Summer Rite of Passage with School of Lost Borders
An Invitation Into Relationship - Coming Home to What Matters
The warm and long days of summer invite us to slow down, listen, and reconnect - with ourselves, with community, and with the land that is bursting with abundance. Join us in an inclusive and safe space to listen to your life, sense what is alive and essential, and tend the inner well. Together we step more fully into belonging. We remember that we are not separate, but beloved members of the living world, and that this world wants you and the gifts you carry.
At its heart, a rite of passage is an invitation into relationship. Slowing down, we walk with the experiences that shape our lives and follow our longing below the surface of the ordinary. This unfolding into fuller wholeness is supported by the community we create together during our time at Wild Mountain.
The more-than-human world is an essential part of this ceremony. When we join into relationship with the land, nature emerges as co-creator and mirror for our wholeness as human beings. Natural cycles offer new ways of seeing our own lives, while the simplicity of being on the land makes space for something profound to emerge. Time alone offers an opportunity to step outside everyday routines and listen to what is alive and meaningful.
We welcome you to join us for this empowering time. There is strength in being witnessed in your authentic expression and honest life experience, an impactful form of human connection we don't receive enough of in everyday life. The essential support of community allows for a letting go of old patterns and a brave unfolding into who you are now. Part of this practice is understanding that we return with gifts to bring home and share. What we discover becomes part of how we move through the world—how we relate, how we live, and how we offer what is uniquely ours to give.
The Journey- Program Structure
Preparation/Severance – The First Days Together
You’ll prepare for your rite of passage through teachings and practices that support both inner and outer readiness. We’ll explore what we call ‘severance’, or releasing from your old life. In these first days we will create a safe ceremonial container, and work with ethical considerations such as cultural appropriation. You’ll learn about the four seasons of our lives, and our connection to the four directions and life stages. We will clarify your intention for going on this journey, learn what is needed to be safe and warm, and talk about ways you might create your own meaningful ceremonies out on the land.
Solo Experience/Threshold Time – 4 Days & Nights
Stepping across a threshold you will leave the severance stage and enter the liminal time of your solo. You’ll spend four days and nights in solitude on the amazing and expansive land. Not far from your solo spot, you’ll set up a stone pile and quietly check in with a buddy each day. You may choose to fast or bring a small amount of food. The intention you set with the group will guide your time. Meanwhile, the guide team will remain at basecamp and be available if needed.
Integration and Incorporation – Final Days and the Year Ahead
Coming back across the threshold after your solo you will enter the last stage of your rite of passage: the incorporation phase. When you return from the land, you’ll share your story, which will be witnessed and reflected back by the guides. In sharing our experiences with one another, we remember that our individual journeys unfold within a larger web of connection and belonging. We’ll also spend some time offering reciprocity back to the land in gratitude for the gifts we receive, then we will close by exploring how to bring your story and what you have learned and experienced back into your community and relationships.
The incorporation process takes a full year and In the months that follow, we’ll gather online to support the ongoing integration of your experience.
Program Logistics
Please plan to arrive by 3:00 pm on Sat July 31. Our program will end by noon on Saturday, Aug 14. If flying into DIA, allow at least 5 hours or more for travel to ensure you don’t miss important group time. We encourage carpooling or sharing rentals whenever possible – reach out to us with questions! Buena Vista, a charming town with hot springs, is a lovely place to stay before or after the program.
ADDITIONAL FEES & CAMPING PREPARATION: A $150 camping fee will be collected at or before the program.
Participants are responsible for bringing all of their own food for the first six days, as well as all camping equipment and clothing needed to live comfortably and safely in a full range of weather conditions. We ask everyone to arrive prepared to live self-sufficiently on the land.
You must bring your own shelter, sleeping gear, and other personal camping essentials, and you are responsible for knowing how to use your equipment. If you are new to camping or unfamiliar with your tent, please set it up and practice using it before arriving at the land.
Some additional equipment such as a shared cooler or camping chairs can be available as needed. Please reach out to us in advance if you need to borrow or arrange any gear.
Program cost:
The School of Lost Borders has created a sliding scale for all its programs in an effort to keep our courses affordable to a wide range of people.
Tuition: $1000 - $4500 sliding scale
Deposit: $300 (Non-refundable & non-transferrable unless seminar is cancelled)
Extra Fees: $150 Camping Fee
*This program is offered through the School of Lost Borders and will be held on the land we call Wild Mountain in Colorado. Please see schooloflostborders.org for more information.
Guides: Pedro McMillan &Bettina Straub
Registration or Questions: Email Bettina at bettina@lostborders.org or Pedro at pedro@wildmountainretreats.org