BIPOC RITES: TENDING THE ALTAR OF OUR ANCESTORS

Saturday, July 10, 2027 4:00 PM
Sunday, July 18, 2027 11:00 AM

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BIPOC RITES: TENDING THE ALTAR OF OUR ANCESTORS

Sat, Jul 10, 2027 - Sun, Jul 18, 2027 · OPEN

“I didn’t know that I needed the medicine that Wild Mountain provides until I got here and experienced the land and the community. The type of healing that Rites can open up is vital and timely. I connected with my ancestors in a sacred way and am so grateful.” -Simon

This 7-day program is open to all who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)—also called People of the Global Majority. It is a space to rekindle, stoke, and offer devotion to our relationships with the land, the more-than-human world, our ancestors, and ourselves. From this grounding, we can more authentically contribute to our communities, rooted in who we are, our people, and the lands that hold us.

What We Will Do Together

Each day we will gather in Council (a sitting circle) before going out for solo time on the land. These two pieces, time alone, and time together, allows the full spectrum of our inner and outer landscapes to be explored and celebrated.

Modern earth-based rites of passage rarely center the experiences of BIPOC communities, though our cultures often hold the most recent ties to earth-based ways. Many of us come from lineages uprooted through slavery, colonization, globalization, diaspora and assimilation—whether in recent or far-reaching histories. This program offers the opportunity to seed anew or revitalize your connection with your ancestors, tending their altars and rooting them in the landscape—while holding the ongoing realities of settler colonialism.

This program is for those both familiar with and completely new to earth-based rites. Together we will create a temporary community, exploring our relationships with nature, with self, with the more-than-human world, and with our ancestors. Through somatic resiliency work, daily solo walks on the land, council, altar-building, self-generated ceremony, shared meals, and the Four Shields of Human Nature, you will be supported in reclaiming, healing, empowering, and celebrating these vital relationships.

“This experience was beyond anything I could have imagined. [It] felt magical…making friends and learning how to be playful in presence. I feel I’ve made lifelong friendships and am leaving feeling very clear in my direction and purpose. From the bottom of my heart - Thank you.” - Mei-Ling

While the above dates are when we meet in person at Wild Mountain, there will be several Zoom gatherings in the months before to support preparation and the process of moving out of prior routines. We believe preparing before the journey is essential to deepening the experience by beginning to cultivate community, reflect on what is transforming in your life, set intentions for this program, and take care of all the logistics required to tend to physical needs.

Once you commit to this program with a deposit, the journey begins! These gatherings are an important way to prepare yourself and the community for a transformational time on the land together.

Guides

You can learn about us on the ABOUT US page. We look forward to connecting!

Chip Mitchell (he/him), Kim Moriyama (she/her), and Tender Harris (he/him)

Preparing for this program

This program is a camping-based event, meaning you will be sleeping in a tent at nearly 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, with temperatures ranging from mid 40s at night to high 80s during the day. Wild Mountain offers fresh drinking water, outdoor showers, and a simple outdoor kitchen. We encourage shared meals and collective cooking, so please bring food to contribute.

Most days will include time in council, so bring a comfortable chair if you’d like (we can provide one if needed). Pack layers for a variety of weather conditions. An equipment list will be sent upon registration, and extra gear is available. Please reach out if you need support.

Covid Protocol

We ask that you closely monitor your health prior to and throughout the program. If you feel unwell during the two weeks prior to the program, we ask that you contact your guides and test for covid before coming to Wild Mountain.

We will discuss as a group any concerns once we meet together, and please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Deposit

To secure your spot and participate in any pre-gathering calls, a nontransferable and nonrefundable deposit of $200 is required. Keep reading to learn how to register.

Donation-Based Contribution

At Wild Mountain, we operate on a donation-based model and want our programs to be accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay.

For this program, we offer a suggested sliding scale between $900 and $3,600 that takes into account the time, energy, and resources that go into this offering.

If you are unable to pay the minimum suggested amount, please send an email to info@wildmountainretreats.org, and we will work with you to find a way for you to join us.

When you pay above our base cost, you are supporting others who may not be able to pay the minimum amount of the program, and enable us to continue offering these programs in the future. Please give what you are able. If you are unsure what you should pay, please read more here.