Exquisite Tenderness
A Women’s Winter Retreat for Loving Your Body and Soul in the Lineage of Marion Woodman
Sunday, February 11th - Friday, February 16th, 2024
in Little Compton, Rhode Island, USA
“Sil’s presence opens the way for women to go where they wouldn’t have otherwise imagined they could go.”
Hi, I’m Sil.
I’m a mother, a grandmother, a crone, a best-selling author, a teacher, and a coach for women.
I guide women in transforming their lives from the inside out.
“Sil is magic embodied. She does not arrive with a checklist. Rather, she comes to be in the mystery, trusting the wisdom of what arises with whoever she sits with, be it a woman and her dream or a gathering of women blooming into sovereignty. She weaves threads from the inner, the outer, and the unseen, to reflect what’s needed to reclaim the lost pieces of our innate wholeness. Sil is the Wise Woman so many need in their circle.”
— Cassie, student of Sil’s
A LETTER FOR YOU:
Dear one seeking to finally love yourself with exquisite tenderness,
I’ve been called back to the wild winter sea of my childhood in Little Compton, Rhode Island -- to lead my first in-person retreat in 5 years, but really to open up a new space for us to remember how to be at home within our selves. Maybe you’ll be there too?
My own journey to tenderness began with lack (as so many of ours do) — with a rupture in my own family of origin, and my own mother’s inability to embody her feeling function with me, her only daughter. It caused me such despair — and for years I looked for that tenderness in all the understandable and wrong places: food, an unhappy marriage, unsatisfying and unequal friendships, and burnout work as a nurse practitioner (while soulful not the source of embodied tender love for myself!), etc. etc.
It was finally with my beloved mentor, Marion Woodman, that I began to heal. I spent 20 years in her presence, and with her wise Jungian teachings of myth, soul, dreamwork, embodiment, and artful expression, I at last felt that a new way of living was possible.
In her lineage of teachings, I’ve created a Jungian soul journey for us together in-person in the heart of winter. This retreat is an ode to the Love that lives within all of us — and to the brave journey to reclaim the parts of us left behind so that we may finally ‘sit in the throne of our own hearts’ (as Marion said) in more of our embodied, and both human and divine wholeness.
If you’re craving a shift into exquisite tenderness in your relationship with yourself, I’d be so honored if you continue to read on and consider applying!
Love, Sil ❤️
Are you craving nourishment and rest in the heart of winter?
Are your body and soul longing for the stillness and exquisite tenderness of “wintering” with like-hearted women?
Do you want to dive into archetypal depth in community and bring inner treasures back home with you?
“Sil's fluency with the language of dreams (both sleeping and waking), in chorus with the solemnity, warmth, and humor she brings to each meeting, provides a rich container for what feels as much like a creative process as it does a home-coming—as emergent as it is familiar; as catalyzing as it is relieving; as sweet as it is deep.”
— Heather, student of Sil’s
Imagine with me…
6 days and 5 nights of living by the ocean and letting yourself slow down and be tenderly guided by your body and soul
spending the morning sessions with me — fresh from a deep sleep — learning how to embody the wisdom of Marion Woodman through working with your dreams with a soulful group of 20 women.
spending afternoon and evening sessions with me (and Zen abbot Hojin and yoga teacher Anne) bringing your dream images to life with plenty of time to journal, to do active imagination, body movement, and make art.
bundling up and walking just 10 minutes to the wild winter seashore, finding a magical shell that you may paint later, and returning to a warm room for delicious chef-cooked, locally sourced meals.
sitting at night by a fire pit, bundled up in a blanket, and taking in the wisdom of an ancient myth by the starlight, before heading into a luxurious bed for deep, restful sleep, and listening to your soul’s messages in your dreams.
being guided in reclaiming treasures within yourself- perhaps rejected or forgotten parts- so you can more fully live your own true life when you return back home.
This retreat is an invitation to experience a true and deeper love for yourself this coming Valentine’s Day week: exquisite tenderness.
“Sil is a true crone… a tender of soul, full of wit and wisdom, and a tenacious and loving guide on the path to self-discovery. My body, heart, mind and soul whir with pure delight in our work together.”
— Sandra, student of Sil’s
about our Retreat location:
The historic Stonehouse Inn in Little Compton*, RI
The beautiful Stone House Inn (aerial photo Jack Vatcher) is my favorite place to rest — and you too will surely drop into a space to BE in Kairos time in one of a king-sized private bedroom with your own spa-inspired bath. With the support of the kind staff, we will be filling up the entire cozy stone house.
We’ll have the luscious privacy of being in our own retreat soul space together: moving from our art room to our dreamwork room and into the dining room for locally sourced feasts catered for any dietary needs.
*Fun fact: Little Compton and the East Bay of RI was recently described in a New York Times travel piece as a “hidden gem.” Of course, I’ve known that since my childhood, and I’m so delighted to share it with you!
“Working with my dreams with Sil unearthed awe-inspiring and revelatory gifts — it changed my life. I not only deepened my relationship with myself during our coaching, but my relationships with others are thriving! Time with Sil is a blessing.”
— Nell, student of Sil’s
What’s included in the retreat:
Little Compton sunset
Expert facilitation by Sil, Hojin, and Anne for morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. From Sil, you will receive a deep knowledge of Marion Woodman’s approach to using dreams (both sleeping and waking), archetypes, and the metaphorical language of the body and soul to guide you more clearly in your inner life, as well as in your outer life. From Hojin, you will receive Buddhist teachings on presencing and being- particularly as a way to work with your unique symbolic language through art. From Anne, you will receive a beautiful transmission of yin yoga and breathing practices which will help you to more tenderly be in your body and integrate your soul’s work.
6 days and 5 nights in your own king-sized bedroom with a private spa-inspired bathroom in the luxurious, historic, Stonehouse Inn by the sea.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner made by our chefs — organic and locally-sourced when possible — for all retreat days beginning with Sunday dinner and ending with Friday lunch.
Snacks and beverages all day in our retreat space to nourish yourself between meals.
Access to the full Inn property and amenities including our gathering spaces for open art time between sessions, cozy reading and journaling spaces, a fire pit, the gorgeous grounds, and just a 10-minute walk to the wild winter beach (to gather stones and shells, to feel the sun and wind, and to move in nature!)
BONUS: want a private (1 hour) integration session on Zoom with Sil after the retreat?
This is all about getting that extra layer of support bringing home the inner treasure of the retreat with you and deepening it into your ‘at home’ life? This bonus is available ($300 value) for all who pay-in-full for the retreat.
Meet Our Retreat Team:
Sil Read (she/her)
Lead Facilitator: Dreamwork, Myth & Jungian Process
Sil is a mother, a grandmother, crone, and co-author (with her daughter Eliza) of Mothering & Daughtering: Keeping Your Bond Strong Through the Teen Years. She has worked as a women’s health nurse practitioner, a psychotherapist specializing in emotional eating and body image issues, and a Mothering & Daughtering coach.
For two decades, Sil was a senior student of the renowned Jungian author and analyst Marion Woodman and she learned from her mostly in retreat settings. Now Sil devotes her time to 1:1 coaching and retreats — helping women to use their dreams, intuition, and body wisdom to guide them into living more at home in themselves while on this precious Earth.
To Sil, “exquisite tenderness” is: the essence of the medicine and the teachings that she received from Marion Woodman. What Sil felt from the moment she first experienced Marion in action was the love that emanated from her. She was amazed at Marion’s ability to make Jungian concepts interesting and accessible and to deliver her ideas with so much heart and soul. Sil knew she had found her exquisitely tender lineage.
Justina Pengel (she/her)
Enrollment & Logistical Support
Justina is a mom of 3, wife, committed servant leader, and the driving force behind her business Digital Hive. She specializes in assisting female entrepreneurs in streamlining their technological systems for seamless business operations. Justina passionately advocates for leveraging technology to humanize, unite, and address citizen-centric challenges.
To Justina, “exquisite tenderness” is: time set aside to nourish your soul — and that it’s vital for women’s well-being.
Hojin Kimmel (she/her)
Facilitator: Art + Creative Expression
Jody Hojin Kimmel is a Zen Buddhist monastic and teacher in the Mountains and Rivers Order, and the Abbot of the Zen Center of NYC-Fire Lotus Temple in Brooklyn. She is devoted to the path of easing stress and suffering, freeing the body-heart-mind, and rediscovering our natural state through the practices of meditation, compassionate inquiry, and creative processes.
Hojin is a rare example of a contemporary Zen teacher who uses artistic practices as her primary means of teaching. And through years of study and collaborative teaching with her co-crone Sil, Hojin feels a deep affinity with the work of Marion Woodman in her use of intimate language — metaphor, arts, myth, humor, and dreamwork (to name a few) to explore our being human.
To Hojin, “exquisite tenderness” is: one of the core practices required in our journey to find true peace — and to return to the joyful eternal beings we each are.
Anne DeBevoise (she/her)
Facilitator: Gentle Yoga + Movement
Anne is a former special education teacher who dedicated her career to championing the whole child— body, mind, and spirit. In midlife, she trained as a yoga instructor and specialized in teaching yoga to people with cancer or recovering from cancer treatment. Her continued interest in an integrative approach to living led her to Reiki and Healing Touch — both of which she has become trained in as a practitioner.
Anne is a mother of 3 adult children and a grandmother of 5 grandchildren. As a self-taught painter she is often seen at the table with her grandchildren, their pens, paints, pastels, and colored pencils spread out everywhere. She lives by the ocean in Maine — and her and Sil’s love for the ocean and each other began some 60 years ago in Little Compton, Rhode Island (our retreat location) where they frolicked on the beach together as children. They have always shared a spiritual affinity, and in recent years as crones, Anne has been deeply impacted by their conversations about Marion Woodman.
To Anne, “exquisite tenderness” is: witnessing the wholeness in ourselves -- and others — and letting it play!
Sandra Hilton (she/her)
Community Support
Sandra is a mother, integrative therapist, coach, and witness to those on the inner journey. Sandra has studied with Sil for several years in the lineage of Marion Woodman and brings her Jungian approach more and more to her own clinical practice.
Sandra’s professional journey began in the corporate world with almost 25 years of experience as a lawyer and business leader — and coaching leaders within that field. She answered the inner call to become retrained as a therapist a decade ago now — realizing through the process that her energy to “prove herself’ and “get somewhere” had dominated so intensely that she often missed the full experience of the present moment and truly knowing herself. She is devoted to learning to trust and honor the Feminine within her wise body, heart, and soul.
Sandra lives in the UK and is crossing “The Pond” to be with us in New England!
To Sandra, “exquisite tenderness” is: listening to the parts of oneself that have been silenced by the overculture and deepening one’s compassion for oneself along the journey.
“Sil is a North Star for those seeking their soul’s true Feminine path. She has such a deep embodied knowledge, and her guidance is life changing and life affirming.”
— Kelsey, student of Sil’s
A sample retreat day*
7-8:30am: Silent breakfast
9am-12pm: Archetypal Teaching and Dreamwork in the Lineage of Marion Woodman with Sil
12:30-1:30pm: Lunch
2:30pm-5:30pm: Art and Gentle Movement with Hojin and Anne
6pm-7pm: Dinner
7:30pm: Myth telling by the fire with Sil
*this is a tentative example and our schedule may shift
“We have to do our soul’s work ourselves, but we don’t have to do it alone — and Sil is my blessing of sage council along the way. I feel guided home to myself as she supports me to interpret my dreams, answer the call of my soul, and weave it all into my daily life.”
— Nancy, student of Sil’s
“Sil embodies a deep and rare wisdom. She has gently met and seen the parts of me that went without attuned care for so long. I went from longing to know myself more deeply to feeling at home.”
— Lynn, student of Sil’s
Sea glass collected by Sil’s mother and beautiful beach shells hand-painted by Hojin, our retreat facilitator for art and creative expression. Sea glass and shells found on Little Compton beaches.
Wondering how to know if this retreat is for you?
I trust you to explore and land in your own knowing — and, reading this below may be helpful.
This retreat is likely for you if you resonate with some or all of these:
you’re drawn to Jungian psychology and have heard about the teachings and lineage of Jungian scholar Marion Woodman and you may have read one of her books, or watched her documentary, and want to dive deep!
The theme of ‘exquisite tenderness’ for the retreat lands for you on a body and/or soul level — that phrase might even give you chills — and this journey of self-love feels deeply personal and needed
you’re nourished by the idea of being held by a team of elder teachers embodying tenderness with each other and a group of women
you’re excited to show up to each session ready to learn!!
being in community around 20 other soul seekers in this lineage sounds like heaven
you’re able to make the retreat investment at this time
This retreat is likely NOT for you if one or more of these below feels true:
you’re so tired and what you actually need is an R&R retreat (honestly, this retreat sounds nice, but you’re fantasizing about sneaking away to nap during a group session or 5…!)
you’re not really sure who Marion Woodman and what Jungian psychology is about, and/or you haven’t explored her work/Jungian work before
you’re feeling in a state of personal emergency/crisis/rawness at this time and you’d be better fit for 1:1 support or some immediate care to help you center or heal (being in a shared group space might not be the best fit!)
you’ve never really been in shared group experience before or don’t feel confident this dynamic would be supportive for you
the retreat investment is not financially doable for you at this time
“Sil has been a master container and mirror for me in my internal work with the Divine Feminine, my negative mother complex, the patriarchal oppression of my inner identity, and dream work. My transformation at mid-life to a place of acceptance and healing is due to her wisdom and care. She is a compassionate and loving companion on the journey.”
— Carol, student of Sil’s
Retreat Investment:
$3800 [pay-in-full]*
— or —
$1299 x 3 months [payment plan]
*pay-in-full bonus: private 1:1 integration session with Sil after the retreat (on Zoom, one hour), $300 value
a note on financial aid: All financial aid is first come first served, and financial aid spots open based on other retreat participants enrolling at full cost. All financial aid is need based and trusted based — no proof needed. Please reach out to info@silreynolds.com to join the waitlist.
Frequently Asked Retreat Questions:
When does the retreat start on Sunday? When should I arrive?
You’re welcome to arrive anytime between 1pm and 5pm. Dinner is at 6pm and our first retreat session begins at 7:30pm. Special arrangement can be made to stay on Saturday night- the night before the retreat begins.
When does the retreat end on Friday? When should I plan to leave?
The last session ends at noon and you can stay for lunch. Special arrangement can be made to stay an extra night if you would like to leave on Saturday morning.
Can I share a room with someone?
A few of the rooms have fold out sofa beds and if that’s your preference you’re welcome to share with someone you know or reach out to us for a pairing. We won’t be assigning anyone a shared room without your specific request. By default all bedrooms and bathrooms are private.
What’s the best/most local airport? Train? How do you suggest I arrive?
There are great options in Providence, RI (TF Green Airport) — including direct trains from New York City (many airports) and Boston (Logan Airport). Little Compton is approximately a 45 minute drive from Providence’s TF Green Airport and a 90 minute drive from Boston’s Logan Airport… depending on traffic. Please email info@silreynolds.com for more travel suggestions as needed.
What’s the next step if I want to attend the retreat?
Fill out the application which goes directly to Sil. You’ll hear back within 5 business days.