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
In January 2022, 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 offering was that it filled up with Wilderness Quest graduates, most of whom were not especially interested in becoming 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 share deeply.
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, and so we created the first Renewal Workshop for Quest Graduates, presented for the first time in January 2023.. See below for feedback about this workshop.
Feedback from the Renewal Workshop
One of the most healing and insightful experiences of my life. I came prepared to “work” and my fellow questers, Mike, and Susan created a beautiful container to do the work in. If you have quested, this renewal program is a must.
–Leslie Anderson, executive coach.
The renewal workshop is an excellent opportunity to gather with people who have the shared experience of a Rites of Passage quest and continue the work, revisit the rituals, and practice deep sharing and deep listening. A rejuvenating experience with a wonderful community.
–Sarah Bryce, horticulturist
The Councils were powerful, engaging, and at times quite magical…not just as an opportunity to share but to hear others stories and have an opportunity to provide feedback, questions and/or support. Overall, the event was an A+ for me. Thank you Mike, thank you Susan, for your loving care and leadership. I am grateful to you, and to all of the other participants.
–Jay Howell, grandfather
Don’t know what to say…I was in a place where I could be vulnerable, be wild like the land, be tender like the silence of the desert, be myself. Be myself which wouldn’t happen without this beautiful circle, beautiful community.
–Bruce Fessenden, poet
