A beloved annual event in Central Virginia that connects women from our bio-region and beyond. We circle for healing, wisdom sharing, creative expression, and celebration. We gather to build community, deepen relationships, and nourish our collective power as healers and change makers.
EVENT UPDATES:
Join us for a Gaia ReUnion!
June 29th & 30th at Lake Sherando.
We are taking a pause from our usual spring Gathering and feeling into the next steps for this event and the beautiful community that it fosters.
This year, we’re inviting all who have ever been a part of the Gaia Gathering - or wanted to but weren’t able to join for a variety of reasons - to spend a weekend connecting with each other and dreaming about the future together.
Registration opens Thursday, May 2nd and will remain open until all camping spots are filled. Read below for details and reserve your spot today!
2024 Gaia ReUnion Info:
WHAT: A group camping weekend where we’ll get back to the basics of women coming together to experience and celebrate our connection with each other and the Earth.
WHERE: Lake Sherando Group Camping Area in Lyndhurst, VA (tents in a field near a beautiful mountain lake). Lake Sherando is a public park in the National Forest, with our reserved Group Camping site set aside from the main public area. We will be sharing the lake and trails with the general public.
Lake Sherando also has reservable private campsites in the main campground, including some with electric hookups (if you’ll be sleeping in a vehicle, you'll need to reserve a private campsite). There are nearby cabins to rent at Love Ridge, if you prefer to stay off-site.
WHEN: Saturday, June 29 - Monday, July 1, 2024. Check-in officially begins at 1:30pm on Saturday, June 29. You are welcome to come and enjoy the beauty of Lake Sherando earlier in the day, and then set up your camp between 1:30-2:30pm. Opening Circle will start at 3:00.
If possible, please plan to stay at least till 5pm on Sunday (when the group ceremony will wrap up). Activities will continue through the evening, and the event will officially end at 10am Monday. Final Check-out is at 10:30am Monday.
WHO: Gaia is created by and for women. We intend an inclusive definition of woman as anyone for whom woman is a meaningful identifier or lived experience (boys age 5 and under are welcome, as well). The Gaia ReUnion includes anyone who has ever come to Gaia, and anyone who has ever wanted to come!
COST: The Gaia ReUnion is offered on a sliding scale of $25-$75. We’re aiming to increase inclusiveness and accessibility through a more affordable ticket price.
Please consider contributing on the higher end of the scale if your finances allow for it. All funds raised beyond expenses will go to support enriching seasonal programs and ensure equitable access to The Gaia Gathering and other Woven Roots Collective events.
Additional Event Information:
Our intention is to recreate our favorite elements of the Gaia Gathering while experimenting with ways to make Gaia more community-driven and collectively-created, and more energetically sustainable for the organizers.
EVENT INFO: We will continue to hold Gaia Gathering staples such as opening circle, group ceremony, a weekend-long fire, and closing circle. The event will also include plant walks, sharing circles, swimming in the mountain lake, and plenty of time to play, rest, and reconnect.
OPEN SPACE: The other content for the weekend will be largely co-created. Participants are invited to bring ideas for workshops, experiences, skills, or conversations you’d love to share. Using a modified format in “Open Space” style, we will have time slots in the schedule for people to offer activities and connect with others who are interested in exploring that topic together.
CHILDREN and TEENS: Children and teens are an important part of our community! While there is no childcare offered this year, we will have a kid’s area designated as a special spot for children to gather and play (in addition to the wonders of the woods and lake). Teens will also have their own special spot to decorate and make their own.
GAIA’S EVOLUTION: There will be space and time for a group conversation to discuss the future of the Gaia Gathering. This event has become an important anchor to many of us over the years, and we’d love to hear from the larger community about how we can continue to bring it forward into the future in a more joyful, sustainable, and inclusive way.
MEALS: All participants will be responsible for their own meals. There will be no meals provided. In the spirit of “sharing the load”, we’re encouraging participants to consider being part of a “Meal Sharing Pod”.
A pod might be a group of 4-8 people who coordinate in advance to share responsibility for feeding the pod for the weekend. One or two people take on a meal: planning the menu, bringing the food, and cooking/serving it. The rest of the pod gets to relax and enjoy being fed for that meal, knowing that each person will be serving the pod at another meal during the weekend.
Meal Pods are completely optional, and can either be self-organized by a group of friends, or you can sign up to participate in a “dietarily-similar” pod during registration. You’ll then be connected with others who have indicated interest, and each pod will coordinate the menu, meal schedule, etc. together in advance of the weekend.
If you want to be connected with a Meal Pod, please register by Saturday, June 8th to allow time for pods to coordinate meal plans in advance of the event.
We hope you’ll join us for a wonderful, restorative, and rustic weekend!
