Join Gaea at Caryatis Farm for a weekend of fiber arts magic at the place where Beauty Grows. Your wildness is a thing of power. Nourishing connection with time, energy, movement, and nature can re-establish sweet flow into your life. This fall equinox, reset yourself over a weekend & commune with Artful living at the nourishing land of Caryatis Farm in Waldo, Wisconsin.
Life is art ♡
This retreat focuses on one of my favorite processes- natural dyeing! We deepen our connection with the land as we learn to experiment with wild color. WATCH THE PROCESS HERE! And the Muse Video here so you can feel what the weekend might be like.
In this retreat we will:
Dye a silk veil (or pillowcase, raw fabric to sew, etc…) with seasonal plants gathered from the farm - tbd depending on what is available! This process takes a full day - harvesting, sorting, boiling, straining, mordanting, dipping, rinsing, washing, hanging. You take your own silk veil home! Gaea will pre-sew a variety of silk veils (& maybe pillowcases) for you to choose from.
Bring your own fabric to dye in the vats once everyone dyes their first project.
Veil & Authentic Movement classes will activate our bodies, movement moves intention through in real space & time. A veil class, dance church, and whenever you want to move.
Spaciousness allows time to joyfully relish human connections to nourish ourselves during the dance of the dye process.
Easy rituals will pepper our days as we ground into deep summer rewilding.
Fire dance in the circle, first burns are welcomed.
The Eta Aquariids meteor shower will be visible that weekend from the farm - at it’s peak!
NEW FOR 2026 add on an Indigo dye lab Sunday afternoon-Monday morning Sept 20-21. See the schedule below for details.
Meals:
Caryatis home cooks Friday dinner - Sunday brunch! (indigo lab add-on meals thru Monday breakfast!). Please indicate any dietary request in the registration form so we have ample time to prepare.
Where You can Stay:
Tony & Alayne’s home… IS FULL!!! (they have a spare room, a futon, and lots of big comfy couches … but most are now spoken for. we can put mattresses on the floow)
Tent Camp in the fields in your own personal camping nook! RECOMMENDED
Campers and Vans welcomed, too. BYO tent, sleeping bag, mattress, pillow, lights, etc… no hookups for pump outs, but can run you an extension cord. We can rent you a neighbor’s camper for $100!
local area hotels are easy, and well priced. search for Waldo or Plymouth, Wisconsin
Getting there:
Caryatis Farm, W5798 WI-28, Waldo, WI 53093
3 hours from downtown Chicago
2 hours from Madison, WI
1 hour from Milwaukee, WI - you can take a train up, & we can help arrange a rideshare or you can uber from there with 1 week notice. Friday arrivals preferred before dinnertime.
Tentative SCHEDULE:
Friday
Arrive afternoon/evening to Caryatis Farms and settle in
Gaea talks thru a brief overview of the dye process
Grounding Ritual
Sunset silk flow mini class to pick out your veil
Prep for dye process: mordant our veils overnight
Dinner
Fire Dancing & Bonfire - if energy and weather aligns
Saturday
Coffee, Tea + Fruit
Morning meditation ritual plant walk to pick dye plants, scrape bark, & gather flowers
Breakfast
Build a fire. Prepare dye-stuff to immerse in vats & simmer to create dye.
Lunch
Dye Veils! As the cauldrons bubble to deepen intensity, we introduce restraint methods (Shibori TieDye). We rinse out and let dry when finished on the line.
Free time for crafts, dancing etc… Dye fabric you brought with you (natural fibers only, cotton, silk, wool, hemp, leather, etc…)
Dinner
Fire Dancing as the Cauldrons can keep boiling to keep dyeing.
Sunday
Coffee, Tea, Brunch
Finish dyeing early.
”Dance Church” Ecstatic Movement Class with your silk veil led by Gaea
Tidy up cauldron area, wash bins & pots, clean up.
Leftovers for lunch
Departures by 1pm (if you aren’t staying for Indigo Lab)
INDIGO DYE LAB begins ($111 add on). We mix 1-2 pre-reduced indigo vats (chemistry!) and watch BLUE color appear as it oxidizes from green to deep blues.
Dinner
Free time & Rest. Gaea leads indoor slow stretch & meditation OR fire dance?
Monday INDIGO DYE LAB only (add on)
Tea, Coffee, Breakfast
Last indigo & hot cauldron dips
Clean up everything
Lunch
Departures by 2pm
WHO
Calling in up to 12 individuals for an intimate group. no dance, dye, or nature experience is necessary. All bodies are welcomed with open arms and hearts. 18+.
PRICE
I am offering a sliding scale- pay what you can in the drop down for this retreat - in efforts to support all who wish to attend and allow for a system of value to be guided by you, the attendee.
$333-555 includes all classes, dye materials & a silk veil/pillowcases, shared accommodations or camping, meals. Please pay what you truly can - extra $ helps value Gaea & Caryatis!
ADD ONS:
$111 indigo dye lab add on, per person
$101 extra silk veil to dye (one is included). We will have many onsite
Join Gaea & Caryatis Farm for a weekend of magic at the place where Beauty Grows. August, 8-10, 2025.
Your wildness is a thing of power. Nourishing connection with time, energy, movement, and nature can re-establish sweet flow into your life.
In taking an August weekend to commune with Artful living at the nourishing land of Caryatis Farm, I hope you will find more depth in living and practice as I have. ♡
To deepen our play experience with the land, I guide you through one of my favorite processes- natural dyeing!
Dye your own silk veil with seasonal plants gathered from the farm - tbd depending on what is available! This process takes a full day - harvesting, sorting, boiling, straining, mordanting, dipping, rinsing, washing, hanging. You take the silk veil home to dance with!
Spontaneous & Planned Classes will activate our bodies, movement moves intention through in real space & time.
Spaciousness allows time to joyfully relish human connections to nourish ourselves during the dance of the dye process.
Rituals will pepper our days as we ground into deep summer rewilding.
Fire circles will be open both evenings for participation or witnessing. First burns are welcomed.
The Perseid meteor shower will be visible that weekend from the farm - at it’s peak!
Caryatis provides Fri dinner - Sun lunch & accommodations in their big home, camping in the fields, or possibly, a trailer.
tentative SCHEDULE:
Friday
-Arrive afternoon/evening to Caryatis Farms and settle in
-dinner
-grounding ritual, silk flow to pick out your veil, + fire dancing?
Saturday
-morning meditation plant walk to pick dye flowers + short dye ritual
-breakfast
-mind-full movement & stretching
-dyeing info! prepare dye in vats
-dye silks
-free time
-lunch
-silk veil class
-wash out dye
-hang silks to dry
-free time
-dinner 'autumnal feast'
- free time and fire dancing
Sunday
-breakfast
-dance church : ecstatic dance
-lunch
-clean up dye stuff
-departures
WHO
Calling in around 12 individuals for an intimate group. no dance, dye, or nature experience is necessary. All bodies are welcomed with open arms and hearts. 18+.
WHERE
Caryatis Farm, W5798 WI-28, Waldo, WI 53093
3 hours from downtown Chicago
2 hours from Madison, WI
1 hour from Milwaukee, WI
PRICE
I am offering a sliding scale- pay what you can in the drop down for this retreat - in efforts to support all who wish to attend and allow for a system of value to be guided by you, the attendee.
333$ SUGGESTED per person.
Includes all classes, dye materials & a silk veil, group accommodations/camping, meals.