CA Women’s Vision Fast
Nov 4th, 2025 - Nov 15th, 2025 | Palm Canyon Campground, Anza Borrego, Ca | Betsy Perluss, Cynthia Morrow
“I see the Feminine defined as a reconnection to the Self, a commitment to the wildness within our instincts, our capacityto create and destroy; our hunger for connection as well as sovereignty, interdependence and independence, at once.” –Terry Tempest Williams
Like the waxing and waning of the moon, our inner essence is reflected in the creative forces of nature, in the continual movement of light and dark. Throughout the stages of our lives, we flow between the stages of birth, death and re-birth.
You know in your bones the ancient practice of rites of passage. This is a time to go out alone, be held by the earth and the spacious desert. For four days and four nights, there is space to remember your wholeness, sink into your dreams, and release what no longer serves. Here we can clear away the distractions of busy life and tune our ears to our inner voice and nature.
It may be time to ask questions, such as: What needs to be let go? How can I come back to center? What deeper truths are unfolding in my life? How can I tend to my own dreams? And how can I give and receive from a place of nourishment?
Program Overview: This ceremony involves several days of preparation, 4 days and nights of fasting/living alone in a wilderness place, and a few days of incorporation.
PREPARATION: You will be readied physically, psychologically, mentally, and spiritually, that you might fully benefit from this solo experience in the wilderness. You will be given an ancient means of looking into the mirror of nature (“The Four Shields”). Preparation will also include the study of symbols, archetypes and ways common to vision fasts and rites of passage.
SOLO FAST: You will cross the threshold and enter into your ceremony, making it your own. You will live alone in the wilderness as so many have done before. Your teachers will maintain a safe perimeter around the area and make sure you have sufficient provisions. Safety is our utmost concern and you will be given the tools necessary to support your well-being.
INCORPORATION: During the final days, we will join together for the sharing of stories. The guides will listen, help you to understand, and challenge you to give your vision practical feet—to live the life you have rightfully claimed as your own!
We welcome all women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people to this ceremony. We also welcome and invite in all forms of gender identity and expression and see our diversity as a gift to the whole.
Program Questions Contact: Betsy Perluss at [email protected]
Submit enrollment form
Please fill out and submit the enrollment form and then pay the program deposit below. Before you pay the deposit, please read deposit section below, all deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. After your enrollment form is complete, please submit all health and liability forms.
Pay program deposit
Deposits: This deposit signifies your commitment to the program and is deducted from the tuition balance. All deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. They cover the work of the specific course you signed up for, including all communication involved as well as the fee that guides pay to the school administration for the course accounting.
Additional Deposit: Some programs require a second deposit to help us affirm commitments. Last minute cancellations make it hard to fill openings and incur a loss of income to the School and the guides.
Tuition Balance: Balance of tuition can be paid before or upon arrival. Simply deduct any deposits made from the amount you’ve chosen on the sliding scale.
Submit Waitlist form
This program is full; however, you may add your name to the Waitlist by clicking the Waitlist button below.
Additional course details & Materials
We will hold camp in the open expanse of the desert of Anza Borrego State Park, in the lands of the Kumeyaay and Cocopah. We encourage people to arrive at Palm Canyon Campground on Monday, November 3rd, the evening before we officially start. The group will then come together for its first meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 4th. We will complete our ceremony no later than early afternoon Saturday, November 15th. ADDITIONAL FEES: Camping fees are TBD. Any additional fees 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.
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 acknowledge that we will be gathering on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Kumeyaay and Cahuilla people.
To learn more about our commitment to regenerative relationships please visit Cultural Relations.
