Jonathan Weekes - Online Courses

The old stories tell us that water holds wisdom, healing and memory. Carried through rivers and streams, held in deep lakes and seas. Now the waters are asking something of us: to remember to listen, to remember to honour and to remember to stand in right relationship. 

This three week journey is an invitation back into connection and sacred reciprocity with our local waterways.

In ancient Britain and Ireland, rivers and waterways were sacred places. They were thresholds between this world and the otherworld. We see this in their names, in their stories, and in the practices that grew up around them. Once, we regarded our waterways with such reverence that we offered them our most prized possessions as gifts. Weapons, jewellery, crafted objects, offerings made in recognition that these waters were alive, powerful, and worthy of honour.

Today, our waterways receive shopping trolleys, pollution and sewage. We are painfully aware of the extent to which we are harming our rivers and seas. While it is vital that we support practical efforts to protect and restore them, there is also a deeper shift that is needed. We need to transform our relationship with water at its source.

Here in this course, Wild Waters, we will examine our relationship with our local waterways, listening for the spirits of our rivers, lakes and seas, learning how to honour them with integrity, and considering what it means to step forward as guardians of the waters of our place.

By the end of this course, you will:

• Have developed a personal relationship with a specific river, lake or coastline

• Understand the historical and cultural context of sacred waters in Britain and Ireland

• Have designed and enacted a simple, place rooted water blessing

• Identify practical steps for supporting the wellbeing of your local watershed

• Feel more deeply connected to the living systems of your landscape

What we will cover during these three weeks

This course has been designed as a three week journey through connection, honouring and commitment.

In Week One, we will focus on connecting with your local waterway. We will explore how to encounter your river, lake or coastline as a living presence, how to listen deeply, and how to begin building a relationship rooted in respect and reciprocity.

In Week Two, we will turn towards ceremony. We will look at water blessings, ritual and ceremony, and explore ways you can honour your local waters in a manner that is ecologically responsible and spiritually grounded. You will design and hold a simple ceremony that you can take out onto the land, to your nearest waterway, and offer with care and intention.

In Week Three, we will consider commitment, stewardship and guardianship. We will reflect on what it means to stand in right relationship with our waters, and explore practical ways we can support their protection and wellbeing. 

What the course includes

Wild Waters combines live online classes, guided practices and carefully prepared handouts and supporting resources to help you deepen the work in your own place. Each session will include teaching, experiential exercises and opportunities for shared reflection. Recordings will be available afterwards, so you can revisit the material or catch up if needed. You will also have access to the Spiritual Rewilding online community space, where you can continue the conversation and integration between sessions.

The course was recorded from live sessions and is available with all relevant handouts and practices. Across these three evenings, we will move step by step through connection, ceremony and guardianship, allowing time between sessions for you to visit your local waters and embody the practices in your own landscape.