CO June Queer Quest
Jun 3rd, 2024 - Jun 16th, 2024 | Wild Mountain, Colorado | Ruth “Roo” Wharton, Meiko Xavier, Raei Bridges
The natural world reminds us that being Queer* is both beautiful and something to be celebrated! Showing up as who we are, and with our many gifts, is a celebration of nature’s diversity and honors our deep connection to the natural world.
Many earth-based cultures recognize and honor queer community members as gatekeepers to the ‘other world’, as edge walkers and a source of connection between the community, nature and the mystery. With all the challenging and rapid changes we see in both human culture and our environment, now is the time to come back to our roots and the gifts that the queer community brings to the world. Connecting deeply to yourself, and fully accepting all of who you are, is both a radical act of rebellion against forces of hate and division, and a radical act of communion with all living things!
Join us in this supportive circle surrounded by the tallest peaks in Colorado, and under billions of stars for this ceremonial rite of passage, designed specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community. Coming together, to step all the way in to the multifaceted person you are and be witnessed by the community, is healing for everyone. Here is what others have said about the Queer Quest over the years:
"In sacred circles before, I have found an ally or two, another queer person who understands in some fundamental way some part of my story. But to sit in sacred space with an entire group that shares that common thread, that common understanding of shame and fear and celebration, that is a gift that I had no idea until I stepped into that space that my soul was craving." -Alicia B., 2014
“Every Queer person on the planet needs to do this program. This is the most important work for yourself, your community and the earth.” -Quinn F., 2015
“The Queer Quest was like coming home to a fullness and richness of myself and community I had never known before but longed for so deeply.” -Nadya Z. 2017
“Claiming a seat in the council of fellow queer questers was empowering and affirming to my spiritual, psychological, ancestral, and physical bodies in ways I could not have anticipated. QQ gifted me what I didn't know I was missing and needing so deeply: a rite of passage to bring intention and worthiness to the journey I am on as a trans adult.” Luca T-S. 2017
“I couldn’t encapsulate the experience of my Queer Quest into a few sentences any more than I could distill down a proper explication of the sun, moon, clouds, rain, sadness, joy, life and death all onto the face of a postage stamp.” -Paul F., 2018
“As an elder cis-gendered man who now considers himself primarily gay, the opportunity to be around people of all ages and identities was a profound learning and spiritual experience.” -Steve B. 2018
If you are feeling the need to be in queer community and do deep, personal work for yourself, your community and the earth, then this program is right and the time is now. To secure your place, the first steps are to enroll by clicking the enroll button and sending a deposit either through PayPal or sending a check to the School of Lost Borders. You will then receive more information about the next steps in the process. Scholarships are available for anyone of limited means.
Program overview: The program is divided into three sections; severance, threshold time, and incorporation. The first days are a time of ‘severance’ or separation from your daily life, leaving behind what no longer serves, and a time where you will be wholly seen and witness each other’s unique queer stories while setting an intention for your solo. The ‘threshold time’ is your solo time of four days and nights out in a vast and beautiful Colorado wilderness area. 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. Finally, the days spent after the solo time are the first days of your ‘incorporation’ experience. 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.
Practical preparation: Please plan to bring enough food and equipment to be self-sufficient. You will need to bring a tent and clothing suitable for a full range of weather. We request that all participants purchase the vision fast handbook, “The Trail to the Sacred Mountain” available from Lost Borders Press (www.lostborderspress.com) to help with preparation. If you are unable to find or need some gear, please ask as we can often help.
*We recognize and honor that the word “queer” has been used in the past as a derogatory term and is still hurtful for some in the LGBTQIA+ community. Many LGBTQIA+ organizations and communities have reclaimed the word “queer” and this has been both empowering and uniting of the multiple complex identities within the community. We use the word here as an inclusive term and shortcut for the LGBTQIA+ lettering.
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
Please plan to arrive at 4:00pm on the afternoon of June 3rd. There will be an orientation and time to settle in before we meet the next morning. The ceremony will end by mid-afternoon on June 16th. Before making travel plans, please communicate with Pedro so you won’t miss any important time on the land or with the group. More logistical information will be sent once you register for the program.. ADDITIONAL FEES: Camping Fee $120. All 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.
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.
Wild Mountain is land of the Tabeguache Ute people and other Indigenous tribes who traveled through this area of the Colorado Rockies. The Ute lived and hunted in this abundant land of elk, buffalo, deer, and bear before white settlers came and forced them onto reservations in southwest Colorado and Utah.
To learn more about our commitment to regenerative relationships please visit Cultural Relations.
