hands-on immersion
ancestral somatics, herbalism & sound healing retreat
july 23rd-26th, 2026
open to anyone who identifies as Black, BIPOC, or a person of the global majority. all gender identities and expressions welcome.
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open to anyone who identifies as Black, BIPOC, or a person of the global majority. all gender identities and expressions welcome. 〰️
explore the connection between herbal healing and somatic awareness
join us for a four-day somatic herbalism intensive held on the land at SUSU commUNITY Farm, a 37-acre Afro-Indigenous farm and healing sanctuary in vermont. this immersive experience is designed as a beginner-friendly introduction to somatics and herbal practices, supporting you in building a deeper relationship with plants, your body, and ancestral wisdom.
during this immersion, we will enter into sacred relationship with the plants growing on the land, learning how to work with them to support our bodies and engage them in spiritual practice. Through beginner somatic rituals, we will root into our bodies as a gateway for deeper connection with the land and ancestral ways of knowing.
we are honored to welcome Toni Jones for a special affirmation sound bath. guided by her own healing journey through psychology, neuroscience, and community care, Toni created what she calls Affirmation Music, using sound, mantra, and intention as a practice of self-love and transformation. Her work invites us to tend to our inner dialogue, reconnect with our worth, and remember the power of our voice in shaping how we relate to ourselves and one another.
application period closed on june 21, 2026
based on your responses and after the application due date, the SUSU team will respond by june 30, 2026. if your application is accepted, you will receive a payment form at that time with sliding scale options for the retreat and lodging add-ons based on your preferences.
featuring
Toni Jones
We are honored to welcome Toni Jones for a special affirmation sound bath. guided by her own healing journey through psychology, neuroscience, and community care, Toni created what she calls Affirmation Music, using sound, mantra, and intention as a practice of self-love and transformation. Her work invites us to tend to our inner dialogue, reconnect with our worth, and remember the power of our voice in shaping how we relate to ourselves and one another.
this immersive experience is designed as a beginner-friendly introduction to somatics and herbal practices, supporting you in building a deeper relationship with plants, your body, and ancestral wisdom.
during this immersion, we will enter into sacred relationship with the plants growing on the land, learning how to work with them to support our bodies and engage them in spiritual practice. Through beginner somatic rituals, we will root into our bodies as a gateway for deeper connection with the land and ancestral ways of knowing.
Chopp
Florida Water Interiors, space holds memory workshop
Cherub Stewart, known as Chopp, is an educator/teaching artist of over 20 years and the owner and principal interior designer of Florida Water Interiors. Florida Water Interiors is a design firm named after the fragrant cleansing elixir, “florida water” that is used to energetically purify space. Chopp works to create safe, lively environments, in both exterior community spaces and interiors. The work of Florida Water Interiors is an offering to the land, the transformation of space into place. As a woman of indigenous descent, the principles of stewardship are central to Chopp’s practice – ethically honoring both space and the emotive vision of her clients in her designs, she upholds the cultural integrity of the origin of the global pieces she sources. The work of Florida Water Interiors has been seen in The New York Times, Apartment Therapy and Architectural Digest.
Marina Magloire
Marina Magloire, PhD. is an Atlanta-based writer and educator with roots in Miami and the Caribbean. She is the author of We Pursue Our Magic: A Spiritual History of Black Feminism and numerous essays exploring Black memory work and archives. She is currently editing a project called Lives, Visits, Illuminations: The Spirit Writing of Lucille Clifton, which will be the first publication of Clifton's never-before-seen spiritual communications. Dr. Magloire is also a co-founder of Third World Feminist School (3WFS), a popular education project for South Florida workers, and she organizes with Black Alliance for Peace and Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.
She will lead us in a workshop is based on archival examples of Lucille Clifton's daily practice of automatic writing, which in the 1970s allowed her to communicate with the spirits of her departed family members, the spirits of historical figures, and spirits "who have never been human." Automatic writing is a practice of unfiltered handwriting in which you receive messages from internal or external forces by allowing your hand to write the first thing that comes to mind. These messages can feel resonant, disconcerting, and eerily accurate. Dr. Magloire will share examples of Clifton's automatic writing, and offer a guided automatic writing session that creates a safe environment for participants to begin to receive their own messages.
imagine this…
imagine yourself on the land at SUSU, a 37-acre Afro-Indigenous farm and healing sanctuary.
you are here to build a deeper relationship with plants, your body, and ancestral wisdom.
at the heart of this work is ori - your relationship to your inner spirit, intuition, and embodied wisdom
through somatic practice and plant teachings, you begin to understand:
how to listen to your body
how to regulate your nervous system
how to build a grounded relationship with herbal medicine
in this intensive, you will build a foundation in both somatics and herbalism, including:
somatics & nervous system foundations
the basics of the nervous system
understanding how stress, anxiety, and trauma impact the body
somatic tools for navigating chronic stress and overwhelm
foundational practices such as resourcing, grounding, and body awareness to support safety and regulation
herbalism foundations
herbal energetics and how to work with plant properties
understanding uses, contraindications, and safety considerations
how to work with herbs both medicinally and spiritually
introduction to the doctrine of signatures as a tool for understanding plant medicine
building your herbal practice
how to create and maintain your home herbal apothecary
developing your own personalized materia medica
plant meditations and intuitive ways of working with herbs
learning both the medicinal and spiritual uses of plants
you will also receive materia medica resources for the plants we work with, along with guidance on creating your own plant knowledge system.
you will make your own medicines
you will leave with:
herbal and spiritual medicines you create during the course
foundational somatic practices to support your healing journey
knowledge to safely begin working with herbs at home
resources for building your own herbal materia medica
a certificate of completion
this is your reclaiming and awakening
of your relationship to plant medicine
embodied healing
and ancestral ways of knowing
we would be honored to welcome you to the land.
cost + lodging
this BIPOC retreat is sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. pay what you can towards the cost of the retreat and housing options. the full cost of the retreat is $1000.
16 spots
available
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homeplace apartment
3 bedrooms within a shared home
single-occupancy room
double-occupancy room (two twin beds)
double-occupancy room (two full-size beds
1 shared bathroom in bedroom
1 additional shared bathroom located in the hallway
cabin
small rustic cabin
double occupancy
canvas bell tents
one 2-person canvas bell tent
one 4-person canvas bell tent
camping
participants are welcome to camp on the land if they prefer a more immersive outdoor experience.
offsite
participants are welcome to book their own lodging offsite
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in the application process, you’ll have the opportunity to select your preferences for lodging, including roommate preferences by gender in shared housing. you can also bring your own tent or book your own lodging off site.
we will do our best to accommodate your preferences, and we will inform you of the lodging available for you on site prior to completing payment.
