Rite of Passage for Queer Men+ with School of Lost Borders
Join a Community of Queer Men* in Ceremony** with the Earth
Queer and trans men belong fully in the natural world. The natural world is where we can freely plant our feet and step into our queer gifts and wisdom. We carry wounds not because of our queerness or transness, but because of the dominant culture’s inability to hold the fullness of our beings. In the fullness of our queerness lies the antidote to our wounding, not the source.
The time has come for queer men’s healing, to hold our stories of trauma and grief together, to step into community with other queer men and with the land, to allow our desires, our shame, and our visions to be loved and witnessed. This rite of passage is an updated kind of coming out for your life. Connecting deeply to yourself as a queer man, and fully embodying all of who you are, is both a radical act of communion with all living things and a rebellion against forces of hate and division!
If you are ready and feeling the call to step into the fullness of who you are, the fullness of your heart as a queer man, then please join us for a deep ceremony of personal work and collective healing and liberation. Your queer existence is a precious gift and deeply needed in these times. We warmly invite you and we humbly call you to join us.
For the very first time, a group of all queer men will be joining together on the land for a full rite of passage. Join us in a supportive circle, surrounded by the tallest peaks of Colorado and sleeping beneath a sky full of stars. This ceremonial rite of passage is created specifically for anyone identifying as or adjacently as a queer man (beyond the binary!), if you have questions about your belonging in this group, please reach out! We can’t wait to welcome you onto the land!
Program Overview
This rite of passage has three distinct phases: Severance, Threshold, and Incorporation.
Severance: In the first days, you’ll step away from everyday life and begin to release what no longer serves you. Through storytelling and deep listening, you’ll be witnessed and heard in a supportive community of queer men. Together, we’ll each set an intention for the threshold time.
Threshold Time: You will spend four days and nights solo in the vast wilderness of a Colorado National Forest. This is a time of deep introspection and connection with your life and the natural world. A nearby “buddy” will check for a daily signal to ensure your safety, while basecamp remains close enough for support. There is no prior camping or wilderness experience required.
Incorporation: Returning from your solo, you’ll rejoin the group at Wild Mountain. Here, you will share the story of your journey. Your guides will reflect or ‘mirror’ your experience back to you, helping bring your experience into the world in a solid, tangible way. Through witnessing, your story and gifts are celebrated—not just by you and the land, but by your community. Finally, in this phase we will prepare you to re-enter your life, to be able to carry your story forward into the world during the year-long unfolding of the incorporation process.
Program Logistics
Once you register, you’ll receive detailed info, but here are the key basics:
Arrival: Plan to arrive in Buena Vista, CO by 4:30 PM on Sunday, August 2nd
Departure: The program will close by noon on Sunday, August 16th
Please confirm your travel plans with Sam or Pedro before booking, to ensure you don’t miss vital group or land time. Carpooling is encouraged and often arranged among participants.
You will need to bring your own food and personal camping gear, along with clothing suited for a full range of weather conditions. If you need to borrow equipment, we’re happy to help—just let us know in advance. Again, no camping or wilderness experience is required.
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. Please visit our Reciprocity page to reflect on what to give. We trust that each individual will pay what they feel is reciprocal.
Scholarships are available. We have extra funds for tuition/travel available for BIPOC participants if needed.
Tuition: $1000 - $4500 sliding scale
Deposit: $300 (Non-refundable & non-transferrable unless program is cancelled)
Extra Fees: $120 Camping Fee
Questions or Registration:
Have questions? Wondering if this journey is for you? Reach out to our guide team: Sam at sambalka3@gmail.com or Pedro at pedro@wildmountainretreats.org
If you’re ready to join the program, click here to enroll and submit a deposit to reserve your spot.
*We recognize and honor that the word “queer” has been used in the past as a derogatory term and is still hurtful for some in the LGBTQIA2S+ community. We use the word here as an inclusive term and shortcut for the LGBTQIA2S+ lettering. Similarly, our use of the term ‘man’ encompasses the expanded spectrum beyond the binary of cis-men.
**This rite of passage is not specific to any religion, denomination, spiritual practice, or cultural background. Initially inspired by indigenous elders of what is now called North America, the ceremony also includes elements of pan cultural practices. The lineage of this work emerges from Meredith Little & Stephen Foster’s work at the School of Lost Borders that brings together universal earth-based tenets, and teachings to create a modern day ceremony that restores this important cultural work to the world. You can learn more about the roots of this ceremony and significant teachers to Stephen & Meredith at https://schooloflostborders.org/about/our-roots/