chozen x namūna
A Spring Salon | March 2024
“It's a blessing to have created a space that is giving room for, important conversations amongst all of us…to create ways to go out into the world and be able to share tokens of wisdom, and then really knowing that there is a place here for people to use this land that we've been called to steward as a tool of co-creation.”
~ Ximena Cho | ChoZen Co-Founder
During the last weekend of March 2024, ChoZen Eco-Retreat & Sanctuary co-founders Tony & Ximena Cho collaborated with namūna to invite global changemakers to explore a new leadership approach, with nature as the guiding force in our spiritual development at ChoZen Retreat. This gathering took place on Easter weekend, an auspicious time just after the Spring Equinox, during Ramadan and before Passover. namūna x ChoZen's theme for this Spring Salon contemplated the future of spirituality in a post-religious world...
“The fundamental vision for Namūna is to support people who are transforming people's lives and bringing together a culture that hasn't yet identified herself or come together yet, but very clearly exists in the world..Being able to hold a conversation in a space when you can open your heart that openly, you know, and also open your mind and ask difficult questions that are uncomfortable. That's hard to do, but I feel like we got there.“
~ ELYSE LEE | CO-FOUNDER OF NAMŪNA
“We created Namūna because we wanted to help people find a place to ask questions, to find guidance, to find support... I've been hearing a lot of people are asking a similar question...This event held space for thOSE questionS, and thOSE questions WERE asked somatically intellectually, spiritually, over dinner tables, over laughs, over rituals, over ceremonies, all the different ways the language talks...”
~ ZACH BELL | CO-FOUNDER OF NAMŪNA
In collaboration with our namūna co-creators, Zach Bell & Elyse Lee, we brought together 53 scholars, elders, philosophers, artists, practitioners, patrons and community leaders for a thoughtfully curated and participatory program to begin to unravel the following questions…
∆ What is the role of
the spiritual leader in our modern day?
∆ Is there such a thing as a
clear "path" in an age of mixing modalities?
∆ How do we navigate
a path of service in a capitalist world?
∆ How do we successfully
build communities, land projects, and retreat centers?
“Being a leader actually requires you to be a follower, to follow either a tradition, a practice, or the energy in a particular room, and not just coming in and telling everyone what you think, what you want. So I think the role of a leader, spiritual leader is to follow as much as it is to lead. I think they go hand in hand.”
~ Professor Ramsay Taum
“The first community leader is nature. She is the one that opens up a receptacle of music, of sounds, of breath. It's like a melody that nature is creating. It has a melody and it has a rhythm. And this is a place where we can co-create with a different environment and the different beings within this environment.”
~ lulu lachaire | founder of Onda Linda
We practiced interfaith rituals, explored deep inquiries with some of the greatest minds, we cried, we danced, and we came together as a collective with a shared vision...
“The fact that everywhere we go from where we've been breaking bread to the fire in the puja ceremony, everything has a story. There's so much embedded intentionality in ChoZen because it's such a beautiful place with such history and roots.”
~ Jamie Wheal | Author & Founder of Flow Genome Project
Immense gratitude to our co-creators for this powerful weekend: Professor Ramsay Taum, Adam Roa, Jamie Wheal, Paul Kuhn, Sofia Thom, Gil Penchina, Jess Hundley, Zach Bell, Elyse Lee, Lulu Chaire, Daniel Pinchbeck, Rachel Rossito, Jai Dev, Fatima Robinson, Swami Jaya Devi, Ganga Devi Braun, Baelyn Elspeth & Intelligent Change +++ more
We are looking forward to continuing this conversation with our community as we announce the 2025 dates in collaboration with namūna in the coming months through our newsletter and invite you to join us at the next special gathering…
…Continue the Journey on Instagram…
@livechozen & @namuna.earth
About namūna:
Weaving ancient wisdom traditions and modern practices in harmony with Nature. namūna exists to be an open well for individuals to carve their own unique, personal paths through community, resources, and tools. We are a home for those who support others — the space holders, lineage carriers, thought leaders and community builders. www.namuna.earth
About ChoZen:
ChoZen Eco-Retreat & Sanctuary, nestled within the 22,000-acre St. Sebastian River Preserve, in the heart of one of the most biodiverse lagoon systems in North America, offers unique venues for group explorations, wellness retreats, weddings, and corporate gatherings in harmony with nature. The 40-acre property boasts miles of walkable trails through food forests, surrounded by 10,000 species of flora and fauna and 25 endangered animals, including the Florida Panther. Guests enjoy overnight eco-accommodations and event spaces designed for co-creation and collaboration. A “true Florida safari,” Chozen Retreat is a leading provider of nature-based wellness & eco-experiences in Sebastian, FL, dedicated to helping individuals achieve holistic well-being through transformative retreats, regenerative lifestyle practices and immersive environmental education with ChoZen Farm & ChoZen Air initiatives.