Welcome

Welcome to the Indigenous Cultural Education Center – ICEC. The Indigenous Cultural Education Center is a 501(c)3 organization founded by P. Linda Ierna Reed and John H. Reed in 2008 to preserve and facilitate indigenous wisdom and cultural practices. We’re honored to have you. We welcome all who come here with a good heart and good intentions.

About Us

Vision Statement

The Indigenous Cultural Education Center is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization founded by P. Linda Ierna Reed and John Reed in 2008 to help preserve and facilitate indigenous wisdom and cultural practices.

Our Roots

Although many of us, individually and collectively, have lost touch with our origins over the centuries, we are all indigenous somewhere. Whether our ancestors lived in the highlands of Scotland, the steppes of Russia and Asia, the plains of Africa, the grasslands and forests of the Americas, or the ice flows of the Arctic, all of us have tribal roots. ICEC focuses on inclusion, not assimilation or exclusion. This principle is the foundation of our purpose and resolve.

Our Purpose

Native wisdom preserved within traditional cultures has much to offer in this time of change. For millennia this understanding has maintained a profound connection between human beings, the planet we live on, and the divine. Its basic tenet that we are caretakers of the Earth and, by extension, caretakers for each other creates a more harmonious perspective through which to experience the world.

ICEC works to preserve traditional indigenous wisdom and highlight the contributions of indigenous peoples to this planet. We support those seeking to rediscover their indigenous roots and develop a personal spiritual practice. We provide the space and opportunity to experience this shift through the healing practices of indigenous peoples.

Our Offerings

ICEC offers interactive, experiential workshops, seminars, and prayer ceremonies. Shamans, healers, and spiritual guides from North and South America’s indigenous traditions present drum circles, sweat lodges, pipe ceremonies, and other wisdom practices reflecting our connectedness with Mother Earth.

There are walking paths, a community garden, and a fifty-four-foot medicine wheel representing movement and change. The medicine wheel depicts balance, harmony, spirituality, and healing in the natural form of life’s circle, mapping the sacred landscape of the earth and the four directions.

In honoring the relationship between humanity and the planet Earth, ICEC’s programs heighten our individual awareness so that each of us can better serve the community as a whole. These ways, passed down over thousands of years, teach us that our relationship to one another and to the earth involves responsibility, care, and compassion.

Plan your visit

Thank you for visiting our site and your intentions to commune with us on this sacred land. We are based in Lebanon, CT, on 13 acres of pristine farmland. For over ten years, the ICEC’s mission has been to provide awareness and educational opportunities and host the cultural and spiritual practices of Indigenous People of the Americas and around the world on this Sacred Ceremony Ground. We invite you to walk this path of integrity with us by following your own path of growth and healing. We’ve provided a space for anyone who is looking to continue this honorable journey.

In this space and on this sacred land, we hold pure intentions for the healing of all beings here on Earth. All are welcome here. We ask only that you come in a good way with pure intentions and love to share. This sacred fire symbolizes our inner yearning for something beautiful to manifest amongst all living beings. Expect deep communion with Grandfather fire when you commune with us in this good way.

We are based in Lebanon, CT, on 13 acres of pristine farmland. Our land has a variety of spaces in which you can commune. Hammocks, a long house, sweat lodges, and a medicine wheel fire pit are a few of the sacred spaces that you will encounter on this land. We invite you to interact and pray with us in this sacred space.

Our accommodations include a large open indoor space with heated floors where you may stay for the night. We have a communal kitchen for making food, a bathroom, and a shower, both indoor and outdoor. We allow outdoor camping in small tents on the land. We encourage you to stay here with a communal heart and respect for both the land and your fellow seekers.

Our community is strong and growing. It is made up of people from all walks of life, all different ages and cultural backgrounds. The people that make up this community are rich with a creative spirit, have the will of warriors, and have the hearts of truly humble servants of life. We welcome you to join us and commune with us in a good way. All are welcome here. Aho!

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Experiences

Jeffrey
Newton, MA

My experience at ICEC filled me with a sense of gratitude and joy that could only be found in a place of true healing and wonder. John and Linda are two beautiful souls who work tirelessly to hold space for authentic selves to be remembered and genuine connections made. They both give new meaning to the words “integrity” and “respect.” Out of all those I have met who conduct prayer ceremonies never before have I found such a deep trust for the participants involved. To call the prayer ceremonies John and Linda’s would be a mistake; they are a product of all who are present, a true collaborative effort from a community devoted to learning how to love themselves and each other. I am forever grateful, honored, and humbled to have sat in the midst of such spirited people. The wisdom ICEC has to offer is unfathomable and at times overwhelming; one only has to listen to unlock life’s greatest secrets. My heart opened to love in ways I could never possibly have conceived of. Conversations are sacred, music is binding, presence is healing, and community is love. Thank you John, Linda, and everyone else who makes up ICEC. My light has never shined brighter than here with you, my home, my family, my community, my one true self.

 

Vivi
Switzerland

ICEC is a place where deer and fawns come close to us humans, right behind the old, big trees. Animals wouldn’t come, if they didn’t feel safe, which is a testament to this land’s nurturing nature.

I can fully be myself and sit in solitude yet I’m always part of the whole. This compassionate community is truly comfortable to be with. I feel the empathy and love and I know that I am not alone on my journey. My Higher Power brought me to this incredible place on Earth and I am profoundly grateful for it! In the prayer ceremonies guided Linda and John, I experienced tremendous healing by going deep within and found true inner peace. I’ve since been physically away from this sacred land, since I live in Europe, but meditation always brings me back there. I look forward to my next visit, as I am ready to awaken.

To Linda and John, the loving, caring and committed companions, who have been guiding me through my journey – you are truly unique and I love you both dearly and the ICEC community. May more humans find their way to this wonderful place. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

 

Kate
Malborough, CT

The ICEC is a community where one can find true sangha; it is a sanctuary where spiritual friendships, divine in nature, thrive. Linda and John hold a space of incredible integrity, creating this space for this community to grow and thrive by their actions, their walk, and their hearts. And they create this opportunity through their own example. It is a space of non-judgement and inclusivity. It is a space where we celebrate the earth, ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and Creator. It is a space where we can remember our own innocence, wholeness, and goodness. All else springs from there.

Their standards for who they bring in and keep in this space is incredible; having sat for around 10 years in ceremony and participated in a number of organizations of similar foundational beliefs, the dedication is to the truth and about leading by example. Practicality, honorability, nobility, and embodied change is the result of the work we do here; and in this world this is singular and rare. This is a space to go deep; collectively and personally. And it is a safe, loving space to do so.Through the various ceremonies and wise elders they bring to the center, there is a sharing of wisdom and a tenderness, community. The reverence that both Linda and John have for the red road is evident in their standards, their walk, and the incredible quality of the work that they do. It is an empowering place; that we become who we have been waiting for, that we show up, that we work, and that we remember ourselves, our power, and most importantly, that we Love.

I am grateful with my full soul that John and Linda answered this call; it is not always easy and it is so necessary. There is no pride in the work they do. They walk humbly and they do not know any other way; it is not in their nature. This unselfishness and love of their fellow man (everybody! not just our community, but the whole of humanity) is the premise and this is the true power and source of all they do. It is their simple nobility of spirit and courage to walk in this way that is the magic. Every life they have touched has in turn touched the lives of all; spreading this integration and this healing on a transpersonal level, rippling through our community and beyond.

 

Uddit
Windsor, CT

When I think of ICEC, the first thing that comes into my mind is that “It is a place for people to grow up.” The greatest strength and most beautiful gift ICEC has to offer is the passing on of that timeless divine wisdom that reawakens the memories of our true nature. Spiritual maturity comes not from the things we do, but how we are able to sit down and receive the lessons that are brought to us. John and Linda show up to do this work in such a good way and with so much integrity. All my adult life, I have looked for a community where people know the real value of life. Where they put their life and spirit on the line to help provide a safe haven that is held up by those ideals. Where they sow the seeds of a great change with their honest and true actions.

ICEC is like home to me, Linda and John are my dear family and precious elders. Since finding this beautiful and sacred, I have been able to heal and progress on many levels. My personal healing and progress has been great, but it has been really amazing to see that rippling into other aspects of my life where I have struggled. I have found more balance in my work life, more peace in my personal relationships, and more clarity on my relationship with Creator. That last one is big. It is the absolute root of how I can take my spirit, my energy, and use it to make a good difference in the world.

That is what is really taught here. How to each become clean and clear so that we can really fulfill our highest purpose and help each other and humanity.

I love ICEC and I love John and Linda so much, there really are no more words I can say. They have helped me to find somewhere that I can invest my loving nurturing energy, to cultivate a great gift for myself and all beings. Thank you so much, I will praise God till my last breath that I got to meet you guys and do this work with you. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

 

Kadia
Queens, NY

I’ve been a member or the ICEC community for 2 years now, throughout which I’ve been through a deep physical, emotional and spiritual transformation.
The integrity and care of Linda and John Reed are profoundly important to me in order to feel safe to heal. I visit the center once every couple of month because I simply cannot stay away! The energy, people and prayer ceremonies have been impacting every aspect of my life and I always, without fail, grow as a person as a result of spending time with them.

As a single mom I often bring my three children just to soak in the energy of the space and land. The most amazing part is that my oldest has experienced such a groundbreaking transformation and now no longer needs to take ADHD medication.
The land is magical, the community loving and supporting, the garden veggies delicious, the residing Hawks mystical and most importantly, the space is safe and supports anyone who seeks discovery of the divine self.

 

Bella Joy
Lebanon, CT

I have watched from close by for ten years how ICEC has developed and grown into a caring and supportive wellness community for people who travel far and near to attend sweat lodges and ceremonies for the benefit of wellness. Linda and John respect the native customs and adhere strictly to the reverence of ritual and respect for their community offerings.

On a personal note I have benefitted physically, mentally, and spiritually by partaking in ceremonies that have expanded my understanding of compassion and empathy. It is not what we do in ceremony but how we carry the message of the sacred once imbued with the message of love for all humanity that makes ICEC’s work so vital to the community of man.

Linda is a responsible and caring shaman. Her dedication and openness to heal and be on call for the community she serves is evident. She works tirelessly to bring people to themselves and her big heart carries love for all those she works with. People are safe with Linda, she is watching out for them. John is the quiet presence and support standing behind Linda. He is the fire keeper and respectfully and methodically keeps all of the rituals in alignment with the richness of the ceremony.

 

Francesca
Cape Coral, FL

As yoga teacher, and daughter of a yoga teacher, I have spent my entire life in the pursuit of divine wisdom. After years of conscientious practice in meditation and mantra, it seemed that I was still experiencing some areas of resistance within my own self-realization process. I have known Linda and her sacred, soul-work at ICEC for a decade now. It was at a point recently, where I could go no further on my own, that I called upon her healing services.

As I am no stranger to the infinite inner terrain of deep, shadow work, I have dedicated myself completely to my own individual healing for the sake of the greater good. Yet, I seemed to have reached a great mountain, which I could not surmount on my own. Linda’s work and the work that she facilitates through ICEC, cannot easily be summarized. Her level of integrity and her absolute commitment to the highest truth, is demonstrated in every single thing she does. Her wisdom, courage and strength is a palpable and essential part of what she offers through her non-profit organization. Clearly, she is guided by God, in ways that support her clients’ overall healing, growth and development. ICEC provides the groundwork for clients in coming more fully into their most divine expression.

When I called upon Linda, she immediately understood my needs. She did not hesitate to explain in great detail, what she was guided to share and extend. After participating in the practices as prescribed and receiving her most extraordinary gifts, my entire life began to shift in ways that had previously seemed impossible. And as for the mountain, I found myself upon its peak with a greater level of clarity and a deeper sense of understanding than I had ever known. ICEC offers an ancient wealth of wisdom and creates a sacred and safe space of support for one’s ascending journey towards truth. I trust Linda with my life and I cannot say the same for many people. She speaks to the heart and soul as well as to the trauma and woundedness of us all. She knows exactly when and what we require to transcend our own suffering in order to reach a place of liberation and fulfillment. I am infinitely grateful for Linda and ICEC and all the immeasurably important services they offer to those who are ready to truly awaken.

The world requires that more of us wake up and share our gifts. The ceremonial work offered through ICEC is at the very core of our soul-level activation. It is the basis of our collective development of opening our hearts and living from our highest truth. Linda is a gift. What she has created in ICEC is a true treasure. In a world, that all too often, seems to be falling apart, therein is a healing refuge. She holds the key to a heavenly kingdom that we have all come here seeking to discover. – Francesca Simonelli, Certified Yoga Instructor, Healing Facilitator & Spiritual Guide

 

Shomriel
Worcester, MA

ICEC has been so many things to me since I came to it for the first time in August of 2015. It has been a place where I have been companioned in my journey, where I have learned the value of silence, deep listening, and observation, where I have been able to grieve fully, dislodging deeply rooted places of anger, fear, and sadness, and where I have been able to rise up from the darkness and the grief to see things from a different perspective. Here I have learned to take myself less seriously while taking the work that we do together incredibly seriously, seeing myself as a part of a whole and letting the trappings of ego begin to fall away. In this space I have seen more clearly the particular gifts that I have to offer and have begun to develop the confidence to move in those gifts.

John and Linda are wise and humble teachers, committed to the work of awakening and re-membering and guiding all who pass through in this work without reservation. Anyone who comes in a good way, with good intentions, truly is welcome here. ICEC has become a second home to me, a place where we prepare food and eat together, nourishing body and spirit, where we pray and give thanks together, and where we are able to witness each other’s healing, growth, and transformation. As a result of the love, dedication, and respect that John and Linda model for the work that they do, for each other, for the land, and for those who come through, a strong sense of community has been established at ICEC, founded on these same principles of respect, truthfulness, integrity, and hard work, whether physical, spiritual, or both. In this place, within this community, I know that I am not walking alone, that I am bound in a web of connection to others even when I am not physically present with them. This gives me strength and a renewed commitment to the journey I’m on, not simply for my own wellbeing, but for the wellbeing of all my brothers and sisters, both those I have met and those I have yet to meet.

Thank you to John and Linda for following the call of facilitating this work and providing access to so many over the years to this place. It is here that we begin to clear out the stories and the conditioning that no longer serves us, where we come to understand who we truly are and why we are here, and where we can recognize the wisdom and guidance that is all around, quieting ourselves enough to finally hear it.