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Black Stone Sanctuary

Black Stone Sanctuary

a few dozen members

An interfaith dark retreat project in Oregon by contemplative animists with a goth nesting instinct. Home of Endarkenment (former music newsletter).

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About

Black Stone Sanctuary is an interfaith dark retreat project in Oregon (started in 2011) stewarded by contemplative animists with a goth nesting instinct.

We have two IRL nodes of local members: one in Portland, and one in Eugene. We also have a global network of readers, members, and supporters. While we cater to polytheists and animists, we welcome respectful interest from all walks of life and do not require adherence to any creed.

We call our practices "open source modular monasticism" and our work centers on darkness as a healing force.

You can read more about us in our FAQ.

Latest from Black Stone Sanctuary

Dark Moon Incubation Mini-Retreat - October 10, 2026, 6:30 PM PST - Theme: Liminal Space (Portland, OR)

This Saturday, October 10, FBSS will host our monthly Dark Moon Incubation Mini-Retreat at the humble BSS studio in Portland. For this lunation our meditation theme will be liminal space. We've now...

Oct 800

An Overview of What You'll Find in the BSS Dark Forest

Editor's Note: Today we revised the welcome email that goes out automatically to all new members when they sign up. Since we've scrapped our membership program, dropped all the previous keyholder...

Aug 3102

Now Available: Mordgud Prayer Printable

Welcome to everyone who found their way into our Dark Forest space through our recent Substack announcement. (Out of respect for your inbox we certainly won't be announcing every new item in our shop...

Jul 2600

Dark Moon Incubation Mini-Retreat - July 14, 2026, 6:30 PM PST - Theme: Sacred Dwelling (Portland, OR)

Our Dark Moon Incubation Mini-Retreat in Portland is coming up next week. Our meditation theme for this lunation is sacred dwelling. For local attendees in Portland, we'll open with a recitation of...

Jul 1005

Annual Drone Day Mini-Retreat Playlist (2026)

For our FBSS Drone Day mini-dark-retreat (30 May 2026) taking place in Portland this year, I selected nine calm, low-key tracks with no sudden changes in tempo or other musical elements that might...

May 2816

Atmospheres: Contemplative Dark Ambient (Chthonic Cathedral Project Playlist)

Editor's Note: Though this much-requested series of playlists-with-liner-notes for the Chthonic Cathedral Project was built with the long term in mind, it has been "homeless" for quite awhile. All my...

May 1800

Black Stone Sanctuary Dark Forest FAQ v1

Editor's Note/Update: Today (20 May 2026) DFOS opens its doors to the public — a major milestone. If you're just joining us, welcome! You're now a member of one of the pioneer Dark Forest spaces....

May 1010

International Dark Sky Week - April 13-20, 2026

"International Dark Sky Week is a global celebration of the wonder and importance of the night—and a time to take action to preserve natural darkness and our star-filled skies." "Join us this April...

Apr 700

Housing + Worship Space: Exploring Options for Friends of Black Stone Sanctuary

In 2022, Black Stone Sanctuary published Toward a Cottage Cluster Monastery to outline how we were thinking about finding a potential IRL location at that time. Plenty has changed since then — BSS...

Mar 101

Annual Drone Day Playlist (2025)

If you've seen any of my previous writings about Drone Day, you may know that I look forward to this annual celebration every year, and that Black Stone Sanctuary typically observes Drone Day by...

May 2400
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