First Things Foundation presents:
Raven's Bread
An immersive retreat into ancient, unexpected ways of being together.
Tuesday Evening - Friday Morning
At the Quilcene Lantern, Quilcene, WA
May 26-29, 2026
Rediscover what it means to be a human being at the edge of the world.
There will only be 150 full-feature tickets available!*
*Not including children. This is a Family Friendly event.
Here we meet at the edge of the world, the Olympic Peninsula to celebrate a liturgy of the wild and become cloaked in the stories, feasting, and sense-making of old. Here we put aside our devices, to discover ancestral technologies, guiding us towards what it means to be a real human being. We gather to be recreated by the retelling of legends and the blessings of the table. We come to receive Raven's Bread directly from his beak and share our illumination through hospitality.
What to Expect:
Storytelling
We're hosting some of the finest storytellers in the region. You will be immersed in myths and medicine from the jawbones of the masters. As the sun goes down on Wednesday evening, we'll gather around the fire to soak up inspired words from world-renowned Martin Shaw and others, late into the night.
Supra-ing
In other words: Feasting and Toasting. At the Supra, a toastmaster leads the dinner party on a journey, exploring the human experience with a series of toasts to the most meaningful aspects of life. Guests are invited to add their thoughts, feelings, and stories.You'll learn the art of being a Tamada: a toastmaster guiding the energy of the table. We'll learn from the toastmaster himself: John Heers alongside the founder of Supra Dinner Society, Daniel Padernos.
The featured Supra will happen on Thursday evening, bringing all the guests around the table as we share our hearts with one another. Featuring authentic Georgian food crafted by Seattle-based Mariko Catering. By the end of the night, nothing will be quite the same.
Sacramental Imagining
The sensory world is not merely an assortment of physical objects but a rich symbolic landscape, infused with divine energy. This ancient perspective has been lost in our secularized world. With the help of Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin and other speakers, we will attempt to rediscover the participatory nature of spiritual reality, exploring questions such as: What can the Old World teach us in the New? How do traditions actually make us free? What are the most beautiful origin stories? We'll dive into the ideas of Universal History, Wild Christianity, and learn how to encounter this mystical world in our everyday lives.
Stay in the Loop
Be the first to find out when tickets are available. We have limited ticketing to preserve the intimacy of the gathering.
We need help your help in planning the amenities for our location. Answer some quick questions below and we'll put you on the early-bird list:
Why Raven's Bread?
We began dreaming of this event because we felt something in the air. A shift. The beating of wings. ​Now that our culture has been hollowed out by the machinery of Mammon, old traditions with motley messengers are returning from the margin to rehydrate the deserted core. There is no room for despair. Raven embodies this strange, yet divine delivery service. A bringer of light for the Northwest indigenous tribes and a supplier of bread to the exiled Prophet Elijah, Raven carries the medicine of life for all who's hearts still beat for beauty. As the machine continues to churn and devour culture, we decided to put our faith in an ancient technology: gathering together to share our common heritage of storytelling and feasting.
We are inspired by Martin Shaw's vision of The Merrie:
One way of claiming a fraction of sovereignty is to do something in real time, and in the local. The Merrie is a way in which we could do that, even when its ambitions may seem rather Otherworldy. They aren't, not really. They are about becoming a real human being. ​​​​​​
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To get a better sense of what we're envisioning for Raven's Bread, we recommend reading about The Merrie on Martin's Substack.
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Our Awesome Collaborators:
Our Venue: The Quilcene Lantern
85 acres of trust-protected land on the Tarboo Creek Watershed. Featuring a vintage barn that has been home to hundreds of classical music concerts, festivals, and gatherings. Adjacent to the barn is a spacious gathering area and bar with a wood stove and incredible views of the Olympic Mountains. The Lantern has some of the most scenic camping sites in the area and can accommodate RVs and camper vans. There is very limited lodging on-site.
Located 30 minutes south of Port Townsend and less than 2 hours from Seattle.
Bodily Nourishment
Ticket prices will include all lunch and dinners from Portland-based Savvy Food Co and our concluding Supra feast on Thursday evening. We are happy to be providing the highest quality food from local outfits: