Hello gentle-people,
I am writing this newsletter post with the intention to update it throughout the month leading up to the Woven: mini retreat, which I will talk more about below. I know it will land in your emails in a static way, but like a lot of my work, it will live online as a place for folks to return to over and over. That means if you are reading this via email, you might want to click here to see the most updated version of this post.
This has been a long time coming that I’ve wanted to create gathering spaces for a gentle landing. I am excited to do what all my training and researching boils down to:
Community.
Practice.
Community practice.
When I started writing the Woven series, I had some inkling that I wasn’t the only one with an increasingly ambivalent relationship with social media. Since last fall, when I began this journey of detangling, I have learned so much more about how wired many of us are. In response to my writing, many of you have shared of your exhaustion and named some of the ways you are tracing a way back to yourself, reclaiming your attention and living life beyond the algorithms.
Throughout the series, I’ve shared this survey, which invites readers to reflect on their relationship with the internet — especially social media:
“It’s too much. I want a dumb phone again.”
“I feel like I spend too much time marketing myself instead of enjoying it.”
“It’s better than before — social media breaks have been a game changer.”
I saw some responses that acknowledge the ways the internet helps us organize mutual aid, increase donations, and stay loosely connected. But for many, it still feels like an uneasy space. I have heard echoed in some of your reflections is a quandary: what does community online look like beyond the algorithms?
Well, it has been my question, too. In particular, I have been wondering what community building for the work I am doing here looks like in ways that respect your time and attention.What I share in this post I hope, is a step in the direction of a response.
“Conflicting,” one person wrote.
That word keeps echoing through me.
Holding all of this, the Woven: mini retreat was born from these tensions and the ache for something quieter, slower, more whole.
I want to be clear: this is not a rejection of technology but I hope it is a reimagining of how we want to show up inside and beyond it.
“Woven may start with my stories, but I hope it inspires you to reflect on (y)ours.”
— rose j. percy, “I know those edges” | Woven: Reflections on the Wonderfully Weird Web, Part 2
Woven: mini-retreat — May 31, 10am-1pm EDT
You’re invited:
Come lay down the burden of performance and weave a rhythm of softness that is already yours.
Come tend the part of you that seeks wisdom without rushing.
This is a space for the spiritually weary who find themselves fatigued by algorithm-driven content—
—a space for the scattered creative reclaiming their relationship to wonder.
If you are longing for digital spaces that heal rather than hollow you out, come rest here awhile.
If this sounds like a space you need, click here to read this detailed brochure1 (best viewed on a large screen):
Questions? Concerns? Drop a comment.
If you have any questions that aren’t answered there, please leave a comment on this post and I will respond and add them to the main body of this post for future readers. Here are some I am anticipating:
What if I can’t afford it?2 Please do not let price be a barrier. I have set this up on a sliding scale, hoping some of you will lean into the spirit of a gentle landing and fund access to this space for those who cannot pay. If you are someone who is currently experiencing financial challenges, please message me personally, email agentlelandingss@gmail.com or reply to this email to let me know how this space would impact you. I will be in touch if I can make room for you in the retreat, as the generosity of this community allows. If you are someone who wants to extend a gentle landing towards those who want to take this opportunity, click this link to go to my Buy Me a Coffee page or visit the event page for more giving options.
Is there an age limit for this event? You must be 18 or older for this space. I recognize the ongoing concerns about teens and screens and would one day like to adapt this for teenaged participants. I have experience working with middle schoolers and would love the opportunity to shape a retreat for kids. However, I would prefer to do that work in person and in-person communities I am accountable to.
What if 3-hours is enough? Included in the brochure are some tips for expanding your retreat. One of the tips is to do a 48-hr social media fast. There are a lot of suggestions but you are free to pick and choose which tips make sense for your life and capacity. But let me be clear: this is not about a digital detox—While that can be a part of it, this is about resetting in a way that helps us move intentionally towards new ways of connecting with ourselves and others.
Will the retreat be live or self-paced? It will be live—but not broadcasted or recorded. I will be there, moving with you through exercises and facilitated conversations in real time.
Do I need to share with others during the retreat? On some level, yes. This is a participatory space, not one made for passive consumption. This will not be a space for me to preach at you, either. I am here to facilitate and draw out the wisdom that comes from the group as we dig deep.
Is this retreat faith-based or spiritually open? It can be engaged both ways. While I identify as a Christian, the mystic and contemplative practices I ground myself in can be translated across a variety of faiths and convictions.
What if I’ve never done anything like this before? I have led online cohorts and facilitated in-person contemplative/spiritual space. But if I am honest, I have never done anything exactly like this. I am working with theory from months of research that has formed the Woven series and my years of experience teaching and learning spaces.3 So this space will be as new for me as it is for you. We will move slowly, at the speed of trust.4
What if I want an experience like this but I can’t make it? I am considering running at least two more of these this year and possibly going quarterly next year. I am curating this space for reflections we can keep returning to—meaning, you’re welcome to come to one, two, three or all of these.
Landing Tracks (These questions are here for you to process whether you want to attend this retreat)
Are you thinking about attending the retreat? No need to commit now—I would love to hear your first impressions on how the details are landing for you.
With no barriers in the way of your attendance and participation, how do you think you’d show up in this space? What would help you show up as yourself?
Where do you feel most conflicted in your digital life? How do you hold that conflict in your body and mind?
What would it mean for you to weave a life that values presence over performance? How can an online space help support you in that goal?
For a copy and paste-able link:
Pricing is included in the brochure. But I’ll just briefly note here the minimum is $25.
I include my bio in the brochure if you want to know more.
A concept I’ve heard from adrienne maree brown in her work Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds.