Uncover the Magic of the In-Between
ANTARA NETWORK
Together, Let’s Dream of
A Multi-Cultural Womxn-Centered Collective of Embodied Facilitators at the Intersection of Contemplative Practice & Social Justice Engaging Transformation from the Inside Out.
Antara Network Retreat
LOCATION: Moon Rising Retreat Center in Lenoir, NC
DATES: Wednesday May 28 - Sunday June 2
REGISTER: This retreat is by invitation. If you have recieved an invitation to attend this retreat, please RSVP HERE. If you have not recieved an invitation but are really interest in learning more, please email us at antaranetwork1@gmail.com
COST: This retreat is fully funded by private donors. There is no cost to attend.
TRAVEL: Travel vouchers are available for $250 for domestic travel and $500 for international travel.
Why Antara Network and Why This Retreat?
Antara Network’s first retreat will take place in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, an area that has been impacted by hurricanes this past year. As we gather together to share our collective wisdom and honor Earth, we will be supported by these Grandmother mountains as well as one of the oldest rivers in the world, the New River.
The intention of this gathering is to plant some of the first seeds of the Antara Network. During Covid, Aarti Tejuja and Sojourner Zenobia dreamed of Antara, which means the space of the in-between in sanskrit. They wanted to use their embodied facilitation skills to help people tend to the wounds that were manifesting in the moment. Initially Antara started as a business that held “in-between” spaces for whatever was coming up in the culture. This began as “in between” spaces to process feelings in general, then it became spaces that were needed because of covid. Then, when the murder of George Floyd happened, spaces for grief tending were needed.
It wasn’t long before Aarti and Sojourner began to see that Antara had become bigger than them. Antara the business began to fall away when Aarti moved out of Chicago and into the mountains of Boone, NC. Soon after, Antara showed itself again, this time as a collaboration of various thoughts and feelings about embodied space holding, facilitation, earth and the elements, and ancestors in general. Conversations between Aarti, Holly Gayley, Jimena Vergara, Matt Lentz and Kylene Williams began to happen.
It was soon apparent that the Antara Network was ready to birthed, but that it belongs to no one individual. Because Antara can only be birthed thourgh a collective, we opted to start with a gathering of people who we personally know to be at the intersections of “space holding” , “justice” , “land tending” and “deep spirituality.” As with any birthing process, we don’t know what is going to come out. And although Antara has a history, she is ready to be birthed in the form of a larger, but still manageable network.
Antara Rituals
Antara Online Rituals are hosted by facilitators and ritualists. We try to host these rituals once a month. The rituals typically last 1.5 - 2 hours. There is no cost, but you can make an offering to the ritualists/facilitators if you would like. If you are intersted in hosting an Antara ritual, please let us know by sending us an email at antaranetwork1@gmail.com
Sunday March 9, 2025
3pm - 5pm EST
With Teresa Mateus
With Teresa Mateus
March 9, 2025 3pm - 5pm EST
Zoom will be sent closer to time.
In the Q'ero Paqo lineage (from the spiritual-healer lineage from the Andes above Cusco, Peru) the human-land connection is inherent to all of life. We are connected in ayni (reciprocity) with all that is and we orient that relationship across the three worlds (upper world - hanaq pacha, middle world - kay pacha, underworld - ukju pacha) and the four directions, guided by the sacred animals of the puma and the hummingbird, the condor and the serpent. Through this shared time of ceremony and offering (called a kintu) we will ground together in the lands that have meaning for us, our ancestral places and peoples, honoring all the dimensions of being. We will also share in a small energy clearing ceremony to release hucha (heavy energy), in this season of the world where so much heavy energy is accumulating.
We will close by creating space to do a visioning practice around the idea of "planting seeds at the end of the world." What does it mean to plant something in a season of great change - cosmically and socially? What is our individual and collective calling as seed planters, grounded in our own sacred lands and lineages, and building for a futurism beyond what we think is possible?
About Teresa:
Teresa Mateus is an Andean indigenous practitioner initiated in the Q'ero Paqo lineage from the Andes above Cusco, Peru in the Apaza family lineage from the Kiko territory. She was born in the Colombian Andes, in the Muisca territories at the base of "Grandmother's Foot" (in Chibcha) who is her Apu (sacred mountain in Quechua) godparent. She is also a trauma specialist with training in clinical social work, yoga and meditation. She has written a few books on trauma, grief, and spiritual journeying and you can find her at www.teresamateus.com. She lives in the Lenape lands of the NYC metro area, works on community-based arts and healing programs in Harlem, and can be found snuggling under covers or on a micro-porch with her semi-geriatric chihuahua mix Faith (who believes she is a reincarnated Mexican deity).
Sunday April 6, 2025
1pm - 3pm EST
With Matt Lentz
With Matt Lentz
April 6, 2025 1pm - 3pm EST
Zoom will be sent closer to time.
An original spring time story and ritual that bridges the ancient and mainstream folk figures of Mrs Claus and Brigid. More details to come.
May, 2025 : TBA
1pm - 3pm EST
With Holly Gayley & Aarti Tejuja
With Holly Gayley & Aarti Tejuja
May 11, 2025 1pm - 3pm EST
Zoom will be sent closer to time.
Shadow Play is an embodied, experiential ritual in which you will explore the 5 energies of the 5 Buddha Families, a Mahayana Buddhist teaching of the 5 basic elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. Each of the 5 elements corresponds with an emotional energy that can manifest as “wisdom” or positive emotional patterns, or as “confusion” or negative emotional patterns.
We’ll use a combination of art, ritual, embodiment, play and mindfulness, to transform your “confusion” or “shadow” energy into wisdom.
Generosity
Are you interested in a making a tax deductible donation to Antara’s General Fund? We appreciate your generosity.