S4Ep17 Mystic Fire 2026: Finding The Path That Brings You Home To Yourself
Jennifer Taylor: [00:00:00] I guess I should say good evening, Tava Baird.
Tava Baird: I know this is a rare one. Good evening, Jennifer Taylor. we're not usually here as the sun goes down. We are usually morning people. But today is special in lots of ways. We have two returning guests with us who I am absolutely thrilled to have here.
we have Liz Jacobs and Cael Jacobs back with us to talk about this year's Mystic Fire Retreat. So good things ahead, folks.
Jennifer Taylor: Yes, and welcome to, Liz and Cael, and to all of our listeners. And viewers now, because Tava actually got all of our episodes up on YouTube, which is pretty amazing.
So everybody's- Yay ... gonna be able to see you as well.
Tava Baird: Yes, so that'll be good. They'll [00:01:00] get to, they'll get to see your lovely faces, and, and Jenn's adorable face, and the fact that I don't often clean my office. It's clean, it's just not organized.
Liz Jacobs: Hi, everyone. We're happy to be here. Excited to share about Mystic Fire right here in our backyard with our big beautiful magnolia tree behind us.
Cael Jacobs: Mystic Fire's not actually going to be in our
Liz Jacobs: backyard. No, but we are here in our backyard talking about Mystic Fire.
Jennifer Taylor: It is so nice to get to see just that gorgeous, gorgeous background there, and feel all of that wonderful nature energy as a part of all of it.
That's wonderful.
Tava Baird: Yeah, Wilder Grove is a very special place. I am excited every time I get to visit.
Jennifer Taylor: And while it won't be specifically your backyard and that beautiful background, uh, Mystic Fire is in an incredibly beautiful natural space as well. So we will be really well [00:02:00] surrounded and held in that space too.
Tava Baird: Yeah. It's Seven Oaks Retreat Center in Madison, Virginia. And guys, if you weren't there last year, it is amazing. I mean, I can't think of a better way to launch yourself into winter and into the dark of the year than going and being together in community at this place. It is just stunning there.
Jennifer Taylor: Yeah. Yeah. It's absolutely beautiful.
Liz Jacobs: I am looking forward to it. We're excited to get back to it.
Tava Baird: Yeah. So Jenn, would you like to set the stage for us with a song?
Jennifer Taylor: Absolutely. So I will invite, Archangel Michael and Samael and the guides of this retreat, the guides of this whole event that we will be talking about today, to kind of work together and bring [00:03:00] through a song that will really hold the space for us, and the energy that will hold the space for us to be able to share about it, and also help people to feel into the paths and, where they may resonate and what might be just right for them.
[00:04:00] [00:05:00] [00:06:00] [00:07:00]
Tava Baird: That was a wild one. I loved that.
Jennifer Taylor: It was. I was like, "Whoa, maybe I shouldn't have invited so many to come in and sing all at once," because that's a whole lot of voices and a whole lot of, uh, whole lot of different energies. But it felt so joyful, and it, it just felt like this celebration of, you know, coming in and coming together, and, uh, yeah.
That was, that was really different.
Tava Baird: Well, apparently you raised a bunch of energy for Samael, too, because he was speaking with great passion during that song. And I just have a few words from him here, as we process that [00:08:00] beautiful music that you brought through. Thank you. Here is what he had to say: "There is a point ahead, friends.
A point of turning. A point of reckoning. A point of reflection, and an opportunity for drastic and lasting change in this world. But before one can reshape the world, one must reshape the self. Gather your notes, your songs, the things you set waiting until the time was right. Do not doubt your worthiness, nor your guides, nor that your efforts will be rewarded.
The turn onto this road is nearly upon us. The fall, and then the rise. And if you are steady, the reclamation."[00:09:00]
I did not realize how much I needed to hear that song until I heard that song. I am going to probably at the end of this podcast beg you to cut that out and put it in a place where I can play it over and over again.
Jennifer Taylor: I will do that for you.
Tava Baird: So as we speak of joyfulness, as we speak of, reclamation, it seems incredibly appropriate to speak about Mystic Fire.
So this is Mystic Fire's second year, and I am so honored to be returning as one of the guides. And this year, folks, we're bringing some other people with us. Jennifer Taylor and Keith Taylor will also be joining me on the Angel Path. And Liz and Cael, would you mind telling us about the other paths as well?
Liz Jacobs: Absolutely. so I'm leading, the [00:10:00] Primal Path, which is an extension of the work that we did last year called the Wilding Path. it is an opportunity to go deeper into ourselves, sort of release all of the structures that we've had put upon us or that we've put upon ourselves within the structure of society, and so just basically go wild for a while, become primal, and really reach into our instincts and our intuitions, and reclaim that magic that is within us and that we are practicing whether we realize it or not.
So we're gonna be doing a lot of that work outside in weather. Whatever happens to happen out there, we're gonna be a part of that. And, I welcome sticks and mud in your hair and all of the marvelous things that take us right back into that, that sense of being part of nature instead of separate from it
Cael Jacobs: Now whatever happens at, Seven Oaks Retreat Center stays at Seven Oaks Retreat Center.
Tava Baird: Yes. [00:11:00] Oh, man. And I remember last year people coming into lunch, and you were like, "Oh, you went wild this morning. Look at your hair." It was phenomenal.
Liz Jacobs: We're into that next time. We're gonna do it. Oh, yeah. We're gonna get deeper into that next time. Uh, so I'm really looking forward to even more wildness.
Cael Jacobs: And I'm really excited to be offering the Dragon's Path this year. Um, personal energy work is something that I have been teaching now for, oh gosh, 20 years, since 2006. and I've even published a book on the subject, but the thing that I have been teaching year over year is beginner personal energy work up to intermediate, and I have never taught the stuff that I'm going to be teaching at the Dragon's Path this year.
it's a whole new framework for energy work, and it is a way of going in and exploring four different, dimensions of the self in order [00:12:00] to find your personal energetic core, and then draw on that to empower all of the work that you do, which underlies, you know, all magic, all spiritual work, all everything, and all drawing on your own personal core of energy.
So it should be a really exciting path.
Jennifer Taylor: Wow, it sounds like it. I'm so excited to hear about both of your paths. they just sound amazing. And yeah, I'm going, "Oh, I can't take those. I'm gonna be I'm gonna be, um, doing my own path." I, um, totally know how, Tava and you guys were last year where you were talking about, but I wanna be taking your path too.
Cael Jacobs: That's the problem with being an instructor at Mystic Fire is that you're stuck, uh, with your own path, which is stuff you already know, and so you don't get to learn- ... from the other people.
Jennifer Taylor:
Tava Baird: We'll, we'll have to do at some point a... See, I'm lucky 'cause there's three people teaching my path. So if you guys end up with just, like, a little set of my eyes coming up in the [00:13:00] back of your group, at some point you'll be like, "Tava, go back to your group."
"Where are your students?" "I'm just checking in. Just wanna see if you guys needed anything." Eavesdropping in. Now, there's also the Phoenix Path this year. We don't have the teacher of that here with us tonight. Could you talk a little bit about Phoenix for us as well?
Liz Jacobs: Yes. So, Phoenix Path is being led by Tom Kapchu, who has been doing this breathwork, shamanic breathwork for, I think about a year or so now.
but he's been doing a lot of other work in the shamanic realm and in the spiritual realm, and in the sound healing realm for quite a long time. I actually met him when I was, being certified to do sound healing work. he was in the same course that I was in, and so, uh, we've known each other for quite a while, and he's this, just this deeply beautiful soul who's bringing, shamanic breathwork into his path, the Phoenix Path.
So he'll be teaching, it's an extended path [00:14:00] that he teaches separately from Mystic Fire, that takes quite a lot longer to complete. Uh, but for Mystic Fire he'll be teaching two portions of that, one that is, the Air Path, and then the Fire Path of that entire breathwork, process.
so we'll sort of get a glimpse of the full breathwork experience at Mystic Fire, with Tom. and that involves a lot of, drumming and music, and so it's gonna be a fully immersive experience as I understand it. So I'm excited to have him at Mystic Fire.
Jennifer Taylor: Oh, that sounds wonderful Sounds really, really cool I look forward to getting to meet him too and be able to, share ideas and thoughts and things as well.
it sounds like this is gonna be a very musical mystical fi- or mystical fire. A very musical mystic fire, 'Cause there'll be, lots of music in our path as well, and we'll have Keith who will be drumming and, [00:15:00] throat singing as well, as, you know, playing other instruments.
So we're gonna have so many instruments and so many, musicians so much music there. I think that's gonna be really exciting
Liz Jacobs: Yes, absolutely. And, uh, we're also going to have, um, bonfire and a drum circle, on a- on one of the nights there, so that'll even add more to the sound quality.
the drummer that comes to, facilitate drum circles at Fertile Ground Gathering will be there. His name is Mark Zawaski, and he'll be, doing some drum facilitation at the bonfire at Mystic Fire. So we're excited for that too.
Jennifer Taylor: Oh, I am so excited to hear that. Absolutely, absolutely love him, and, Keith and I had such a wonderful time playing and singing with him, at Fertile Ground.
And so, oh, that is really exciting, wonderful news, for us as well. Yeah, so many... We're gonna have so many drummers.
Tava Baird: It's gonna be great. Now, speaking of Fertile Ground, we may have people who [00:16:00] are listening who've been to Fertile Ground before and so are curious about Mystic Fire. Can you all talk a little bit about the differences between the two, and if you've only been to Fertile Ground before, what to expect at Mystic Fire and why it is organized the way that it is?
Cael Jacobs: Sure. Absolutely. So, uh, when we created Fertile Ground back in 2008, what we wanted was a festival atmosphere to celebrate, you know, we've just come out of the winter, we're in the growing season, we're going into the summer, and so we want to have that celebratory kind of atmosphere to get people going for- for the warm part of the year.
And even way back then, one of the things that we were talking about was, well, that's great and all, but you need something to balance that on the other side of the year. You need... You know, you've come out and you're having this exciting, vibrant, experiential summer, but then you have to put a cap on that at the end of the growing season, at the end of the [00:17:00] harvest time, so that you can then take all the things that you grew over the course of the summer and contextualize them and think about them and internalize them and take the time to understand them so that you can prepare yourself for the winter and the- the long dark and the- the introspective time of the year.
And so, it took us a long time because we had to get, fully capable of handling two major events during the year. But, once we were comfortable that Fertile Ground Gathering was in a good place, then we were able to direct, some of our resources toward creating this event, because there's nothing really like it in the area, that does a really deep retreat style personal work, event that allows people to really take all the stuff from the summer and prepare themselves for the winter working that they have ahead of them.
Liz Jacobs: Yeah. And so a little bit more about that. At Fertile Ground Gathering, we offer workshops, and we [00:18:00] offer rituals, and it's all-inclusive. There's a, a theme that runs throughout the entire weekend, and all of the workshops and the rituals and activities all are part of that central theme. but the workshops are one-offs, you know, so that people have opportunities to choose whichever places they wanna go learn and whichever teachers they wanna learn from.
but those aren't connected to one another. They're individual, workshops, that all follow that same theme. At Mystic Fire, it's the complete opposite. The people will be following one teacher or, in your case, one set of teachers, and they will be st- staying within that, community group amongst each other in that path for the entirety of the weekend.
There will be times when we as a community will come together for rituals and other community activities, so everyone will be a part of that, everyone who's at Mystic Fire. But a lot of the, the event will be made up of time that people spend [00:19:00] within the path group that they're in, really doing deep dive, really getting into the meat and, the deeper workings of that understanding.
And so there's a lot of opportunity for us to really give people a very immersive experience, which is the complete opposite of what happens at Fertile Ground Gathering.
Cael Jacobs: And, so you've heard us talk about the Dragon's Path and the Primal Path and the Phoenix Path, but fair is fair. We haven't heard you all talk about the Angel Path, so now it's your turn.
Tava Baird: All right. So Jenn,
Jennifer Taylor: you're welcome to go first
Tava Baird: All right, here we go. So last year I taught the Lilith path at Mystic Fire, and, I wanted to return this year because I had feedback from people that they wanted to go deeper into Lilith.
But a huge part of the work that I do is with Jenn and Keith, and with Jenn on this podcast that has grown over the years. If [00:20:00] you're listening now, I'm guessing this probably isn't your first episode that you've listened to. And so you've been with us on this voyage of discovery over the years, and one of the things that we have on there is that while Jenn and Keith work a lot with Michael and beings that have sort of a particular type of energy, I have sort of a counterbalance to that with Samael and Lilith.
And so what we wanted to put together was essentially an opportunity for you guys to step into the community of the podcast, right? So if you wanna learn to sing like Jenn and do channeled song, there's gonna be opportunities for that. If you want to experience the power of story, where I'm bringing through Samael and Jenn and Keith are bringing through channeled song and music and their guides, there's an [00:21:00] opportunity for that.
If you want to take a Lilith level two class, there are opportunities for that. So really what we're doing with the Angel path is Taking the magic that I started to introduce last year, and opening it up so that you can see it from two perspectives, both from the Samael side and from the Michael side,
And have an opportunity to interweave experiences over the course of the weekend based on your particular path going forward. What are you drawn to? Do you want to do dance as divination with Jennifer Taylor? Heck yeah, you can do that. Do you want to go out into the woods with Keith? and we are focusing a lot on channeling and connecting with your guides.
So our entire weekend starts with an introduction to [00:22:00] this work and the power of story experience so that you can take what comes through or what doesn't come through in that moment, and then walk forward and say, "What do I need to do to crack the door open for my guides wider and let in some energies that maybe I haven't thought about working with before?"
Maybe you've kind of resigned yourselves to one type of vibration, and this is an opportunity. I call it the choose-your-own-adventure angelic path. You can expand out, and perhaps you're going to see what channeling is like from multiple perspectives and then choose the one that works best for you
Jennifer Taylor (2): Yes, absolutely.
And one of the things that had really inspired us to offer this path as well was that there's so much that we have learned from working together. You know, if I had just [00:23:00] stayed in the, Reiki and really high vibration types of, sacred, all, just divine light types of energies and not been working with Tava and learning so much more about the sacred darkness and balancing all of that and what Samael brings through, my whole world would've stayed very different and much more, kind of compartmentalized.
And we've both learned, and Keith as well, who naturally-- he kind of naturally straddles both worlds and goes back and forth, and then Tava and I tend to be more at opposite ends of the spectrum. And what we've learned is that by working together and sharing our experiences, we have really broadened the overall work that we do, and our perspectives have widened so much more, and it's informed our individual work as well.
And so we wanted to give people an opportunity to dip into both sides, and then also to be in a community with [00:24:00] people who were experiencing... You know, so maybe one person's going to be in a class with Tava, somebody else is gonna be in a class with me, somebody else is gonna be in a class with Keith at the same time, but then they come together at meals and in between, and they can share their perspectives, share what they experienced.
And people that feel like they're naturally, you know, further to one perspective or one side of the spectrum than the other get to not only experience those, but also see the value in that cross-pollination between all of the different worlds that tend to, traditionally be kept, further apart.
It's like, I'm either gonna go into more of the sacred darkness kinda stuff and I'm more into that, or I'm gonna go into more of the, the light kinds of things. But there aren't a lot of opportunities for those things to really blend and, inform each other. And so that's part of what we're gonna be doing, as well as, like Tava was saying, just sharing our individual ways of connecting [00:25:00] with, the divine, both within ourselves and in, the, various, forms of, you know, from nature spirits and angels and, different pantheons of beings, and allow people to really form exactly what resonates with them.
And
so they're not only going to be receiving opportunities to just lay down and receive energetic work from the guides and from us, but also be experimenting with different ways of doing that work themselves. And hopefully each of those things will help to open those doors wider so that they'll be able to receive that much more, and hopefully, you know, by the end feel like they really have a sense of how they can go into the winter and connect with their guides and continue the work and have that living relationship, personally themselves
Tava Baird: When I go to events, people always say, "Tell Jenn- I listen to the [00:26:00] podcast.
Tell Jennifer Taylor I said hi." Essentially, I'm dangling her as bait- ... at Mystic Fire. Like, "Look, I've got Jennifer Taylor out in the wild. Come get her." And that's, that's how I'm gonna get people to come to my classes is bait.
Liz Jacobs: Yeah. So, I'm really excited, to hear all of this information about your path.
And, it just adds more to my excitement about Mystic Fire. One of the things that we discovered when we were designing Mystic Fire and going through the planning process last year was that we had chosen the three paths that were going to run, last year, and, and then the three of us path leaders got together and compared notes so that we could start designing the ritual, component, because that's a very intensive part of the event.
And we discovered how many similarities there were and Our approaches were different, but we were trying to achieve the same goal, and, it seems like [00:27:00] that's happening again this year, and it's really sort of divinely designed, right? Because it's not something that we just talked about in advance, and yet here we are talking about all our different paths, and all of them have that component of we're trying to help you figure out where your magic lies, where your power lies, where your path lies, and help you to start to understand a little bit more about where you are so that you can take that work with you into the winter and start to unravel that and look deeper and develop what it is that works best for you.
And I just absolutely love that that's how things just happen to work out. It's magical.
Tava Baird: It really is. And one of the things that I loved about Mystic Fire last year and why I was so eager to try to come back this year was that a lot of times I go to events and there is sort of a lot of information coming from a teacher, and that's [00:28:00] wonderful.
But at Mystic Fire, there is something a little bit different. The teachers hold space for your practice. We are guiding you, but it's not about us. It's about you're about to go off into the winter- You are not gonna see as many people. The weather, you know, ex- maybe around the holidays, but the weather is colder.
It's a time for introspection. You are going to be putting things into practice, in some cases on your own, and we wanna make sure that you feel like you have the tools you need to embark on this time of growth before you come back out in the spring and show us what has manifested and what you've become.
and so that's one of the things that I really like is that all of the paths at Mystic Fire always have this I am here to hold space for you, the [00:29:00] practitioner, aspect to it, which I think is just stunning and something that is really rare
Liz Jacobs: Yeah, absolutely. And it's, certainly not a fresh new idea. There are other events that sort of do the same kind of work. but we have taken that concept and turned it into something that we feel is important work for people anywhere, but specifically in this region, right?
and to sort of notice how that's coming together and see that all of the pieces are connected without planning it that way, and seeing how all the teachers are so, interested in giving back to the community in this way, of holding space and helping people, learn their own ways of doing things, I think that's something that I would have absolutely wanted when I was starting out on my path.
And even now it's something that I really treasure. because I [00:30:00] run events all year long, I love the opportunity to go to a retreat of my own so that I can fill my own cup, right? And so that I have more to give back out. and this is an experience that I would absolutely have loved to attend. I have for years, attended a retreat called Twilight Covening up in Massachusetts,
And it is a retreat that is very similar in concept to what we do at Mystic Fire, so none of this is new, in terms of conceptually. There are what they call clans, are the same thing as what we call paths. So groups of people go and learn from one teacher or a couple of teachers, and then they come together as a community for various purposes.
And that's where this idea came from. and what we have learned is that because of our experiences as teachers ourselves and as community leaders and facilitators of other events, specifically Fertile Ground Gathering, it has taken on [00:31:00] a life of its own that is now more unique. And it isn't just a copy, of course, and so I'm really happy to see how it's evolving and flourishing.
And so I'm, I'm really excited to share that with many people.
Tava Baird: So having the time to eat with the same group and talk with the same group and be with the same teacher. You know, like, I love Fertile Ground, and I get so many ideas when I'm there, but there's so much happening in that festival environment where it's like two hours, and then it's the next thing, and then two hours, you know, as a lot of sort of festival gatherings are.
With this, there's, there's more time to sort of sit with stuff, which is neat to do in the presence of person who introduced you to it, perhaps. Like, uh, I noticed at Mystic Fire a lot of connecting of dots going on for people, where they would have an experience or hear something and go, "Oh my gosh, there was something that [00:32:00] started in May at Fertile Ground, and then there've been things that I thought were unrelated popping up all summer and fall, and now I'm realizing what I'm actually looking at," because that time is allotted there to do that.
It's really neat.
Liz Jacobs: Yeah, and actually, we build that into the schedule. We create space in between path sessions and meals and community activities for personal reflection, specifically for that very purpose. So I'm glad you pointed that out.
Cael Jacobs: And one of the, one of the things that I, noticed that I wasn't really expecting, because I never attended Twilight Covenant, and so I've, I'm not familiar with the clan or path style structure from a participant perspective.
And one of the things that was really surprising to me about, Mystic Fire last year was how quickly and tightly knit the participants in each individual path became.
Liz Jacobs: Mm-hmm.
Cael Jacobs: Um, so I was facilitating the Salamanders path last year, [00:33:00] and I had people from all over the East Coast, and some of them built a f- they, they, they created and sewed a flag with a salamander on it, and they brought it with them so that it could be displayed proudly at our mealtime table so that everybody knew that this was the Salamanders table, and you don't belong here if you're not a Salamander.
And there's that, that kind of camaraderie within each path. And it's not a rivalry, but it's a, you know, it's a, it's a healthy kind of, we're doing this work. You're doing that work. And so it, it creates a, a really kind of neat energetic interplay between the people- Yep ... uh, on each one of the paths.
Liz Jacobs: Yeah, absolutely.
Tava Baird: There's also, there is also time where people do come together for ritual on Saturday night, where it's the whole camp, which is... Would you guys mind talking a little bit about the schedule and what it looks like, what people can expect?
Liz Jacobs: Yeah, absolutely. Um, we start off Thursday kind [00:34:00] of gently, uh, giving people a chance to, uh, settle into their s- their spaces.
Um, the campus is designed with a great big grassy area right in the center, and so there are, um, various houses all around that space, and those are all sleeping quarters, and also the, the dining facility, and a building that we love dearly called The Lighthouse, which is where, uh, y- your group will be, the Angel Path will be facilitating most of your stuff.
Uh, anyway, so we give people the opportunity to sort of settle in and get comfortable, and then we're gonna have mealtime, and then we're going to start off with a community, community time so we can sort of give everybody an opportunity to know what to expect, and to meet one another, and to ask questions, and things like that.
Then we'll go into a path session that evening. Opening
Cael Jacobs: ritual.
Liz Jacobs: oh, yeah, we have opening ritual. So that'll welcome everyone, and we'll cast wards so that we have [00:35:00] everybody within a sacred space that is sort of separated from everything else, energetically speaking, magically speaking. And then we'll have that path session that I was talking about, and then there will be time for just relaxing around the bonfire and things like that.
the dining hall, is open all the time, so folks are welcome to go up there and get coffee, tea, snacks that are available up in that area. and there's, other buildings that have smaller versions of that as well. So it's very relaxed, very comfortable in all of those ways. All of the, the schedule for Friday and Saturday is quite similar in that we're gonna have breakfast, and then a morning path session, lunch, and then an afternoon path session.
And those sessions are big chunks of time where the facilitators will be able to really get into the meat of the path that they're running. And then there's, on Friday night there will be a meal, and also other time to reflect in... We're gonna [00:36:00] put together some community activities to give people opportunities to, connect with one another or reflect in various ways.
Like perhaps we'll have, last year we had a sound bath. We gave people opportunities to do some forest bathing at night, things like that. There was a story time. And we'll design that based on the paths that are going on this year. On Saturday, it's the same schedule up until after dinnertime. And at dinnertime, we ask everyone to get into the mode of ritual mindset.
and we will spend Saturday evening in ritual space. The way we design ritual is that it is not in one spot. We send people off individually from a central point so that they can experience spaces along a path that will help them to reflect individually on whatever it is that happens in that little [00:37:00] section.
And then they will move on, and it is timed such that individuals have the opportunity to spend as much time as they need at each space before they move to the next one. Sometimes it's guided by a person, sometimes it's individually guided by just whatever's available at the altar space. in any case, there is a path that circles an area outside in nature where people have that opportunity to sort of dig deep into what they've been experiencing in their paths, and what they're hoping to experience as they move into the dark time with this new knowledge and these tools that they've received.
And at the end of it, we all come back together to finalize that ritual. And as we understand it from last year's participants, there was a lot of intense experience going on there, and a lot of people really got, quite a lot out of those, those individual places. And then when it all came together, it was just sort of mind-blowing for a lot of people.
So, [00:38:00] uh, we absolutely love doing that. Ritual for us is one of those things that we've been designing for quite a number of years, starting with Fertile Ground Gathering and moving on. We do quite a lot of rituals here at the Wilder Grove as well. And so we love being able to put together these rituals that are so impactful and help people put all of those pieces together, that they've learned throughout the weekend.
And then on Sunday, we will come together as a community and talk about, have the opportunity to talk about what we've all learned separately and together, giving us the chance to come back as a community and recognize the similarities of what they've experienced, and the differences of what they experienced, and how that's going to take them forward into the next part of their journey.
Cael Jacobs: And also to prepare for re-entry, because, you know, this is a very intense weekend. We're talking about somewhere between 12 and 14 hours of instructional [00:39:00] time, spread over the, the three days. a little bit on Thursday, and then a lot on Friday and Saturday. and that takes a lot out of you.
You know? You, you end up feeling wrung out. And, then it's Sunday, and you have to go back to the real world of things like driving and traffic and taxes and work and stuff. And so part of the, the goal with the Sunday community time is to help people with that kind of re-entry process to help them come down from where they're at and prepare them to go back, and get back into the, to the real world to carry with them, you know, the things that they've learned.
Jennifer Taylor (2): And on Thursday night we will be offering The Power of Story Experience to EVERYONE at camp.
Liz Jacobs: Yeah.
Absolutely. And So on Thursday evening, we will have instruction time, and also time afterward for folks to relax in front of the bonfire. and then it could be optional to everyone except for people on your path [00:40:00] so that anyone who wants to attend- Incredible
yeah, they would be welcome to come into the lighthouse and experience the power of story. and they preferred to sit around the bonfire- Yeah ... they'd have something else to do. and then that would sort of kick everything off for the rest of the weekend so that, we'd have Friday and Saturday with other events in the evening beyond the path sessions.
Yeah. That sounds great.
Tava Baird: Yeah. Yay. Thank you.
So if people want to apply to come to Mystic Fire, if they wanna sign up, can you run us through a little bit about where they go and what craft choice looks like?
Liz Jacobs: Yeah, absolutely. So, uh, everything is on the Mystic Fire website, which is easy, mysticfire.org. And- .
Cael Jacobs: org, not .com ...
Liz Jacobs: That's right. and there's quite a lot of information on the, the several pages. One of the pages in- shares all about the paths and how we select those paths. So the way we work it is we invite people [00:41:00] to sit with each of the path descriptions.
So there's a separate page that describes each of the paths and also shares information about each of the instructors so that people know exactly what they would be getting themselves into and who they would be teaching that path. And we invite guests to sort of sit with that for, you know, a little, good while, and really get a sense in their, in their bones of which path speaks to them the most.
And then when it's time to register, we invite folks to choose all four paths in order of preference. That way, we have a little wiggle room if things need to be adjusted, and I'll talk a little bit more about that in a second. and we also ask them to write a paragraph describing what their reasons are for wanting that path, for choosing that path, and why it speaks to them, and what they hope to get out of spending time within that path, during this year.
and the reason we ask for that information is that there are [00:42:00] occasions, not very frequently, but there are times when somebody will write a paragraph and it's very well thought out, it's very well-written. And the way we read it as teachers and facilitators, we understand that maybe the path that fits better for them is a different one, maybe their second choice of path.
And we will write out to them and we'll say, "Hey, you know, we noticed that you were using this kind of language, and it sounds like this might be a better fit for you. What do you think?" And when that happens, usually we get a, an aha moment, you know, where they'll say, "Oh, that makes total sense. Yes, please put me on that path."
and so it isn't like we're choosing on your behalf. It is definitely a very, uh, communicative process. but what that offers is the opportunity for us as teachers, as facilitators to really understand not only what someone wants to get out of it and what they, why they feel connected to that path- But also how we might facilitate our, [00:43:00] our path.
Because we have great ideas about how we wanna facilitate, right? But if we have 10 people and six of them are saying, "I, I have this particular desire as an outcome," then we're going to adjust some of what we present in order to make that possible for them. so it's very useful for us as facilitators to know what it is people want out of these paths and then why they feel connected to it.
Cael Jacobs: Yeah. There's, there's already one person, uh, who has registered and, has chosen the dragon path as a first choice that has written something that has caused me to adjust what I'm going to be teaching, in order to facilitate. Because like you said earlier, Tava, it's not about us, it's about providing and holding space in order to allow people to go on the journey that they need to go on.
And so when people tell us, "This is the journey that I need to go on," then it's our responsibility as instructors and facilitators to provide the opportunity for that, you know, within the framework of whatever it is that we're teaching. Mm-hmm. Uh, and so [00:44:00] having those paragraphs gives us an opportunity to, to listen before we even meet these people in some cases, so that we know, you know, this person is looking for this kinda thing.
How can I facilitate that? How can I, bring that forward?
Liz Jacobs: Yeah, absolutely. And so, it's really useful for us to have that kind of information. And, when we talk to people after when we finally meet, there's sort of this connection that already exists because we've gotten to know them just a little bit better.
They get a chance to read our bios, and we get a chance to read a little bit about who they are and what they're looking for, and it makes that first meeting all that more, much more special. and so that is one of the things that I, I really love about how we've designed this. Most people do get their first path because most people really have thought it out, and it is clear, and we agree, yes, this is a perfect direction for you.
Or you're an adult, you get to decide what you do, what you're doing, right? But there's that one occasion, [00:45:00]where it might be, "Hey, have you thought about it like this?" Or, "Do you think maybe this might be a better fit for you?" And so that conversation is very, helpful too for everyone involved. so yeah, that's how we do that.
so it's not a difficult process, it just asks you to take a little time to think things through before you register. Uh, and so
Cael Jacobs: that's- The payment
Liz Jacobs: plan. So we do have a payment plan.
Uh, so when people register right now, they can pay $150 deposit toward their registration fee. That is going to cut off at the middle of September, because we'll only have about a month after that for registration to close. Up until that point, if you register with the payment plan, we will send you additional invoices until you pay off your registration amount.
We try to do that because, at Fertile Ground Gathering, we're using a national park, and it costs us a lot less to run that event because we're paying national park rental fees. For Mystic [00:46:00] Fire, we're renting a location that's called the Seven Oaks Retreat Center, which is more expensive, but also worth it because there are lots of single rooms with bathrooms right outside.
Everything is climate controlled, which is glorious, and will be very nice when it's, you know, chilly outside and everything. all of our meals are made for us, so that we're not... We don't have to bring someone in and buy all the food and cook it and everything. so the, the location puts that together for us.
And so all of these perks make it, you know, more expensive, but also more worth it. so we try to facilitate the payment plan just so that we can help get people in that might need a little more time to pay down the entire registration fee.
Cael Jacobs: And one thing that, I think it's important to mention is that Wilder Grove, which is the organization that Liz and I founded, and which, runs both this event and, and Fertile Ground, it's a not-for-profit organization.
We're not trying to make a buck on [00:47:00] anything. we run pretty close to break even on a lot of these events. we try to have a little bit extra so that we can have a little bit of cushion, you know, because if we can pay for the deposit for next year with this year's money, then it, it facilitates things.
But- Mystic Fire's expensive, but it's expensive because of the facilities and so forth. So we're, we're not making a buck on this. Every single member of our staff is 100% volunteer, and our staff is even paying to attend.
Liz Jacobs: Yep.
Cael Jacobs: So, even though it's expensive and people go, "Oh, God," it's, it, it's worth every penny because of what people put into it and what people get out of it.
Liz Jacobs: Yep, yep. and for the record, the expensive is $595. It's... I have attended, retreats that are twice that, you know- Yeah ... easy. So, um, we're trying to keep the cost down as much as we can, but that's the process.
Cael Jacobs: And if you wanna participate, register soon because prices go up on-
Liz Jacobs: September the [00:48:00] 18th ...
Cael Jacobs: So yeah, mid-September, the prices go up to $650.
And so, uh, save yourself $55 by registering sooner rather than later. Yep, yep.
Tava Baird: Absolutely. Oh, you guys, thank you so much. Is there anything else you can think of that we've missed that you wanna share about Mystic Fire?
Liz Jacobs: Um, just one more administrative type thing. this event is limited to 50 people, and we already have many registrations.
So if people are interested, I encourage you to register as soon as possible before the cutoff, because we are limited by the number of spaces that the retreat center has available for us. So, uh, 50 people is our cutoff. So register soon if you can. and if you don't already follow us on social media, that is a really good place to see constant information coming through about what we're doing.
We're on, Facebook and on Instagram. I believe we're on Blue Sky [00:49:00] as well. so those are great places to keep in touch. And we also do have a newsletter. One will be coming out, at the beginning of September, so that's another way to get information about what we're up to and, and how things are progressing.
Uh, if you are interested in signing up for the newsletter, you can go to the mysticfire.org website, and there's a Contact Us page where you can sign up for the newsletter.
Jennifer Taylor: Fantastic. Yep. And the social media links, those are... Is it Mystic Fire on social media, or is the- are those through Wilder Grove?
Liz Jacobs: It is, uh, Mystic Fire. They each have ... Yeah, Mystic Fire has its own social media platform, and so does, or not platform, page, and so does Fertile Ground Gathering. So if you wanna follow everything, Wilder Grove is a great place to start, but each of, you know, Mystic Fire has its own social media stuff.
Jennifer Taylor: Okay. And are there links to those also on the website? If they went to mysticfire.org, they can find all the links to all those things?
Liz Jacobs: Yes, [00:50:00] absolutely. Okay.
Jennifer Taylor: Wonderful.
Tava Baird: So folks, check out your November, see if you can join us at Seven Oaks. We're ready with open arms for you to come and do the deep work. Um- So I just- Thank you, guys
Liz Jacobs: I just thought of something. We have not given the dates for this event. Yes.
Tava Baird: We need to do that.
Liz Jacobs: So the dates for Mystic Fire are November 12th through 15. Uh, and so we're trying to do it as close to Samhain as possible with the understanding that a lot of folks already do their own Samhain things, and so we're respecting that and giving them a chance to experience their Samhain and also have this retreat just after Samhain.
Tava Baird: It's in a lovely place sort of between Samhain and Thanksgiving, so you can kind of get through Samhain, enjoy that, um, start to go deep, and then you've got all those things circulating around in your head while you're [00:51:00] passing the gravy a couple of weeks later.
Jennifer Taylor: And I am so excited to read more paragraphs from people And I think of it really as starting your work right away. You know, you're l- you look up a workshop and you're really excited, and you start getting ready. And by sitting down and really going inward and thinking about your responses and what you want to put in that paragraph and send to us, it's a way of going ahead and getting the ball rolling.
So when you write that, you can think of it as, "I'm starting my work now, and I'm just kind of going ahead," and starting to step onto that path from the moment that you write that paragraph. And we will really feel it as well, and start that process of our connecting and moving towards you as well.
Liz Jacobs: Absolutely. That's a really great way to put that. Yeah. Thank you.
Tava Baird: Well, guys, thank you so much for [00:52:00] taking the time to come and talk about it. I'm... I know Jenn and I and Keith are really honored to be Mystic Fire Guides alongside you all. And, um, Jenn, would you like to sing us a little something to, to wrap up our time together?
Jennifer Taylor: Absolutely.
Tava Baird: Yay.
Jennifer Taylor: And- Ah ... yeah, I feel that kind of energy coming in already, so I'm excited
Switch this over for a [00:53:00] second
[00:54:00] I know,
Tava Baird: right? Are you okay? I'm
Jennifer Taylor: like-
Tava Baird: What just happened?
Jennifer Taylor: That is the shortest channeled song that has ever come through ever. I'm like, "Are we really done?" And they're like, "Yep, that's all that needed to be said." I'm like, "Okay." Usually I'm [00:55:00] going, "Okay, guys, this is a podcast. Like, you know, we, we can't necessarily do this for 30 minutes."
And they're going, "We'll be done when we're done." And this time I'm like, "Really? Like, that- that's all?" They're like, "Was that not enough?" I'm like-
Cael Jacobs: They were done when they were done.
Jennifer Taylor: Exactly. They're like, "That- that's all. Like, you- you didn't need any more than that. This is what we had to say." I'm like, "Okay."
Tava Baird: I really stopped and went, "Did she forget to plug something in?"
It sounded beautiful. I,
Cael Jacobs: I, we were muted, but I muttered to Liz, "Is that it?"
Jennifer Taylor: I know. Well, I kept thinking poor Tava, she's not... 'Cause she's gonna be like, "All right, Samael, what would you... Uh, wait, it's over?" Like-
Tava Baird: The, the good, the good thing about him is he is full of verbiage no matter what. so, you know.
Where, where, where they may have gone short, he, he, he did shorter than normal, but still, we have a couple closing thoughts. [00:56:00] We'll take what we can get. That was wild. That was fun. That was so fun. Um, here's what I do have from him. Um, Samael says, and he's posing questions to people, as he so often likes to do.
Master of the Socratic method, that's Samael. All right, here we go: "What does the mirror hold? When you gaze into the eyes of this embodiment, where do you see your energies directed? What do you wish to remember of your divine self, and what transformations will you manifest? The soul is not a stagnant thing.
We all journey together. Let us walk forward through the elements with our hands outstretched into the realm of becoming." So I guess that's homework from Samael for you listeners who are contemplating mystic fire [00:57:00] in a way. If we are all walking forward together and the soul is not a stagnant thing, what is it that you want to manifest?
What is hiding behind the eyes of this incarnation that you want to bring forth? And, that is one of the things that we will ask you on the four paths of mystic fire.
Cael Jacobs: And plot twist, just before we joined you to record this, Liz and I were talking about mirrors and how we were going to incorporate them-
Tava Baird: You're
Cael Jacobs: good
into one of the paths.
Tava Baird: Oh my gosh. So, um, there were mirrors last year on the Lilith path too, and I was actually talking to Jenn going, "If, if somebody wants to walk the mirrors, why don't I pop those up for 15 minutes this year so people could revisit if they wanted?" Yeah, the mirrors are an interesting thing.
Gateways into the different consciousness, so. Yeah. So as normal, Sa- I, I actually saw you, [00:58:00] Cael, kind of go...
Samael often- Yeah, there's a reason for
Cael Jacobs: that ...
Tava Baird: often cryptic, usually topical.
Jennifer Taylor: Well, and I just, I absolutely love, just like Liz was talking about earlier, watching all of this come together
so four paths and six people, and yet all of our, individual paths and all the individual ideas are all just weaving together more and more, and I'm just so excited to see how all of this is going to come together and just be one giant woven tapestry of a, retreat
Tava Baird: Going to be a beautiful thing. Well, until next time, folks, may you walk in balance and blessings. Thank you so much to our lovely, lovely guests for coming to spend the evening with us, and we'll see everybody at Mystic Fire
Liz Jacobs: Thank you so much for having [00:59:00] us. We're always honored to be a part of the podcast, and I, I, I love all the opportunities to get to have face-to-face time with you, even if it's over the computer. Likewise. Thank you so much.
Jennifer Taylor: Always
Tava Baird: a pleasure. Absolutely.
Thank you.
