A water ritual

Aug 7th - 9th, 2026
Optional: Join Us for One Day Saturday, Aug 8th
With Elder Baobora Susan Manchester
at a private location along the Poudre River

This year, we invite you deeper into the water than we have gone before. In the Dagara tribe of Burkina Faso, water is not simply a resource. It is a living presence- a spirit that nourishes life, restores balance, and carries communication between the visible and invisible worlds. 

Water teaches that the visible and the invisible are not separate realms.
They are two currents of the same living river.

And why are we creating a ritual now?

We are living in a time when the waters of the earth are under great pressure. Rivers are diminishing, fires are increasing, the demands upon our water continue to grow and many people feel a deep thirst within themselves that cannot be quenched by more doing. 

And as we call on the water spirits and as we call on our Ancestors for support in our earthly human struggles, we create invocation and lay our bodies down in prayer and offerings. Prayer as we have never done before, more lucid, more embodied, more powerful. More present with the consciousness of water, for the survival and flourishing of all of life. 

When we care for water, water cares for us.

We gather along the banks of the Poudre River for this 3-day celebration of Water. Together, on Friday night under the stars, we open with a Dagara-based cleansing, preparing our way onto new foundational ground within the body, 

On Saturday morning,  we begin our connection to the Water Spirits and flow as a community into our Grief Ritual. Holy, holy! There is a lot to grieve this year. I will carry Elder Touré and Elder Doh with me. Please bring your beloveds and burdens and all that you have witnessed with you. 

Beautiful food will be prepared to keep all of us nourished. A ritual fire to keep us warm, and drumming and singing are ongoing as the village brings us all home.  We are asking you to step into your vibrant, sovereign new skin!

We will camp together along the river. There are a few spaces in the cabin on the land if in need, and cabins to rent across the river.

In honor of beloved Nature genie, Daouda Touré.
In Dagara, Tenebe (Tree man). 

We were lucky to receive Elder Doh and Elder Touré's weave of elemental teachings, divinations, and ancestral healings. What a blessing!

As a small boy, Touré followed the Kontomble into the bush, gaining plant wisdom/remedies and midwifery from his grandmother.

In praise of their life-tending, all contributions will lay the foundations for the birthing center in the village. 

Suggested Contribution for Water Ritual:

Full 3 Day Ritual: $800-$1200

Saturday Only: $400

A few working scholarships are available. 

If you are unable to attend and would like to support life in Dagaraland, we welcome contributions for the birthing center.

Poudre River Water Ritual

May this ritual become an offering for Colorado, for the waters of the West and for all beings who depend upon the sacred flow of life.