You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
~ From "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver
Women's True Nature Retreat
THIS NATURE RETREAT IS FOR YOU IF . . .
• You want to move through stuck emotions and open to your life with new dedication and renewed vision.
• You are in a life transition you want guidance and support for, or have moved through a life transition that you want to mark and celebrate.
• You are in the process of grieving and want the nurturing support of an intimate group of women and the solace of nature.
• You feel most alive and connected to life when you are in the wilds of nature and want to reconnect to that part of yourself.
you will experience
The first day of the retreat is marked by the initial phase of a rite of passage. During the Severance phase you make a conscious choice to step out of your daily life, opening to a new way of being. The day is spent in a small group, creating bonds and preparing for a period of solitude with nature.
You will…
Be guided to connect with the beauty and peace around you through mindfulness and movement practices.
Connect with your fellow participants through simple ritual and sharing in circle.
Learn the practice of Council, an intentional way of speaking and listening in a group.
Be supported in honing your intention and questions you want to engage during your solo time.
Be instructed on how to safely be in solitude.
Culminate the day with a fire ceremony, in which you will offer an item to the fire that represents what you are ready to transform in your life.
On the morning of the second day you will step through a ceremonial Threshold. You will spend 24 hours in solitude with nature, returning to the safety of camp by nightfall. Remaining in silence, you can use the nighttime to engage in creative expression, journaling and being with your dreams. During the solo, you can choose to fast. You will be given guidance on how to safely fast and on the reasons to use fasting as a way to enhance your solo time.
On the morning of the third and final day, you will greeted by your guides and will step back through the Threshold. You will break your fast with a nutritious and festive breakfast. During this last phase of a rite of passage, called Reincorporation, you will be guided through a variety of rich ways to make meaning of your experience and integrate it into your life.
You will…
Share the experience of your solo time and receive the gift of hearing the stories of your fellow participants.
Have your story mirrored back to you by the guides, a rich process which draws out the wisdom, teaching and essential qualities of your experience.
Create a group nature art piece.
Be supported in taking a particular action and/or practice you want to carry forward as a way for your experience to take root in your life.
what women are saying
“Amy, you are so masterful, calm, supportive and clear. I felt welcomed, included and like I was in the best hands. This retreat helped me realize how important it is to take time for myself by myself. I realized how nature can ground me and bring me back to my present self. I also realized that connection with nature was really connection with myself. The solo day was a wonderful experience. I had some nervousness going into it but it was just what I needed. I also really enjoyed the fasting part. Food is such big part of my life/culture and not having to think about what I was going to eat or what my next meal was going to be was liberating.” ~Kim Bartley
“Feeling my soft animal body re-connect with my natural surroundings was profound. I felt something every time I actually touched the earth with my hands or my belly, the sense of grounding in the Earth that calms the doubting mind. The retreat provided me with plenty of time to sit with the challenges I was facing and find insight in my experience with the natural environment. Upon returning home, I'm more clear about my capacity for love and my priorities.
Amy, I love what you bring to these groups and the wisdom and experience you draw on. I feel so safely held and so gently led, and I also feel your confidence in me - that I can face both the physical challenges of being in nature or fasting, and also the internal challenges that may come up. I love that you fed us for the weekend, and that your meals were super healthy and nourishing!” ~Claire SunSpiral
“I am so grateful to have found Amy and her nature retreats. Having the ability to not only re-connect to nature and myself, but also to be guided to that place in such a beautiful and honored way by Amy. Her energy is soft yet solid and I feel so well held by her while we journey into nature. I feel healed by this work on so many levels and I hope to do her programs regularly. I highly recommend doing this to remember what it feels like to be whole, healed and know that all is well.” ~ Nicole Rodriguez DC
“Thank you for creating a safe and sacred space in which I could be part of a process that furthered my journey into elderhood and connected my “story” to those of my sisters and The Story. You artfully wove together a series of tasks, exercises, and reflections in meaningful response to those before you—both as individuals and as a group.” ~Susan Kerns
“Amy has a graceful, gentle and grounded presence. Combined with her wisdom and humility, I was able to trust her and feel held in her presence during the retreat. Her leadership made it possible for me to drop into my experience and journey into the depth of my soul, knowing that when I come back, I will be supported and led back into reality as a new integrated person.” ~Sharon Sigler
"My time with Amy has been absolutely life changing. Attending her women’s nature retreat set me on a year long journey of transformation. I was seeking a transformative experience to mark the end of my graduate school career, and what I experienced was more than I could have hoped for. Amy facilitated a beautiful group experience, allowing each participant to truly shine and fully express themselves in a container of safety and sacredness like I had never experienced before. Amy exudes warmth, compassion, and feminine power. It’s clear that when she works with women she is in her element. I found a sense of groundedness and connectedness and power that I felt I had been searching for my whole life, but had never been able to find until going on her retreat. ~Sarah Rojas LMFT
“The journey that weekend took me to new parts of myself that I hadn't seen, or believed were truths inside me. I now see that I am a powerful being with a powerful voice, and I am demanding of myself to use it.
You have a profound way of helping me realize my full potential and help me see things about myself that I couldn't fully realize at the time. The way the space was held and created made a huge impact on my being. The whole process was amazing; heart exploding, solar plexus expanding beauty. " ~ Jennifer Iadevaia
“I’m filled with deep gratitude for you sharing this experience with me, and you showing up with so much authenticity and embodied feminine power. Really a precious gift to have been in your presence. And really affirming for me to of how powerful potent presence is, and how nourishing. Thank you.” ~ Megan Walrod
“The Monday I returned to work I felt as though my feet and legs grounded me all the way past the second floor of the building to the basement. I have more confidence and gained a self-awareness that I can access more regularly in my daily life.” ~ Laura Lutton
“I appreciated your encouragement of the group to go to an edge and also the importance of being safe and taking care as we each needed. I appreciated you holding our intentions and the prayers sent out on our behalf. I felt well supported, held and cared for.” ~ Kamala Tully
“I decided to come on a retreat with Amy because I was curious about what wilderness therapy had to offer. I left feeling more grounded in the Earth and my life, and I now know how to incorporate outdoor therapeutic moments into my daily life. My confidence and sense of self have increased, and I feel more in control of my emotions. The way the retreat leaders used the world around me to help me look deep inside was a more profound experience than I have ever had before. The whole process was incredible, and I take it with me wherever I go.” ~Sophie DeGreen
sign up today!
DATES
October 25-27, 2024, starting Friday 10am and ending Sunday 3pm
LOCATION
Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Exact location to be given upon registration.
FEE $797
Includes a private preparation phone call so you can be supported in creating your intentions and a post retreat private phone call so you can bring what you gained on the retreat into your daily life.
Organic meals and camping accommodations also included.