A Mountain Sojourn in Costa Rica Awaits
Certain moments in life beckon us to kindle our courage, open to a fresh perspective and step into a new way of living. In these times of great change, adult rites of passage are needed more than ever. It’s time to grow. Come in ~ Your True Nature is calling, and Mountain magic awaits.
Our life’s journey requires energy, clarity, maturity and the ability to navigate varied terrain. Moments arise when we are naturally ripe for a rest stop – perhaps called to quietude, needing space for discernment, or poised to mark a sacred turning point at a crossroad on your path. Good news! You have landed on fertile ground in one of the most magnificent greenhouses on the planet.
As a restoration specialist, I craft 3-7 day nature therapy and wilderness rites of passage experiences for active seekers who desire orientation, renewal, inspiration, guidance and a soulful reboot. Here, your roots are nourished so that you are able to fully blossom forward on your path.
While most of my work is based on my land in Monteverde, Costa Rica, I also prepare individuals from around the world who are ready to safely embark upon a wilderness solo in their home habitat.
Next Costa Rica Wilderness Quest dates ~ July 5-12, 2023 (* note ~ preparation begins in June)
Please inquire about shorter 3 or 4-day Wilderness Solo / Immersion experiences.
Karen’s attention to detail, mindful planning and thoughtful questioning customized a healing journey that I needed.
I had the privilege of experiencing a five day private True Nature Retreat with Karen. I knew the moment Karen and I spoke that Revive Healing Arts was exactly what I was looking for. Her soothing voice, gentle guidance and kind heart helped me to refocus, reconnect and rebalance during my time in the mountains. I highly recommend to take the time and experience a retreat with Karen. Thank you Karen for this amazing gift.
Why Wilderness Quest now?
If you are attuned to the rhythms of the natural world, you likely tend to observe carefully and follow your intuition. Therefore, it's wholly natural to find yourself inexplicably drawn to wilderness during threshold moments in your life. You may need time to incubate, sacred space to grieve and heal, and/or fertile ground in which to germinate.
There are reasons for the seasons.
Animals do this.
Plants do this.
It's time to honor the deep wisdom which abides in your body, too.
TAP INTO YOUR TRUE NATURE.
We need wild places...
Water, wind, trees, soil, silence. We have turned to wilderness for thousands of years as sacred medicine for our souls. When we re-claim explicit time to tend to our connection with ourselves and the Earth, we are able to rest, release, replenish and envision the next chapter of our lives. Plugged into ancient wisdom, we literally re-member, re-align and re-supply when we are in contact with the elements. Our True Nature revives - and as a result, our families and communities thrive.
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed, nothing between me and the white fire of the stars but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better." - Mary Oliver
Your True Nature Wilderness Quest
The True Nature Wilderness Quest is an opportunity to sink into a carefully-crafted soulful sojourn and rite of passage in deep nature. A beautiful blend of solitude, movement, ritual, repose, and meaningful challenge await amid the unparalleled beauty of the Monteverde mountains. An expertly guided and powerfully contained container of tranformation, this offering is 100% unique, offered nowhere else in this way in Costa Rica.
Inspired by traditions of women healers, you will be tended in a soul-filled sanctuary on a spectacular piece of Earth. Here, you have the opportunity to come home more fully to yourself – grounded, connected, clear. By abstaining from human company and "typical" food for 4 days and nights, you fill your heart and soul's cup with the the resources they need to grow and blossom.
Receive, recharge, unfurl – your True Nature Wilderness Quest connects you to that which is elemental, eternal and essential.
Deep rest, reconnection and reevaluation
I spent a week with Karen on her beautiful mountaintop. I was in a transitional place in my career and in my personal life that called for deep rest, reconnection and reevaluation. I sensed that Karen would the perfect guide, and the cloud forest the perfect spot on mother earth to hold me while I took personal time for me. During my week I rested, I explored, I dreamed and reconnected with my body wisdom. I was deeply nourished and forever changed. Time with Karen is true soul medicine. Don’t miss it.
Why Retreat in Monteverde, Costa Rica?
At the top of this mountain, our proximity to the elements is intimate. Monteverde's fresh air envelops us, exhaled by thousands of acres of untouched, protected tropical forest which house 2.5% of this planet's biodiversity. Miles of Earth are under our feet - this is where pristine rivers begin their journey to the sea. Fiery stars sparkle in the night-time heavens, and wind, rain and thunder can move powerfully through our space – releasing, cleansing, energizing.
In this place, we are lifted to the sky as an offering. We are able to tap into deep, ancient mountain wisdom while experiencing mountain-high insight and inspiration. There’s no better place for this, than here.
Why Plan your Wilderness Quest with me?
Equal parts inspired educator, mountain medicine woman and soul-filled scientist, I have been restoring habitats and facilitating meaningful, personal wilderness experiences for people of all ages for over 25 years.
As a mentor and integrative wilderness therapist, it is a deep honor for me to tend to those who are called to enter sacred space, saying YES to self-care and cultivating deeper connection within themselves through contact with nature.
As a guide, I meet you where you are and we move forward together. Whether you are looking to nest down and incubate, awaken seed energy, celebrate a milestone, or tap into the stirrings of your soul, my True Nature Costa Rica retreats contain the essential elements for your unplugged adventure.
This is fertile ground, and I invite you to dig in.
As your guide and steward, I am in service to nourishing your deep roots and your wild blossoming.
Your True Nature Wilderness Quest: A 10-Week Adult Rite of Passage
Your Wilderness Immersion experiences at the Center for Sacred Ecology serve your personal growth and development, whether you are seeking a shorter wilderness solo or a full Quest experience.
Mountain Elements provide us with the raw material, inspiration and meaning that sculpt the medicine of your True Nature Retreat. Your experience will be grounded, fluid, creative, transformative, balanced, thematic and completely connected to YOU. Let's initiate a conversation below!
Your True Nature Wilderness Quest Investment
While each participant's Wilderness Quest will be unique, every experience will include:
- Discovery session - Let's see if a wilderness quest is a right match for you right now!
- 4 audio workshops - Pre-quest "podcast" style workshops - 6 hours of content - to help prepare for your time on the mountain (or in your home habitat!)
- 7 full days at the Samanea Nature Sanctuary and Farm: Two days of small group workshop and ceremony, four nights across the threshold ar your individual, sacred questing site
- 6 nourishing meals: pre and post questing time, prepared with love and sourced from our local organic farms
- 2 integration workshops: during the six weeks, post-quest
Separate costs include: round-trip airfare to/from Costa Rica; airport transfers to/from Monteverde; extra days pre-and-post Quest.
“One must take the time to retreat to be nourished and rejuvenate before creativity can begin again. Make sure you are feeding yourself and feeding your own light...think of yourself as a growing plant. A plant puts forth beautiful blooms when it has the energy to do so. The more it is fed the less energy it needs for growth. If at any point your growth requires too much effort, try to find the needed nourishment.”
– Sandra Ingerman, Medicine for the Earth
"The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way." - Goethe
