A Sacred Community · Sanctuary 44 · Shafer, Minnesota
A sacred community for Black women ready to rest, reclaim, and return to themselves.
Here, stillness becomes the strategy.
A way to hear yourself again.
A way to remember the truth of your I AM.
A place to just be.
The waitlist is open — space is limited.
You may be navigating a new season — divorce, reinvention, empty nest, menopause, career shifts, or the quiet ache of realizing you have been available to everyone but yourself.
You are accomplished. You are capable.
And still, there are moments when you want a space where you do not have to explain yourself, perform strength, or carry the room.
A space where connection feels real. Where beauty and peace are intentional. Where your spirit can breathe.
That is why The Circle exists.
And if you felt something reading that — you are in the right place.
The Circle at Sanctuary 44 was created for Black women who want more than another event on the calendar. This is a sacred community where the energy is different.
You are not expected to arrive polished, perfect, or on. You are invited to arrive honestly.
This is your invitation to stop performing rest and actually receive it.
This is Human Renewal — quiet, real, and yours.
The Circle offers more than early access. It offers a standing invitation into a sacred sisterhood created for Black women who are ready to rest, reconnect, and return to themselves.
As a member, you receive first invitations to Sanctuary 44 experiences, member pricing, and the opportunity to invite a guest when space allows.
You will also receive a Certificate of Membership honoring your place in this founding community. Your Founders Brick will be placed in the Founders Circle on the Sanctuary 44 property — a lasting reminder that your presence is welcomed, witnessed, and rooted here.
Your membership opens access to:
Experiences are offered separately. Members receive first access before invitations are extended to guests or the broader waitlist.
Your place in the Founders Circle at Sanctuary 44.
Sanctuary 44 is being created as a place where Black women can exhale, reconnect, and return to themselves. The Founding 100 are the first women invited to take their place within The Circle at Sanctuary 44.
You are not simply becoming a member of something already built. You are helping seed it.
Your Founding Membership helps bring Sanctuary 44 to life while securing your place within the sisterhood, experiences, and unfolding story of this land.
Only 100 Founding Memberships will be offered
As One of the Founding 100, You Will Receive
Your name will become part of the story of Sanctuary 44. Your presence will help shape what grows here. And your place among the Founding 100 will always be yours.
Only 100 women will hold this distinction.
Your Founding Membership secures your place among the Founding 100. Applications are reviewed before space is confirmed; payment is by invoice upon acceptance.
Claim My PlaceFounding Membership marks your place in our beginning. Annual stewardship carries the relationship forward — priority invitations, early access, member pricing, and continued connection to The Circle. Offered separately each year; it will not renew automatically.
Join the priority list for Sanctuary 44 updates, farm news, seasonal events, and experiences. Separate from Circle membership.
You don't have to be one of the Founding 100 to be part of this story. If you love what Sanctuary 44 is becoming and want to leave your mark on it, you're invited too.
Sanctuary 44 is being built with intention. Brick by brick. Name by name. Story by story.
A Legacy Brick allows you to place a name, memory, message, or dedication within the physical landscape of Sanctuary 44.
A Legacy Brick may be used to:
Legacy Brick: My mark of support on the land.
A Legacy Brick is a one-time contribution and permanent dedication. It does not include membership in The Circle or the benefits of the Founding 100. Founding Membership creates membership access. Legacy Bricks create lasting dedication. Both help build Sanctuary 44 — each carries a different meaning.
Place a Legacy BrickEach member of The Circle receives a Certificate of Membership presented by Dr. Deena C. Brown, Founder — a ceremonial acknowledgment of her place in this community and the journey she chose to begin.
It carries the four pillars — Stillness, Sovereignty, Strategy, Sacred Joy — and an affirmation she can return to whenever she needs to remember who she is.
Members receive first invitations to Sanctuary 44 experiences designed for rest, reflection, creativity, connection, and sacred joy.
Member-centered gatherings for rest, reflection, honest conversation, and connection. A place to arrive as you are.
Intimate gatherings around food, beauty, conversation, and sisterhood. Unhurried. Intentional. Nourishing.
Creative restoration through painting, candle making, tea blending, herbal creation, journaling, and more. These moments are not about perfection. They are about presence.
Intentional time at Sanctuary 44 for women who need a meaningful pause, quiet, nature, and room to breathe.
A signature Sanctuary 44 gathering for Black women navigating midlife, menopause, reinvention, and renewal. Honest conversation. Embodied wisdom. Sacred joy.
A 3-day, 2-night May experience for deeper rest, connection, reflection, joy, and renewal. This experience is available to Circle members only.
The Circle is a membership community for Black women seeking return, renewal, sisterhood, and belonging.
If something in you recognizes something here, you are invited to apply.
Applications are reviewed personally. You will hear from us directly.
Join the priority list for Sanctuary 44 updates, farm news, seasonal events, and experiences — separate from Circle membership.
Is The Circle specifically for Black women?
Yes. The Circle at Sanctuary 44 was created specifically for Black women. This is a space designed to center your experience, your voice, and your rest — without translation or explanation.
Do I have to live in Minnesota to join?
No. Women from anywhere are welcome inside The Circle. Many experiences are held on the property in Shafer, MN, and we will share details about additional offerings as the community grows.
What is the difference between Founding Membership and a Legacy Brick?
Founding Membership is the pathway into The Circle. It creates Circle membership and everything that comes with it — including a personalized Founders Brick placed at Sanctuary 44. The Legacy Brick is a separate dedication pathway for supporters and allies who want to honor the Sanctuary 44 vision in a lasting way — but it does not automatically create Circle membership. Founding Membership creates membership access. Legacy Bricks create lasting dedication. Both help build Sanctuary 44. Each carries a different meaning.
What does Founding Membership include?
Your Founding Membership secures your place in The Circle — first invitations, member pricing, guest privileges when space allows, access to the land, and your place in the founding sisterhood. You will also receive a Founders Box, a Founders Certificate, a Founders Pin, and have your personalized Founders Brick placed at Sanctuary 44.
Does membership renew?
Your $1,000 Founding Membership includes your first year. Beginning in Year Two, membership continues through Annual Stewardship at $144 — keeping your place in the community, your priority access, and your member pricing active. Annual Stewardship is offered separately each year and will not renew automatically.
What is the Founders Circle?
The Founders Circle is a gathering place on the Sanctuary 44 property where each founding member's brick is placed. It is a visible, lasting part of the land — a circle of belonging where our founding women are honored and remembered.
Why is space limited?
The Circle is intentionally small so it can remain intimate and deeply connected. This is not a large club. It is a curated sisterhood — and that intimacy is the point.
The Circle is open. Space is limited. The women helping build this community from the beginning will always hold a special place in its story.
Apply to The Circlesanctuary44.com/circle · Where Stillness Meets Strategy™