Inner Feminine Initiation
Men’s Retreat
April 13-16 2023, Cobb CA
Wholeness consists in the union of the conscious and the unconscious personality. Just as every individual derives from masculine and feminine genes, and the sex is determined by the predominance of the corresponding genes, so in the psyche it is only the conscious mind, in a man, that has the masculine sign, while the unconscious is by nature feminine. The reverse is true in the case of a woman. All I have done in my anima theory is to rediscover and reformulate this fact. It had long been known.
~ C.G. Jung
The first half of men’s work is imprinting a healthy, authentic version of masculinity in our psyche. We learn how to be responsible, life-stewarding men and brothers. In this retreat, we’ll focus on the second half of men’s work, which is relating with the feminine. As the contra-sexual other, the feminine represents that which our masculine identity defines itself in contrast toward. The feminine is the great mystery.
How we relate to our inner feminine is a result of our interactions with women from the moment of birth onward. Our mothers, sisters, playmates, caregivers, and teachers all imprinted our psyches. Until it is made conscious through shadow-work, our relationship with our inner feminine is an unconscious reenactment of the core wounds and missing experiences we’ve had with feminine figures throughout our lives. This, in turn, provides the unconscious foundation for how we relate to women today.
“Initiation” means to start into motion. This retreat, the Inner Feminine Initiation, offers the beginning of a new, intentional relationship with the feminine aspects of our psyches. This path offers masculine/feminine healing for both internal parts and external relationships. Beyond healing, this exploration is a springboard into the hieros gamos, the coinunctio oppositorum, yabyum, the creative union of opposites – which represents the wholeness of the Self and spiritual realization.
Il Rebis Androgino,
Rosarium Philosophorum XV sec.
Samanthabhadra & Samanthabhadri
Nyingma lineage, Tibet
Details
Dates
Thursday, April 13th at 3pm, through
Sunday, April 16th at 11am
* You will be asked to commit to stay for the entire duration of the retreat
Location
Private retreat venue in Cobb, California
Located in the wilderness of northern California, our retreat venue includes a main house and a guest house, lawn, creek, hiking trails and hot tub. You’ll receive the address once you place your deposit.
Tuition
$1200
This is separated into a $400 non-refundable deposit, payable upon registration; and $800 in cash, payable upon arrival. Tuition includes three nights of lodging in a twin bed in a shared room and vegetarian meals from dinner on Thursday to breakfast on Sunday.
Note: there are two private rooms with king beds available for an extra $600, paid upon registration. Private rooms each have an individual bathroom that you will agree to make available to all participants during daytime hours. In order to reserve a private room, send in a $1000, non-refundable deposit and make a note requesting a private room.
What to Expect
* THIS IS NOT A MEDICINE RETREAT * This retreat will be sober and substance-free. That said, expect to enter expanded states of consciousness through a variety of processes and modalities. Initiation into the inner-feminine will be facilitated through shadow-work, breathwork journeys, Human Heart space, transmission of consciousness, and solo-sexual practices. Safety is the number one priority and all activities honor your consent.
Facilitator
Matt Sturm is a guide for transformational experiences and the founder of Living Kosmos, a school focused on the evolution of consciousness at the intersection of science and spirituality. I’m trained in the Hakomi method of psychotherapy. I’m a Hatha yoga teacher, Certified Tantra Educator, Reiki teacher, and practice Tibetan Buddhism. Prior to finding this calling, I worked in solar, climate change, and international development. I’ve lived and worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, India, and the Caribbean. I’ve been participating in men’s work for over a decade and have been leading men’s retreats over the past five years.