emergence
– a spring letter from nina
Hi beloved community,
Happy spring time! In the ways that the flora and fauna are emerging from their slumber (the birds are singing as I write this outside at Sour Duck in Austin), so too is this container called Sanctuary Homes. What a journey it’s been since 2023 (and it’s only just the beginning), and I wanted to share my reflections, updates (organizational and personal), and the vision for Sanctuary Homes moving forward.
I. Reflections
These last two years have been filled with so much experimentation on this journey that Madeline and I started together in a tea shop in Mexico City in February of 2023. Sanctuary Homes has evolved into what it is meant to be: a regenerative social club grounded in art, healing, and nature – rooted in Austin for a global community. A space that is BIPOC-led and where all are welcome.
The practice of creating healing spaces and collaborating with existing and new communities in Austin, Los Angeles, and London have been gifts of ritual communion – each experience magical and singular in its existence because of the people who came together to make them a reality.
“Soap Aloe” on Film (Los Angeles, March 2025) by @ninaqho
As some of you may know, Madeline stepped down earlier this year as co-founder of Sanctuary Homes to step onto her path of doula work and plant spirit medicine. It’s bittersweet for me because she has been an inspirational and clarifying force in the creation of Sanctuary Homes, not to mention a great friend and role model. And, I’m excited for her to step into deeper alignment on her life’s path and grateful that we can continue to dream up and lead Moonscape ceremonies together. More importantly, the gift of our friendship to me is priceless.
Madeline, in alignment with her intended doula work, helped me to bring Sanctuary Homes to life, establishing strong and healthy foundations for this organization’s future. This Work would not exist without her, and I’m honored to continue this vision of reconnecting people to self, community, and the earth through transformative experiences grounded in art, healing, and nature.
II. Updates
Organizational Updates
The biggest update for SH is that we received a $15K grant from the the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division for 2025 to sustain some of our work. This helps us cover the production costs of Moonscapes this year and launch a new virtual event series called Communal – a quarterly virtual book club centered on healing in, with, and through community led by BIPOC facilitators and community leaders.
(The reading list for 2025 includes: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hershey, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by adrienne marie brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne marie brown, and All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks.)
We’ll be holding five Moonscape ceremonies this year (all in Austin and livestreamed for our broader community) and 4 Communal book clubs. We’ll be releasing seasonal calendars so you can plan accordingly!
Personal Updates
Y’ALL. Like a lot of people in my life, I have been through it and back. Like Venus’ journey into the underworld to meet her shadows and come back reborn (Venus Retrograde) – that was me. Long story short, my day job in Texas public education had become so stressful that I was waking up to panic attacks, my nervous system was chronically dysregulated (even affecting my short-term memory), and I eventually lost my hearing for several months. I didn’t have a plan at that time, but knew that I needed to finally choose myself and resigned in order to heal and gain clarity on the path ahead.
During my “Great Pause,” I stepped back from holding space for others because I was not resourced to do so. I had to unravel so many shadow patterns like overlaboring, lack of pace, and disassociation (from my body, mind, and spirit).I think the big lesson the Universe had for me was that in order to lead a restorative collective from a place of truth and authenticity, I needed to first learn how to deeply embody the principles of prioritizing rest over production, flow over control, and clarity over speed.
With clarity now, I’m excited for the vision of my life – owning my path as a writer-artist and going back to school for interior design (at UCLA Extension – a hybrid program so you’ll see more of me SoCal friends!) and regenerative landscape design to eventually pursue an M.A. in Regenerative Design (hopefully in London).
"The Seer, March 2025" on Film (Los Angeles, March 2025) by @ninaqho
III. Vision
The vision for Sanctuary Homes is quite big and bountiful, and therefore I need to go slower and be even more intentional. In 5-10+ years, I envision a regenerative community that is deeply relational – with roots in Austin and branches in other communities – that can continue this creative healing work systematically and abundantly, one that is not dependent on any one individual for its success and continuation.
I imagine a blend of hyper local and globally accessible programming, publication, and place(s) – inspired by containers like Tea at Shiloh (LA), Maha Rose (NYC, Mexico), and Atmos.
I would like to do this community healing work for a long time and in a way that feels abundant and expansive for myself – no more burnout or martyrdom in any areas of my life.
As such, I’m practicing asking for help in the following ways: Austin-based volunteers, global collaborators with creative, social, and/or financial capital for Communal, and global board members from diverse backgrounds to provide feedback and support decision-making – especially related to programming, fundraising, legal, and operations in 2025 and beyond.
I’m honored to be the steward of this vision and architect a template for restorative change. I commit to practicing pace – to show up little by little, day by day.
With gratitude,
Nina Q. Hồ
