Polishing the Heart June 2026: Ancient Earth, Paonia, A Memorial

Polishing the Heart, June 2026

This month's highlights:

A Pilgrimage to Ancient Earth
Paonia Camp
A Memorial for Adriana
Farm Experience October 15-18
Dances of Universal Peace November 5-8
Sanctuary Summit 2027

Hi friends,

Travel opens many opportunities for growth and reflection. I am blessed to have had travel experiences throughout all phases of my life.

I’ve just returned home from a pilgrimage to the Southwest. The rawness of the Earth speaks to me...

the intense colors...

to walk among the sacred places of ancient peoples, to be present to the timelessness of existence.

The work of wind and water, uncovering the footprints of dinosaurs from millions and millions of years before.

To realize my small place in this human life among the mystery.

At birth we each walk through a door to reach our time's civilization. We learn that civilizations come and go just like waves on the ocean.

Those of us who understand this can embrace our roles as beacons of peace, our path in this lifetime. We remain grateful for the beauty all around us, in spite of the difficult changes and challenges we see.

The spiral. The journey. May our lives be like the falling cascade of a waterwheel, each of us bringing our strength and power to move the wheel forward as we return to the river.

Namaste,
Douglas and Deborah

The Fall Dance Weekend November 5-8, 2026

Our 8th dance weekend here on The Farm will be in the fall, when temperatures in Tennessee are perfect!!
Click here to learn more. In these challenging times, our dances are embodied prayers. Reap the Harvest of the Heart!

Dance Camp, Paonia, Colorado 2026

The first dance held in the Canyonlands cave was in 1999.

The camp in Paonia has been through many incarnations over its 25 years, from dancing in a giant cave at Utah's Canyonlands National Monument, to various retreat centers and campgrounds in multiple states. This year the camp was held on the side of a hill right off the main highway through Hotchkiss and Paonia, with just enough level ground for the Dance tent and campers.

Bernie Heideman and Sky Roshay

Bernie and Sky are the foundation, the solid core that holds this camp together. Of course, it takes a village and many of the additional leaders and dancers have been coming together here and at other camps out west since those early days.

Wayne, Ryan, and I

I got connected when Deborah and I went to the annual camp in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, February 2018, my second Dance Camp. The Paonia Camp has a lot of the same folks who gather in Mexico, so I knew a good many people there. I got connected with the magnifcent bass player Wayne Talmage, the camp registrar and manager, in Puerto Morelos, which is also were I met Ryan Raney, who attended his first Dance ever February 2026. I think it is safe to say he and his wife "caught" the vibe.

A Memorial for Adriana, Bernie's wife of over 50 years.

Adrianna was one of those beautiful souls who, in ways, carried us along during her transition. Very often, she would read an original poem before Bernie would start a Dance. We knew something was happening when she started to repeat poems she had already read. Once when Deborah and I were visiting their home, she would remember us, and then remember us again. However throughout her decline, Adrianna would still remember the words to Bernie's dances and they could sing together.