True North for Spiritual Seekers:

Returning to the Source of Life

Will you come with me to that fountain now and fill your cup of longing from this endless, untamed spring?

Tom Hirons

Life is a mystery worthy of our curiosity, care, and reverence. In a world of great distraction, answer-seeking, and division, it is easy to forget this. Remembering starts with returning to ourselves and what is within us.

True North is an 8-month, low-residency program for those who seek spiritual depth in their lives through a deeper understanding of themselves. This program fosters a strong personal commitment to life-giving practices with the support of a consistent, long-term community and guidance from trusted mentors. Those who participate in this program not only learn ways to more deeply connect with themselves, but they also join a long-term community of practice with a shared vision of a thriving world.

Everything can begin with you. You are the foundation of any change that will happen in your society.

Thich Nhat Hanh

 

When we build a stronger relationship with the depths of who we truly are, we become leaders who can create the conditions for others to do the same. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “No one is free until we are all free.”

When we choose depth in a world where depth is often feared, we not only free ourselves from what binds us, but we also strengthen our communities.

In addition to programs for spiritual seekers, Springhouse offers opportunities for adults to strengthen their leadership, facilitation, and artistry. Learn more here.

“The most recent embodied lesson I have gained through my time working with Springhouse and the Sourced Design principles is around what it means to be committed, to practice, and to surrender. For me, these work in a cycle. It has been an invigorating and terrifying process to build the awareness, courage, skills, and strength needed to do this and to consciously make the choice to live a more vital life.”

Heather K.

True North Program Details

True North is an 8-month, low-residency program for adults who want to know themselves more deeply and build a foundation to clearly and sustainably be of service to a world in need.

This program is for adults who long for a deeper connection with themselves and want the support of a long-term community as they learn and grow. In the distracted and challenged world we live in, we cannot take this inner journey alone. If we are to truly know ourselves and follow our call, we need the support of a steadfast community who shares our vision and values.

True North is informed by Sourced Design and Sourced Education and supports adults as they learn how to become more fully who they are. Participating in this program requires a deep dedication to personal growth. It is for those who share the Springhouse vision of a world where all life thrives. This program takes place online and on the Springhouse campus.

Primary Program Components:

  • In-person intensives (October 2025 and May 2026 – dates coming soon)
  • Monthly mentoring from Springhouse staff
  • Peer mentoring twice per month
  • One 2-hour course weekly from 10am-12pm ET on Thursdays (see our school calendar for all meeting dates)
  • Optional: “The Wellspring” for Springhouse alumni, a weekly gathering on Mondays 10-11am ET (see our school calendar for all meeting dates)

Find more detailed descriptions for each component below. Out-of-town participants, please see our travel document for Springhouse Visitors.

Schedule a chat with a True North facilitator

In-Person Intensives 

The purpose of these intensives - held at Springhouse in the fall and spring - is to bring participants together in-person to begin and end the year in a meaningful way. Participants will be invited to ground themselves in the power of Life through practices like meditation, dance, and singing; have courageous conversations about themselves, our current cultural challenges, and their cultural work; and build a vital container for learning for the coming year.

Mentoring

In one-to-one mentoring sessions, participants will work closely with one of the program facilitators, both of whom are experienced mentors and have either led or facilitated this program in its various forms in the past. Participants will be asked courageous questions, and the mentor will serve as a mirror, allowing each participant to know themselves more fully and access new perspectives.

Community Learning

Community learning will include various methods, including the creative arts, small group dialogue, book discussions, exploring myths and stories, and more. Each semester ends with a "Reflection on Learning," during which each participant has space to creatively integrate their learnings from the program.

The Wellspring: Lifelong Learning for Adults

Getting to know the mystery within and around us is a lifelong journey. The Wellspring is a weekly facilitated group for adults interested in strengthening their relationship with their bodies and the sacred as well as growing their self-awareness through reflection and community dialogue. If True North participants seek to deepen their understanding of the mystery in themselves, their community, and their place, they are invited to join this ongoing group.

Is True North For You?

To determine whether or not this program might be for you, please consider these questions:

  • Do you want to know yourself more deeply?
  • Would you like to learn ways to cultivate a deeper relationship with your body and the sacred?
  • Do you want to take a more honest look at yourself and grow your awareness of your gifts and your shortcomings?
  • Are you looking to be part of a community seeking to live more deeply and sustainably?
  • Do you seek the support of mentorship as you take this inward journey?

If you answered yes to all these questions, review the next steps below.

Be sure that whatever you are is you.

Theodore Roethke

Next Steps

This program has rolling admissions. The application and letter of intent are due by September 12th. If you are interested in taking the next steps, please submit a letter of intent that responds to the following questions:

What calls you to this program at this time in your life?

Describe a time when you surrendered to a power greater than yourself.

Do you have any spiritual or personal development practices? If so, what are they?

What questions do you have about yourself and your life right now?

What troubles you? What are you struggling with right now?

What are your dreams or the visions you hold for your life?

Please email your letter of intent to Carolyn Reilly. Once she receives your letter, she will contact you to schedule an interview.

Tuition

There are set tuition rates for the True North program, and we remain committed to ensuring that no one is turned away due to a lack of funds (learn more about our economic approach).

We have three tuition rates for this program:

  1. Pay-It-Forward Rate: $5,000 (Default payment schedule is $625/mo for 8 months, October – May)

  2. Sustaining Rate: $3,500 (Default payment schedule is $437.50/mo for 8 months, October – May)

  3. Supported Rate: We remain committed to accessibility, and no one is turned away due to a lack of funds. If you cannot afford either of the rates above, please review our Supported Rate Packet and prepare for a tuition meeting with Chris.

True North

Program Facilitators

Carolyn Reilly (she/her)

Development Director

Carolyn is a courageous lifelong learner, wife, and mother of four who has worked in the nonprofit arena for over two decades. Her work has spanned church communications and worship design, teaching step aerobics and pilates at the YMCA, as well as community organizing to protect the natural environment. Carolyn also has experience in co-creating an intergenerational family farm focused on regenerative practices and connecting people to nourishing, whole food. On staff at Springhouse since August 2019, she serves full-time, showing up wholeheartedly in the growth and development of the organization. Carolyn has a huge heart for community, specifically in connecting and empowering people to cultivate wholeness and deepen their relationships - with themselves, each other, the earth, and the divine.

Jenny Finn (she/her)

Executive Director

Jenny Finn has designed structures that foster vitality in people, communities, and organizations for nearly 30 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Sustainability Education and is a co-founder of Springhouse. Jenny Finn’s research, mentoring, and teaching invites people to strengthen the relationships they have with themselves in order to serve the world with greater clarity, courage, compassion, and creativity. Her work has taken many forms, including non-profit leadership, trauma and hospice care, chaplaincy, clinical private practice, community-building through the expressive arts, and education. Jenny lives on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband, Andy, and their furry friends, and she is the mother of Andrew and Lizzie. She loves riding the Peloton bike, running, taking a dip in the river, watching a good British mystery, and spending time with family and friends.