The Sanctuary Journey
A Soul Apprenticeship Through the Medicine Wheel
The Sanctuary Journey is a soul apprenticeship for women who want to understand themselves more deeply, move through life with clarity, and be supported by meaningful ritual and community.
This experience is not just another online art course.
It is a guided path through the four seasonal gateways of the Medicine Wheel.
Each direction offers a different kind of inner work and a different kind of transformation.
Most women are already walking these inner cycles without realizing it.
They are navigating endings, beginnings, growth, grief, rest, and renewal
often without structure, language, or support.
The Sanctuary Journey gives you a rhythm to follow.
A framework to trust.
A way to understand where you are, what is being asked of you, and how to work with it instead of feeling lost inside it.
Inside this soul apprenticeship you move at a steady, manageable pace.
One direction at a time.
One season at a time.
Always in a way that meets you where you are, without pressure or overwhelm.
This is for you if you are:
Tired of walking through emotional or spiritual change alone
Craving depth without intensity
Wanting structure that feels supportive and not rigid
Ready to understand your own inner seasons
Longing for a place that feels grounding, nourishing, and real
Wanting community and ritual that make the inner work feel held
The Sanctuary Journey is designed to support you through the real-life thresholds you are living.
Gently. Clearly. With a rhythm that honors your energy and your real life.
The Medicine Wheel Framework
A clear, grounded way to understand where you are and what you are moving through.
The Medicine Wheel is a universal symbol of cycles, seasons, and transformation.
It maps the natural rhythms of life. Every one of us is always somewhere on this wheel, even if we do not recognize it.
Inside the Sanctuary Journey, the Medicine Wheel becomes a practical and spiritual framework that helps you understand:
why you are feeling what you are feeling
what part of your life is asking for attention
what needs to be released
what wants to be born
what is growing quietly inside you
what needs to be tended, protected, or softened
Instead of feeling lost or overwhelmed by change, you learn how to work with it.
Each direction carries its own wisdom and teaches a different kind of inner work.
Westgate
The season of descent, truth telling, shadow work, and learning how to compost what is complete.
This is where clarity begins.
Northgate
The season of winter and dreamtime. The quiet cave. The deepening. The shaping of what you discovered in the West.
This is where inner guidance forms.
Eastgate
The season of spring and emergence. The inhale. The first light. The early expression of what you have been gestating.
This is where new beginnings take root.
Southgate
The season of summer and embodied growth. The tending. The blooming. The full expression of your work.
This is where the harvest ripens.
You do not need to Keep Up or complete all four seasons to benefit from this journey.
🌀 You can enter from wherever you are.
You can take one season or many.
You can move slowly, without pressure.
🌀 The purpose of our always turning Medicine Wheel is to give you a way to understand and show up for your most authentic Self, through a clear, supportive, and deeply feminine framework.
Inside the Sanctuary Journey, you learn to recognize your own inner seasons and work with them with clear intention and self understanding and compassion.
You begin to see where you are, why you are there, and what is possible next.
How Much Time Will This Take?
Most women worry about time, so here is the simple truth.
The Sanctuary Journey is designed to be gentle, spacious, and supportive. Each seasonal portal is divided into Phases, and each Phase includes a suggested time frame of one to two weeks. This gives you structure without pressure.
Most women spend twenty to forty minutes each week with the core content.
The deeper work happens naturally throughout your day as you begin noticing your patterns, choosing differently, and weaving more self connection into your life.
You cannot fall behind.
You move at the pace that supports your season of life.
➜ Where You Begin
If you are new to this work, you begin in the Westgate.
If you are already walking the Westgate, your next step is the Northgate.
Here is the simple structure that keeps everything clear and supportive:
✔ New students begin in the Westgate
During the fall and winter months, new women begin in the Westgate and then move on to the Northgate.
You can join at any time, even if the current group is partway through the season.
You begin at the start of the gates that match the fall and winter season and move at your own natural rhythm. Each course spans over a twelve week period and is designed to be spacious and insightful, allowing you to take your time and not rush the process.
Later, during the spring and summer months, new women will be welcomed into the Eastgate and Southgate, where the work turns toward renewal, vision, tending new growth, and cultivating what wants to rise.
For now, the Sanctuary Journey is offering the Westgate and the upcoming Northgate.
The Eastgate and Southgate will open later in the year as the Wheel turns.
✔ Current Westgate students continue into the Northgate
If you are already in the Westgate this season, the Northgate is your natural next step.
This transition mirrors the Medicine Wheel itself. You move from descent into deepening. From clearing into dreamtime. From composting into inner guidance.
Note: The Northgate season opens on January 31, inside the sacred Imbolc threshold. This timing allows our Westgate students to complete their descent and step naturally into dreamtime, and it welcomes new students into a fresh seasonal beginning without pressure or deadlines.
✔ Our Live Talking Circles welcome you no matter where you are in the coursework
Talking Circles are seasonal, not lesson based.
This means that even if you are beginning the Westgate content during the time we are entering the Northgate season, you are still welcome in the circles.
The seasonal theme holds everyone, and what you share in circle will naturally reflect where you are in your own process.
✔ You will not be behind
This is not a linear program you must keep up with.
It is a seasonal apprenticeship that moves in a spiral.
Women join from different places in their lives, and the rhythm of the wheel supports everyone.
🌀New women begin in the Westgate.
🌀Women already in Westgate move into the upcoming Northgate.
Everyone is held.
Everyone is included.
Everyone is supported.
Westgate: The Thread of Descent
Westgate: A Fall Journey of Composting, Clarity, and Courage
The Westgate is where the Sanctuary Journey begins during the fall and winter seasons.
It is the place of descent. The place of truth. The place where you loosen your grip on what is complete so you can see yourself with greater honesty and compassion.
🌀If you are entering the Sanctuary Journey for the first time,
the Westgate is the natural starting point.
What the Westgate Is
The Westgate is a 12 week experience held inside the autumn season of the Medicine Wheel.
It is designed to help you:
understand the patterns and threads that have shaped your year
let go of what you can no longer carry
soften into deeper listening
prepare for the winter dreamtime
reconnect with your inner knowing
move through a personal descent with support, structure, and community
This is a personal season of inner composting.
It clears space so the Northgate can take root.
What You Will Explore
The Westgate is held by the archetypes of autumn.
They offer guidance and structure as you move through your own inner landscape.
Bear
Learning to rest without guilt. Listening to the body. Entering the cave.
Thread Weaver
Seeing the red thread of your story. Gathering scattered pieces of yourself.
Making meaning from what remains.
Hedge Witch
Reclaiming boundaries. Working with shadow.
Returning to your wild wisdom.
Grief as Fertilizer
Honoring what has ended.
Transforming sorrow into clarity and strength.
This is quiet work. True work. Grounding work.
It prepares you for the dreamtime of winter.
Creative Project: The Medicine Spirit Doll
At the heart of the Westgate is your Medicine Spirit Doll.
She becomes a symbolic Self, a companion, and a vessel that holds your story.
You may create her through needle felting or any medium you love.
Both options are fully supported.
This is not about perfection.
It is about giving form to what is rising in you.
If you choose needle felting, step by step video guidance is included.
If you choose another creative medium, you will be held inside the same intentional process of symbolic creation.
No experience is needed.
Just a willingness to meet yourself where you are.
Talking Circles
Throughout the season you will be invited into our Live Talking Circles.
These are warm, ceremonial gatherings on Zoom that offer:
gentle connection
ritual
creative witnessing
honest sharing
teachings not found in the course platform
community support
Attendance is optional.
Recordings are provided for two weeks.
You will be welcomed whether you are brand new or returning, on pace or moving slowly.
What You Receive
Full 12 week Westgate Journey
Step by step guidance through each phase
Live Talking Circles
Recorded replays
Printable companion guides
Creative tutorials
Access to a private chat group
Optional Deluxe Felting Kit (sold separately)
Access to the course for three full months
Investment: The full 12 week Westgate Journey is $111 dollars
This seasonal enrollment rate keeps the Sanctuary Journey accessible during the winter months.
You may begin as soon as you enroll and move at the pace that feels natural for you.
You are not expected to keep up with the group rhythm.
Start Here: The Westgate is the recommended starting point for all new students during the fall and winter seasons.
“This journey met me at the exact moment I needed it most.
I did not realize how much I was still carrying until I began creating the Medicine Doll.
Every step helped me let go. Every circle felt like a sacred mirror.
I have never felt more witnessed or more myself.”
Northgate: The Winter Dreaming
A Winter Journey of Deep Listening, Dream Shaping, and Inner Light
The Northgate is the winter season of the Sanctuary Journey.
It is the time of dreamwork, intuitive shaping, and quiet becoming.
It is where the threads you uncovered in the Westgate begin to soften, deepen, and reveal what is ready to take form.
If you are finishing the Westgate, the Northgate is your natural next step.
If you are new this season, you will begin in the Westgate and can join the Northgate whenever it feels aligned during the winter months.
What the Northgate Is
The Northgate is a guided winter cycle that begins on January 31, inside the sacred Imbolc threshold.
This is the season when the inner fire returns.
It is a time for:
listening to your deeper knowing
tending the dreams that surfaced in the fall
shaping a quiet vision for the year ahead
deepening your relationship with your inner light
resting while still moving
allowing clarity to rise from within
This is a season of subtle power.
It is quiet, warm, and inwardly alive.
What You Will Explore
The Northgate is held by the archetypes of deep winter.
They offer the guidance needed to move from descent into clarity and emerging vision.
Bear
Waking within the cave. Trusting the slow pace.
Following instinct. Listening in the dark.
Dreamer
Holding the unformed. Trusting the not yet.
Receiving guidance through symbol, vision, and intuition.
Inner Hearth Keeper
Tending the inner flame.
Finding warmth, self compassion, and protection from within.
The Quickening
Honoring the spark that begins to stir below the surface.
Allowing small truths to rise.
Buffalo
Walking steadily through late winter.
Grounding the vision.
Moving with strength and quiet endurance.
This is a time to lean into stillness, to listen deeply, and to let the inner wisdom speak.
Creative Project: The Dreaming Doll Archetype
In Northgate you will continue your creative medicine work, but the focus shifts from descent to emergence.
You may create:
a Dreaming Medicine Doll
a winter symbol of your choosing
or continue shaping the archetype you began in the Westgate
You may needle felt or use any medium that calls to you.
All options are supported inside the Sanctuary Journey.
This project is an anchor for your winter dreaming.
It helps bring shape to what lives below the surface and wants to rise as the year unfolds.
No experience is needed.
Just a willingness to trust the quiet.
Talking Circles
Throughout the Northgate season you will be invited into Live Talking Circles.
These gatherings offer:
deep listening
warmth
ritual
quiet connection
intuitive sharing
guidance not found in the course platform
You are welcome whether you are completing Westgate, beginning Northgate, or moving between them at your own rhythm.
Recordings will be available for two weeks after each circle.
What You Receive
Full winter Northgate Journey
Seasonal guidance and practices
Live Talking Circles
Recorded replays
Printable companion guides
Creative tutorials
Access to a private chat group
Optional Deluxe Felting Kit (sold separately)
Access to the course for three full months
Start Date
The Northgate season opens on
January 31, 2026
inside the Imbolc threshold.
This timing honors the return of the inner light and supports the transition from descent into dreamtime.
Investment
The full Northgate Journey is
$111 dollars
This seasonal price is offered to keep the work accessible during winter.
You may begin as soon as you enroll and move at the pace that feels right to you.
Continue On Into the Northgate Here
If you are completing the Westgate, this is your next step.
“This is not just a course. It is a soul space.
The way the seasons, the archetypes, and the creative work are woven together is life changing.
My Medicine Doll now sits on my altar as a daily reminder of who I am becoming.”
Meet Your Guide
Jerri Lynn Shelton
Crone. Medicine Dollmaker. Edge Walker. Creative Alchemist.
For decades, I have walked the path of inner healing, creative ritual, and soul remembrance.
My work lives in the places where intuition, earth wisdom, and deep emotional truth meet.
I am someone who naturally sees beneath the surface.
I hear what is unspoken, notice what is in between the lines, and pick up the subtle threads that want to be tended. This is simply how I am built. It is the foundation of the way I guide.
Women often tell me that being with me feels like being truly seen for the first time.
Not judged. Not fixed. Seen.
My work weaves together:
grounded spiritual mentorship
creative process as medicine
shadow tending with compassion
ritual as a pathway home
and the power of symbolic art to anchor transformation
For more than ten years, I have created spaces where women can soften, share honestly, and reconnect with their deeper wisdom through the Medicine Doll path. Whether in person or online, my circles have always been places of safety, warmth, and realness.
I walk this spiral beside you, not above you.
My role is to help you:
understand your own inner seasons
make meaning from your story
navigate grief, transition, or awakening with clarity
transform inner truth into creative expression
and remember who you are beneath all the noise
This journey is not about becoming someone new.
It is about meeting yourself again — honestly, gently, and without apology.
You are not walking alone.
I am here with you, every step of the way.
Materials for Your Journey
Creative supplies to support your Medicine Doll process
You do not need to be a needle felter to take this journey. Many women choose to create their Medicine Archetype through painting, stitching, sculpting, collage, or mixed media.
If you feel called to craft your Medicine Spirit Doll or Dream Egg through needle felting, I offer an optional Deluxe Felting Kit to make the experience simple and beautiful. Needle felting tutorials are provided inside the course should you choose this medium.
The Deluxe Felting Kit includes:
3 oz Core Wool for shaping (for 2-3 dolls)
6 Colored Wool Batts in beautiful, blended tones
½ oz roving sample pack for hair and design
Assorted sizes of felting needles
Felting pad
Magic Herb Blend for intention setting
Armature wires for poseable limbs
Perfect for beginner and seasoned crafters
Everything is chosen with intention so you can begin right away without hunting for supplies.
Ordering the kit is optional.
You are welcome to use your own materials. A list of what you need is provided inside the course welcome module.
If you wish to order the Deluxe Felting Kit, you will find the link here and inside your confirmation email after you enroll. I will ship it to you within 3-5 business days.
Your medium is your choice.
Your creativity is the medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the course begin?
You can begin the Westgate the moment you enroll.
The Northgate opens on January 31, aligned with the Imbolc threshold.
How long do I have access to the course?
You have full access for the entire season you enroll in.
Westgate runs through January 31.
Northgate runs through the end of winter.
Do I need any prior experience with needle felting?
No. Many women in the Sanctuary Journey have never felted before.
You will receive beginner friendly tutorials if you choose the felting medium.
You may also paint, sculpt, stitch, collage, or create your archetype in any medium you love.
Do I need the Deluxe Felting Kit?
No. It is optional.
If you want the ease of having high quality materials ready to go, the kit is available here for purchase.
If you prefer to use your own supplies, you will receive suggestions to guide your art projects inside the course.
What if I cannot attend the live Talking Circles?
Attendance is always optional.
Recordings are posted inside the course platform for you to watch during the season.
You will not miss anything essential. The seasonal work holds everyone.
Will I feel behind if I join late?
No. The Sanctuary Journey is not linear.
Women move through the content at their own rhythm.
The Talking Circles are seasonal and supportive, which means you will always be held, no matter where you are in the coursework.
Where do I access my course after I enroll?
After purchase, you will receive a welcome email with instructions.
Your login link is also available on my main website navigation bar under the Course Login tab.
Do you offer refunds?
Because the Sanctuary Journey is a digital, immediately accessible experience, refunds are not offered.
I encourage you to read the course descriptions carefully and tune in to whether this work is aligned for you before enrolling.
Can I keep going after this season ends?
Yes. You may continue into the next seasonal direction of the Medicine Wheel.
Enrollment links will be provided as each new season opens.
“I was surprised by how deeply this work touched me.
I love the Talking Circle!
It’s become a place where I feel safe, seen, and supported.”
“I joined thinking I was signing up for a crafty art course.
I did create amazing art, but I also
ended up reclaiming parts of myself I had forgotten.
This journey has been such a rewarding surprise.”
“This experience has changed the way I move through my days.
The Medicine Wheel gave me a language for my inner world.
I finally understand where I am, where I’m going, and what I need.”
Your Next Step on the Sanctuary Journey
You have two seasonal pathways open to you.
Choose the one that reflects where you are right now.
Choose Your Path
Westgate: Thread of Descent
Start here if you are new.
This is the foundation of the Sanctuary Journey.
A season of release, clarity, and understanding your inner threads.
Northgate: The Winter Dreaming
Move here if you are completing the Westgate.
A season of dreamtime, stillness, and quiet inner guidance.