When Leaving is About Returning A rite of passage, as a friend once said to me, is a process that begins with a death and ends with a birth. After the nine-day Wilderness Quest, you naturally turn towards the pull of home. This happens at a soul level–the reborn, renewed, remade person feeling the…
Men, Soul Work, and Service Men carry a lot of grief and shame underneath our heroic exteriors. We’re socialized to deny and repress it, and even to criticize other men who let it show, leading us to carry on like wounded soldiers. Our sense of failure can actually be our greatest ally in transformation,…
Aloneness and Community “The tension between being alone and together is a creative tension. As human beings we balance our longing to belong to one another, or to the collective, with our desire to be true to our individual paths.” – Joshua Boettiger I’ve lived in an intentional community in Northern California for over…
Rites of Passage Teach Lessons of Life What has it meant, all these years of leading people to the river of wild nature and holding watch for them as they dive in? I’ve seen all kinds of transformation–wounds healed, relationships repaired, families strengthened, inner purpose confirmed, love of the earth ignited, path with heart…
Fire and (hopefully) Rain A year end message from Executive Director Mike Bodkin at Rites of Passage Here we are again, approaching the death of an old year and the birth of the new, circling through terrestrial, cosmic and personal orbits. The year, which began with the inauguration of a boy-president, saw a resurgence…
The Need for Community in Rites of Passage Who of us in our digitalized and remote lives has not wondered about our disappearing sense of connectedness — face to face, person to person and within a tribe? The more we find ourselves hitting “send,” “reply,” and “post,” the less connected we often feel and…
Designed to support you as you learn to live as your authentic self in your life, this mentoring program is for graduates of any Rites of Passage nature-based program. You’ll get individual, one-on-one support over time from one of our mentors. They’ll provide support and guidance as you connect more deeply with who you are,…
Talking with Mother Earth Good night, Mountains, you must protect us tonight. We are strangers here but we are good people. We don’t mean harm to anybody. Good night, Mister Pine Tree. We are camping under you. You must protect us tonight. Good night, Mister Owl. I guess this is your home where we…
Leadership Vision Quest: Interview with Dane Hewlett Dane Hewlett participated in the Leadership Vision Quest in September of this year. An independent consultant, Dane works primarily with fast growing companies as an executive coach and leadership team trainer. Married for 30 years to his high school sweetheart, Dane describes his marriage as being multiple…
Couple’s Quest The Couple’s Quest is a form of vision quest or wilderness quest for couples in a committed relationship. It began when Mike Bodkin (Rites of Passage Executive Director) and his wife, Renee Sweezey, quested together in August 2007. They were looking for a way to renew their partnership and marriage, and Renee suggested…