cways home portland, or
LOCATION
North West Portland, OR 97231. The address, gate code and specific directions will be provided upon booking.
The land where CWays Home is located has a wonderful feeling of wilderness yet it is only 30 minutes from the center of Portland. As you come through the gate, there is a feeling of the sentient Elemental Beings coming down to greet you. Magical forest creatures peek around the moss and lichens dripping from the branches, to the sound of the pure bubbling perennial creek. 100 feet high Douglas fir and cedar trees surround the home and hillsides and we are cultivating the many birds and animals to come closer to the house. The view from the back deck faces north east so we see many a glorious sunrise over the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and the Cascade Ranges.
TRANSPORTATION
Our home is 40 minutes from PDX airport. We prefer people coming to retreats share rides as the mile long single lane driveway to the house is narrow, steep and curvy. It’s all sealed roads but they need to be driven during daylight initially. If you meet a car on your way up, the rule is the one going up back down to where passing is possible.
If you have already confirmed your space, please send us your travel itinerary. We are happy to help arrange ride shares. If arrival/departure times do not coordinate with others, text Nadir, our trusted and reliable local driver, a few days before and he will take good care of you (971) 330-7805. A ride from the airport is around $60 – 70. You can also rent a vehicle and carpool.
During Winter, roads up here are subject to closure so if that happens we may need to cancel the event. If you get significantly delayed by weather after a retreat, we will help you with alternative accommodations and transport if necessary. It’s best to rent a 4WD vehicle in the Winter months if the weather turns icy.
We encourage all flying passengers to offset their carbon foot print by donating to CWays Home. Your funds will be tax deductible and dedicated to the replenishment of our surrounding habitats. Calculate your carbon footprint.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We currently have 3 large guest bedrooms downstairs, with beds for up to 12 people – 1 queen bed in the Buddha room for couples, 2 twin or 1 king in the Hathor room, a large garden bedroom with 2 queen bunk beds and a queen futon bed in the Allie Way, usually reserved for assistant and facilitators. You can also sleep overnight on mats in the temple or on couches in the living room. There are 3 full bathrooms in the house. Our new tiny house is 2 stories and has a shared bathhouse with indoor shower and outdoor bath, an indoor composting toilet and 4 bedrooms (1 also serves as a kitchen.) There are 5 twin beds, or 3 twins and a king.
Accommodations are first come, first choice, with private rooms usually being dedicated to couples. You can also stay at AirB&B’s close by if you need privacy. Check the event page, as it may be recommended that everyone stay on the property due to the design of the specific retreat. We have plenty of room in the forest for BYO camping or a camper van if you want solitude or a cheaper option. The cost for camping or staying off site includes all meals and full access to amenities within the home. You are welcome to arrive early or stay a little afterwards if you are doing karma yoga or the training.
| PRIVATE QUEEN (1, Main House) | PRIVATE 2 TWIN OR 1 KING (1, Main House) | QUEEN BUNK ROOM (4, Main House) |
|---|---|---|
| $245/person/night | $235/person/night | $215/person/night |
| PRIVATE 2 TWIN OR 1 KING (1, Tiny House) | PRIVATE TWIN (3, Tiny House) | MATS IN TEMPLE*** | BYO CAMPING OR OFFSITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| $195/person/night | $195/person/night | $160/person/night*** | $110/night/person |
** In addition to the retreat cost. Prices DO NOT include any transportation or personal supplies.
***Mats in Temple only available after all other beds have been filled.
FOOD
The menu and the number of meals will be designed to supplement and compliment the work. If you have any allergies or special dietary needs, please advise upon booking. Our local produce menus are all gluten free and labeled so you can choose what to eat. It is strongly suggested you refrain from smoking, drinking alcohol and taking any altering substances during the retreat as they may adversely affect your level of stimulation.
AMMENITIES
Read the session care page again before you come. Pack light. The nearest store is 15 minutes away.
WHAT IS PROVIDED
- Full immersion in the intelligence of this forest
- Complete privacy in a beautiful cedar home
- Outdoor deck
- Large ceremonial space opens on to the forest
- Beautiful womb like sanctuary space for breathwork
- Extensive sandplay collection with 8 sand trays
- Great sound system available in the sanctuary and upper living areas
- Wood stove in the living room and an outdoor fire pit
- Local seasonal organic food, lovingly prepared, and soon to be from our own gardens
- Wide variety of teas, coffees and drinks and excellent well water
- Super comfortable organic cotton mattresses
- Thick organic cotton mats for sessions
- Super soft bamboo sheets and towels (provided sheets are for beds only, not to be used for Breathwork sessions)
- Everything you need to make your breathwork nest: pillows, sheets, blankets, bowls etc.
- Natural herbs and other support for minor ills and aches
- Unscented organic toiletries if you do not have any with you
- Epsom salts are provided if you wish to have a bath (Sorry no hot tub … yet! )
- Good phone service for AT&T and Verizon. Sorry, no T-Mobile service
WHAT TO BRING
- Journal and art supplies for mandala drawing if you are doing breathwork
- Flashlight, unbreakable lidded water bottle
- Eye mask, mouthwash
- Your supplements and medications, if you take them
- Inhaler, if you have ever had asthma, even as a child
- Any sleep aides you might need and ear plugs if you will share a sleeping space
- Unscented organic toiletries as we are on a septic system
- Comfortable layered clothing
- Wind/rain jacket, light walking shoes, sunscreen
- If visiting for Breathwork, bring a queen sized set of sheets (top sheet, bottom sheet, one pillow case)
WHAT NOT TO BRING
- No fabric softeners on your clothes – the perfumes are very sticky and toxic
- No scented hair products, lotions or essential oils
- No burnable candles, LED lights are available
- No alcohol or consciousness altering substances
- All retreats are technology free events. Please turn off your devices when you arrive.
Please no downloading, streaming music or videos.
NO FRAGRANCES
The work is designed to awaken your senses and open your sensitivity to others and the environment and assist you to return to your most natural state of being. Many fragrances alter our states of consciousness. Manufactured fragrances included in a vast array of consumer products adhere the scents to all surfaces, supposedly to increase sales. We will be in an enclosed space, sometimes breathing heavily. Your fragrances are an aggressive imposition on everyone else’s experience. What may be your pleasure may be another persons poison so it’s great kindness to not assume everyone loves the same things you do. Besides, who wants all those chemicals sicking inside your lungs?! I am super sensitive to all smells. It’s both a blessing and a curse. It certainly is not fun to have to wash off after hugging you.
We are attempting to return to our natural state here so please, no essential oils, check your hair and skin products and ensure your clothing contains no fabric softeners. Please use the deodorants, shampoos, lotions and cosmetics provided if yours contain any scents … and check out the wool balls in the dryer! Please skip the garlic and any other odiferous foods before you arrive.
RESERVATIONS
* Prices for group retreats in Portland are in 2 parts: the cost of the retreat and separate pricing for accommodations and food so you can arrange it to suit your budget. Prices exclude transport, additional accommodations outside of the dedicated retreat time and off site accommodations.
$333 non-refundable reservation fee is due within 7 days of booking to confirm your space. This deposit is to cover our administration costs and any funds left over are placed in the scholarship fund. There is also an energetic impact on the facilitators who hold you as they design your retreat. Our resistance often encourages us to want to change our minds thoughtlessly, without any consideration of what it actually means.
Bookings close a minimum of 1 week before events. Please see the event page to book your space. Make checks payable to CWays Home, write the name of the event in the memo section of the check and send it to the address above.
CANCELLATIONS
The initial deposit is non-refundable, with the exception of sudden cancellations due to inclement weather or changes made by CWays Home. There will be no refunds if you choose to leave during the retreat. Wherever possible, we will do what we can to ease your journey. See the refund and cancellation policy.
SCHOLARSHIPS
If you wish to support our community and give others the chance to do the work by donating to CWays Home, our 501(c)3 non-profit, please contact us. We have developed a scholarship program that spells out the selection criteria and the kinds of help that we need. All application are evaluated with a financial means test.
KARMA YOGA
Karma Yoga is the practice of Selfless service, a way of becoming devoted to the Beloved Self within through the devotion to the care of CWays Home. Karma Yoga will be offered as a guided waking meditation before and after each event that takes place in Portland, including private retreats.
It is an invitation for everyone who visits or stays here to participate in the creation of the community’s property and to consciously care for it, as if it is your own home. We wish to create a new experience of what a conscious home looks and feels like, as so many in our community have had homes that were traumatic and ugly. Activities will include building the meditation labyrinth, setting up and breaking down the session space, light housework, building trails and caring for the forest. The meditation will keep you centered and allow you to register just how aware you are.
We donated the basketball court that was left here to the Native American Youth Rehabilitation Center. It’s removal opened up the space to build our labyrinth. The labyrinth has been created in the image of the 14th century original labyrinth pattern, similar to a medicine wheel. Everyone who comes here is invited to bring a crystal or a special stone or gather cobble stones from the pile next to the labyrinth and bring them into the session space. When they are nicely imprinted, we will lay them down as an act of anchoring into this amazing land. The labyrinth is layered over finely shredded bark chips to allow the mycelium and moss to grow so as we walk towards the center, we will be infused with Nature’s intelligence. We now have layers of peoples’ experiences and stories in the labyrinth, a loving testament to our community.
