We invite you to join us for 4 seasonal day walks along the Haw river, NC to be in silence, together with others, and explore our relationship to the lands and waters around us.
On these walks, we will explore the meaning of pilgrimage within the environmental, political and cultural contexts of our times. We will reclaim and redefine what it means to be on pilgrimage, and embody our collective and individual questions. At the end of the walk we will offer up a song prayer to thank the water and the land that welcomes and supports us on this journey.
Walking the same route each season—often in silence—supports self-reflection, witnessing and observation. It also offers space to acknowledge how the world around us changes, and how we are in a dynamic relationship to that world. The thread that guides us is our steps towards restoring our relations with land, fire, water, and peoples.
We acknowledge that we hold these walks on lands of Occaneechi Saponi, Eno, Tutelo, Catawba, Saura, Sissipahaw and Tuscarora peoples and will return 25% of all profits to local indigenous land projects.
Walk Details
Sunday, April 3rd @ 10:00am – 3:00pm
Sunday, June 5th @ 10:00am – 3:00pm
Saturday, September 24th @ 10:00am – 3:00pm
Saturday, December 17th @ 10:00am – 3:00pm
Group size is limited to 25 participants. As a guide, we suggest participants donate between $20 – $50 per walk. No one is turned away for lack of funds.
Contact Kate: [email protected] with any questions
Your Guides
Kate Bunney: Kate (she/her) was born and raised in the UK. Surrounded by water on all sides, she learnt to swim and sail as soon as she could. For 15 years, Kate lived in one of the most progressive communities in the world in Portugal and held a focus on educational programs and consultancy for communities in conflict areas, fundraising, global networking, organizing and public relations. One of her main roles was organizing and walking Pilgrimage, through Israel and Palestine, Colombia and Europe, as a way of empowering social action and re-discovering our potential as agents of change. In 2012 Kate founded Walking Water – a pilgrimage with the waters – as a way to inspire us to be in community, be in relation with the waters and the places we live and ultimately to experience the huge potential we all have to create change. Walking Water already has a strong global following and is seen as a model in social action. Kate is a member of the Beyond Boundaries team, a Council trainer and community consultant and is part of the service team with Weaving Earth.
Micky Hickey: Micky (she/they) was born and raised in the Kennebec River Basin of western Maine. From a young age she had access to both freshwater forest streams and lakes, and the vastness of the saltwater coast. From warm summer rainstorms, to sunny snowscapes, to mud season, water has always sculpted a sense of seasonal transformation for Micky. After moving out of Maine for college, she has lived in Vermont, southern Kenya, and Arizona studying regenerative ecological design. Over the years she has experienced the different ways that water shapes social, ecological, and political ecosystems. Law and policy, cultural ceremony, and emotional resilience have all been guided by water and shaped the way she understands the way we all relate and transform. Currently, Micky is an educator and facilitator focused on centering right relationships and creativity in the changing landscape of these times.
Janaka Lagoo: My name is Janaka and I’m honored to participate in the Water Walks. I was born in India, moved to the US when I was two, lived in 5 states (before the age of 18), and spent much of my 20s and early 30s immersing myself in diverse international communities. There are so many common threads tying these experiences together and one is certainly…water. From early morning swims in the Ocean to dancing in the first monsoon rains to learning about the specific water needs of various plants; water has served as a constant friend, inspiration, and teacher. I currently work as a physician and global health advocate, locally and abroad. My work highlights the importance of water as a healing entity but often also focuses on the shortages and conflicts surrounding water. Shifting to more of an abundance mindset has been vital for me. I look forward to learning and applying more deep lessons from the waters and community members, as we engage in this work together – with respect and humility.