Make a JOYFUL Noise: Singing as a Spiritual Practice

Please note: this program is currently on hold as we work to reschedule the program dates. Check back on this page for updates - coming soon!

We offer a safe space to sound/sing/find our voices – freeing the sounder/singer in us for use in spiritual ways. “The idea of singing as a spiritual practice for me is to give witness to the power, the energy, the Mysteries that I am unable to explain in other ways by going within and producing sound from the heart” (Mary Bucklin).

Things we want you to know:

Our goal is not necessarily to make us into singers or better singers, but to help us express our authentic selves and free the joy within us through sound and movement—engulfed by love, without judgment.

• We will discuss and experiment with HOW we can perhaps go deeper in our use of sound/song/chant in our daily lives, as well as offering sounds of healing, peace, and joy especially to the HSI land, the world at large, and whomever or whatever we feel need our support.

• We will sound/sing in organized large and small groups and unstructured soundings out in Nature, using vocables, soundings, chanting, and singing to reach and try to express the knowing of our hearts.

• We will offer morning soundings to welcome the day, as well as evening soundings to welcome the night.

• We will spend the time needed to be able to carry the songs in our hearts and minds when we leave.

• We will offer time for personal needs (naps, walks, visits to the Spirit House, chatting with friends, etc.) as well as plain ol’ sing-a-long time.

• No singing or musical experience is necessary, just curiosity and a willingness to create sound and share joy with others!

  
  

Facilitated by joyful singers and Hope Springs advocates Mary Bucklin, Mary Manera, and Stacey Pickering, who this year is officially joining the Marys as facilitator (with her many talents—singing, teaching, movement/dance, and her sound bath with bowls/etc.).

THIS YEAR WE ARE ADDING AN OPTIONAL EXTRA DAY - if you want to stay Sunday night as well, be sure to add the Extra Sunday Night Ticket to your order . The plan for the extra day? To continue to celebrate the sun, the light, and the beginning of the Summer's endings in ways that feel good and make sense.

Specifically, we will have Sunday lunch, during which we say goodbye to whomever is leaving, and then take a break. Then we will meet up again and consider options for the rest of SUNday—including time on the Land, a talent show, a sun or an “ending of summer” ritual, a supper session dedicated to community building, any or all of those, or whatever we want. Then Monday morning, we will have a final singalong, a closing, a meal, and take our leave.

Registration

Pricing is for this 3 day / 2 night retreat and includes lodging, all meals, and optional programming. Price may be paid in full at the time of booking or reserved with a $200 deposit.

Committed to accessibility for guests and stability for the organization and its staff, Hope Springs Institute sets its fees and rates to reflect reciprocal exchange and mutual support. We offer three pricing tiers: The standard rate represents the full cost of this program, while the supporting community rate offers a “pay it forward” model to off-set the supported community rate, which aims to make these gatherings more possible for a broader range of folks with different circumstances and resources. Get stretchy, but stay safe, and please consider the reminder that sliding scale is not a sale, or a pay-what-you-want structure. Making your share of an equitable contribution might mean that you are still making sacrifices, or prioritizing this experience over something else. Consider payment plans as ways to balance the cost (you can register with a deposit with the balance due before the retreat begins).