Turtle Joins the Spirit Team at Idylwild

When I did the first energetic land clearing at Idylwild in April 2024, I was told something that stayed with me:

"You may invite new members to the spirit team—but only when it feels right."

At the time, it didn’t.

The land was full of residual energy from those who had worked, owned, or even been buried here. My task then was to listen, tend, clear, and make space. The invitation to add anyone new felt premature, and not true.

But several months later, as I began calling in more land to steward as part of Idylwild’s larger vision, I knew that it was time to invite a new member of the spirit team. But who was that?

The answer became clear in meditation. The turtle was to join the spirit team.

It made sense, even in the logical realm. I had already found several empty turtle shells on the property—beautiful remnants, gifts from the land. And Turtle, as a being, doesn’t know property lines. It moves slowly, intentionally, across boundaries humans might try to impose.

Turtle embodied something ancient, wise, and steady. A perfect ally for stewardship.

So I held a ceremony and officially called Turtle into the spirit team.

And what’s followed has been extraordinary.

In the days before we opened our first retreat at Idylwild in October 2024, a live turtle spent 2–3 days with us. It stayed near the tiny house as we prepared the land to receive retreat participants. The morning that the retreat started, it left. 

Then, on a hike during the retreat, two attendees found a turtle shell on the land and gifted it to me for the altar. That shell now travels with me everywhere—an embodied piece of Turtle, of Idylwild, at every sacred gathering that I host.

And on my most recent visit to the land in June, I was astonished. Every day, I saw at least four turtles, sometimes more. They were everywhere.

On the road to our tiny house. 

By the ephemeral stream at the southern edge. 

Near the sacred circle I’ve built atop the hill. 

Even my neighbor was surprised—he told me he’s only seen a couple of turtles in the last five years.

But here they are. They are coming. They are with us. They are joining the team.

And I am watching in awe as this partnership with Turtle—and the land itself—deepens and expands. I can’t wait to see what evolves next.