A Seven-Day Quest for Women* in the Foothills of the Rocky Mountains
August 7 – 13, 2023 (in the mountains near Boulder, CO)
+ 2 online preparatory meetings + 1 integration meeting
- Are you longing to take a pause from the pace and intensity of your day-to-day life…to turn inward and listen closely to the still small voice of your own Soul?
- Are you craving time away to immerse yourself in the rhythms of the natural world?
- Are you in the midst of a life transition & wanting support to move through it consciously?
- Are you ready to let go of what holds you back from living in alignment with your deepest truth and greatest gifts?
- Will you allow yourself support and reflection from a community of heart-full women?
Join a small group of women for an inspiring and illuminating 7-day wilderness quest on private land in the foothills near Boulder, CO. We invite you into this time of pause: to empty out and listen deeply to your inner voice and to the voices of the natural world. This quest includes a 3-day/3-night solo time on the land and an optional fast. When you return, we will invite stories from your solo time and offer reflection and witnessing to deepen your experience. Preparation and integration activities and meetings as well as the support of your guides will help you make the most out of this truly transformative experience.
*We acknowledge the complex history of identity expressions, reclamation, and inclusion through language. Our intention is to create a container that recognizes the broad scope of womxnhood. We welcome women (cis and trans), femmes and genderqueer people. As facilitators, we are actively invested in our own learning and skill development around gender diversity and trans inclusion, and welcome any questions or requests from interested applicants.
Your experience will include:
- Deep connection with nature
- Council Practice (speaking and listening practice)
- Earth-centered ceremony
- 3-day/3-night solo time on the land
- Solo preparation and integration exercises
- Meditations, poetry and journaling
- Dreamwork
- Deepening into community
- Nourishing our bodies and souls
DETAILS:
SoulFire Quest Overview:
This quest is a 7-day, 6-night inner- and outer-journey in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just outside of Boulder, Colorado. Before our time on the land, we will hold two preparatory meetings on Zoom where we will begin our deep-dive as a group. During these gatherings we will meet each other, begin to speak to our intentions for the retreat, and discuss the important details and logistics to help you feel prepared for your time on the land. Finally, we will hold 1 integration gathering a few weeks after coming back from the retreat (date TBD – also to be held over Zoom).
Preparation:
In preparation for the retreat, your facilitators will meet with you for a 1:1 intention setting meeting. We will also invite you to engage in journal work and dreamwork, as well as share resources and readings with you to further support you in your preparations and to serve you in beginning to engage with your intention for the journey.
Our Time on the Land Together:
Arriving on the land at 9am on August 7th, we will begin the journey together and have time to connect with the land, each other, and each person’s intention for the quest. On the morning of the third day, you will each have the opportunity to go on a personal quest, spending 3 days and 3 nights of solo time with a place on the land that calls to you. During your time on solo, your facilitators will be in ceremony, holding sacred space for your intentions. Just after sunrise on the final day of your solo, we will welcome you back to our basecamp, invite stories from your solo time and offer reflection and witnessing to deepen your experience. We will close our ceremonial time together by 3pm on August 13th, having cultivated a deeper connection to ourselves, the land, the unseen world, and our own inner truths.
UPCOMING DATES: August 7 – 13, 2023 (in the mountains near Boulder, CO)
TUITION: Reg Price ($2095); Early Bird Price ($1925) ends June 7, 2023
About Your Facilitators:
Katie Asmus, MA, LPC, BMP
Katie Asmus, MA, incorporates present-moment awareness, relationship to the natural world, body-mind connection and expressive arts practices to support people in more deeply and compassionately connecting to themselves, others, and the earth. She believes strongly in the power of spending time in nature as a way to listen deeply inward, and has a long history of creating, practicing, and facilitating personally meaningful culturally relevant ceremonies and rites of passage. Currently, Katie directs and facilitates rites of passage programs, sees psychotherapy and coaching clients and trains therapists and healers through The Somatic Wilderness Therapy Institute (SWTI), a multi-dimensional therapeutic and educationally-based organization that incorporates Nature-based and Body-Centered offerings in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
Sommerville Johnston, LPC, SEP, RYT 200
Sommerville is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, wilderness guide, yoga instructor, and founder of Aspen Roots Collective. She is passionate about facilitating opportunities for individuals and groups to connect with the natural world, to explore their inner-landscapes, and to discover within themselves a strength and beauty more powerful than they previously knew. She has worked in the mental health field since 2010 and in the outdoors since 2000, incorporating curiosity, humor, deep compassion, and respect into her various roles. Sommerville enjoys exploring the trail, rock, and water of her home in the Southeast, as well as continuing to learn from new places and people around the world.
A NOTE REGARDING COVID-19 PROTOCOLS FOR IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING: we will be monitoring the evolving situation and giving updates to program participants on our own specific protocols. These protocols will be based on local, state, and federal recommendations and requirements as well as outdoor industry best practices and will be communicated closer to the program start dates to ensure we are keeping current with appropriate precautions. For additional questions or information contact us at [email protected]