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The Creative Warrior Collective

WHAT IS THE CREATIVE WARRIOR COLLECTIVE?


The Creative Warrior Collective (CWC) is a 12-month holistic journey for young adults (ages 18 to 26) to awaken their inner Creative Warrior and deepen their role as Earth Keepers.
 

Rooted in Santjes’s vision, planted at the Well and now growing outward, CWC offers nature-based practices not taught in schools. Through a year-long rhythm of 12 weekends, we gather in a circle of 12 students and a team of devoted facilitators. Together, we walk the path of creativity, presence, and purpose.
 

We draw from the ancient wisdom of the 4 directions—north, east, south, and west—and honor the full self: Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual. Our practices speak the forgotten language of Earth, Nature, Water, and Light. This is a space to realign creativity with Earth wisdom and to remember.
 

The first cohort (September 2025 to August 2026) is a seed year, a try-out, a beginning. With support from sponsors and a plan to grow into a nonprofit, this vision is meant to ripple into many places, with future directors and facilitators carrying the work forward.
 

We meet weekly to tend the vision. We gather for ceremony and integration. We celebrate in community.
 

If you’re feeling the pull to join us or support this unfolding, reach out. We’re walking together.

Creative Warrior Collective Timeline

A journey of awakening, creation, and community rooted in the Wheel.

April 2025 – Seeding the Vision

  • The Creative Warrior Collective (CWC) is born from Santjes’s vision at the Well.

  • Weekly meetings begin with founding members.

  • The idea forms: a 12-month journey for young people (18–26) to become Creative Warriors and Earth Keepers.

  • Core elements include seasonal retreats, a circular planning format, and personal initiation ceremonies.

  • Plans begin for the first gathering in June and a trial run in October

Late April 2025 – Foundation Building

  • Kit creates the Miro board under Wellwork to hold curriculum and visions.

  • Logo ideas circulate—branches, roots, arrows, seedling hands.

  • Outreach begins to potential board members, creatives, and collaborators.

  • Legal and logistical steps are outlined: nonprofit filing, trademark research, insurance estimates

May 2025 – Deepening the Container

  • Mycelium Trust is conceived—a 52-week visual dialogue between five Creative Warriors.

  • Bylaws are drafted, EIN and nonprofit application steps prepared.

  • Ritual planning for June 7–8 takes shape: altar building, fire circles, mud, movement, and ceremony.

  • Guiding questions emerge:

    • How do I show up as a warrior in my life?

    • What gifts am I carrying forward?

    • How can I impact others?

June – First Gathering: The Root Sangha, Hingham

  • Participants move through the Wheel—each direction held by a different guide:

  • Northeast: Opening with Santjes

  • East: Movement and breath with Nick

  • South: Nature walk with Gerry

  • West: Altar of Creation in noble silence with Ally

  • North: Constellation, mystery, and ancestral connection with Kit

  • Ceremony includes fire rituals, grass-cutting to release old patterns, and shared blessings.

  • Each warrior is seen, witnessed, and initiated

Mid-June 2025 – Integration & Incubation

  • Collective reflects: “We must trust the process.”

  • Santjes names the space a playground for learning and courage.

  • The group moves into the Incubation Period, allowing insights to settle.

  • Next steps begin to take form quietly—through connection, not rush.

Late June to July 2025 – Grounding the Foundation

  • Dates explored for reconnecting: June 28–29 or July 19–20.

  • Continued legal and design efforts: logo development, trademark research, nonprofit paperwork submission.

  • Planning continues for the October Nantucket retreat and Young Warriors program

Summer 2025 – A Conscious Pause

  • The Collective takes a break from weekly Zoom calls, resuming August 6.

  • Nick begins drafting CWC’s public description for donors and stakeholders.

  • Vision clarified: build the workshops and curriculum before seeking an Executive Director.

  • Conversations stay rooted in values, reflection, and community pacing.

What’s Ahead

  • August 6, 2025: Zoom meetings resume

  • September 27–28, 2025: Potential Oracle event on Nantucket with Alchemical Constellations

  • October 11–13, 2025: CWC Trial Retreat on Nantucket

    Fall 2025 onward:
     

  • Mycelium Trust visual exchange continues

  • Young Warriors path begins forming

  • Seasonal gatherings deepen curriculum

  • Board grows, structure strengthens, and new supporters join the journey

Why the Creative Warrior Collective?

This is not just a program.

It’s a living experiment in leadership, creativity, healing, and Earth honoring.

We are cultivating future leaders by weaving together ancient ways, creative practice, and community process.
 

With your support, the Creative Warrior Collective is becoming a space where young people are seen, held, and initiated into a new way of leading—from the inside out.

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