***If you would like to purchase the recording of this event and obtain a copy of the writing prompts we used to explore the story, reach out to me at Innerlightasheville@gmail.com—the price is proof of a donation to River Link to care for our river.

For Spring Equinox, I will be telling the tale of Bóinn and the river of inspiration. This is a story about boundaries, and generosity, and the price we pay for changing the way things are. It’s a story about imbas forosnai, the poetic inspiration that illuminates the living world.

To reserve a space, send a donation here with the description River of Inspiration. All donations for this telling will go to RiverLink to care for one of the oldest rivers on earth.

Depth storytelling is more than the simple telling of a tale. It offers points of contact to present-day reality, to themes and archetypes that continue to speak to us. And it offers questions, moments of reflection that open your life back to the generations upon generations that have carried this story forward.

We’ll gather at my office near downtown Asheville (well, the first 8 of us will) and via GoogleMeet from all over the world. I’ll have warm drinks available for those attending in person.

I’ll offer a song or poem, then tell the story. We’ll spend some time feeding the story by sharing the places it touched us, and we’ll have some time to write quietly together on the themes that are resonant.

Attendance is pay-what-you-can (suggested donation $20 to $40, but each participant is trusted to find the right amount. No one will be turned away). All of our donations from this telling will be donated to RiverLink to care for the French Broad River that winds through Asheville, one of the oldest rivers in the world.

Reserve your spot by PayPal with your donation and the description River of Inspiration.

When I receive it, I’ll send you the link for the gathering if you are attending online and provide further details via email.

More about this project:

There are times lately that I have felt hopeless in the face of war, climate change, and human cruelty. I have learned, through my work and through the wisdom of my clients, that sometimes we are too small to hold sorrows this big. But when we let our sorrows rest on the broad back of a very old story, often, through the story, we can find the beginnings of a way forward.

So I turned to some of my favorite stories with my hopelessness and I listened. This is the project that emerged:

Over the course of 2024, I plan to tell eight stories, one for each of the equinoxes and solstices and the cross-quarter days in between. I plan to align each story with the season of its telling, and to gather donations that we as a community will offer back to the living world.

Three, as we know from fairy tales, is a powerful number. It’s usually the number of attempts it takes to get something right, and often it’s the number of magical tools or skills necessary to overcome the challenge at hand.

With this offering, I am hoping to build community in three ways:

Community between you and the story, which has things to tell you that I know nothing of.

 Community between you, me, and the others gathered to hear the story, and the way the story weaves itself into the seasons of our year as a rich, shared metaphor.

Community between our little gathering and the wider world, as our donations weave us and our intentions into the fabric of the planet.

May we, by resting our sorrows on the broad backs of old stories, build a sense of community together, and alchemize hopelessness into loving action.

Meet the storyteller

***If you would like to purchase the recording of this event and obtain a copy of the writing prompts we used to explore the story, reach out to me at Innerlightasheville@gmail.com—the price is your chosen donation to World Central Kitchen to feed those impacted by disaster.

Depth storytelling is more than the simple telling of a tale. It offers points of contact to present-day reality, to themes and archetypes that continue to speak to us. And it offers questions, moments of reflection that open your life back to the generations upon generations that have carried this story forward.

Spinning Straw into Gold is a story about autonomy, and it’s a story about Othering, and the ways in which we can fall into a trance of productivity that robs us of the things that matter most. It’s a story about the price of prioritizing the One at the cost of the Many. It’s a story about what happens when we fall out of balance with our own natural rhythms and with the wheel of the world.

In many northern-hemisphere farming cultures, February is the time of winter when the first ewes begin to give birth, and fresh milk is finally available. That’s why this time of year is referred to as “Imbolc”—I Mbolg, in the belly—in the bellies of the ewes was the beginning of hope that the long, cold darkness would soon be over. It is also traditional in Gaelic-speaking cultures to weave ornaments of straw in the first days of February as a way of honoring the return of light and hope. So this story of straw and the birth of a child feels right to tell this time of year.

We’ll gather at my office near downtown Asheville (well, the first 8 of us will) and via GoogleMeet from all over the world. I’ll have warm drinks available for those attending in person.

I’ll offer a song or poem, then tell the story. We’ll spend some time feeding the story by sharing the places it touched us, and we’ll have some time to write quietly together on the themes that are resonant.

Three, as we know from fairy tales, is a powerful number. It’s usually the number of attempts it takes to get something right, and often it’s the number of magical tools or skills necessary to overcome the challenge at hand.

Three is also, in the old Irish understanding, the combined power of earth, sea, and sky.

With this offering, I am hoping to build community in three ways:

Community between you and the story, which has things to tell you that I know nothing of.

 Community between you, me, and the others gathered to hear the story, and the way the story weaves itself into our lives as a rich, shared metaphor.

Community between our little gathering and the wider world, as our donations weave us and our intentions into the fabric of the planet.

 This is the first story of 8 gatherings planned for this year. My intention is to align each story with the season of the telling.

Attendance is pay-what-you-can (suggested donation $20 to $40, but each participant is trusted to find the right amount. No one will be turned away). All proceeds will be donated to efforts to feed the hungry, build justice, combat climate change, and end war.

(For this gathering, your donations will be going to Foothills Conservancy, World Central Kitchen, or Beloved Asheville. We’ll decide which together after the story.)

Reserve your spot by venmo (@Lissa-Carter) with your donation and the description Straw Into Gold. As of this writing the in-person option is sold out.

I’ll send you the link for the gathering if you are attending online and provide further details via email, once your donation is received.

Questions? Story ideas? Organizations you’d like to nominate? Email me at innerlightasheville@gmail.com.

Join Lissa Carter and Maeve Hendrix for an embodied exploration of the myth of the Selkie. Through storytelling, herbal ritual, live music, yoga practice, and artmaking, we will re-attune ourselves to the slower, deeper rhythms of the dark half of the year. Sliding scale, $98-$128 per person.

Register at West Asheville Yoga or for more information, email innerlightasheville@gmail.com. Space is limited.

Fall is a time of revelation. The greens fade from the trees and their true, brilliant colors are shown. What vibrancy! What joy! What truth is waiting to be revealed through you? Come discover during this playful and colorful class!

In this session to be held at ArtPlay in the River Arts District in Asheville, NC, join Julie King Murphy, M.A.,* and Jo Anna Dane, M.A.,* who will guide you through an exploration of leaves, light and our own creative responses that will help you discover the brilliance within that is waiting to be revealed.

Throughout this class you will be invited to explore the color, texture and shape of the autumn leaves. We’ll begin by crafting a group mandala to help us see the treasures within the leaves, colors and patterns. We will then transition to ArtPlay’s new Light Atelier to view the mandala and details within, larger than life on the wall through the beautiful element of light!

Using words and the potent imagery from the mandala & light experience, each participant will also be guided to explore and create an individual painting using acrylic paints.

No experience is necessary. The painting that you create can be realistic or beautifully abstract. You’re also sure to find something new emerging in yourself, a resource ready to harvest, employ and savor this season!

We are excited to be able to offer this incredible class with Julie and Jo Anna at ArtPlay!

Sign up today as a gift for yourself and invite a friend to be a part of this fun group session at ArtPlay in Asheville at the peak of fall color and inspiration!. Come Play!

$65 Materials are included. Register at ArtPlay here

*Who is Julie King Murphy? When you meet Julie, you’ll understand that her name means “youthful” and you may soon wonder if yours does, as well! Though she has over a decade of experience leading group retreats and workshops and is a licensed counselor with certification in expressive arts therapy, Julie’s teaching style is playful, as she welcomes you to “dive right in”, take a break from the routine, and use art as a way toward the joyful life you want to live! Julie’s ability to see beauty everywhere and her obvious delight in the creative process is contagious!

*Who is Jo Anna Dane? Jo Anna is a writer, an artist, an oracle. She creates experiences that guide you to your depths and pull you to your heights. Jo Anna believes that life is a work of art and getting to play in the experience helps us to discover who we are and have always been. She is the curator of the Library of Wonders and Curiosities and a devoted facilitator to the clients she guides on deep healing journeys.

Many of us are experiencing changes and interruptions to our meaningful holiday rituals, and this can cause sadness and pain. In this free live meditation, we will meet via Zoom and participate in a guided meditation and intention-setting ritual to honor and acknowledge the necessity of change this year as we move into the winter season.

Bring a journal and pen and an open heart. All welcome.

Join Lissa for a deep, slow dive into the imagery of our dreams. In a dreamy, sun-drenched private residence in historic Montford, we will slow ourselves down to the pace of our dreams. Practicing sacred movement, expressive arts, and projective dreamwork, we will honor and explore the interior worlds that are so often neglected or forgotten in the busy-ness of the everyday.

Bring a dream to work with if you wish ( but do not worry if you don’t have a dream to bring.) Everyone who wishes will have a chance to work their dream in the group.

Mulled cider, spiced tea, and light refreshments will be served. Dress for movement and art making. All materials provided. $80 per person; limited to first 8 registrants.

~RESCHEDULED~ 

Do you have a hard time believing your friends when they tell you how talented you are? Is it difficult for you to accept compliments? Have you found yourself shrinking back from your dreams and playing it safe, just in case?

When we are terrified of our potential, we can feel brittle, exhausted, sluggish, trapped. Our "bright shadow", unexplored, becomes an anchor we drag behind us with every step.

This full-moon day will be given to the sacred-time experience of movement, meditation, art-making, and myth-telling, so that together we can experience what it feels like to step into our power with confidence and release our bright shadow into the world. 

Come,  dive deep into your own bright shadow and stretch with your whole body into the embodied feeling of sovereignty. 

This world needs your power. 

Space is limited. Registration is first-come, first-serve. 

Retreat includes: yoga, all art supplies, herbal infusions, elixirs, and other treats, and a full organic, local lunch. 

Feedback from past retreats...

"Amazing, genuine, talented facilitators. Very dynamic and diverse programming. It exceeded my expectations! Powerful, extraordinarily so."

"This was pretty magical and life-changing for one workshop! The most powerful part was the sharing of stories. Lissa and Maeve worked so well together, and everything flowed beautifully. And the ending circle was beyond amazing—a jewel to savor and take into my life." 

"This retreat was like a brief but deeply felt therapy session and a boost to my personal growth. This open-hearted sharing allowed me to open, heal, cleanse, and even shake off some “stuff” I’ve been struggling with but challenged to identify. Also—amazing food! Thank you and much gratitude! "

To Register Click here

When did you last feel the divine wind blow across your skin?

We are all part of the web of the sacred, and if we give ourselves the gift of slowing down enough to touch that inner sweetness, we are capable of deep wisdom and profound grace.

This slow Sunday retreat includes yoga class, al fresco organic lunch, delicious elixirs, and a guided, meditative, artistic creation experience from which you will emerge with your very own 60-card oracle deck, a touchstone for your own divine wisdom.

Limited to the first 15 participants.

$99 fee includes all art materials, yoga, al fresco lunch, drinks, and a full 60-card, professionally printed, high-gloss oracle deck. We will meet at a beautiful organic farm in Leicester, NC to step out of time for the day.

Facilitated by Briana Anderson, MA in Spiritual Psychology and creator of the Feminine Pleasure Oracle Deck, and Lissa Carter, MA, LPCA, Expressive Arts Certificate

Yoga class taught by Maeve Hendrix, MA, LPCA, RYT, Expressive Arts Certificate

This 6-week group explores the natural world as teacher. We will meet outdoors as the weather allows, and apply the tried-and-tested ecological principles of permaculture design to the thorny struggles that we face daily: Where did all my time go? When do I get to live my wild and important dreams? How do I discover and serve my purpose in this world? Why do I feel exhausted and worn thin instead of juicy and delighted? Who is my tribe? What can I do to engage in life in a way that honors my full potential?

Co-facilitated by Anastasios Pantelopulos of Forest Light Counseling.

Anastasios brings his expertise in wilderness therapy, gestalt therapy, and rites of passage to this group. Every good permaculture design starts with observation, and Stas will teach us skills for witnessing ourselves through the wisdom of the natural world, the information coded in the body, and the power of ritual.

Co-facilitated by Lissa Carter of Inner Light Counseling Collective.

Lissa's experience as a certified permaculture designer, herbalist, farmer, and wilderness skills fanatic has always colored her approach to counseling. She firmly believes that we are natural beings, and therefore grow deeply healthy as we learn our place within nature.

This six-week gathering will dive deep into the fertile area where ecology and psychology overlap. We will build skill in observing ourselves, understanding our patterns, and transforming the behaviors that lead to suffering by applying permaculture principles to life design. All sessions will include outdoor activities as weather allows.  Tea, herbal delicacies, and art supplies will be provided. 

$200 for 6-week session

Join us at Homegrown Babies for an evening of tea, laughter, and conversation about the realities of motherhood. We did not stop being people when we became mothers! Learn skills and tools for delighting in your life and your body again. When you prioritize yourself, your whole family benefits. Free, all welcome. Hosted by Inner Light Counseling and Coach Briana.

Join us for this sweet Saturday evening show-and-tell for grown-ups! We'll share tea, talk about the rigors and joys of practicing therapy, and take turns doing small demonstrations of our counseling/coaching style so that we can build a first-hand experience of our local referral base. Open to all counselors, therapists, coaches, and practitioners of the healing arts. Let's build community and lift each other up! $5 donation requested to cover use of the space; no one turned away. 

We are delighted to introduce ourselves to the community! Come sip tea, nibble delicacies, and join in a brief Expressive Arts practice. Bring friends and family and enjoy a sweet evening of sacred space and connection.