Renewal Workshop for Quest Graduates
For the past few years, Wilderness Quest graduates have been asking Rites of Passage for more ongoing contact and support.
In response, we’ve created this workshop for graduates of a Rites of Passage Wilderness Quest program.
The program will be held in Shoshone, California at a small rustic center that is nearby to wild and beautiful desert land. Each day of the program will feature a visit to a different wild and beautiful place in nature, allowing for solo time at each location.
Renewal is a wellspring flowing from several sources:
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- Contact with wild places is inherently healing and soul-nourishing. Wandering in nature helps us to drop into a deeper level of listening to the world and to our own inner voice. Memories of the quest will return, along with a sense of where the sacred dream is guiding us now.
- A community of questers can create remarkable support for the journey post-quest.
- Telling our stories–of meeting wild nature, of our quests, of the paths we have travelled, of the challenges we face–and then receiving loving feedback and support–is transformative. Our stories call us to risk being fully present and alive at this time in our lives.
How this Program Came to Be
This past January, we conducted the Art of Mirroring, our first live, in-person workshop in the past two years. This program has in the past attracted people wanting to learn how to guide others on rites of passage ceremonies, and it’s part of our guide training curriculum. But what was interesting about this recent offering is that it filled up, then developed a waiting list–so that we had to add a staff member to accommodate everyone–with Wilderness Quest graduates, most of whom were not interested in learning to become guides! Instead, they wanted to experience renewal on the land, and deep connection with other questers in community. The practice of Mirroring became the vehicle for deepening connection, a tool to develop empathic and compassionate listening skills, whether one wished to guide others or just receive their stories.
In the end, The Art of Mirroring program was a great success, with everyone feeling a sense of magic (from deep nature connection in gorgeous wild places) and human connection from the storytelling sessions–plus plain old fun, from staying at a rustic retreat center where we cooked our meals, played music together, and stayed up late talking.
After the workshop, we heard from participants that they’d like to make this an annual renewal event for questers, without the direct focus of “learning to guide,” but continuing to teach Mirroring so that the story sessions could carry resonance and depth.
Out of that feedback, this workshop was born.
Feedback from the Mirroring Workshop
I think you know how excited and committed I am both as a participant and board member to recommend this experience to others who have quested with rites of passage. My personal experience of the workshop was quite profound. I found the kind of fellow travelers for my spiritual journey that I have been hoping for. I appreciated learning about the mirroring process. I also benefited greatly from the other participants as they mirrored my soul work.
–Jay Howell, Wilderness Quest graduate and Rites of Passage board member
More transformational than I could believe or I could describe in words. The work, the magic, the amazing participants and the amazing guides.
–Leo Sheerin, artist
The process, the growth, the connection to people and spirit. A transformative experience–life changing. I always recommend your programs.
–Dionne Kress, life coach
Bringing together the community of questers to learn to mirror, share our hearts and bond!
–Sarah Bryce, horticulturalist
My experience was truly uplifting and eye-opening to so many inner connections. The actual work of mirroring was so inspiring and touching. I would absolutely recommend this work to others.
–Elizabeth Munoz, consultant
