50% deposit).
Cost
Full payment $700. Deposit $350. Full amount due August 31, 2025. No refunds will be issued after September 30, 2025. We cannot provide refunds for unexpected situations.
***Any CC or PayPal fees will be added to your balance-due invoice. Please reach out to see how to pay without incurring fees. lea@golden-threads.com
Three shared rooms with beds $75
AirBnb’s in the area
Lodging
Event Facilitators
Lea Motlow
Lea Motlow is a mother, grandmother, business owner, and a woman that has been walking the Medicine Path for many years. She was gifted her medicine name “Thunderbird Heart” in 2014 and her walk since then has been to “follow her name”. She has been in healing circles with her first teacher Kedar S. Brown for many years in his Rites of Passage Program. She has been in the support role as a ceremonial midwife along with cooking for participates. Being in the place of service along with supporting the ones that are called to this earth based work is her “Give A Way” at this time in her life’s walk.
Sierra Dawn McFeeters
RMT, Founder of Bridge of Light and Indigenous Roots Institute
Sierra has been involved in the healing arts since 1984. First, as a homebirth childbirth educator, and then as a homebirth lay midwife.
Energy medicine entered her circle due to a medical need, and it transformed her life. She was trained and certified in light work and then went on to become a Reiki Master teacher after many years of study. Her first school was called Bridge of Light, where these energy medicines were taught and practiced.