Two exciting trends in contemporary mental health are the simultaneous rise of mindfulness meditation and ceremonial plant medicines. And yet, there is very little dialogue between these two paths. For seven days in July we will explore two traditions concurrently.

One part of this investigation will be learning the dynamics of each practice – how insight, healing and “purification” happen, how perspectives loosen and change. The other part will be experiential: meditation instruction and practice will occur throughout the retreat, to help participants prepare for ceremony, to help with stability and integration, and to ensure the process of insight and growth continues after participants return home. The week is designed to be both enlightening and deeply restorative, with individual consultations, sharing circles, nature excursions, Ayurvedic treatments, art therapy, and yoga all woven into the program.

“Meditation practice is perfect for preparing people for such experiences… In both cases you come away with the new perceptual framework for understanding the nature of mind, and I think that’s fundamentally transformative.” – Roland Griffiths*

Exploration Schedule

Saturday July 9^th – Arrival and Welcome

Sunday July 10^th – The Elements of Experience
Introduction to mindfulness and concentration meditation. Orienting to different spaces in experience; how to track image and dream space, talk space, feeling space. Synesthetic remixing: introducing formations and the multi-dimensionality of visionary experience. Anchoring, the breath and stabilization.

Monday July 11^th – Opening to Experience, Ceremony One
Equanimity and the challenge of staying open to whatever arises. Understanding the dynamics of catharsis and “purification.” Working with stuck emotions and views. The nature of resistance and feedback. Trust and “Don’t Know mind.”

Tuesday July 12^th – Integration and Rest

Wednesday July 13^th – Participating in Experience, Ceremony Two:                       I and Thou. The participatory nature of meaning-making; what changes when we take a more empowered and interactive role in ceremony. Ecology, gratitude and inter-connectivity.

 Thursday July 14^th – Integration and Rest

 Friday July 15^th – Insight, Change and Perspective                                                    The still point in the turning world: exploring stability and change. The infinite game: the nature of insights, trance and the endless refreshment of perspective.

Saturday July 16^th – Integration, Departure
Continuing the process of integration. Practice in life.

Optional 3rd Ceremony