Summer Solstice Event & Gathering on June 20 – 22, 2023

Summer Solstice is a time of new beginnings for Indigenous Peoples all over the world, and the Return to the Heart Foundation is celebrating our annual signature event Summer Solstice 2023. Summer Solstice 2023 is a Native-Womxn curated event that brings together philanthropy, Native Womxn visionaries, activists, helpers and healers to support and learn about important Indigenous issues taking a deep dive into the culture. 

This year’s event on June 20-22, 2023, in beautiful Indigenous lands of New Mexico— the land of enchantment. This year we will be visiting Chaco Canyon, a site that is sacred to many Indigenous Nations in the area and one of the few places in the world where an astronomical phenomena occurs during the Summer Solstice at the ruins. 

In addition to our visit to Chaco Canyon, we will also be visiting a very special place, Kasha Katuwe – Tent Rocks National Monument located on the traditional homelands of the Pueblo de Cochiti people. Tent Rocks is home to cone-shaped rock formations that are the products of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago and left pumice, ash, and tuff deposits over 1,000 feet thick. Post-hike, we will enjoy a traditional Pueblo meal.

Summer Solstice 2023 benefits Return to the Heart Foundation’s grant fund for Traditional Helpers and Healers. This grant fund was designed to uplift Native Womxn who serve Indigenous communities impacted by historical and generational trauma, bringing culturally grounded healing through traditional medicines, Indigenous plants and foodways, cultural practices, ancestral wisdom for protecting Mother Earth, and much more. We’ll be highlighting selected Traditional Helpers and Healers throughout the event to showcase the critical work they do and how they provide healing to their communities and ultimately the world.