Harvest Migration: The Journey of Turning Over New Soil

As our Harvest Migration series concludes, we are filled with gratitude for the powerful moments we shared. This series was about coming together to honor where we’ve been and clear space for what’s next. Each gathering offered an invitation to release old patterns, explore new parts of ourselves, and find solidarity in shared stories.

The inspiration for our gatherings came from the women who join us and from the very rhythms of nature itself. Drawing on cycles of transition—from personal change to seasonal shifts—Harvest Migration was designed to create a space where women could feel seen, witnessed, and celebrated through life’s ups and downs. Influenced by transformative practices, rituals, and the wisdom of community, each session carried its own unique flavor, blending introspection, laughter, and, yes, the occasional tear. We held space for the messiness, the beauty, and the freedom that comes with embracing change.

Week 1: Space – Creating the Container

We began with Space to set the foundation for our journey. Gathering in silence, we took time to acknowledge the commitment we’d each made to ourselves and this Migrating Flock. We grounded ourselves with heart-centered meditation, shook off the dust through non-linear movement, and created an environment of both calm and charged intention.

“I started Harvest Migration with the intention of connection and permission. I am completing Migration feeling connected to the women here and with myself, honoring my needs and desires. I gave myself permission to show up authentically each time.” – Harvest Migration Participant

“Sometimes, the hardest thing is creating space for change. But without that space, nothing new can take root.”

Week 2: Grief – Finding It in Our Bodies

In our second gathering, we explored Grief, locating where it lives within us and inviting it into the open. Through movement, writing, and discussion, we honored the layers of grief we often hold but rarely acknowledge. Allowing grief its own space was a profound experience, almost like saying, “Yes, you belong here, too.”

Grief isn’t something we “get through.” It stays with us, offering a rich soil for future growth.

Week 3: Laughter and Anger – The Unexpected Duality

In Week 3, we ventured into Anger—and discovered laughter showed up just as often! We learned that anger and joy can coexist and that we don’t have to push one away to feel the other. The post-connection check-ins revealed that our relationship with anger had softened, shifting from something sharp to something we could embrace.

“Sometimes, anger arrives with laughter at its side—both true, both necessary.”

Week 4: Golden Shadow – Seeing Ourselves in Each Other

Week 4 introduced us to the Golden Shadow, an exploration of witnessing ourselves in others. It was a session about recognition and honoring the parts of ourselves that we see reflected in the women around us. Through eye-gazing and shared vulnerability, many of us felt a deeper connection—not only with each other but with ourselves. One participant shared how the exercise helped her realize she wasn’t “too much” and allowed her to soften her interaction with life.

“The golden shadow is the light we find in each other—the parts we need to be reminded of.”

Week 5: Freedom Letter and Rest – The Power of Letting Go

In our final session before the closing ceremony, we wrote Freedom Letters—personal messages releasing old expectations, roles, and obligations. Putting pen to paper and letting go was incredibly freeing, like an exhale we didn’t know we needed. We closed with a collective pause, honoring rest as a form of radical self-care.

One participant approached the Freedom Letter as a Love Letter, inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert, and wrote herself a beautiful declaration of unconditional love.

“Sometimes, the most radical act is allowing ourselves to rest and let go.”

Week 6: Harvest Ceremony – A Full Circle

Our last gathering was a Ceremony that wove together all the threads of our journey. In a final circle of gratitude, we acknowledged the journey and each other. There’s something special about closing a chapter in community, about being witnessed in that moment of “fullness.”

At the conclusion, the words women used to describe their Migration experience included:

• Safety, courage, connection

• Gratitude, community, beautiful women

• Vulnerability, strength, courage

• Transformation, space, love

• Love, community, space

“Transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s the witnessing and being witnessed that brings true change.”

In all of our Hey Birdie programming, we’re continually humbled and honored by the women who show up—for themselves and for each other. As we shared with our migrating birds, our role is to create the riverbed: a structure and direction for the journey. They are the river that fills it, bringing life, movement, and depth. We trust that the 12 women who journeyed with us will continue to soar together, as friends who see, hold, and hear one another—and who offer that same support in return.

Upcoming Migrations

Looking Ahead: Preview of Spring Migration

As we move into winter’s stillness, we are embracing the quiet season while feeling a spark of excitement for what’s to come: Spring Migration. If Harvest Migration was about clearing space, Spring will be about planting new seeds. This season will focus on new growth, emergence, and creating room for what’s ready to bloom. 

Spring Migration will introduce new rituals, movement practices, and tools to help each of us connect more deeply with our own potential and our community. We can’t wait to dive into this next journey with our migrating birds!