GROUP RETREATS
Women’s Creativity Retreat
MOAB, UTAH
OCTOBER 8-12th 2026
Early Bird $1,450
Join Sarah West for a women’s creativity retreat in the red rock desert of Moab, Utah, where creative expression, the body, and the imagination are invited into a slower, more intuitive rhythm. Over 5 days, we gather in wild landscapes to reconnect with creative instinct through guided practices, spacious time in nature, and meaningful time together. This is a place to return to what is most alive in you and let it take form through body, land, and expression. Learn more.
PAST RETREATS
SPRING CANYON WILDERNESS QUEST
MAY 14-21, 2025
Join Sarah West and Rebecca Wildbear for a seven-day Spring Wilderness Vigil in the radiant red rock desert. This shared wilderness journey takes place in an extraordinary riparian oasis nestled among sandstone canyon cliffs, alive with flowing water, abundant wildlife, and rich ecological diversity. By day, immerse yourself in a landscape teeming with life; by night, rest beneath some of the clearest star-filled skies in the West.
Cost: $2,000
Registration deposit: $600
Participation is limited to 10 people and is open to all genders, ages 21 and up. The journey includes a required two-mile backpack into the group vigil site. We are committed to creating a welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC participants. Backpacking gear is not included; a recommended gear list will be provided upon registration.
More details are below.
The wilderness vigil, sometimes called a vision quest is an ancient cross-cultural ritual practiced in humanity’s oldest earth-honoring traditions. It has long offered a threshold where individuals step away from ordinary life and enter into deep listening with the natural world. In solitude it becomes a journey of inner revelation, inviting healing, clarity, and a deeper encounter with one’s essential nature. It is a sacred passage into the unknown, where hidden gifts may be uncovered and one’s life can be reoriented toward deeper purpose.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Throughout the entire vigil, we offer attentive support for your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, creating a container of care for every stage of the process.
• We begin by backpacking several miles into a remarkable canyon wilderness, where we establish our shared base camp. There, we will help you prepare for your three-day solo vigil, laying the inner and outer groundwork for the threshold ahead. Through poetry, dream work, movement, soul-tending practices, creative expression, contemplative wandering, and dialogue with the natural world, you will begin to enter the deeper rhythms of the quest.
• From there, you will enter your three days alone on the land, held in solitude. This sacred time offers an opportunity to step beyond ordinary life, listen deeply, and reconnect with your own inner knowing as well as the wisdom carried by the more-than-human world.
• When you return, we will help you harvest and make meaning of your experience. Through guided reflection and the mirroring of your story, we support you in integrating the insights of your vigil into the living fabric of your everyday life.
TIMELINE
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Preparation
May 14-16th
We’ll begin with 2 days dedicated to wilderness vigil preparation.
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3-Day Solo
May 17-19th
Once prepared you will go out for your 3-day solo time.
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Integration
May 20-21st
We’ll spend 2 days reconnecting with the group, integrating your solo experience.
WHY GO ON A WILDERNESS VIGIL
Shed old ways of being to make space for a new life to emerge
Reorient your life towards something that feels deeply true
Reclaim your relationship with inspiration and your artistic vision
Restore your sense of wonder, enchantment, and joy
Enter the depths of your intuition, inner knowing, and instinctual wisdom
Find belonging with the earth and the living world
Immerse yourself in the land’s dreaming and mythical ecology
Turn towards your grief and longing for healing and clarity
Find guidance about a major life decision, and discover what’s next for this next stage in life
MEET REBECCA WILDBEAR
Rebecca has been a wilderness and soul guide for decades and has spent most of her adult life in wild places. Rebecca has extensive somatic therapy and dreamwork training and loves to tune in to the mythic stories of humans and the animate world. An Earth lover, activist, feminist, and writer, she fiercely supports radical social and cultural change. She has been leading wilderness programs and wilderness quests for the Animas Valley Institute for over a decade. See her website to learn more.
Camp amidst ancient sandstone cliffs, where nature's chorus continually serenades you. Be lulled by the constant sound of the river. Devote time to the solace of the earth, in prayer, wonder, and enchantment, falling in love with the astonishing beauty of the desert.
Summer Wilderness Vigil
AUGUST 1-8th 2024
Join Sarah West and Lauren Bond for a 7-day group Summer Wilderness Vigil in the La Sal mountains, 30 minutes east of Moab, Utah. Immerse yourself in the glorious high country of aspen trees and ponderosa pine forests for a group wilderness experience. Our group vigil spot is located on 40 acres of pristine mountain wilderness at 8,000 feet in elevation with spectacular views of the redrock desert below.
Cost: $2,000
Registration Deposit:$1,000
Participants: Max 12 people. Open to all genders (21+) and good for those with limited mobility (less backpacking required).
We are a welcoming space for LGBTQIA and BIPOC.
Find more details below.
MEET LAUREN BOND
Lauren Bond is a naturalist, transformational wilderness guide, founder and lead guide of the River’s Path, a company offering canoe journeys for nature connection and personal transformation. See her website to learn more.
CANOE JOURNEY
SEPTEMBER 10-17th 2023
Join Sarah West and David Abram for an 8-day canoe journey on the Green River through Labyrinth Canyon. Labyrinth Canyon is one of southern Utah's most spectacular winding corridors. We will paddle through pristine waters, explore towering sandstone walls, and camp on sandy beaches under a starry sky. This is a unique opportunity to connect with the magic of sensory perception and the wonder of the natural world. For more information and to register see The River’s Path website for details.
Trip Cost: $3,500 includes all food
Deposit: $1,000
MEET DAVID ABRAM
David Abram, a leading voice in environmental philosophy, has authored two influential books: "The Spell of the Sensuous" and "Becoming Animal." An eco-philosopher and cultural ecologist, Abram's work delves into the relationship between human perception, language, and the natural world.
