CO Women’s Fast – Remembering Ourselves Home

– Remembering Ourselves Home –

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.
– Mary Oliver

Following the Call

Perhaps you find yourself at a crossroads—longing for time and community to listen deeply to the song of your heart; or feeling drawn to solitude and the summons of wild nature. This may be the moment to pause and ask: What is waiting to be known and honored in my life?

The Path of Initiation

Following the quiet whisper of an inner voice or navigating the big changes life throws our way, we trace the threads of initiation. Life transitions encourage us to release what no longer serves us, leading us to deeper self-inquiry and understanding of our journey. By immersing ourselves in wild nature, along with the teachings of the Four Shields, ritual, and community, we cultivate presence and trust for what is ripening within us.

Remembering our Way Home

We come together not to earn our worth or prove our strength, but to reconnect with the natural rhythms that ground and nurture us. As we dismantle inherited expectations of relentless striving, improvement or self-sacrifice, we remember a more intuitive, embodied, and relational way of walking this Earth.

Together, we create a clearing in our lives to restore what has been forgotten, fragmented, or lost. Ceremony invites us to slow down, to pause, and listen. Taking a break from the fast pace of daily life allows us to reconnect with the more-than-human world, letting its guidance lead the way. Through the sensual wisdom of our bodies, we attune to what is emerging—what is ready to be remembered, honored, and restored.

Stepping into the Threshold

When we step into the unknown of threshold time (a three-day solo), we follow the threads of our dreams and deep soul longings, tending to our wounded places, and descending into the nourishing well of our creative nature. These elements help us reflect on our lives, revealing new meaning and possibilities. Nature guides us to recognize our truths, release what we have outgrown, and embrace more of our agency and potential.  

Bringing the Gift home 

We know that this journey is not just for ourselves. It’s a way of returning with renewed purpose to our people and communities. We come back not only refreshed, but with a seed—an insight, wisdom, or action gathered from the wilderness. The gifts we uncover become our offering, weaving us back into the fabric of our lives.

Who this serves: We invite a village of women of all ages, backgrounds and gender- expression to gather. We honor the richness of our diverse experiences, stories, identities, and bodies, knowing that this diversity strengthens our path to collective belonging.

Overview: This 10-day vision fast ceremony, led by a “middler” and an elder guide, unfolds in three phases:

•   Preparation: Four days of teachings, councils, community connection and intention-setting
•   Solo: Three days with nature, creating a home, optional fasting, and ceremony
•   Return: Three days of integration, witnessing, and carrying your insights forward

Living nature is your mirror and source of transformation, and we will dive deep into this exploration of inner and outer communion. Our community is witness to the layers you shed, honoring your emergence and gifts to be returned to the world. 

To be whole. To be complete.

Wildness reminds us what it means to be human,
what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.

— Terry Tempest Williams —

Contact Guide: Bettina Straub [email protected]

Co-guide: Nancy Jane [email protected]