Spiral Grove Coven and the Windward Education and Research Center have had a partnership since 2007. We chose Windward because they have 130 acres of land available. This means that if a location begins to have ill effects due to overuse, we can easily move to another location on site and allow the land to repair itself. Not only that but this section of fir, oak, and pine forest, sitting on the south slope of Mt. Adams, has a unique beauty that should be experienced! The peace on this land is nearly tangible. Many people have stated an amount of stress from the modern world just shrug away even before they enter the Sacred Space that is created on opening day.

 

Now, that isn’t to say that you may not have a surprise in the morning. This is the wilderness after all. It is not uncommon to hear a rustling sound around your tent as the sun begins to shine. There’s a moment of fear as you slowly unzip your tent, peek through the hole, and to what do your eyes discover but a mob of…  sheep? Don’t worry, it’s only scary the first time.

 

Windward is a cooperative, self-sustaining community. As their website states,  “[they] raise animals such as sheep and goats, ducks and pigs that are able to transform branches, grasses, acorns, and bugs – valuable but not easily digestible resources [they] have in abundance – into nutritionally dense foodstuffs such as milk, eggs, and meat, as well as wool, hides, fat, and bone that serve integral functions on a village homestead.”​