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 a Vision Quest together. They asked Kent and Farion Pearce, both of whom have served as Rites of Passage guides, to help create a couple’s quest and guide them. In collaboration with Kent and Farion, Renee and Mike co-created a new form, one involving time spent alone as well as time spent together on the solo. They found the process powerful, deep and renewing and continue to draw on its gifts several years later…so much so that they have now decided to share it with other couples.
We’re offering this by arrangement for up to two couples at a time, at a site agreed upon by staff and participants. Preparation involves looking deeply at three intentions: the purpose/intention of each individual, and the purpose and intention of the couple (the Third). The solo time will also reflect this approach: Two and a half days of solo for each individual, one full day of solo for the couple to be together, fasting, in the silence of nature, before returning to the world. We’ll follow a similar approach when we work with the stories after the solo time. There will be one story for each partner and one for the Third, the mysterious story of the couple’s journey. We will listen to, and reflect, the story from each individual member of the couple, then the story of the mysterious Third, the story of the couple together, reflected by the time spent in nature.
The couple’s quest takes place over an 8 day period. The first 2 1/2 days are devoted to Severance (preparation), there are 3 1/2 days of solo, then we’ll work with the couple and their stories for the final 2 days of the program. The program can be presented in a somewhat shorter time frame by utilizing Skype in the preparation stage, if eight days is too long a commitment.
Dates for 2021: We’ll consider individual couple requests to present the program.
Tuition: $3600 per couple, includes meals during the program (except one restaurant meal). If we have to travel to your area to present the program, there may be an additional travel fee.
Interested couples should contact Rites of Passage for more information. We will interview prospective couples to clarify whether this program is the right choice for them. Previous experience with the Wilderness Quest is recommended, but not required.
Read about the Rites of Passage Wilderness Quest
