Ecology of Awakening Wilderness Fast

The Awakening Wilderness Fast is an opportunity to rediscover your deepest essence and inherent place amidst the larger whole. It is an invitation to step beyond your borders and discover your deepest belonging, both to yourself and to the larger web of life. Historically, the wilderness has been a place for initiating humans into their authentic being. By removing ourselves from our everyday context and immersing ourselves in the rhythms and cycles of the natural world, we are drawn out beyond the confines of our habitual definitions. It is there that we can reconnect with our deepest identity – that which is vast, ever changing and intimately connected with all of Life.

Rather than seeking a one-time vision that will carry us through a lifetime, the focus of this journey is towards supporting a new way of being and orienting to the myriad ways that life, inwardly and outwardly, guides each one of us. We humans change and unfold just like everything else in nature does. Ceremonies such as the vision fast support us in letting go of what no longer serves us, and open to that which wants to express itself through us. It is a ritual to mark and empower where we are in our lives in order to more fully usher in our own deepest creativity. Whether you are called to this journey for yourself, for our larger human community, for the Earth, or for reasons unbeknownst to you, the journey offers transformation, healing and insight.

The first four days encompass the severance phase of the journey, supporting you in fully readying for the gift of solo time on the land. Upon arrival, we settle in to letting go of the structures and pacing of the outside world. We immerse ourselves in the land, the circle of support, the cross cultural framework utilized by those who have gone before, and the longing and prayer that called you. During severance, the guides will pay utmost attention to safety as they prepare you to fully open to the threshold experience, covering essential elements such as wilderness safety and survival procedures, the dynamics of fasting, four direction teachings, and suggestions for your solo time utilized by people across the world. We will explore and further clarify your individual intentions, engage in ceremony, dreamwork, listening meditation, council practice and other time-tested processes designed to lift the veil between your everyday mind and a wider awareness. On the fourth day, you will begin your fast (which can include anything from fasting with only water to lightly eating for those with health concerns) and search for the special place that awaits your presence.

Solo/Threshold:

The threshold consists of three days and nights away from human companionship, immersed in the seen and unseen wilds of the Mojave Desert. As you leave the village community, you step through the threshold with an open heart and only the necessary gear to discover what is most essential. As you leave a sign to communicate that you are safe daily - via a stone pile - your guides maintain their distance, tending to basecamp and sending their prayers. The shift in consciousness that comes with the fast, the expanse that lies beyond social rules and habits, and the cycles and visitations of the wild all support you in becoming more permeable to the subtle whisperings within and around you. Within this timeless time, you follow what arises in each moment, making the ceremony your own.

Reincorporation/Integration:

After three days and nights of sacred time on the land, you return to basecamp to the welcoming arms of your guides and other villagers. The reincorporation phase begins with a morning break-fast meal prepared by your guides; followed by two gentle days of stories and integration. While many consider the threshold to be the most difficult part of the journey, in truth, the final phase of reincorporation, which takes a full year, at least, is often the most challenging. We therefore spend ample time during the final days to support you in what it is to live what you received from both your solo time and the journey as a whole. Through storytelling, mirroring and other processes designed to support you in making the ‘vision’ real, the guides will prepare you to re-weave yourself back into your lives and communities. Our focus will be less about holding onto whatever vision you might have received, and more about how to fully embody and abide in the shift from trying to move through the world to allowing the world to move through you!

Note: This is an all-camping quest. We seek to make this retreat available to all who are called: please note that you do not need to have camping experience or to be in top physical shape to attend. Other than bringing your gear to your solo spot, there is no backpacking. We will provide a list of equipment upon enrollment and can assist you with where to buy or rent supplies if needed. Our basecamp is within walking distance from cars.

Guides

Kerry Brady and Michael Stjernholm

Dates & Location

Thursday, September 13, 10:00 AM - Saturday, September 22nd, 11:00 AM, 2018, Mojave National Preserve, CA

*Note: We ask everyone to arrive in the general area the night before in order to begin as a group at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.

Group Size

Maximum Number: 12

Tuition: $1,650, *Scholarship Support

Tuition includes all course instruction, guide support, and guide prepared meals. Participants will be paired up and be responsible for the purchasing and preparation of either one breakfast or one dinner for the group. Each participant is responsible for bringing their own lunches, snacks and personal camping gear, as well as the transportation costs to and from basecamp. Carpooling is encouraged. Upon registering, we will send you a detailed preparation packet with all course details.

* Our programs are enriched by a diversity of participants. To this end, we are committed to offering scholarship support to those who feel called and are currently of limited financial means. Access to partial scholarships is contingent on the amount available, so best to inquire early. We take into account each individual circumstance and do our best to support each person’s needs in addition to our own. Scholarships are partial in that we expect you to pay what you can afford with the hope that we can make up the difference. Please note that scholarship money is for program tuition and does not cover travel or extra food costs. The scholarship fund exists due to the generosity of the larger Ecology of Awakening community, for which we are most grateful. To request scholarship support, please fill out our Scholarship Application Form.

Application Process (deadline August 15th)

The Wilderness Fast is designed for those who are opening to their essential nature and to how Life seeks to evoke them into their place in the larger web. The journey is for those who have developed a “healthy enough” sense of self, and are ready to open to the vast mystery that seeks to unfold within them. While it is not designed primarily to promote personal healing or resolve issues, healing, personal clarity and deep connection can be natural outcomes of the process.

To help you to decide if the program is a fit for you, we’ve developed an application process which involves completing an Intent Form. We do this to ensure that you will not be pushed beyond what you are ready for, as moving beyond our basic habits and need for security can be challenging even for those who know it’s time! To ensure the safety of all participants, we require that each person be in good physical, mental and emotional health, and therefore cannot admit anyone who might endanger or compromise the group and/or process.