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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260315
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260322
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250908T133244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T133244Z
UID:10000306-1773532800-1774137599@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Co-Ed Wilderness Vigil in the Sacred Valley of Peru
DESCRIPTION:This Wilderness Vigil is a structured program combining ancient rite-of-passage traditions with modern wilderness therapy practices. Participants undergo a three-phase journey (Severance\, Threshold\, Incorporation) including 3 days/nights of solo wilderness experience supported by comprehensive safety protocols and professional facilitation.\nThis program honors both indigenous Andean traditions and pan-cultural vision quest practices\, conducted in partnership with local Q’ero communities and in accordance with Wilderness Guides Council ethical standards. \nPROGRAM OBJECTIVES\nParticipants will:\nDevelop self-reliance through extended solo wilderness experience\nPractice mindfulness and presence through structured solitude and nature immersion\nNavigate life transitions using wilderness as mirror and teacher\nBuild resilience through voluntary discomfort and weather exposure\nCultivate inner clarity through removal of external distractions\nConnect with nature as a source of guidance and reflection\nIntegrate experiences through structured storytelling and witnessing \nTherapeutic Goals:\nProcess life transitions and threshold moments\nClarify personal values and life purpose\nRelease outdated patterns and beliefs\nStrengthen connection to inner wisdom\nDevelop practices for ongoing self-reflection \nPROGRAM STRUCTURE\nPhase 1: SEVERANCE (Days 1-2)\nObjective: Prepare participants physically\, mentally\, and spiritually for solo experience\nActivities:\nOpening council and intention setting\nLand orientation and site selection\nSafety briefings and emergency protocols \nPhase 2: THRESHOLD (Days 3-5)\nObjective: Facilitate transformative solo wilderness experience\nFormat: 3 days/3 nights solo fasting vigil (water only\, food modifications available) \nPhase 3: INCORPORATION (Days 6-7)\nObjective: Integrate solo experience and bridge to daily life\nActivities:\nThreshold return ceremony \nRISK MANAGEMENT & SAFETY PROTOCOLS\nEnvironmental Hazards & Mitigation\nAltitude (12\,000 ft):\n2-day acclimatization before solo\nParticipant screening for altitude sensitivity\nEvacuation plan for altitude sickness\nPulse oximeter monitoring available \nWeather (Rainy Season):\nComprehensive weather briefings\nQuality shelter requirements (10×10 silnylon tarps minimum)\nWool/synthetic clothing requirements\nLightning safety protocols\nFlash flood avoidance site selection \nWildlife:\nParticipant education on local fauna\nFood storage protocols (though fasting)\nScorpion/spider prevention practices \nMedical & Emergency Protocols\nPre-Quest Screening:\nComprehensive medical history form\nMental health assessment\nPrescription medication management\nDietary restriction accommodations \nOn-Site Safety:\nSatellite communication device (Zoleo)\nFirst aid station at base camp\nEvacuation insurance required\nLocal medical contact established (Clinica Cusco)\nEmergency evacuation plan (30-minute to road access) \nParticipant Safety Gear:\nList provided upon registration \nPsychological Safety\nScreening Process:\nApplication and interview required\nMental health history reviewed\nPrevious wilderness experience assessed\nSupport system evaluation \nSupport Protocols:\nDaily welfare checks\nOption to return to base camp anytime\nPost-quest integration support (30 days)\nProfessional referral network available \nCULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS\nIndigenous Partnership\nProgram conducted with permission from local Q’ero communities\nLand use fees paid to Comunidad Campesina de Maras\nLocal guides hired as cultural liaisons\nTraditional offerings ceremony included (despacho)\nCultural protocols and taboos respected \nEthical Framework\nAcknowledgment of traditional vision quest origins\nRespect for Andean cosmology and practices\nNo appropriation of specific indigenous ceremonies\nClear distinction between inspired-by vs. traditional practices\nEconomic benefit to local communities prioritized \nPOST-PROGRAM SUPPORT\nIntegration Offerings\n30-day email support included\nGroup video call at 2 weeks\n1:1 integration session available\nResource list for continued practice\nReferral network for ongoing support \nPROGRAM PRICING\nStandard Tuition: $2\,199 USD\nIncludes all programming\, meals\, local transport\, and 30-day integration support\nDoes not include: flights\, personal gear\, evacuation insurance\, gratuities \nEarly Registration: $1\,799 USD (before Jan\, 2026)\nNeed-Based Scholarships: 2 spots per program at 50% reduction\nPayment plans available
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/co-ed-wilderness-vigil-in-the-sacred-valley-of-peru/
LOCATION:KDOL Saltspring Island\, Mount Tuam Rd.\, Saltspring Island\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Adults,BIPOC,Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/61f469d0-7d32-11f0-a6b9-4928b409d2a6-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Ish Hasan":MAILTO:ish@radicaleros.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251208T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251208T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20251209T161305Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251209T161305Z
UID:10000309-1765180800-1765213200@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Spring Vision Quest Eryri National Park\, North Wales\, UK
DESCRIPTION:The Vision Quest is an ancient ceremony to mark and move on from one life transition to another. This Vision Quest will take place in the mountains of Snowdonia\, in North Wales\, UK.\nThe Venue\nOur base is a lovingly restored Barn using natural materials and although ancient\, the barn has a modern feel of space and beauty. It nestles in the Nanmor valley\, surrounded by ancient woodland\, with views of Moel Ddu. It’s a safe and restful retreat base to be immersed in nature while preparing for your Vision Quest\nIncluded – is a well-equipped kitchen/dinning and a camp kitchen\nSeveral bedrooms to share\, Plus land for camping.\nWe move out to a base camp in the mountains for your solo time on the forth day\, then return to this lovely place for the final two days.\nThe group will live as a small community\, therefore you are asked to be responsible for yourselves. You provide your own food and cook for yourselves. (Closer to the start date we send the address list for you to plan meals together\, or alone.)\nThere are a of local shop in the village of Llanfrothen about five miles away.\nPorthmadog is the closest small town with a wider range of shops include a good health food store\, camping shops and a large supermarket with some organic food.\nCost – Sliding scale between £1\,150 to £895 (non refundable & non-transferrable deposit of £250\, unless the vision quest is cancelled) This includes all accommodation and camping (in your own tent) and the welcome meal.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/spring-vision-quest-eryri-national-park-north-wales-uk-2/
LOCATION:Ancient Healing Ways\, Llidiart Garw\, Elisingrug\, Talsarnau\, Gwynedd\, LL47 6UU\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/20220825_130734-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Pippa Bondy":MAILTO:pippa@ancienthealinways.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251020
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251027
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250929T173706Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250929T173706Z
UID:10000308-1760918400-1761523199@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:The Elder’s Journey: The Four Shields of Elderhood for Women
DESCRIPTION:“We are the seeds of the tenacious plant\, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and scattered.” \nKahlil Gibran \nThis will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary of this beloved program! \nThroughout the ages\, elder women have enjoyed sitting in circle to weave the rich tapestries of their stories\, stories that continued to warm and inspire people across time and culture. \nWhat about us\, now\, in our time? As women in all stages of growing into our greater years\, there is a growing passion and a commitment to tell our own stories. We have children\, or we are childless\, we are single or we are partnered\, working or retired\, healthy or feeling the struggles of the body. Whatever stage of eldering we find ourselves navigating it is important that we find our way\, with as much humor\, grace and dignity as possible. Death awaits us all\, and how we move through these years is of utmost importance. \nElderhood is an evolving experience that can be a ripening of our strengths rather than the dulling of our minds. From the words of social activist Maggie Kuhn\, “Old age is not a disease. It is a strength in survivor-ship\, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments\, trials and illness.” This speaks to aging as an extraordinary achievement. It is an opportunity to re-awaken the imagination towards new possibilities and a renewed spirit inspired by the lived wisdom acquired over the years. \nAs women ripen into the various stages of elderhood\, it may be time to re-map the landscape to make room for the emerging new perspectives of what it means to be an elder in today’s world. Through honoring the years of a life lived\, creating new meaning and imparting our gifts in service\, we move towards transformation and into a renewed vitality\, creativity\, and vision. This program is an invitation to open to what is needed to welcome the elders we are becoming. \nWe define “women” inclusively\, inviting all those who primarily identify as female or feminine. \nProgram Overview: During our time together we will explore ways to deepen into a more conscious approach to how we can live as elder women in the world today. We will recall our personal stories\, life experiences and collected knowledge and discover ways to transform them into our wisdom and our medicine. \nWe will explore an ancient means of looking into the mirror of nature through the lens of the Four Shields (a nature based teaching) that will reflect and support the wisdom of the elders as a natural point for introspection and meaning . Together we will move through the 4 seasons\, the 4 directions and the stages of life. These teachings and the earth itself will help to bring what is needed to our particular stage of this rich new frontier. \nOur days will begin with a morning circle that will include a check-in\, and a weaving of teachings and exploring together what it means to grow into our greater years. There will be daily solo time in nature and late afternoon story councils for listening and reflection of your solo experience on the land. \nA dawn to dusk contemplative solo/silence will be offered during the week. On our last night together we will offer a fire ceremony. \nProgram Questions Contact Silvia Talavera at silvia@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/the-elders-journey-the-four-shields-of-elderhood-for-women-2/
LOCATION:Aravaipa Canyon Ranch\, 91467 East Lewis Ranch Road\, Winkelman\, AZ\, 85192\, United States
CATEGORIES:Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-29-at-10.30.06-AM-scaled.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251010
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251017
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250929T173838Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250929T173838Z
UID:10000307-1760054400-1760659199@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Finding Purpose and Meaning through the Practice of Living and Dying
DESCRIPTION:Life is the primal impulse towards a never ending search for vitality and also the struggle to survive. Without death the life force could not exist. It has been said we come into the world with death beside us. And in the end our physical death is the ultimate rite of passage. This begs the questions: What is my relationship with my own mortality? How does the certainty of my own death inform my life? What are contemporary practices to support living and dying in these complex times of cultural and environmental crisis and “the great separation” from self and nature? \nLife is uncertain and there are no final answers to these and many more questions\, rather an opportunity to begin to cultivate new ways we can deepen our relationship with our mortality. \nKeeping death close at hand has been key to helping many at the end of their lives to realize what matters most. We will come together to explore how we can find ways to shift our attention more consciously towards our own mortality\, and look at what emerges for each of us as we hold the tension between being alive while walking towards death. Welcoming in conversations with the land\, and each other about death (the hidden teacher)\, our fears and our relationship with this unknown territory. \nDaily solo time in nature during which time you will explore and foster your own ways of walking through this fertile and mysterious landscape. Culminating in a dawn to dusk contemplative solo and ending our last evening with an offering of a fire ceremony. \nThis program is offered to all humans who are interested in deepening a natural relationship with death and bringing the focus toward living life with meaning and joy.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/finding-purpose-and-meaning-through-the-practice-of-living-and-dying/
LOCATION:Catalina State Park\, Tucson\, AZ\, United States
CATEGORIES:Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-29-at-10.24.04-AM-scaled.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250907T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250918T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250203T034132Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T034132Z
UID:10000297-1757260800-1758214800@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Autumn Vision Quest Eryri National Park\, North Wales. UK
DESCRIPTION:The Vision Quest is an ancient ceremony to mark and move on from one life transition to another. The ancients knew that by crossing these thresholds in wild places we face our fears\, see our life pass through and gather our medicine in order to move into the next phase of life.\n“Nature mirrors all that we are; it shows us the many faces of dark and light”\nOur base is a lovingly restored Barn using natural materials and although ancient\, the barn has a modern feel of space and beauty. It nestles in the Nanmor valley\, surrounded by ancient woodland\, with views of Moel Ddu. It’s a safe and restful retreat base to be immersed in nature while preparing for your Vision Quest. Included – is a well-equipped kitchen/dinning and a camp kitchen. Several bedrooms to share\, Plus land for camping.\nUnderfloor heating. Two bathrooms.\nWe move out to a base camp in the mountains for your solo time on the forth day\, then return to this lovely place for the final two days.\nThe group will live as a small community\, therefore you are asked to be responsible for yourselves. You provide your own food and cook for yourselves. (Closer to the start date we send the address list for you to plan meals together\, or alone.) The timing is GMT UK)
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/autumn-vision-quest-eryri-national-park-north-wales-uk/
LOCATION:Ancient Healing Ways\, Llidiart Garw\, Elisingrug\, Talsarnau\, Gwynedd\, LL47 6UU\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Adults,LGBTQIA+
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/shutterstock_549159934.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Pippa Bondy":MAILTO:pippa@ancienthealinways.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250720T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250731T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250203T034211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250203T034211Z
UID:10000296-1753027200-1753981200@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Summer Vision Quest Eryri National Park\, North Wales\, UK
DESCRIPTION:The Vision Quest is an ancient ceremony to mark and move on from one life transition to another. The ancients knew that by crossing these thresholds in wild places we face our fears\, see our life pass through and gather our medicine in order to move into the next phase of life.\n“Nature mirrors all that we are; it shows us the many faces of dark and light”\nOur base is a lovingly restored Barn using natural materials and although ancient\, the barn has a modern feel of space and beauty. It nestles in the Nanmor valley\, surrounded by ancient woodland\, with views of Moel Ddu. It’s a safe and restful retreat base to be immersed in nature while preparing for your Vision Quest. Included – is a well-equipped kitchen/dinning and a camp kitchen. Several bedrooms to share\, Plus land for camping.\nUnderfloor heating. Two bathrooms.\nWe move out to a base camp in the mountains for your solo time on the forth day\, then return to this lovely place for the final two days.\nThe group will live as a small community\, therefore you are asked to be responsible for yourselves. You provide your own food and cook for yourselves. (Closer to the start date we send the address list for you to plan meals together\, or alone.) The timing is GMT UK)
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/summer-vision-quest-eryri-national-park-north-wales-uk/
LOCATION:Ancient Healing Ways\, Llidiart Garw\, Elisingrug\, Talsarnau\, Gwynedd\, LL47 6UU\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Adults
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/shutterstock_31924345.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Pippa Bondy":MAILTO:pippa@ancienthealinways.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250714T060000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250720T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250322T145155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250322T145155Z
UID:10000302-1752472800-1753030800@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Wilderness Quest for Young Adults (18-24)
DESCRIPTION:This Wilderness Rites of Passage trip is for 18-24 year olds who are ready to mark their transition into adulthood. This is an 7-Day\, 6-Night Backpacking trip into the Marble Mountain Wilderness of Northern California that includes 2-Days/2-Nights of Solo time and Fasting. This will be a powerful Rite of Passage journey where they will get to truly be initiated into this next phase of their lives with intention and ceremony. \nWho am I? What am I leaving behind from my childhood? Who do I want to become? What are my gifts? What is my calling? Why am I here? This is their moment to sit with those deeper questions\, to sit with themselves\, to claim who they are\, and to call in what they want in their lives and what they want to share with the world. \n*Guided Passages operates under special use permit with the Klamath National Forest and is an equal opportunity provider. \nTrip Dates: July 14th-20th\, 2025\nWelcome Home Ceremony with Participants and Parents: Monday\, July 21st \nTuition: $1\,195
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/wilderness-quest-for-young-adults-18-24/
LOCATION:Marble Mountains\, Northern California\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Adolescents,Adults,Mentorship,Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Untitled-design-2024-11-15T123504.313.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Guided Passages%2CLLC":MAILTO:guidedpassages4youth@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250705T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250712T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250211T212452Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250211T212452Z
UID:10000298-1751706000-1752339600@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Summer Vision Fast - Blue Ridge Mountain
DESCRIPTION:This eight-day retreat functions as a Ceremony of Becoming\, allowing you to step into a more meaningful and complete version of your life with the help of nature and a small community of individuals. You are invited to leave your current life behind\, severing from work\, relationships\, household duties\, school\, social media and the everyday constant flow of life. You will find yourself in a beautiful wooded space set aside for spiritual retreats and journeys\, and enter into a guided ceremony where your perspectives and outlook will broaden and change. With your boundaries and walls becoming more permeable\, your essential questions are allowed to come to the forefront:\nWhat am I ready to leave behind? What am I moving into? What really is the point of it all? What do I have to offer this world? What is most essential in me that brings life and love? What do I need to let die so that a new life can be reborn?\nThere are 6 spots open for this summer\, and we are donation based\, asking participants to give what they can at an appropriate amount reflective of their life situation. LGBTQ+ community is welcomed and honored with open arms and hearts.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/summer-vision-fast-blue-ridge-mountain-2/
LOCATION:Friends Wilderness Center\, West Virginia\, Harpers Ferry\, WV\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="Bryan Bieniek":MAILTO:bryan@outdoortherapeutics.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250705T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250712T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250211T212424Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250211T212424Z
UID:10000299-1751706000-1752339600@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Summer Vision Fast - Blue Ridge Mountain
DESCRIPTION:This eight-day retreat functions as a Ceremony of Becoming\, allowing you to step into a more meaningful and complete version of your life with the help of nature and a small community of individuals. You are invited to leave your current life behind\, severing from work\, relationships\, household duties\, school\, social media and the everyday constant flow of life. You will find yourself in a beautiful wooded space set aside for spiritual retreats and journeys\, and enter into a guided ceremony where your perspectives and outlook will broaden and change. With your boundaries and walls becoming more permeable\, your essential questions are allowed to come to the forefront:\nWhat am I ready to leave behind? What am I moving into? What really is the point of it all? What do I have to offer this world? What is most essential in me that brings life and love? What do I need to let die so that a new life can be reborn?\nThere are ten spots open for this summer\, and we are donation based\, asking participants to give what they can at an appropriate amount reflective of their life situation. LGBTQ+ community is welcomed and honored with open arms and hearts.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/summer-vision-fast-blue-ridge-mountain/
LOCATION:Friends Wilderness Center\, West Virginia\, Harpers Ferry\, WV\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/spiral_JPG-copy.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bryan Bieniek":MAILTO:bryan@outdoortherapeutics.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Boise:20250626T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/Boise:20250626T173000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250616T122649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250616T122649Z
UID:10000303-1750941000-1750959000@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Nature Immersion Mini-Retreat
DESCRIPTION:Adventure Day option for attendees of the 10th Sun Valley Forum\nThursday\, June 26\, 12:45pm – 5:30pm \n4-hour (1/2 day) nature retreat for Forum attendees to take real time out in the Idaho wilderness to experience and explore what it might mean for humans to be “all in” with nature. Program comprises an opening circle\, solo nature walk\, story council\, water ceremony\, and a closing with the declaration of planetary interdependence. \nWe will gather and open the ceremonial space. Each participant will take a solo walk on the land and return to share about their experience. Together we will reflect on the interconnectedness of the living mother earth and how one might deepen to integrate one’s professional work in sustainability with the personal path and life style practices.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/nature-immersion-mini-retreat/
LOCATION:AZ
CATEGORIES:Adults
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_3471.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250620T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250627T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250211T212345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250211T212345Z
UID:10000300-1750438800-1751043600@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Practice of Council in Wild Nature  - Eryri National Park\, North Wales. UK
DESCRIPTION:Council practice in depth\nThis retreat will give you the chance to explore the grace and treasures found in the gift of speaking and listening from the heart in our own relationships. The path to healing and wholeness becomes real with self acceptance and a willingness to embrace what feels unacceptable; to name and be present with whatever is repressed and or rejected. We can then move forward and have the potential to heal old wounds\, deepen our love and understanding by facing the shadow. This week we are going to do just that with nature and the nature of each other as our teacher\, guide and mirror. \nWild Nature and our Nature in Council\nWe will work with the powers of the Four Directions showing us a map and guide to the seasons and patterns of our lives.\nWe will learn how to listen like a mirror; listening to the whole person mind/body/soul/spirit and our emerging story. We will become attentive to how the natural world and our own nature reflects our wholeness.\nWe deepen our ability to speak in the circle succinctly and yet at the same time\, share our stories with genuine expression including the details from our life; thus developing authentic expression of our own existence.\nFor more and fuller details go to – https://www.ancienthealingways.co.uk/practice-of-council-in-nature . The fee is in british pound £ 650.00
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/practice-of-council-in-wild-nature-eryri-national-park-north-wales-uk/
LOCATION:Ancient Healing Ways\, Llidiart Garw\, Elisingrug\, Talsarnau\, Gwynedd\, LL47 6UU\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/919639_497193237015343_974678830_o.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Pippa Bondy":MAILTO:pippa@ancienthealinways.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250617T060000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250621T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250322T145241Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250322T145241Z
UID:10000301-1750140000-1750525200@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Wilderness Quest for 7th/8th Graders
DESCRIPTION:This Wilderness Rites of Passage trip is for incoming or exiting 7th and 8th Graders age 11-14\, who are ready for the adventure and challenge of a lifetime. This will be a 5-Day\, 4-Night Backpacking trip into the Marble Mountain Wilderness of Northern California to mark the transition into their teenage years\, get wild\, stretch themselves\, connect with themselves and others in deep and meaningful ways\, and create memories that will last a lifetime. \nThis is going to be a powerful and life-changing experience that will help middle schoolers move forward into this next phase of their lives with more confidence\, intention\, and purpose. \n*Guided Passages operates under special use permit with the Klamath National Forest and is an equal opportunity provider. \nTrip Dates: June 17th-June 21st\, 2025\nWelcome Home Ceremony with Youth and Parents: Sunday\, June 22nd \nTuition: $895
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/wilderness-quest-for-7th-8th-graders/
LOCATION:Marble Mountains of Northern California\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Adolescents,Mentorship,Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Untitled-design-2024-11-15T123533.652-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Guided Passages%2CLLC":MAILTO:guidedpassages4youth@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250511T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250522T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20250202T005844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250202T005844Z
UID:10000295-1746979200-1747933200@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Spring Vision Quest - Eryri National Park\, North Wales\, UK
DESCRIPTION:The Vision Quest is an ancient ceremony to mark and move on from one life transition to another. The ancients knew that by crossing these thresholds in wild places we face our fears\, see our life pass through and gather our medicine in order to move into the next phase of life.\n“Nature mirrors all that we are; it shows us the many faces of dark and light”\nOur base is a lovingly restored Barn using natural materials and although ancient\, the barn has a modern feel of space and beauty. It nestles in the Nanmor valley\, surrounded by ancient woodland\, with views of Moel Ddu. It’s a safe and restful retreat base to be immersed in nature while preparing for your Vision Quest. Included – is a well-equipped kitchen/dinning and a camp kitchen. Several bedrooms to share\, Plus land for camping.\nUnderfloor heating. Two bathrooms.\nWe move out to a base camp in the mountains for your solo time on the forth day\, then return to this lovely place for the final two days.\nThe group will live as a small community\, therefore you are asked to be responsible for yourselves. You provide your own food and cook for yourselves. (Closer to the start date we send the address list for you to plan meals together\, or alone.) The timing is GMT UK)
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/spring-vision-quest-eryri-national-park-north-wales-uk/
LOCATION:Ancient Healing Ways\, Llidiart Garw\, Elisingrug\, Talsarnau\, Gwynedd\, LL47 6UU\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Adults
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_0916-scaled.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Pippa Bondy":MAILTO:pippa@ancienthealinways.co.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250220
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250519
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20241226T165625Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241226T165625Z
UID:10000292-1740009600-1747612799@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Rite of Sacred Passage - Mountain Expedition\, Vision Fast\, Medicine Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:There’s a fire inside you—one that’s being smoldered by your everyday life. Day after day\, you’ve gone through the motions\, doing what’s needed but never touching the edge of who you could be. Each sunrise is blurring into the next\, and the spark that once made you feel alive is fading into a dull glow. You’re standing at a crossroads. This is your call to something greater—an initiation into what it truly means to be alive. This is more than an expedition\, it’s a rite of passage\, a journey into awe\, into the wilderness of the world and the wilderness within you. \nOver the course of three months of deep work culminating in a two week expedition to one of the most powerful landscapes on earth\, you’ll be initiated into a way of being that connects you deeply to the earth\, the cosmos\, and yourself. You’ll strip away the noise and the chaos\, face the primal truths of life\, and return to your core as a man rooted in power\, purpose\, and awe. Think of this as a return to ancestral tradition\, a way of being that is your birthright\, molded to fit the current times.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/rite-of-sacred-passage-mountain-expedition-vision-fast-medicine-ceremony/
LOCATION:AZ
CATEGORIES:Adults,BIPOC,Gender Specific Programs,Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/81f1db54f7afc302d2bd96626f64b24c.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241105
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241117
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240219T193920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240219T193920Z
UID:10000258-1730764800-1731801599@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:CA Women’s Vision Fast
DESCRIPTION:“I see the Feminine defined as a reconnection to the Self\, a commitment to the wildness within our instincts\, our capacityto create and destroy; our hunger for connection as well as sovereignty\, interdependence and independence\, at once.” –Terry Tempest Williams \nLike the waxing and waning of the moon\, our inner essence is reflected in the creative forces of nature\, in the continual movement of light and dark. Throughout the stages of our lives\, we flow between the stages of birth\, death and re-birth. \nYou know in your bones the ancient practice of rites of passage. This is a time to go out alone\, be held by the earth and the spacious desert. For four days and four nights\, there is space to remember your wholeness\, sink into your dreams\, and release what no longer serves. Here we can clear away the distractions of busy life and tune our ears to our inner voice and nature. \nIt may be time to ask questions\, such as: What needs to be let go? How can I come back to center? What deeper truths are unfolding in my life? How can I tend to my own dreams? And how can I give and receive from a place of nourishment? \nProgram Overview: This ceremony involves several days of preparation\, 4 days and nights of fasting/living alone in a wilderness place\, and a few days of incorporation. \nPREPARATION: You will be readied physically\, psychologically\, mentally\, and spiritually\, that you might fully benefitfrom this solo experience in the wilderness. You will be given an ancient means of looking into the mirror of nature (“The Four Shields”). Preparation will also include the study of symbols\, archetypes and ways common to vision fasts and rites of passage. \nSOLO FAST: You will cross the threshold and enter into your ceremony\, making it your own. You will live alone in the wilderness as so many have done before. Your teachers will maintain a safe perimeter around the area and make sure you have sufficient provisions. Safety is our utmost concern and you will be given the tools necessary to support your well-being. \nINCORPORATION: During the final days\, we will join together for the sharing of stories. The guides will listen\, help you to understand\, and challenge you to give your vision practical feet—to live the life you have rightfully claimed as your own! \nWe welcome all women\, transgender\, and gender non-conforming people to this ceremony. We also welcome and invite in all forms of gender identity and expression and see our diversity as a gift to the whole. \nProgram Questions Contact: Betsy Purluss at Betsy@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/ca-womens-vision-fast/
LOCATION:Death Valley National Park\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-19-at-12.53.41-PM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241105
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241112
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240301T192646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T192646Z
UID:10000272-1730764800-1731369599@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Rites of Incorporation: Embodying the Vision and Living the Dream
DESCRIPTION:“Hold fast to dreams\, for if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” \n– Langston Hughes \nThe time is now. Come closer. You are the acorn that becomes oak\, not willow or cedar. You have a uniqueness that is all your own. We need you. The world needs your gifts now. \nThis program is an invitation for all folks that are holding a potent vision or dream in their hearts that they long to embody and live out. It is open to all who have experienced a vision fast\, life transition\, or special event they want to mark or celebrate. It is for those who are timid\, terrified\, and thrilled\, perhaps all at the same time\, to move into incorporation and live their fullest truth\, lives\, and expression. \nFor decades we have seen folks go out on the land and come back with potent visions\, dreams\, and transformative changes that they yearn to integrate into their lives. Yet we know that the most challenging part of a rite of passage is the incorporation phase or the rite of return. \nComing back to a busy life\, loved ones\, and work after a life-altering experience can leave you in overwhelm\, grief\, or loneliness. Rarely\, at the pace of this modern-day society do we have the threads of an intact culture and community to hold us. This can leave us feeling further disjointed and isolated. It can not only feel daunting but impossible to fully embody your vision and live your dreams. \nThis program is designed to take incorporation to a deeper level. We will be taking the rites of incorporation through the lens of the Four Shields of Human Nature (a nature-based teaching) and nature itself to help teach\, guide\, and inspire you. \nWe will meet every morning for a daily check-in\, teachings\, and discussions. In the afternoon you will be given a suggested mission and have 2-3 hours solo time in nature. There will be times in the afternoon and evenings given for reflections and discussions. \nIt is our hope that you will come away from this program with new skills and a refreshed awareness of ways to work with your visions\, dreams\, and ideas and carry them forward into your lives. \nProgram Questions Contact: Silvia Talavera at silvia@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/rites-of-incorporation-embodying-the-vision-and-living-the-dream-3/
LOCATION:Catalina State Park\, Tucson\, AZ\, United States
CATEGORIES:Adults
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-01-at-8.36.16-AM-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241024
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241105
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240219T193845Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240219T193845Z
UID:10000257-1729728000-1730764799@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:CA Fall Vision Fast
DESCRIPTION:Life transitions\, like entering adulthood\, midlife or elderhood are always “DNA invitations” to go out on the land. The need to become anew is planted deeply into our ancestral bones because it was (and is!) crucial for the survival of the community that we let go of what no longer serves and enter the calling of our new becoming. \nSometimes\, traumatic events or other drastic life changes will beckon loudly\, calling us to enter a deeper conversation with our lives and thus lead the way to the ceremony. Other times\, the longing for change may be harder to name\, but is equally important. It may be an unnamed sense of separateness from one’s inner nature while our outward life seems picture perfect\, or a feeling of disconnect with one’s life purpose or heart’s desire. \nSo you go alone\, with an empty belly and a bare minimum of equipment\, into the heart of the wilderness\, for four days and nights. There you live with yourself\, in perfect solitude. You surrender to the mirror of your wild environment\, and to memory\, the looks-within-place. You enter the mansions of nature’s soul\, perhaps to find some of the big questions waiting: “Who am I?” “Who are my people?” and “What is my intent?” You wander the precincts of loneliness\, where vision lies waiting. You drink at the springs of your soul and are filled with self-recognition. What is not important falls away so that you can become anew. \nProgram Overview: The twelve day ceremony involves four days of preparation\, four days and nights of fasting alone\, and four days of incorporation. This is an immersion ceremony that will take place in Death Valley National Park (Tüpippüh Valley). \nPreparation: Your preparation begins the moment you decide to come\, and perhaps it has been happening long before that. Once in the desert\, you will be readied to physically\, psychologically\, mentally\, and spiritually benefit from the experience of fasting alone in the wilderness. You will be given an ancient means of looking into the mirror of nature (the Four Shields). \nThreshold: The time of fasting and aloneness will take place at Hole in the Wall\, Death Valley. Your teachers will maintain a safe perimeter around the area while you are alone and make sure you have sufficient water. Another person will fast nearby. The two of you will be “buddies\,” each day leaving assurance of your well-being at a stone pile erected along the borders of your respective areas. \nIncorporation: You will return to human companionship and a feast. In council you will confirm the attainment of a new maturity. With others\, you will tell your story. The Guides will listen\, help you to understand\, and challenge you to give your vision practical feet — to live the life you have earned. When all the stories have been told\, you will celebrate with the others and then return to a life lived with new understanding. \nLetter of Intent: As part of the preparation process\, we ask that you write a letter of intent. Is there a particular life stage or event you are marking? You are welcome to take your time with your letter\, as it is often a longer process to formulate the core knowing of why you are called to this ceremony. However\, we ask that you have it ready at least a month before the program. \nProgram Questions Contact: Petra Lentz-Snow at petra@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/ca-fall-vision-fast/
LOCATION:Death Valley National Park\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-19-at-12.50.14-PM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241021
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241028
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240301T192717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T192717Z
UID:10000271-1729468800-1730073599@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:The Elder’s Journey: The Four Shields of Elderhood for Women
DESCRIPTION:“We are the seeds of the tenacious plant\, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and scattered.” \nKahlil Gibran \nThroughout the ages\, elder women have enjoyed sitting in circle to weave the rich tapestries of their stories\, stories that continued to warm and inspire people across time and culture. \nWhat about us\, now\, in our time? As women in all stages of growing into our greater years\, there is a growing passion and a commitment to tell our own stories. We have children\, or we are childless\, we are single or we are partnered\, working or retired\, healthy or feeling the struggles of the body. Whatever stage of elderhood we find ourselves navigating it is important that we find our way\, with as much humor\, grace and dignity as possible. Death awaits us all\, and how we move through these years is of utmost importance. \nElderhood is an evolving experience that can be a ripening of our strengths rather than the dulling of our minds. From the words of social activist Maggie Kuhn\, “Old age is not a disease. It is a strength in survivor-ship\, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments\, trials and illness.” This speaks to aging as an extraordinary achievement. It is an opportunity to re-awaken the imagination towards new possibilities and a renewed spirit inspired by the lived wisdom acquired over the years. \nAs women ripen into the various stages of elderhood\, it may be time to re-map the landscape to make room for the emerging new perspectives of what it means to be an elder in today’s world. Through honoring the years of a life lived\, creating new meaning and imparting our gifts in service\, we move towards transformation and into a renewed vitality\, creativity\, and vision. This program is an invitation to open to what is needed to welcome the elders we are becoming \nProgram Overview: During our time together we will explore ways to deepen into a more conscious approach to how we can live as elder women in the world today. We will recall our personal stories\, life experiences and collected knowledge and discover ways to transform them into our wisdom and our medicine. \nWe will explore an ancient means of looking into the mirror of nature through the lens of the Four Shields (a nature based teaching) that will reflect and support the wisdom of the elders as a natural point for introspection and meaning . We will move through the 4 seasons\, the 4 directions and the stages of life.\nThese teachings and the earth itself will help to bring what is needed to your own particular stage of this rich new frontier. \nWe will meet together in an outdoor setting. Mornings will be taken up with check in\, teachings and discussions. And the afternoon or evenings will be solo time on the land (usually 2-3 hours )\, story telling\, and mirroring of the participant’s solo experience. Direct contact with nature is vital to the non-duality of our relationship and connection to nature. Every day will be a full exploration of this rich landscape we call elderhood. \nProgram Questions Contact Silvia Talavera at silvia@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/the-elders-journey-the-four-shields-of-elderhood-for-women-3/
LOCATION:Catalina State Park\, Tucson\, AZ\, United States
CATEGORIES:Adults
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-01-at-8.36.16-AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241011T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241016T140000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240219T202308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241007T012910Z
UID:10000259-1728655200-1729087200@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:2024 Wilderness Guides Council Gathering
DESCRIPTION:Wilderness Guides Council 2024 Gathering \nOctober 11-16 \nCamp Indianola\, Washington \nREGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT \nMark your calendars! Grab your tickets! You are warmly invited to the 2024 Wilderness Council Gathering being held at Camp Indianola on Puget Sound\, in the territory of the suq̀wabš\, People of Clear Salt Water (Suquamish People). Whether you are new to the WGC\, have never been to a gathering\, or are a long-time community member\, we hope you’ll join us for this wild and beautiful gathering of guides\, aspiring guides\, and supporters of the work.  Please note that the registration deadline is September 27th ! \nCamp Indianola has indoor lodging as well as plenty of space to camp; access to trails and beach; spaces for workshops and to meet indoor and out. Members of the Gathering Council who visited the camp could “see” us there\, well held by water\, land\, and sky to do our good work\, to rest\, and connect. The camp is about an hour and a half from Seattle. \nThe Gathering Council has been dreaming and weaving together all the ideas\, visions and possibilities for this gathering.  Several themes have emerged: belonging to one another and the Earth; creativity and play; staying with the trouble; living into a new story; regeneration and incorporation; rest and renewal. There has been a strong call for connection with the land\, the weaving of music\, poetry\, movement\, play\, and the wild. \nA poem of inspiration co-created by the Gathering Council- \nSinging together upstream\nBig trouble\, Cleansing water\nHowling at the piano\, Magic arrives\nWe surrender into the sacred heart\nRain flies up\, Sun shines down\nLaugher\, Joy\, Creativity\nOrcas rising\, Ancient voices\nWe need to be the grandparents the world has been dreaming of\nIt’s a balancing act\, this tending the wild heart\nCeremony\, Ceremony\, Ceremony \n—>>> LINK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE GATHERING AND LODGING/TICKET OPTIONS.  \nRegistration Deadline is September 27th. \nNeed a partial scholarship to attend? The initial deadline has passed. However we are still fundraising and you can get on the waiting list by sending in your request here: \n—>>> WGC 2024 GATHERING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION \nWe look forward to seeing you soon! \nThe 2024 Gathering Council: Scout Tomyris\, Scott Lawrance\, Ryan Mielcarek\, Robin Brodsky\, Susan Hobbs\, Susan Kliewer\, Cate Burnett\, Christiane Frischmuth\, Shawn Berry\, and Ryan Wilcox \n—>>> Calling all Workshop Proposals for the 2024 WGC Gathering! \nHave you been creating something new you want to share?\nHave you been deepening a practice that the community has been calling out for?\nHas your imagination been sparked by recent guiding experiences? \nWe want to learn from you! \nGathering workshops are a wonderful way for us to skill share\, inspire one another\, and connect with the vast well of experience within the group. Typically workshops range from 1.5 to 3 hour offerings. Please note we are hoping that all of the workshops will incorporate connection with the land in some way. If you have an idea/interest please fill out this short form and we will be in touch. \nWorkshop Proposal Form \nPurchase your TICKET below! More complete descriptions of each lodging option is on the Details Page.  Each ticket includes 15 meals in addition to your lodging option and the event. The prices listed are member prices. If you are not a member  you can either purchase the additional $25 non-member add on\, or we hope you will consider becoming a member here: WGC Memberships  Membership costs start at $35 for Friend memberships. \n–> Day Ticket Option\, Sunday October 13th \nDo you want to attend but cannot come to the entire gathering? We have just released a Day Ticket Option! This is a great way to connect and network with folks\, as well as get a feel for the WGC.  You are invited to arrive at 12:30pm on Sunday and to stay through the evening programming. This will include some all-community time to meet folks specifically from your region\, workshops through the afternoon\, dinner\, and an evening open mic event – which is always a great time with this crew.  This will also be a time to bring your brochures/cards/books that you can share with the community.  Unfortunately we cannot provide camping/housing for you but the ferries do run late until the evening and we can also recommend camping nearby. Come check it out! We would love to meet you.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/2024-wilderness-guides-council-gathering/
LOCATION:Camp Indianola\, Washington\, 10635 NE Shore Dr\, Indianola\, WA\, 98342\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Indianola.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241005
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241014
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240301T192738Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T192738Z
UID:10000270-1728086400-1728863999@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Open Desert\, Open Mind
DESCRIPTION:The very transparent\, unfixed\, yet alive quality of consciousness is its nature\, a bit like air around us. If you relax and allow this experience of unfixed knowing\, you will discover what Buddhists writers call the clear open sky of awareness. It is empty like space\, but unlike space it is sentient; it knows experience. In its true state\, consciousness is simply this knowing—clear\, open\, awake\, without color or form\, containing all things\, yet not limited by them. \nJack Kornfield\, The Wise Heart \nEureka Valley is a vast open space that stretches on for miles. Here the scale of desolate earth and expansive sky is something to behold. “Clear\, open\, awake\, without color or form\, containing all things\, yet not limited by them\,” writes Jack Kornfield. What better container\, what better mirror\, for an expansive state of mind than the vast open space of Eureka Valley? \n“Open Desert\, Open Mind” draws upon the wilderness-based tradition of the School of Lost Borders and the spiritual practice of sitting meditation to create a unique program for desert contemplatives. This is neither a typical SOLB program nor a typical meditation retreat\, but a blend of the two. The usual SOLB program invites participants to spend time alone on the land to access a deeper telling of their own story (while a wide-open desert setting naturally encourages an inner stillness that supports this deeper telling). A meditation retreat usually invites participants to move beyond the telling of stories in search of inner stillness (though often a deeper knowing of one’s own story is a gift found within that stillness). Here we will draw on both traditions. \nWhile this program draws some from Buddhist teachings\, no particular religious orientation or spiritual affiliation is asked of participants – nor is any excluded. That said\, comfort with a regular meditation schedule is recommended. \nProgram Overview \nDuring the first four days together\, we will weave together a tapestry of inner and outer exploration. Mornings will be a mix of sitting practice and council time for stories about what is coming up while sitting\, with each successive morning becoming more silent than those before. Afternoons will start with several hours alone on the land to invite clear open awareness\, inside and out. Late afternoons and evening will again be a mix of sitting and council\, including time to have our stories mirrored by others. The morning of the fifth day\, participants will be smudged out for a 24-hour solo fast in the desert. After a day of reentry\, we’ll then spend two full days hearing everyone’s story\, inviting a mirror of each story from both the desert expanse and our three guides. \nThis program is led by Scott Eberle and Silvia Talavera with Bettina Straub \nProgram Questions to Scott Eberle: seberle@sbcglobal.net
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/open-desert-open-mind/
LOCATION:Eureka Valley
CATEGORIES:Adults
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-01-at-8.32.47-AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240930T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241009T150000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240411T183208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240411T183208Z
UID:10000283-1727701200-1728486000@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Men's Wilderness Vigil
DESCRIPTION:Join Scott Lawrance (of Salish Sea Ecoretreats) and Mitch Brookman (of Veterans Rites) for a Men’s Vision Fast on the holy Mount Tuam on Saltspring Island in the Salish Sea. The core of the program is the four day fast within the School of Lost Borders. This will be an opportunity for all male identified persons to step outside of the matrix of their habitual identities and open to the Holy-in-Nature: not simply an opportunity to acknowledge significant life transitions but to also enter more fully into our entanglement with the world that our gifts be offered freely to our people\, both human and other-than-human. Youth (who may be adrift in this confusing time)\, adults and elders are all welcome.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/mens-wilderness-vigil/
LOCATION:KDOL Saltspring Island\, Mount Tuam Rd.\, Saltspring Island\, British Columbia\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Adolescents,Adults,Gender Specific Programs,Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Scott-Mitch-Wilderness-Vigil.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Scott Lawrance":MAILTO:scottlawrance4@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240929
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241005
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240301T192909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T192909Z
UID:10000266-1727568000-1728086399@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Becoming Human: The Four Shields Model of Nature-Based Therapeutics
DESCRIPTION:“If there were a measure of ‘mental health’\, it would involve the ability of individuals to grow into the fullness of each season – that is\, the ability to fully become\, or enact\, the contents of each shield.” \n– Steven Foster and Meredith Little \nAll that we do and teach at the School of Lost Borders may come down to this simple intention: to tap into the deep memory that we are not separate from nature\, that\, indeed\, we are no different from the land on which we live. To know this simple truth sets us upon the path to becoming “fully human.” Nevertheless\, after absorbing centuries of messages that tell us we are different from nature – separated and above – such a path is not so clearly marked. As a result\, we feel alienated and disconnected from ourselves\, from others\, and from this planet we call home. \nThe Four Shields model offers us a compass to help us find our way back to our origins on this living planet. This wheel of human nature was handed down to Steven and Meredith in the early days of Lost Borders and has become essential teaching for regaining our human wholeness within the wholeness of life. The wheel of life is archetypal\, crossing boundaries between cultures and time; it is both simple and profound. \nThe Four Shields demonstrates that our lives move with the seasonal cycles and directions found in the natural world and incorporates all aspects of being: body\, psyche\, mind\, and spirit. It begins in the summer of physical awakening\, turns into the fall of our inner depths\, moves into the north of our intellect\, and emerges in the mysteries of spring. The Four Shields also helps us understand the maladies and symptoms that occur when the natural cycles become hindered in our lives. Thus\, the Four Shield provides an excellent diagnostic tool\, as well as the means for restoring movement toward wholeness. \nDuring this six-day experiential ceremony\, we will dive deep into the Four Shields\, evoking each shield through teaching\, solo time on the land\, council\, story-telling\, and mirroring. Each shield will reveal its essence and provide a doorway to the next shield. We will also look at how the Four Shields teaching is used in wilderness rites of passage and how it can be applied in other therapeutic settings\, schools\, and organizations. This will be a hands-on\, practical program\, as well as a time to deepen your practice of becoming more fully human as a being on Earth. \nProgram Questions Contact: Betsy Perluss at betsy@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/becoming-human-the-four-shields-model-of-nature-based-therapeutics/
LOCATION:Big Pine
CATEGORIES:Guide Training Program
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-01-at-8.15.58-AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240928T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241011T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240117T003506Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240117T003506Z
UID:10000251-1727524800-1728666000@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:CO Fall Vision Fast
DESCRIPTION:As the leaves change\, a different way of life is tugging at your heart. A new story is begging to be told. And your gifts are longing to be shared with the world. \nMarking life passages allows you to release what no longer serves you and fully embrace all of who you are. As you spend time alone\, in a wild place on the earth\, something deep in your bones is revived – a call you have been longing to answer. \nIt is time to nurture your aliveness\, live in reciprocity\, and in harmony with the Earth\, yourself\, and one another. \nThis initiatory time can transform your life and allow you to emerge with a new story. The one that is begging to be told. \nYou will have the opportunity to share this story and to be witnessed by community amongst the stunning Fall aspen leaves in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This experience can cultivate belonging and meaning in your life and invites you to show up fully as the valuable human being you are. \nProgram Overview: This thirteen-day initiatory program is divided into three sections; severance\, threshold time\, and incorporation. \nOnce you commit to coming\, the severance process begins where you sever from the life you have lived in order to step into the life of who you truly are now. You physically leave home\, but the psyche also severs from the old during this time. The first days of the program are a time of physical separation from your daily life\, psychological preparation\, and setting the intention for your solo time. \nThe threshold time is your solo time of four days and nights on the land to mark your own life passage(s). This is the liminal space for you to deal with the past\, let go of what no longer serves\, and celebrate all of who you are now. Base camp will be held not far from your solo spot and you will have a ‘buddy’ to ensure both your and their wellbeing each day. \nThe days spent after your solo time are the beginning part of the incorporation process. You are invited to share the story of your solo and be witnessed in the community of the group. The guides will reflect or ‘mirror’ your story back to you and the gifts you bring to this new phase of life. Finally\, we will prepare you to carry your story\, your gifts and yourself back into the world where your incorporation process will continue to unfold over the year ahead. \nProgram Questions Contact: Pedro McMillan at pedro@wildmountainretreats.org or Kelly McClelland at kelly@kelly-mcclelland.com
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/co-fall-vision-fast/
LOCATION:Wild Mountain\, Colorado
CATEGORIES:Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-16-at-2.01.15-PM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240920T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240924T150000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240515T132246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240515T132246Z
UID:10000286-1726844400-1727190000@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Wild Yoga Journey: Dreaming with the Ancient Mountains
DESCRIPTION:Align with the rhythms of nature during this five-day immersion in North Carolina among the Blue Ridge Mountains. Leave behind the fast pace of modern culture and soak in the beauty of red spruce and Fraser fir forests. Witness how your body wants to move each morning in a gentle vinyasa-style yoga asana practice that welcomes you\, whatever your level. Whisper your longings and heartbreaks to the stars\, ask your greatest questions to the gurgling creeks\, and receive visions from the wise elder trees to guide you home to your heart. \nNature is our ultimate yoga teacher because she lives in perpetual asana. Tree branches\, trunks\, and roots inhabit unique shapes that dance with wind\, sun\, and soil. Likewise\, we can flow with our wild nature\, which renews our bodies\, hearts\, and souls by deepening our relationship with the Earth. Wandering in the magic of a forest with its menagerie of sights\, smells\, and sounds\, we embrace childlike wonder while nourishing our bodies and souls. Our spirits and imaginations soar when we hear an owl hoot at night or watch hawks glide through the sky. \nDuring this immersion\, we’ll listen to the song of the planet\, track our dreams\, and explore the unique gifts we offer the world. We’ll engage in Earth ceremonies and intimate conversations with the land\, noticing how moss and stream\, birds and flowers\, moon and tree affect us. We’ll track the feelings\, images\, dreams\, and words arising inside us and recognize them as messages from the land\, mystery\, and our souls. \nJoin us to enhance your relationships with yourself and the natural world. Tap into unordinary ways of perceiving\, open your sensory body\, and follow the mythic threads of your wildness. Receive glimmers about the part you are called to play in the symphony of life.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/wild-yoga-journey-dreaming-with-the-ancient-mountains/
LOCATION:https://vcconferences.org/\, 146 Skilies Way\, Banner Elk\, 28604\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="Rebecca Wildbear":MAILTO:rebeccawildbear@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240919
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240929
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240219T165809Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240219T165809Z
UID:10000256-1726704000-1727567999@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Women's Vision Fast
DESCRIPTION:This 2024 Women’s Quest will take place in the beautiful Steens Mountain Wilderness in Southeast Oregon\, near a gentle creek and within juniper and sagebrush country.\nThis is a ten-day experience\, including three days of fasting in solitude — your vision fast. You will receive physical\, psychological\, and spiritual preparation in group. Upon returning from your fast\, there will be support to intentionally integrate the learnings and experience in order to prepare to go forward to your life at home.\nYour guides will be Nicole Medema of Cascadia Quest and Kinde Nebeker of New Moon Rites of Passage.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/womens-vision-fast/
LOCATION:AZ
CATEGORIES:Adults,Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Steens_Fall_2018-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cascadia Quest":MAILTO:center@cascadiaquest.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240916
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240928
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240117T003531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T161816Z
UID:10000250-1726444800-1727481599@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:NM Fall Vision Fast
DESCRIPTION:The land knows you\, even when you are lost. \n~ Robin Wall Kimmerer \nIn increasing times of unrest and uncertainty it can be a common human experience to gravitate towards more “certainty” rather than less. Yet\, in the Zen tradition “not knowing” is most intimate. The natural world reminds us of this intimacy and offers us refuge. There is something waiting to find us but in order to be found…we sometimes must first admit we are “lost”. \nNo matter our ancestry\, we are all a part of the lineage of this living planet. And because of this it is in our marrow to be called to the land and into ceremony especially during personal and collective transitions. Courageously we surrender to the mirror of our wild environment\, and to memory\, the looks-within-place. We enter into the mansions of nature’s soul\, pondering the questions: “who am I?” “Who and where is my community?” And “what is my intent?” We wander the precincts of loneliness\, where vision lies waiting. We drink at the springs of our own soul and quenched with Self-recognition. \nThis can be a different kind of humbling – one rooted in the humus of belonging to those that are still here and those that came before. In our aloneness we shed off the “should’s” of modernity revealing something much bigger. However small amongst the company of stars\, now may be the risky business of truly taking our place\, claiming the brightness of our gifts and more fully committing to that which we are called to tend and be tended by. We are embraced by place and re-membered amongst the communities of red mesas\, coyote and cliff swallows. Retrieved: a bone-knowing clarity. What is not important falls away. The work needing to be done lies ahead. \nMay you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire\nThat disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.\nMay you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease\nTo discover the new direction your longing wants you to take.\n– John O’Donohue \nProgram Overview: The twelve day ceremony involves four days of preparation\, four days and nights of fasting alone in a wilderness place\, and four days of incorporation. You will be readied to physically\, psychologically\, mentally\, and spiritually benefit from the experience of fasting alone in the wilderness. You will be given an ancient means of looking into the mirror of nature (the Four Shields). \nProgram Questions Contact: Emerald North at emerald@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/nm-fall-vision-fast/
LOCATION:Cochiti Lake and Ghost Ranch\, New Mexico
CATEGORIES:Rites of Passage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-16-at-1.50.31-PM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240914
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240921
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240301T192848Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T192848Z
UID:10000267-1726272000-1726876799@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Living in a Time of Dying: The Four Shields in the Anthropocene
DESCRIPTION:We are living in a time of rapid change\, disintegration and emergence on planet Earth – what many call apocalyptic times. From the compounding and inequitable crises of climate change and pandemic\, to the impacts of globalization and colonization\, systems are falling apart all around us and it seems there is no way back to so-called “normal.” The world as most recent generations have known it is unraveling and the Earth will never be the same. Coming to grips with the truth of our times in perilous. \nHow do we go on living when there is so much dying happening all around us? How do we continue to lead meaningful lives and show up for our people in the midst of so much loss and destruction? \nAs humans of the Anthropocene*\, many of us have forgotten our place in the web of life. Centuries of cumulative harm and perpetual environmental assault on the Earth Body are reverberating in each of our bodies\, ancestral story lines and in the torn fabrics of our communities\, feeding a sense of separation\, hopelessness\, anxiety\, guilt and despair. \nAnd yet\, in the long view this lostness is still so very new to the history of our species. For most of our human record\, cultures across the world knew how to honor their place in the wider circle\, and tend relationships with a living world they knew themselves to be a part of. This knowing\, no matter how far from it we may feel\, still lives right beneath the surface of our urban skin. We need not learn this way\, as much as we need to remember it. \nRE-MEMBERING IN DEEP TIME \nOn the land and in the liminal\, we have the rare opportunity to do just that: to remember and return to a knowing so much older than the traumas that have severed us from it\, a knowing that re-connects us with the truth and wholeness that lives deep in our bones. \nHumans have always known times of great upheaval and “world-endings” – from civilizations rising and falling to the great migrations of the last ice age – to the wars and displacements presently happening across the globe. From the rising and falling away of oceans to the breaking apart of Pangea – the land has seen bedrock change long before us. \nCeremony invites us to root in the memory of our ancestors and the geologic stories of the land. As we sink into deep time on the land we are invited to learn from these stories of resilience and remember how to move through profound change and loss – and how to adapt. \nLIVING IN A TIME OF DYING \nRestoring\, renewing and healing our relationship with death is vital for an increasingly unknown future. This work may well be some of the most important work of our time. \nAs a culture\, we have forgotten how to die. The post-colonial\, capitalist systems of oppression in which we live\, and their “survival at all costs” narrative\, have pushed death out beyond our borders\, costing the lives of millions around the world. Lives lost due to starvation\, war and climate disasters – most of those lives least responsible for the impact. \nWhat does it mean to re-inhabit our dying? How do we lean in\, how do we face into death with a courageous heart? Not to fix. Not to avoid. To truly grapple with our mortality is essential for living an awakened\, resilient life. Every time we choose not to look away\, we come more alive. \nA vital part of our inquiry during our time on the land and in community will be directed at how to sit with death\, how to die to old stories\, and how to re-member ourselves in the life-death-life circle of nature. \nRECKONING AND REBIRTH \nAt the same time\, while this is a time of dying and reckoning\, it is also a time of being born – to a new and ancient way of relating to the earth and to each other. How could it be otherwise? The cycle knows no end. In entering a profound threshold of transformation as a species and as a planet\, we must draw on the practices of living and dying. Moving through the lowest places\, and doing so together\, we create new fertile ground to stand on. \nWhen we come together in ceremony on the Earth to offer our gratitude\, dance with our despair and remember our interconnectedness we reclaim our place in the web and rekindle the joy that is our birthright – that we may go forth with our best offerings in service of life and all that is yet to be born. \n*Anthropocene: an unofficial unit of geologic time used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems.”\nOverview\nLocation\nFinancial Support\nAccess \nSchedule: Mornings will be spent together in circle with the group\, and afternoons are time for contemplative walks and time alone on the earth. We will use the four shields as a road map\, to track our individual experiences\, as it pertains to the theme\, through the lens of body\, soul\, mind and spirit. We will also use teachings from The Work that Reconnects to inform each shield. A day long solo with fasting begins on the morning of day 5. \nDuring your time of fasting and aloneness\, your guides will maintain a safe perimeter around the area\, and another person will be nearby. Individual modifications to the solo are made based on medical and personal needs. \nWho this offering is for: This offering is for anyone who finds themself needing time out\, community witness and ceremony to help move through these times and explore how they are moving within each of us. We are especially welcoming those working on the frontlines or whose daily life is already being impacted by climate change. It is an offering for community stewards\, land-tenders\, environmental warriors\, artists\, activists and simple humans of all trades. If you feel a quickening in your bones when you read the above\, and know it is your time to be in ceremony\, weaving intentional solo time on the land with time in community to learn collectively how to lean into this time in the world please join us! \nWho we are: As guides of European descent – Petra\, a German immigrant and yeshe\, 3rd generation mixed-heritage Jewish\, who each fall in our own ways along the queer/gender spectrum – we honor the gifts and cultural influences of our ancestors while recognizing the limitations of holding the identities we do in multi-racial\, multi-cultural contexts. \nAs we do the fierce\, ongoing work of creating spaces for dialogue\, healing and re-patterning of harmful dynamics in white-led spaces\, we aspire to create cross-cultural ceremonial containers and remain committed to honoring diversity of cultural experience and creating a safe(r)\, brave(r) space to welcome participants from all backgrounds. \nProgram Questions Contact: petra@lostborders.org / yeshesalz@gmail.com
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/living-in-a-time-of-dying-the-four-shields-in-the-anthropocene/
LOCATION:Big Pine
CATEGORIES:Incorporation
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-01-at-8.19.45-AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240912T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240912T080000
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20230806T151507Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230806T151507Z
UID:10000238-1726128000-1726128000@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:Earth Craft Gap Semester
DESCRIPTION:FALL 2024\nEarth Craft — a place-based semester program for 18-26 year-olds — is an initiatory program rooted in the living earth and dedicated to cultivating natural and soul-centric living\, focusing on practical life skills\, holistic health and authentic embodiment. This experiential learning immersion takes place in the Taconic Mountains in the southwest corner of Vermont and New York on the shared lands of Spirit Hollow and Pompanuck Farm. \nDuring our eight weeks together at Earth Craft\, we will collectively re-create culture and build a soulful\, place-based and eco-centric community in complete microcosm. We will actively be the change that we wish to see and that both earth and our ailing society are desperately calling for\, right here and now\, with the tools we have\, without waiting for ideal conditions or permission from any external authority. \nA community of 18-26 year-olds will live together in land-based community while being mentored by seasoned guides in permaculture\, soulcraft\, wholing and self-healing\, embodied arts\, natural living\, wilderness skills and more to nurture reciprocal relationships with themselves\, the human and more-than-human worlds. \nTogether\, we will reimagine and recreate a life-enhancing\, genuinely healthy culture: one in which youth are supported in eco-centric human development by initiated adults. Together\, through hands-on\, nature-based\, soul-centric work and experiments in ecological living\, participants will gain tools with which to live meaningfully in these unprecedented times. \nWe will focus on FOUR AREAS:\n1-INDIVIDUAL UNFOLDMENT\nWe cannot show up for our people\, the earth or our own deepest calling without learning how to tend to our own bodies and minds. Time will be spent on wholing and self healing (using Wild Mind Models)\, and we will venture out into the inner and outer wildlands listening both deeply to the dreaming of the earth and to the whispers of our own soul’s calling. We will enter the wild and listen to our dreams\, uncover and follow emerging threads of our soul images and numinous encounters.\n–>Individual Body/Mind Soul/Spirit (Meditation; Connected Movement Yoga/Qi Gong; Wild Mind Work/Tools of Emotional Resillience; Individual Reflection and Inquiry/The Journey of Self-Discovery; Nature-based Physical Activity) \n–>Soulcraft/Actualization/Life Purpose (Soul-centric Dreamwork; Soulcrafting –Animas Valley Institute style–; Solitude in Nature\, including a Vision Fast ceremony; Development of Personal Mythos/Storytelling; SoulCentric/EarthCentric Artistry: Expressive and Ritual Arts \n2-SOUL-CENTRIC COMMUNITY\nBy taking up the ways of respectful communication\, deep sharing\, working collaboratively\, resolving conflict and creating shared vision\, we will learn to share life together. We will need practical skills that keep the fabric of the village alive and well\, ensuring that our people are fed and healthy\, with proper shelter. Each of us will have the opportunity to follow our own calling and find our niche in how we particularly support the village.\n–>Practical Skills (cooking\, carpentry\, permaculture\, natural building\, herbalism) \n–>Community Living Tools (Sharing chores\, cleaning\, and house upkeep; Self-governance strategies–councils and check-ins\nPlanning\, shopping and cooking meals together-Collaboration/Co-visioning and Conscious Culture Creation; The Way of Council; Non-Violent Communication and Conflict Resolution) \n3-OTHER-THAN HUMAN COMMUNITY\nIn order to be in right relationship with the natural world\, we will need to know the wild lands around our village as well as we know our homes and hearths. We will spend much time on the land and take periodic excursions into the forest around us and become acquainted with the wild others who dwell there as well as our own natural capacities to be at home in the wild.. We will also learn to read the land\, know the plants and animals\, and hone survival and permaculture skills.\n–>Cultivating Relationships with the Animate World (-Meeting the Wild Others; Re-inhabiting Our Wild\, Animal Selves; Intentional Wanders in the Forest; Vision Fasting; Deep listening to the Earth) \n–>Wilderness Awareness and Survival Skills (-Friction Fire\, Shelter building\, Knife skills; Camp craft — Minimalist Camping; Map Reading/Orienteering; Backcountry Navigation; Animal and Plant Identification and Tracking; Wild Crafting for edibles and medicines) \n4- DEEP TIME\nNot only are we in service to how we were born for these very days\, but we also extend our awareness and dedicate our actions beyond our lifetimes–including all that has gone before and all that comes after. The present moment contains the past and the future within it. Where we find ourselves in any given moment includes all that has gone before–that has shaped us and our world–and a sense of how our actions now will shape the future.\n–>We Were Born for These Days (The Work that Reconnects; Exploration of What Lights You Up; Tracking Your Deepest Longings; Working with Your Dreams\, Imaginings and Numinous Experiences) \n–>Ancestors and Future Ones (-Connecting with Ancestors; Healing of Family Lineage; Soulcentric Activism and Collaborative Service Projects; Opportunities to learn from and engage with existing and historical movements for change; Planting perennial food forests) \nVisit the webpage for more information and APPLY.
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/earth-craft-gap-semester/
LOCATION:Spirit Hollow\, Vermont\, 2509 Shaftsbury Hollow Rd\, North Bennington\, VT\, 05257\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/fire-starting-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Spirit Hollow%2C Vermont":MAILTO:traceyforest@spirithollow.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240908
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240914
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240301T155652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T155652Z
UID:10000265-1725753600-1726271999@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:CA Mirroring the Four Shields of Human Nature: The Art of Storytelling and Listening
DESCRIPTION:Telling one’s own story is an ancient art. Nowadays\, we have forgotten how to listen and how to tell. Yet the very survival of our species depends on our ability to communicate with each other in such ways as to be mutually enriched by the telling and the listening. If we cannot tell with expression\, our life is mute. If we cannot listen like a mirror\, we cannot reflect back the wholeness of the four shields — the body\, soul\, mind and spirit of the teller. The best stories are about human nature — that is\, the human of us which is\, after all\, nature in her basic manifestations as physical\, psychical\, rational\, and spiritual. One of the best ways to create a four shields story\, if not the best\, is to put people in contact with nature in the raw. \nWhat comes forth in the story is the stuff of self-transformation. Even as we “myth” ourselves into experience\, so we express ourselves into existence. Our stories about our natural selves\, and our means of expressing them\, lead us to courage\, determination\, commitment\, hope\, wisdom\, and the will to survive\, to transcend the difficulty\, to go beyond ourselves. Those of us who work with people must know how to listen and respond to the stories our people tell\, so that we can help them create a life that is deeper\, richer\, and of greater benefit to our community and the earth. \nProgram Overview: This seminar is designed to evoke and create a style of listening and storytelling that is uniquely your own\, to practice reflecting what you hear with the fullness of your being (body\, psyche\, mind and spirit). It is also a ceremony and\, like all ceremonies at the School of Lost Borders\, requires a willingness to lose your borders and to go beyond what is familiar and known. Our time together will be a weaving of teaching circles\, solo time in nature and story council. \nProgram Questions Contact: Joseph joseph@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/ca-mirroring-the-four-shields-of-human-nature-the-art-of-storytelling-and-listening/
LOCATION:Big Pine
CATEGORIES:Guide Training Program
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-29-at-8.39.59-AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240819
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240824
DTSTAMP:20260412T031357
CREATED:20240301T155627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T155627Z
UID:10000264-1724025600-1724457599@wildernessguidescouncil.org
SUMMARY:CO Mirroring the Four Shields of Human Nature: The Art of Story Telling and Listening
DESCRIPTION:The shields of human nature turn with the experiences of life\, from the smallest cell to the great seamless whole of the biosphere called earth. It begins with the body (summer)\, turns into psyche (fall)\, becomes activated form (winter)\, which dissolves into spirit (spring) — which is born again in the body (summer). The four seasonal directions of human nature\, in their complex\, yet simple\, interaction\, form the basis of an eco psychology which redefines traditional psychologies based on human alone\, apart from nature. \nTelling one’s own story is an ancient art. Nowadays\, we have forgotten how to listen and how to tell. Yet the very survival of our species depends on our ability to communicate with each other in such ways as to be mutually enriched by the telling and the listening. If we cannot tell with expression\, our life is mute. If we cannot listen like a mirror\, we cannot reflect back the wholeness of the four shields — the body\, soul\, mind and spirit of the teller. The best stories are about human nature — that is\, the human of us which is\, after all\, nature in her basic manifestations as physical\, psychical\, rational\, and spiritual. One of the best ways to create a four shields story\, if not the best\, is to put people in contact with nature in the raw. \nWhat comes forth in the story is the stuff of self-transformation. Even as we “myth” ourselves into experience\, so we express ourselves into existence. Our stories about our natural selves\, and our means of expressing them\, lead us to courage\, determination\, commitment\, hope\, wisdom\, and the will to survive\, to transcend the difficulty\, to go beyond ourselves. Those of us who work with people must know how to listen and respond to the stories our people tell\, so that we can help them create a life that is deeper\, richer\, and of greater benefit to our community and the earth. \nProgram Overview: We will meet together in outdoor settings. Mornings will be taken up with meetings\, afternoons or evenings with solitary excursions into the surrounding forest. Participants will forgo companionship\, food\, and shelter during these times. We will tell and listen to stories that empower and participants will respond to stories in a variety of ways. The objectives of the seminar are to experience human-nature deeply; to elicit personal “mythos” through the expression of the story; to acquire knowledge of how to listen and respond to the four personas of human nature (to “mirror”)\, and to utilize a powerful incorporation tool of self and group empowerment. \nProgram Questions Contact: Scot scotdeily@lostborders.org
URL:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/program/co-mirroring-the-four-shields-of-human-nature-the-art-of-story-telling-and-listening/
LOCATION:Dragonback Springs Ranch\, Colorado
CATEGORIES:Guide Training Program
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wildernessguidescouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Screenshot-2024-02-29-at-8.33.03-AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="School of Lost Borders":MAILTO:school@lostborders.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR