Hi, my name is Tanya, aka Fairy Queen. For over 5 years now, Purple and I have been managers and stewards of Sky Temple Ranch, a 200-acre property dedicated to healing, nature, and conscious community. With the help of many others, we’ve been creating an incredible haven for dance, movement, growth, and transformation.
We’re starting this fundraiser together to support the first phase of an important land restoration and permaculture project that will help protect this property for generations while making it more fertile, resilient, and alive.
This project is deeply aligned with our shared values: caring for the land, supporting community, and creating spaces where people can reconnect with nature, beauty, and themselves.
Why This Matters
Like much of California, our land faces increasing challenges from drought, erosion, and changing climate conditions. While Sky Temple Ranch is deeply beautiful, much of the soil struggles to retain water, and without intervention, the land becomes more vulnerable each year.
We have an opportunity right now to take meaningful action — not just to “maintain” the property, but to regenerate it.
We’ve been working with Gerard, an experienced permaculture practitioner, farmer, and land steward who has built successful food forests and water-retention systems in places like Ojai, Sebastopol, Hawaii and Costa Rica. His proposal focuses on simple, proven techniques that work with nature instead of against it.
What We’re Building
This first phase focuses on creating:
- Hugelkultur swales to slow, spread, and capture rainwater
- Starter food forest plantings to identify what thrives in our microclimates
- Soil restoration systems that improve fertility over time
- Long-term land observation and mapping to guide future phases
These systems quietly transform land over the next several years — turning dry, fragile soil into living, water-holding ecosystems.
They also enhance the retreat experience by creating beautiful, walkable, productive landscapes that nourish both people and the environment.
Community Work Days & Volunteer Opportunities
During the time Gerard is on the land (Feb-Mar 2026), we plan to host volunteer work days and community work parties for those who feel called to participate in hands-on land restoration.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to:
- Learn practical permaculture and land-stewardship skills
- Contribute directly to the future health of the property
- Connect with others who love nature-based projects
As a thank-you, participants will be invited to enjoy many of Sky Temple Ranch’s amenities, including:
*Dorm-style sleeping accommodations for overnight stays
*Hot tub
*Cold plunge
*Mobile steam spa
*Gigantic dance floor
*Acres of peaceful land and forest to explore
In addition, Gerard has generously offered to cook nourishing meals for work parties, bringing his background as a professional chef into the experience so that these gatherings are not only productive, but genuinely enjoyable and nourishing.
Our hope is that this project becomes not just a land improvement effort, but a shared experience of stewardship, learning, and connection.
How The Funds Will Be Used
We are raising $10,000 to cover the initial phase:
~$2,000-$4000 → materials (tools, soil, wood chips, equipment rental)
~$4,800- $6000 → labor for installation & land shaping
Gas & transportation
Documentation and site analysis to guide future phases
*Volunteer participation may help reduce our labor costs, and any additional funds will go directly into this project which would include more plantings, fruit trees and soil improvements.
Why We’re Asking for Help
Retreat centers operate on tight margins, especially in the off-season. While this work is deeply important, it’s not something we can fully fund upfront without community support.
If Sky Temple Ranch has ever supported you — through retreat, healing, rest, creativity, or connection — this is a chance to help protect the land that makes all of that possible.
Even small contributions help. Sharing this page helps just as much.
Looking Ahead
This is only the beginning.
If this phase is successful, future projects may include expanded food forests, meditation gardens, shaded walking paths, and simple land-based art spaces that invite people back into the forest — not through expensive installations, but through thoughtful design and living beauty.
Thank You
Thank you for reading, caring, and supporting land-based healing work. We are deeply grateful for every donation and look forward to sharing our progress.
With love and appreciation,
The Sky Temple Team — Alex, Purple, Tanya & Gerard