Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary
Welcome to a Healing Sanctuary in the Forest
Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary is named after the 200+ year old Black Cherry Tree who stands majestically in the heart of the sanctuary. The land has been lovingly stewarded by Rae Carter and Mitch Pauley since 2013 with intentional care to cultivating organic and wildcrafted medicinal plants, tending to spacious tree diversity, creating portals in elemental magic sacred spaces, encouraging the growth of a robust mycelium network, and inviting relationship with wildlife and beings beyond the earthly realms on 7 acres of generous, healing land.
Support the Vision
Cocreating spaces for a generous cycle of reciprocity and emergence of private land being accessible for community building, collective healing, and remembering our sacred connection to our own bodies, each other, the Earth & the realm of supernatural, ancestral & cosmic relations—as we weave the threads of collective liberation in ways that are mutually supportive to generating new ways of living & being together.
***CURRENT OFFERINGS***
HERBAL PRODUCTS
Full collection of herbal remedies & spiritual medicines all made as small batch recipes with organic Sanctuary grown & wild crafted plants. Currently available for purchase at the Plainfield Farmers Market and when visiting the Sanctuary in person for an event, retreat, or one-on-one session. Friends and community members can coordinate delivery or mailing purchase directly.
RESPITE RENTAL
The Hygge Den studio apartment is now available for rent as a getaway to Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary. This is a basement apartment connected to Rae and Mitch’s home and is only suitable for short term stays.
A remote campsite is also available for camping adventures or expanded family getaways and will be officially listed in 2025. Message for details.
The Hygge Den also doubles as a music studio for live improv and Hygge Den music collective cocreations – interested musicians encouraged to be in touch.
HEALING SESSIONS
Therapeutic healing sessions are offered in both outside and inside spaces at the Sanctuary. Sessions include: Ancestral Healing & Root Work, Communication & Voice Activation Work, Consciousness & Intuition Awakening Work, Equity Coaching & Professional Development, Grief & Trauma Work, Herbalism & Plant Medicine Relationship Building, Holistic (Mind/Body/Spirit) Wellness, Life Purpose & Career Visioning, Light Touch Energy Work & Reiki Healing, Long Term Illness & Disease Recovery Healing Navigation, Nervous System Nourishment & Somatic Healing Practices, Sound Therapy (Singing Bowls & Vocal Toning/Singing), Witch Wound Healing & Accountability.
RETREATS IN NATURE
Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary is a beautiful venue for small group, team, and organization retreats with expert facilitation provided by our team. We also occasionally offer specialized retreats for the public and invite you to stay in the know by subscribing to our newsletter.
The Sanctuary is an active member of United Plant Savers, planting native and endangered plants to regenerate the landscape every year. As a growing organic herbal farm, we are also a member of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA-VT), and are becoming a certified natural wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation
Background
Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary is located on N’dakinna land, the ancestral homeland of the Abenaki First Nation People, situated below the western slopes of Spruce Mountain with land lines connecting to the Groton State Forest. Seven acres of open and wooded forest is in a regeneration and renewal process from the more recent history of farming and its roots in colonization. The sanctuary was an idea originally called into being by the trees, who share their generous wisdom about cocreating relationships of reciprocity and building community.
