This is a safe way, in this time of Coronavirus, to undertake a personal rite of passage.
The program is structured like our 9 day Wilderness Quest program, with one full day of solo time in nature. Learn more about the stages of a rite of passage.
All group meetings will take place online.
The first 3 group meetings will be dedicated to the Severance or preparation stage. We’ll cover topics like: personal ceremony, indigenous teachings to support the journey, fasting, keeping a journal, and especially safety in nature.
In the week between meeting 3 and meeting 4, participants will undertake a one-day solo journey in nature, either sunrise to sunset, or a 24-hour solo.
The final 3 meetings will be dedicated to the Incorporation process. Each participant will have time to tell their story and receive reflections or “mirroring” from the group leader. There will be time devoted to questions of the Return, or how to bring these gifts back into the world.
The Solo Quest Online Program Incorporates the Five Core Elements of a Wilderness Quest:
1. Solitude
You will have a full day of solo time, either sunrise to sundown, or 24 hours.
2. Immersion in Nature
An entire day is spent in nature–time for walking, exploring, sitting still, journaling, and enacting ceremony.
3. Fasting
Fasting is an ancient cross-cultural practice, one that opens the mind and heart. Most people are able to fast during the nature immersion time of the Solo Quest. This practice can be modified for people who cannot fast.
4. Pan-cultural Teachings
In this program, we will apply practices and teachings drawn from more than 40 years experience guiding rites of passage in nature, including the Four Directions teachings (given to Rites of Passage by a Native American teacher); dialogue with the natural world; journaling; and other eco-psychological practices. We will also teach simple ceremonial practices that can be utilized by Solo Quest participants.
5. Community
Traditional rites of passage always take place in the context of community. This program will have a community of up to eight participants, to share stories, learn from each other, and create a safe container for the work.
