What do you get in an event featuring 19 holistic and well-being practitioners with expertise in everything from iridology to sonic alchemy; 26 facilitators in everything from fitness to unity meditation; five vendors offering everything from balms to one-on-one coaching; one organization representing a vast swath of community; 10 sponsors spanning the societal gamut and one very enthusiastic host?
You get the Holistic Gathering which took place at Ferme Pure Conscience in Bristol on Sunday.
Host Gema Villavicencio partnered with established and accredited naturopath Stephanie Michele Fannon in running an event focused on all things pertaining to well-being.
Now, the definition of well-being is both objective, in that it is defined in the dictionary, and subjective, in that every person has a unique relationship with it. Within those very loose boundaries, Villavicencio and Fannon crafted a collective which they hoped would offer something for everyone, no matter their perception of well-being or their journey in support thereof.
The vision for the event was born months ago when, in February, Villavicencio expressed a desire to host more events at the farm.
“I believe people are looking for something real – something that feels good, welcoming, and meaningful,” she said.
Fannon suggested she had just the answer. She tapped into her extensive network of holistic practitioners and experts and found collaboration resulting in the sweeping panoply on display from one end of Ferme Pure Conscience to the other.
There was meditation in the greenhouse, dancing in the fields, group healing sessions near the chicken coop and painting plenaries in the meadows, all with ample signage and schedules posted for navigation and planning. This was clearly a well thought-out event with a robust itinerary.
“We wanted a place for people to explore and try out things without having to spend money on something they’re not even sure about,” Fannon said.
“And we wanted people to be able to choose what they wanted to see and do,” added Villavicencio, while pointing at the schedule of sessions offered on the hour at each of five locations around the farm.
Over the course of the day there were some 30 options from which attendees could choose. At 10 a.m. they could have opted to start their day painting with Cindy Laroque and they could have finished their day at 3 p.m. while joining Amanda Porter for her “pop-up Hot Wivez Club DJ Dance Workout.”
And in between, they could visit any of the multitude of tents lining the walkways and learn about everything from using LEGO in healing to the benefits of telling their story in their own voice.
Amongst the variety of offerings for the day was Suzanne Charette. Hers was the first tent encountered upon arrival and in it she demonstrated her drum and sound therapy. Attendees were invited to close their eyes, breathe deeply and lie on a padded table with a drum running the length of the table and suspended just above.
Charette would then beat the drum in a very deliberate and controlled fashion, at times loud and, at others, soft. The effect, she says, “often brings people to tears as they let the sound lead them through their emotions and memories.”
Many of the gathered practitioners spoke of their own journey of well-being and how they now pay it forward by offering to help others with the same knowledge, tools and methods that helped them.
“I was dealing with trauma when I found the healing modalities that helped me rebalance my life and it is my passion to share that with others,” shared Julie Ruttan, an Emotion and Body Code Practitioner, whose own journey, like Charette, led her in search of a holistic solution to her own life challenges.
Kim McDougall, who attended the event with her mother and daughter, said she loved the event. “This is a great Mother’s Day and there’s a lot here!”
“This is not a market. This is a gathering – a sacred space where like-minded souls can come together to reconnect, recharge, and realign,” said a beaming Villavicencio.
“We’ve curated this event with deep intention – to uplift, to inspire, and to remind us all of the powerful healing tools that are available to us and within us,” Fannon added.
Villavicencio’s farm, located on Ragged Chute Road in the north end of the Municipality of Bristol, was a somewhat idyllic location on a sunny spring day and it offered its own brand of holistic energy to a day already bursting at the seams with well-being. For their part, Villavicencio and Fannon were delighted with the turnout and look forward to partnering again soon.
