Everything you see and experience at Sleeping Lady is an answer to the question: "What will inspire and support people as they counsel together in search of new ideas and solutions to important questions?"

From the beginning of time, the gathering of human minds and hearts together to seek wisdom, to bond, and to solve shared problems has been a powerful, life-changing experience. Like so many facets of modern life, such meetings are often stripped of their transforming power by inattention to our deepest human needs. We believe these to include the need for beauty, for physical comfort, for human connection, and for contact with the Earth and nature.

We have created a place that speaks to the whole person - mind, body, and spirit. Sleeping Lady is designed to foster productive meetings in a setting that encourages creativity, cooperation instead of competition, and replaces negativity with serenity.

Sleeping Lady's human-scale architecture, the inspiration of Jones and Jones architects , is designed to blend with its natural setting. Guest rooms are arranged in community-like clusters to foster interaction. Meeting rooms are flooded with natural light from windows that frame nature and open to bring in fresh air and birdsong. A walk on the paths between buildings helps stimulate the mind and spirit. Uncluttered views of the night sky and its constellations help bring perspective and inspiration to guests who pause to look up.

Seeking harmony with nature, Sleeping Lady demonstrates the benefits of ecologically sensitive methods of construction and operation to our guests and the world each day. Natural cotton sheets without formaldehyde or chlorine, interior and exterior building materials and finishes, and the minimization of "off-gassing" addresses chemical sensitivity issues and creates a healthier environment for all.

Joining as a community to share meals that delight the senses and nourish the body is an important part of the Sleeping Lady conference experience. We use fresh produce, supplemented with seasonal offerings from our own organic garden, and the best of Northwest fish, meat and poultry to create meals that refresh and energize.

At Sleeping Lady, the art created by human hands complements and celebrates the natural beauty that surrounds us. Many outdoor paths and community spaces, even the riverfront, showcase Sleeping Lady's extensive art collection. Our partnership with Icicle Creek Music Center provides a richly colored palette of the performing arts, from the Sleeping Lady series, to Icicle Creek's own classical, jazz and acoustic chamber concerts and recitals.

Community, nature, beauty, and nourishment for body and mind - these elements release the creative potential of any human gathering.