Field Studies Sanctuary
Sacred Assembly of Soil & Soul (SASS)
SASS is a non-denominational church and community, open to people of all faiths and paths. We are united by a shared reverence for the living Earth, the wisdom carried in our lineages, and the belief that healing for all is possible through intentional relationship with nature.
Born as a living expression of the Field Studies Sanctuary vision, SASS holds space for prayerful gatherings, deep study, and the embodiment of Source through soil, song, and soul work.
Structured as a 508(c)(1)(A) spiritual organization, our leadership moves in alignment with Spirit, guided by stewardship rather than hierarchy.
The SASS Philosophy
Sacred Assembly of Soil & Soul (SASS) is a living fellowship, rooted in reverence for Earth, Source, and the unseen threads that weave life together.
We gather in remembrance — of belonging to one another, to the land, and to the quiet wisdom held within stone, seed, and breath. Our healing unfolds through relationship with the Earth, and through that relationship, a deeper understanding of ourselves.
SASS holds space as a sanctuary of dignity and care. People of all walks of life and spiritual lineages gather here through a shared devotion to the living world. Our community is guided by three foundational principles:
Trust.
Respect.
Consideration.
These values shape the spaces we tend, the relationships we cultivate, and the presence we carry into the wider world.
This is a place for deep listening, shared meals, movement and joy, honest grief, and creative expression. We hold the vision of a great table at the edge of a meadow — a place of gathering and exchange. The table itself becomes the altar, where soil and soul meet in living communion.
We honor cycles and spirals, the intelligence of plants and animals, and the rhythms that shape life on Earth. Through attunement to these patterns, we experience wholeness, grace, and a shared way forward.
The Sanctuary exists to serve, to seed, and to support. It stands as a living expression of what emerges when love, land, and collective responsibility guide our choices. Together, we shape a story carried by Earth, enlivened by soul, and offered forward for generations to come.
Why We Use the Word “Church”
For many, “church” has been a place of exclusion, control, or harm. We honor that truth, and we carry it gently.
We choose to use the word not to preserve old wounds, but to help heal them — to remember that at its heart, a church is simply a gathering of people in shared reverence. Here, that reverence is for the living Earth, for the unseen threads that connect us, and for the possibility of healing in community.
We are a church without walls, dogma, or hierarchy — open to all paths, all faiths, and all who seek a deeper relationship with the land, with each other, and with the Source of Life that moves through all things.