SoulFire Women’s* Wilderness Quest

A 6-Day In-Person Women’s Wilderness Quest into Passion and Purpose

Are you longing to take a pause from the pace and intensity of your day-to-day life and let go of what holds you back from living in alignment with your deepest truth? To immerse yourself in the rhythms of the Earth? 

Then our SoulFire Women’s Wilderness Quest is for you. 

On this six-day quest retreat, you’ll join a small group of women on the land to empty out and listen deeply to your inner voice and to the voices of the natural world. 

This quest includes a two-day/two-night solo on the land with 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 reflections and meetings, connection with other participants, as well as the support of your guides will help you make the most out of this truly transformative experience.

Who This Retreat is For

The Somatic Nature Therapy Institute’s SoulFire Quest is for anyone who wants to move through transition, change, and life more consciously, with the support of the natural world and an intentional community of women. If you are longing for time and space to pause, take a breath, and listen to your heart and soul, a quest is for you. And if you are ready for a three-night solo, our SoulFire guest can help you venture out safely, with intention. Your time on the land will help remind you of who you truly are, especially if you are going through major life transitions or facing tough decisions. The only prerequisite: a willingness to step into the unknown, in order to find a greater sense of purpose and belonging. And a desire to be on the land, supported by the great web of life!

woman helping other woman to climb mountain

What You’ll Get From a Wilderness Quest

  • An invitation to reconnect with your authentic self

  • Connection with nature

  • Earth-centered ceremony

  • Council (speaking and listening practice)

  • Powerful meditations, poetry, and journaling

  • Nourishing your body, mind, and soul

  • Dreamwork

  • Solo preparation and integration exercises

  • Deepening into community

  • Silence and solitude

  • A two-day/two-night solo on the land

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
— Mary Oliver

Retreat Outline

Preparation: We will hold two preparatory meetings 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. These meetings will take place over Zoom. In addition, Katie or Sommerville will meet with you for a 1:1 intention setting meeting prior to the retreat. You’ll also receive suggested preparation exercises to begin engaging with your intention for the journey. We also invite you to track your dreams and pay attention to synchronicities as you move toward the quest time.

Day 1: Arriving on the land at 9am the first day, we will begin the journey together and have time to connect with your inner wisdom, the land, each other, and each person’s intention for the quest.

Days 2: Day two is spent deepening into community, reflecting on and clarifying intentions, and preparing for solo time.

Days 3-4:  On the morning of the third day, you will have the opportunity to venture out for a two-day/two night solo on a place on the land that calls to you. During your time on solo, Katie and Sommerville will be in ceremony, holding sacred space for your intentions. 

Day 5: Just after sunrise on the fifth day, we will welcome you back to our basecamp, invite stories from your solo time and offer reflection, creating a witnessing that aims to deepen your experience.

Day 6: On our final day together, we will consider how to incorporate the gifts and insights from the quest into your daily life. We will close our ceremonial time together in the afternoon, having cultivated a deeper connection to ourselves, the land, the unseen world, and our own inner truths.

Integration: Finally, we will hold one integration gathering a few weeks after you come back from the retreat – over Zoom.

What People are Saying About Soulfire Women’s Wilderness Quest

  • "I was guided by my Soul to take time to step deeply into silence and to simply be and to listen. Spending time in Nature is invaluable to my physical body, mental health, and Spiritual Self. It allows time for my body to remember how to be more in sync with the pulse of the Earth-- reminds me that my body is an extension of the Earth. It allows my nervous system to reset and to quiet. Time alone in Nature creates space to sink and expand into the heart and connect more deeply with my Soul. I love feeling supported by others as I take time to explore “Being” and simply listening. The Quest provides a safe space for vulnerability, connection and authenticity. Committing to a Vision Quest with Katie is life changing! It’s a powerful YES to stepping into living authentically and discovering who you really are, what your dreams are, what your Soul wants you to know."

    Cory J.

About Your Facilitators

Katie Asmus sitting in nature smiling

With several decades of experience in outdoor education, therapy, teaching, and rites of passage guiding, Katie Asmus, MA, BMP, LPC, incorporates present-moment awareness, relationship to the natural world, body-mind connection and ceremonial 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 trainings and experiences, sees psychotherapy and coaching clients, guest teaches, and trains therapists and healers, through The Somatic Nature Therapy Institute, a multi-dimensional therapeutic and educationally-based organization that incorporates Nature-based and Body-Centered offerings in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Learn More

 
Sommerville Johnston crouching next to rock smiling

Sommerville Johnston, LPC, SEP, RYT 200 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. Learn More


Course Details

  • July 27, 2024, 9 a.m. MT — August 1, 2024, 4 p.m. MT

  • In the mountains 45 min northwest of Boulder, on private land (at 9,200 feet)

  • $1925 regular rate after May 27, 2024

    $1,735 (early bird pricing, ends May 27, 2024)

  • A willingness to step into the unknown, in order to find a greater sense of purpose and belonging. And a love of being on the land!

  • There is no running water on the land, but there are camping toilets. We provide some group dinners. For other meals, there are spots to set up camp stoves and store coolers for your prep or storage needs.

 

Apply for SoulFire Women’s Wilderness Quest

To apply, click the link below to fill out an application and share about your intentions for stepping into this ceremonial retreat. After reviewing your application, we’ll schedule a time to talk with you, share more about the retreat, answer any questions you have, and collaboratively determine if it is the right fit for you at this time in your life. From there, we will send you enrollment and payment details. 

 

For questions or if you’d like more information, please contact us.

Learn more about all of our Quests and Retreats.

*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 womanhood. 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.