Rites of passage
Human life is imprinted by change, whether we like it or not. As the wheel turns we enter new life stages. To mark these passages through ritual is as old as humankind itself. It supports us to be awake to the fact we are alive, to honour the gathering of experience and grief that comes with it, and to play a meaningful role in the fabric of our communities and as inhabitants of this Earth.
The Pilgrim’s Way
One of the many signposts of the Pilgrimsleden on Orust
PILGRIM
But your loss brought you here to walk
under one name and to walk under one name only,
and to find the guise under which all loss can live;
remember, you were given that name every day
along the way, remember, you were greeted as such,
and treated as such, and you needed no other name;
other people seemed to know you even before you gave up
being a shadow on the road and came into the light,
even before you sat down,
broke bread and drank wine,
wiped the wind-tears from your eyes:
Pilgrim they called you again
and again. Pilgrim.
Excerpt from the poem ‘Camino’
From ‘Pilgrim: Poems by David Whyte’
What to expect
On the beautiful island of Orust, at the Swedish west coast, there is a pilgrim’s path that goes between eight churches and takes you through a diverse landscape of forests, hills and along the seaside. Churches have often been built where the old power places used to be and also today there are petroglyphs, stone circles and rune stones to be found on the island.
You gather as a group of pilgrims. You can come alone or with a friend, family member or loved one. Every day you walk a section of the trail at your own pace. Once a day we all meet, either in the morning or in the evening, for a session together. Morning gatherings will include nature awareness, when we meet in the evening we will sit for a harvest and sharing of what is moving in you on your pilgrimage. We might also include simple ritual work.
The last day we meet at Solgläntan, at two kilometers from Myckleby kyrka, to cook on the fire and have a lakeside sauna.
For Whom
Anyone who feels the call of the pilgrimage is welcome. Maybe you feel a need for contemplation, slowness and simplicity, maybe you are in a process of grief or reorientation.
It is important that you are able to walk about twelve kilometers a day and you can carry your backpack with sleeping gear and food for two days.
Max amount of participants: 12
Testimonial
Walking on the Pilgrim's Way with our small group, which was a very warmhearted, comforting and supporting company, was a time to reconnect with myself. The beautiful and diverse landscape of Orust - little paths through the woods, steady boulders, farmland and cows, small stone walls, impressive west coast views, lakes and remarkable historical places and the churches marking our path- contributed to the experience of facing life as it is. I am very grateful for Lien's organization, support and inspiring impulses which made it possible to dive deeper into connection with the land and people, and face the challenge of letting go. (participant 2023)
Dates & schedule
June 7th-15th 2025
June 7th: Myckleby Church – Långelanda Church
June 8th: Långelanda Church – Stala Church
June 9th: Stala Church – Tegneby Church
June 10th: Tegneby Church – Nösunds Chapel
June 11th: Nösunds Chapel – Morlanda Church
June 12th: Morlanda Church – Röra Church
Juen 13th: Röra Church – Stala Church
June 14th: Röra Church – Torp Church
June 15th: Torp Church – Myckleby Church
Location
Orust, west coast of Sweden
Starting point: Myckleby kyrka
Costs
300 euro/3500 sek (for 9 sessions along your pilgrimage, including sauna on the last evening)
Info
You can find an overview of the trail and the different hikes here.
Accomodation: you will camp on different locations along the way, ranging from an official camping site to freecamping.
Food: you mainly take care of your own food during the pilgrimage. You will be able to order some extra food which is brought to you when we gather two or three times during the pilgrimage .
Questions? Get in touch.
Registration
Sunset along the Pilgrimsleden.
Photo Elena Kästner
Wildkatzen
For youngsters there is a point in life where the world beyond the house of their parents becomes increasingly interesting and the time spent with friends gets more important than the company of their parents.
New questions arise, the longing for belonging and boundaries get stronger and the search for self starts.
For flinta
Are you between 13 and 16 years old and do you recognize this process of change? Then we invite you to spend a week in the forest with us, on the territory of the wild cat. In a simple camp at the lake there is time to track important questions, to exchange about them with others, to be inspired by the life stories of older people and to feel into your dreams.
What are my roots? What inspires me? Who am I and who do I want to be? When do I feel strong and when do I feel weak? Who or what supports me?
We will be outside the whole time, cook over the fire, play, bathe and work with an old northern initiation story that has helped generations of people on their way.
With flinta we are addressing young people identifying as woman, lesbian, inter, non-binary, trans and agender.
You can find more info here (in German).
Dates
August 26th-September 3th 2025
September 30th-Ocotber 4th 2025
Photo: Elena Kästner
To meet death
The story of Carine - tribute to a life artist
Carine van Steen,
March 16th 1948 - August 25th 2020
I see a woman sitting next to the Swedish lakeside for three days and three nights, I see a woman returning from the mountain in the Pyrenees after three days and three nights, I see a woman going on a last sitout in her home country to prepare for the biggest journey of all .
Our sitout tribe has lost one of its most colourful and inspiring members; Carine made her way back to the ancestors. After she got her diagnosis of terminal cancer she decided she wanted to make the last phase of her life into the most beautiful of all and wanted to mark the upcoming rite of passage with a last sitout. She spent one last night on the land in ceremony and touched us all with the way she approached death, in style and out of the box, just as she lived her life. She pointed the way for many of us towards a life where beauty, curiosity, flamboyance and art rule.
Carine, I see you, jumping over the midsummer fire, turning your fall into a ninja roll, I see you, dancing tango on your balcony, your spirit overruling the pain, I see you crying when realizing your tribe was waiting for you to return to base camp, I see you, causing all kind of good trouble on the other side. When I cry, I laugh. Thank you. Thank you.
“I am not afraid to die. I know about surrender.”
