Fynbos plant spirit initiation:

the alchemy of resurgence for expressive living

14-16 March 2025

THE INVITATION

Fynbos make up the smallest but most biodiverse and toughest floral kingdom on Earth. Phoenix-like, their seeds require fire and a strong interplay of the elements for an alchemical resurgence in the landscape. The sacred geometry in the burnt seed heads is evidence that these plants are literally living the Flower of Life. They are deeply inspiring in how they rise from the ashes to fully express their abundance, offering nourishment to the immense range of animal, insect, microbial and other life forms that live with them.

In this weekend immersion, Saskia and Roxanne will guide you in meeting this magical plant kingdom through a series of experiential activities. Roxanne will guide a medicinal foraging walk, introducing you to the intelligence and emotions of these plant allies, describing how they survive and connect with one another and what makes them medicine in their chemical diversity.

Saskia will also facilitate you in an initiatory journey to meet and be with the eternal collective spirit of the Proteas, to learn directly from these wise beings, as well as guide somatic practices to move with the plants and integrate their teachings in your nervous system. A half-day elemental balancing pilgrimage with both Roxanne and Saskia along part the exquisite Salt River path will bring these teachings together (moderate fitness required for this, trail start is a 7min drive from Wild Spirit).

Each participant will go home with a bottle of Protea essence (an infusion of the plant kingdom’s vibration), to continue working with their teachings in daily life, both personal and professional. An online follow-up call one month after the immersion will allow for sharing, questions and further integration.

Let this be an initiation by the Proteas into renewing yourself, so that you can live a life fully expressed.

What’s included?

• Your choice of accommodation at the award-winning, eco-conscious Wild Spirit Lodge

• All meals and teas & coffees, made with mostly local ingredients, and freshly prepared on site

• Facilitation by Dr Saskia von Diest, founder of Ecofluency, and Roxanne Joubert, founder of Lady of the Herbs

• Special guest presentation on natural bee-keeping in Fynbos, by Ola Lawrence from Wild Spirit Lodge

• Notes and a bottle of Protea essence

• A 90min online follow-up call for integration, one month after the immersion

• Access to the new Ecofluency Alumni Hub, for asking questions, practicing with different exercises, and sharing with others to keeping growing your practice

THE SETTING

The exquisite Garden Route, or Eden District, is a region along the south coast of South Africa characterised by the Outeniqua mountain range, carved by deep canyons and vibrant rivers, pristine beaches and numerous natural lakes and lagoons, protected by various South African National Parks and marine protected areas.

Situated within the Cape Floristic Region (a protected World Heritage Site), the ancient Afromontane and dune forests, with stretches of fynbos inbetween, boasts the highest biodiversity of plants and trees in the world! In this rich biosphere, wild animals roam freely, including elephants, leopards, caracal, bush pigs, monkeys, baboons, porcupines, many species of buck, and an extraordinary number of native bird species, amphibians and reptiles. Whales, dolphins, sharks and other marine life are abundant along this thriving coastline.

Recent archeological evidence from caves along this coastline shows that this region is considered to be the birthplace of modern humans, and the Pinnacle Point Caves near Mossel Bay have recently been classified  a World Heritage Site.

This richly populated landscape is the perfect setting for rekindling your ancestral birthright for communing and communicating with all of Nature.

Extending your stay in the area is highly recommended!

The venue

Wild Spirit Lodge sits on the land of Khoinania, on the western border of the Tsitsikamma National Park, near Nature’s Valley. Since its inception, Wild Spirit has been co-created with the consciousness of Nature as much as possible, towards living in harmony with life in all its forms.

With accommodation options to suit a wide range of budgets, exquisite views, a Magical Forest, waterfall, this thriving community hub has won awards for its hospitality.

The immersion includes your choice of accommodation, ranging from comfortable, en-suite rooms to BYO camping. All meals are also included and are served on the main deck of the lodge. Breakfast is a buffet, lunches and dinners are a choice of meat or vegetarian options.

You will also have time to relax and integrate at the pool during the day, in the forest, or around the fire in the evenings.

Participants are recommended to bring both warm and cool clothing, as temperatures can vary greatly, ranging from 10 to 35 degrees Celsius between day and night, even in January.

Please arrive by Thursday 13 March if you’re taking the shuttle from Cape Town, to avoid arriving late on the first day (accommodation for Thurs night is not included in the immersion rate). Check in is 15:00-16:30 on 17 January, and we start the immersion at 17:00 on that day. Check out is by 10:00 on 19 January, and we close our weekend programme at 16:00.

WHAT IS ECOFLUENCY?

This immersive plant spirit initiation will give you a different, more experiential taste than previous workshops and courses of Ecofluency - the science, art, and magic of two-way communication with Nature using a wider range of senses and awareness.

It is for anybody interested in communing and communicating with Nature, including those who practise it already, although no previous experience is required. While we won’t cover Ecofluency theory, or step-by-step guidelines for Nature communication (please see other events for these workshops), this event is focused on the deep, embodied, magical experience of being immersed in the wisdom and spirit of the Fynbos plants. It is designed to help you explore a unique way of connecting with trees that is still practical and relevant for everyday life, and can be applied with other tree and plant species.

All humans are born with the capacity to commune and communicate with any aspect of Nature, because we are Nature. This way of being exists beyond all languages, and has been known and practised by indigenous peoples worldwide for millennia. Although many have forgotten how to use this ancient ability, this immersion offers an opportunity to reclaim the power of this birth-right, allowing access to the deeper knowledge, wisdom and divinity of Nature that is not often available to our everyday human minds, to benefit all life.

Ecofluency is a critical skill for empowering physical, mental and emotional vitality, to grow beyond resilience into a dynamic state of thriving. It offers a key to unlocking greater joy and harmony in our relationships with ourselves, other humans, and the rest of Nature, and can be used within any faith or belief system.

On a practical level, communicating with Nature helps us make more holistic and efficient decisions in all aspects of our lives: growing food, choosing a place to live, understanding the behaviour of wild or domestic animals, creating rituals and ceremonies for inspiration and abundance, expanding your professional work in ecological alignment, or healing traumas to become whole and to spiritually evolve.

Human existence with other species depends on dialogue with them, as they call on us to co-evolve and create our future in alignment with all of Nature.

The world is waiting – join the conversation!

YOUR HOSTS

DR SASKIA VON DIEST

Saskia is the founder of Ecofluency, as well as consultant, educator, activist, and occasional researcher in the field of Nature communication.

Attending an animal communication workshop during her PhD (Plant Pathology) in 2012 sparked her interest in how farmers use intuitive communication with nature to inform practical management decisions. From 2014-2020, she held two postdoctoral fellowships, at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and at Coventry University, UK, to investigate intuitive farming as part of a wider new field of subtle agroecology.

Throughout her postdoctoral years, she further developed her own understanding and practice in communicating with trees, animals, land, nature spirits and ancestors. She’s also trained as a Family Constellations facilitator, in Jikiden (Usui) Reiki, and in the Way of the Warrior Healer for energy field clearings and psychic surgery.

In 2021, she founded Ecofluency, to offer consulting, facilitation, teaching and coaching in Nature communication, and promote other human voices in this field. With 15 years of experience in teaching and facilitating through various forms and in many countries, her passion is creating opportunities for others to have their own experience of communicating with non-human Nature, and develop that for individual and the collective transformation.

ROXANNE JOUBERT

Wilderness local Roxanne Joubert is an accredited herbalist and the soul behind Lady of the Herbs. She believes by nurturing and respecting the natural world, we, in turn, nourish our own existence. She has dedicated herself to indigenous medicinal plants with a profound commitment to nature.

Beyond crafting medicinal botanical products on a boutique scale and creating educational experiences, Roxanne extends her impact through the conservation of medicinal plants, recognising the delicate balance between human consumption and the preservation of natural ecosystems.

With a deep-rooted belief in the interconnectedness of all living things, Roxanne views the human body as an ecosystem, intricately linked to the broader natural world. This holistic perspective fuels her advocacy for working with nature and promoting biodiversity as a cornerstone of well-being.

THE PROTEAS

This initiation was called into being by the spirit of the Proteas. The programme for the immersion is co-designed with, and will be energetically held, by the collective consciousness of the myriad Protea spirits that live in Nature’s Valley.

Special guest

OLA LAWRENCE

Ola is the daughter of Jenny Lawrence, founder of Wild Spirit Lodge and Khoinania. Thanks to Jenny and Ola, Wild Spirit has won awards for its hospitality, and is home to the very popular Festival of Friends that is organised by Ola and happens over New Year’s.

Ola is continuing Jenny’s legacy, bringing permaculture, biodynamic farming, and especially beekeeping to the land, ensuring that co-creation with Nature remains a guiding principle in Wild Spirit’s warm hospitality, for all forms of life.

BOOKINGS

The immersion rate is inclusive of accommodation, all meals, teas & coffee, facilitation by Saskia, Roxanne and Ola, and an online integration call.

Package rates depends on choice of accommodation, and except for camping, the number of rooms and safari tents are limited:

• Camping: R2900 pp

• Safari tent sharing (2 singles OR 1 double): R3000 pp

• Safari tent single occupancy: R3500 pp

• Dorm (8 single, non-bunk beds per room): R3100 pp

• Double room en-suite, 2 people sharing: R3200 pp

• Double room en-suite, single occupancy: R3900 pp

• Family room en-suite, 3 people sharing 1 dbl bed & 1 single: R3400 pp

• Family room en-suite, 2 people sharing 1 dbl bed: R3400 pp

• Family room en-suite, single occupancy in a dbl bed: R4200 pp

Please book directly with Saskia: saskia(at)ecofluency.org.

A 30% deposit is required to secure your booking and choice of accommodation.

The rate excludes travel to and from Wild Spirit (although affordable shuttle services to the area like Gecko and Baz Bus are available from Cape Town), comprehensive medical and travel insurance, gratuities, laundry, items of a personal nature, items not specified under Inclusions.

Any questions can be sent to Saskia at saskia(at)ecofluency.org.

Service policy

Cancellation and refund:

• If I cancel or postpone the event for any reason, ticket(s) will be refunded in full.

• Bookings are made on a first come, first served basis. A 30% deposit is required to secure your booking, and is only refundable until 14 February 2025. The remainder is due by 3 March 2025.

• If you wish to cancel your booking, I offer a partial refund or a ticket transfer:

  • A valid medical reason within a week before the event, with proof of hospitalisation, entitles you to a refund of your ticket amount minus the 30% deposit.

  • You may transfer your ticket(s) to a friend. To do this, please contact me to provide contact details of the new ticket holder(s) at least 3 working days before the event so that I can give them any necessary details about the workshop.

  • No-shows are not entitled to refunds, exchanges or transfers.

• Printed notes will be provided during the workshop. These are strictly for your own use, and may not be copied, edited or distributed in any form. All workshop content is copyright of Saskia von Diest and the other facilitators, all rights reserved.