Family Retreat and Teen Vision Quest

Tara Mandala, Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Family Harmony Through Ritual.

Join Charlotte Rotterdam, Debra Quayle Travis, and others for Tara Mandala’s annual Family Retreat when new and returning families join in a joyous, rich, and deeply nurturing week to explore the creative and contemplative wellsprings of our individual and communal journeys. This year we draw on the power of ritual to regenerate and enliven the roots of our family connections. Ritual can create a simple yet profound container in which transition, conflict and the natural dynamics of our interconnected relationships can be held with mutual respect, wisdom and clarity. Traditional teachings from the Buddhist tradition on integrating spirituality into our daily lives will inspire and infuse our conversations. Early morning meditation practice on ‘prayer flag ridge’ looking out to the LaPlata mountains 60 miles away is an optional start to each day; regular meditation practice is woven into the daily schedule for all ages. Our goal is to offer concrete tools that can benefit your family life back home.

The schedule moves between full group gatherings and age-specific program sessions. Adults will have solo-time as well as daily group meetings. Children will engage with a colorful spectrum of creative and nature-based projects relating to the themes of the retreat while finding their home among the scrub oaks, rocks and open fields of Tara Mandala’s powerful natural landscape. Teens will enter the traditional rite of passage which invites them to a one- to three-day solo in the ‘hidden valley’, supported by knowledgeable and experienced guides. Evenings will offer time for music, story, and circle time under the brilliant stars and vast sky.

 All registration payments made above the lowest fee go directly into our scholarship fund.