
Living the Practices
Living the Practices integrates ceremonial perspectives into daily routines, life, and work. We offer these programs as ongoing support with incorporation and as a way to deepen a personal calling and to strengthen professional and personal skills. These programs are designed for those who want to dive further into various aspects of the work and specific subjects. These programs incorporate the following aspects of the School’s traditions: The Four Shields, Solo Time in Nature, Nature as Teacher, and Storytelling and Mirroring.
UPCOMING LIVING THE PRACTICES PROGRAMS

The Four Directions of a Queer Man: Forgiveness, Apology & Reconciliation
Jun 3 - Jun 10, 2023 Inyo Mountains - Big Pine, California Scott Eberle, Collin Brown, Paul Browde
Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to ...
Diamond in the Rough: Wilderness and the Diamond Approach
Jun 24 - Jul 1, 2023 Wild Mountain, Colorado John Davis, Marlena deCarion
Direct and intimate contact with the natural world is an ancient and profound doorway to being. Our ancestors knew this, and we are rediscovering it. Curiosity, experiential inquiry, mindfulness, ...
Transforming Ancestral Trauma through Nature, Ritual, and Community
Aug 23 - Aug 29, 2023 Wild Mountain, Colorado Nancy Jane, Bettina Straub
When we heal our roots, we open up new possibilities for our future. --Thomas Hubl Ancestral Trauma The stories in our lineage are part of who we are today, but much of their influence remains ...
The Elder’s Journey: The Four Shields of Elderhood for Women
Oct 8 - Oct 15, 2023 Aravaipa Canyon Ranch and Retreat Center - Winkelman, Arizona (extra cost for accommodations apply) Silvia Talavera, Cary Gaunt
“We are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and scattered.” Kahlil Gibran Throughout the ages, elder women ...
Rites of Incorporation: Embodying the Vision and Living the Dream
Oct 22 - Oct 28, 2023 Catalina State Park - Tucson, Arizona Silvia Talavera, Kelly McClelland
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot ...
The Four Shields of Dreaming
Mar 2 - Mar 9, 2024 Death Valley, California Betsy Perluss, Kim Belair
A dream comes from the same source as a tree or a wild pig—Nature itself. —Marie-Louise von Franz Dreams are like the mycelium of the psyche, birthed from an underground network of ancient ...
The Four Directions of a Queer Man: Forgiveness, Apology & Reconciliation
Jun 8 - Jun 15, 2024 Inyo Mountains - Big Pine, California Scott Eberle, Collin Brown, Paul Browde
Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to ...
Diamond in the Rough: Wilderness and the Diamond Approach
Jun 22 - Jun 29, 2024 Wild Mountain, Colorado John Davis, Marlena deCarion
Direct and intimate contact with the natural world is an ancient and profound doorway to being. Our ancestors knew this, and we are rediscovering it. Curiosity, experiential inquiry, mindfulness, ...
Healing Ancestral Trauma through Nature, Ritual, and Community
Aug 19 - Aug 25, 2024 Wild Mountain, Colorado Nancy Jane, Bettina Straub
When we heal our roots, we open up new possibilities for our future. --Thomas Hubl Ancestral Trauma The stories in our lineage are part of who we are today, but much of their influence remains ...
The Elder’s Journey: The Four Shields of Elderhood for Women
Sep 21 - Sep 28, 2024 Aravaipa Canyon Ranch and Retreat Center - Winkelman, Arizona (extra cost for accommodations apply) Silvia Talavera
“We are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and scattered.” Kahlil Gibran Throughout the ages, elder women ...
Open Desert, Open Mind
Oct 5 - Oct 13, 2024 Eureka Valley, California Scott Eberle, Silvia Talavera
The very transparent, unfixed, yet alive quality of consciousness is its nature, a bit like air around us. If you relax and allow this experience of unfixed knowing, you will discover what ...
Rites of Incorporation: Embodying the Vision and Living the Dream
Oct 20 - Oct 26, 2024 Catalina State Park - Tucson, Arizona Silvia Talavera, Kelly McClelland
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot ...