Intention Setting

Dark retreat may support insight, deep rest, creativity, grief processing, spiritual inquiry, or simply a deeper encounter with oneself. Experiences vary widely, and darkness often reveals what is already present beneath the surface of daily life.​

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We facilitate most self-initiated and self-led Dark retreats and encourage each retreater to be guided by their intuition and practice.

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A retreat intention/purpose will help to determine communication and signaling, meals, activities while in the Dark and how to emerge back to light.

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Some retreaters choose to observe silence during their Dark retreat or have special diets. Consider external queues​ of time and space or distractions you would like to reduce.

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During check in and orientation you may tour the land. This gives you the opportunity to choose where to emerge from your Dark retreat. This may mean you wear an eye mask from your Dark retreat space and be guided by a supporter to a location of your choice. Then when ready, you can remove your mask at the setting of your choosing such as before sunrise among the trees, at dusk next to the pond or at night next to a fire. Plan your retreat during a full moon or the longest night of the year, these decisions can add to the depth of your experience.

 

Arrival and departure days are not days in the Dark. We recommend a minimum of one day of light before leaving our retreat center to help integrate your experience. You may be weaving dark and light by coming and going from your endarkened space into the natural environment on your final day.