CA Summer Women’s Fast

Jul 8th, 2024 - Jul 19th, 2024 | Inyo Mountains - Big Pine, California | Petra Lentz-Snow, Kim Belair
Since time immemorial Rites of Passage Ceremonies have facilitated change, offering a simple but indispensable container to transition from one life stage to another, to let go of (die to) the old and step in (birth) anew, so that life can continue.
What underlies these rites is the understanding of the circular, seasonal, and regenerative nature of life and death. This knowing runs deep in the female body. Despite the patrilinear impact of the last few thousand years that imposed a culture in which the feminine was largely exiled, we are still informed by the cyclical ebbing and flowing rhythm of circular time, and an innate understanding of the evolutionary necessity of change that lives in our bones.
The experience of brushing up with death and bringing in new life is instinctive in women and braided into the ancestral fabric of our origins. Whether we become mothers of children or birth art, truth, or visions, somehow, somewhere, beneath our domesticated selves, we still know that all pain is birthing something, that light comes from dark, and that change is necessary for life to continue birthing herself forward.
No matter what kind of life change or shift you are marking, finding our medicine as women, finding our voice and way as daughters, mothers, elders, and stewards of this Earth has perhaps never been more essential.
Come as you are. You are welcome here. This is an offering to celebrate and hold the broad, and diverse experiences of what it is to be a woman in this moment in time.
Who this offering is for: This invitation is for women. “Woman” and “female” are used as inclusive and expansive definitions. All are welcome: cis and trans women, genderqueer women, and members of non-binary communities.
Program Questions Contact: [email protected]
The CA Summer Women’s fast is held as a 12-day Immersion Vision fast in the Inyo Mountains of Payahuunadu (Owen’s Valley) where we will gather and camp amongst pinon pine and juniper. For the first few days of the ceremony we will be honing intentions, and introducing the Four Shields of Human Nature. After the four day solos, we will celebrate the stories that came back from the mountain with you before we close with incorporation.
Additional course details & Materials

The CA Summer Women's fast is held as a 12-day immersion program in the wide open expanse of the Inyo Mountains where we will hold camp among piñon pine, juniper and sage brush. We will meet at 9 AM on Jul 8 in Big Pine, CA and then drive out to our base-camp as a group. The program will conclude by 2pm on July 19. ADDITIONAL FEES: Camping Fee of $75 will be collected at the time of the program.
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. You will need to bring shelter and clothing suitable for a full range of inclement weather.
All participants must submit the required health questionnaire and liability form.
If you have questions about the enrollment process contact us at [email protected] or call 760-938-3333.
We will gather in the eastern mountains of Payahuunadü (also known as the Inyo Mountains outside of Big Pine, California). These are the ancestral and contemporary lands of the Nüümü and Newe people.
To learn more about our commitment to regenerative relationships please visit Cultural Relations.