Crossing Into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche: The Advanced Soulcraft Intensive - July, 2026

Crossing Into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche is an advanced version of the Soulcraft Intensive for people prepared for a radical immersion in the enigmatic dark waters of soul. This intensive is designed for those with previous immersive Animas experiences, who have cultivated the personal resources we call the four facets of wholeness, people whose primary longing in life now is for a first or deeper numinous encounter of their place in the web of life. Soul encounter can be defined as the revelation of our unique mythopoetic  identity, an identity expressed through symbol and metaphor, image and dream, archetype and myth; an identity embodied in a mysterious story glimpsed in moments of expanded awareness and exquisite aliveness in a somatic and psychic encounter with the more than human world. Not intended as therapy or healing, this Advanced Soulcraft Intensive is only for those who have previously attended to their foundational work of wholing and healing, including the ability to bring themselves into wholeness when possessed by inner protector strategies, and are thus prepared for the significant psychospiritual challenges of the Descent.

By way of this immersion, we aspire to support the navigation of your life in accordance with the deep currents of soul, and support your participation in the resacralization and rewilding of the world, while simultaneously subverting the outworn, life-assailing cultural directives that keep us separate from our innate kinship with the web of life. We seek to invite a  way of participating in visionary, responsible world making – what Joanna Macy calls the Great Turning and what Thomas Berry refers to as the Great Work of our time. We’ve experienced that the capacity to navigate by our most authentic eco-relational Self, is greatly amplified through immersive Soulcraft practice in community over a period of five days (or better: weeks or months of the rest of our lives).

Crossing Into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche will gather an outlandish band of wanderers, tricksters, mystics, and pilgrims to explore and cultivate practices to bring awareness to the deep soul stream of our truest, ecospiritually bound belonging to the World. We will offer our attention to the extraordinary living community of the land, our unrestrained blessings and praise, our laments, thundering questions, our madcap and sacred ceremonies, our just right humble lostness and wild hunger for life-enhancing participation. Our intention is for the Mystery-centered, consciousness-changing practices of soulcraft to move deeper into our bones and breath; to be more firmly rooted within us when we return to our everyday magical lives. We will closely attend the particular ways the animate landscape erodes, stirs, startles, shapes, and opens us, knowing that some wild possibility for our individual lives is evoked by the interactive field of place, creatures (including ourselves), and soulcraft practices. For much of our time together our attention will be turned outward toward the world in recognition that our particular psycho-ecological niche (our soul) is recognized, enriched and enacted in relationship with the Others.

Naturally, we will be carrying a basket of soulcraft practices such as communing across species boundaries, dream tending, solo ceremonial wanderings on the land, council, deep imagery journeys, trance activation, and more. The specific practices we engage — and their timing — will spontaneously emerge from the depths that are stirred individually and collectively as we descend together. The guides will offer individualized invitations that emerge from your experiences.

It deserves repeating: This is an advanced immersion, suitable only for those who have previously encountered hints (or full blasts) of soul, and who are resourced enough with their four facets of wholeness to stride more deeply into the world. Your completion of an application and health questionnaire is requested, and is due no later than May 1st. The guides will review and get back to applicants by May 22nd.

This program is priced for camping facilities. Individual or Shared Cabins and Lodge rooms available for upgrades. Please contact soulcraft@animas.org for more information. 

RIVER’S BEND RETREAT CENTER

The Navarro River runs through the Anderson Valley’s majestic redwoods, sunny meadows and vineyards and then curves at River’s Bend to create a still point for contemplation, ecological understanding and deep connection between land and people.