Summer Fast with Wild Mountain & School of Lost Borders

The call of the earth is getting louder! The ecological stress we see in wildfires, flooding, and global pandemics can leave you feeling helpless, frightened and stuck. Technology and the fast pace of work and home can rob our lives of meaning and purpose. These times are calling all of us back to a place of deep grounding in ourselves and on the earth. How do we navigate these difficult and changing times? How can we hold both the grief and the opportunities offered by all these changes? Spending time alone in a wild place on the earth can help you come to a place of balance amidst the uncertainty of the world. It will revive something deep in your bones- a call that part of you has been longing to answer.

Taking time away from the busy world to mark life passages can allow you to adapt and move more freely in a changing world. Leaving behind what no longer serves and embracing all of who you are has profound effects. If we do not mark these transitions, life can begin to feel meaningless and mundane. It is more important than ever to sit with questions like ‘Who am I now in my life?’, ‘What am I ready to leave behind, step into or celebrate?’ and ‘What gifts do I bring to the world?’.

Spending time both in community and alone in the wild mountains of Colorado is an opportunity to emerge from times of uncertainty and to show up with value for the earth and your community. This initiatory time alone on the land, surrounded by the mountains and wild landscape will reflect your inner world in a way that can transform your life and help prepare you for these changing times.

Program Overview: 

The eleven-day program is divided into three sections; severance, threshold time, and incorporation.  The first days are a time of separation from your daily life, physical preparation, and settling your reason(s) for going out alone into the natural world. The threshold time is your solo time of four days and nights on the land. Finally, the days spent after the solo are the first days of your year-long incorporation experience, where you will learn to work with the gifts you bring to the new phase of life you are entering.

The separation and intention setting begin when you decide to embark on this ceremony.  Events in your life may be calling you to this work even now. Listen to yourself and your life!  Once you commit to coming, the severance process begins and the work you have done to reach this place in your life will begin getting clearer. You are asked to write a letter about your intention for doing this ceremony to formally begin the process. Your intention will be powerfully clarified in the days before going out on the land.

The threshold time is your ceremony to mark your own life passage(s). This time is yours to create and will take place in a wild and beautiful area of Colorado. Base camp will be held not far from your solo spot and you will have a ‘buddy’ nearby who will check a sign from you each day to ensure your wellbeing.

During the incorporation time you will share the story of your solo. The guides will reflect or ‘mirror’ your story back to you in order to bring it into the world in a concrete way. The witnessing by the group will ensure there is no doubt about the transition you have made. Finally, we will prepare you to carry your story and yourself back into the world where the incorporation will continue to unfold over the year ahead.

Logistics: 

To address safety concerns during the pandemic, please contact us regarding our current Coronavirus protocols as well as any current travel restrictions. These protocols may affect how you are able to travel to the program. Please plan to arrive on the afternoon of July 27th. We will complete our ceremony mid-afternoon on August 8th.

Practical preparation: 

You will be responsible for bringing your own food and equipment, though we can provide some gear if needed. We ask everyone to come prepared to live self-sufficiently. We request all participants to purchase the vision fast handbook, “The Trail to the Sacred Mountain” available for $15 from Lost Borders Press. The handbook has a lot of helpful information to help with your preparation.

Program cost:

The School of Lost Borders has created a sliding scale for all its programs and trainings in an effort to keep our courses affordable to a wide range of people. We set forth no criteria and trust that each individual will pay what they feel is appropriate.

Scholarships are available.

Tuition: $850 - $1500 sliding scale
Deposit: $300 (Non-refundable & non-transferrable unless seminar is cancelled)
Extra Fees: $80 Camping Fee