Listening into the Heart of the Divine Feminine

This retreat explores the divine feminine as a universal energetic principle available within all of us. Regardless of gender identity, this retreat provides a special opportunity to cultivate a deepened relationship to feminine energy, to explore its definition and qualities, and to understand how these qualities emerge inside a spiritual practice.

Today, we are confronted by an imbalance of the feminine and masculine principles both in the mundane and in the spiritual realms of experience. The current worldview of scientific materialism has de-souled the living world, turning it into an object to be used up, ravaged, and stripped of sacredness. Patriarchy and patriarchal religions have suppressed the energy of the divine feminine – they have repressed and demonized the living interrelated connection that the divine feminine embodies. But the energy of the divine feminine is rising. Awareness of the destructive elements contained in the structures, values, and energies of a worn-out patriarchy is gaining in strength and insight. 

In this weeklong Vajrayana retreat, we call upon the power and connective radiance of the divine feminine to shed new light on our sense of self, to help cultivate our inner knowing of our primordial interconnectedness to the living world, and to enhance ways of experiencing reality that are inclusive, communal, and infused with insight, love, and wisdom. 

Practices will include meditation, visualization, and mantra chanting as we reawaken these dormant energies within us, calling them forward into our immediate experience in order to reinstate them in our lives. This retreat will focus on the divine feminine energies found in the Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana traditions of the Himalayas. This retreat will also include practice outdoors in the natural world.

Approximate Daily Schedule

Arrival Day

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Check in

Full Days

7:00 am – Morning Meditation
8:00 am – Breakfast
9:30 am – Dharma Talk
10:30 am – Break
10:45 am – Meditation
12:00 pm – Lunch
2:15 pm – Flexible Session: Outdoor Practice, Q&A, Group Exercises
3:15 pm – Break
3:30 pm – Dharma Talk
4:30 pm – Break
4:45 pm – Meditation
5:30 pm – Dinner
7:00 pm – Evening Session

Final Day

Program ends after lunch. Participants are asked to depart Wonderwell by 2pm

Retreats at Dharma Gates are residential practice experiences rooted in lineage-based Dharma transmission and held within a strong supportive container. Click here to read more about what we mean by a retreat.

Who This Retreat Is For

This retreat is open to both newer and experienced meditators who feel called to deepen their practice in silence. Participants should feel reasonably comfortable with meditation and with spending time quietly with themselves.

A Note on Dāna Culture & Cancellation Policy

Dharma Gates events are offered within the practice of Dana (दान), the Sanskrit/Pali word meaning generosity or giving. Rather than operating on a fee structure, we instead ask you to engage with us in a relationship of reciprocity, giving what feels aligned with your circumstances and values. If these experiences are precious to you, we invite you to donate in a way that reflects that. Doing so will breathe life into our efforts, helping us to continue creating beautiful, accessible practice opportunities for young people for years to come. Donation is possible upon registration, or by visiting this link.

To support participant commitment and attendance, there is a $50 registration deposit, which can be refunded upon completion of the full program.

Noble Silence

During this retreat we will be practicing in Noble Silence as well as practicing in period of wise speech. When the whole group enters into Noble Silence we offer each other and ourselves the gift of being with our experience as it is.  This practice supports the mind in settling. Noble Silence includes no unnecessary talking, including social courtesy like saying “good morning” or “excuse me”, no reading or writing unless a teacher specifically encourages you to do so, and no tech use. We will have periods where we will also intentionally be practicing wise speech, in structured and unstructured ways.

Lodging & Camping Details

This retreat will be a mix of indoor lodging and outdoor camping. There are plenty of indoor beds available, so if you don’t want to camp you won’t have to.

To help us plan thoughtfully and make good use of our collective resources, please indicate whether you plan to camp by saying you are comfortable camping in the registration form.

Technology & Safety

You will be invited to give up using your phone for the week, and can either hand it in to the retreat managers or keep your phone in your room turned off. Upon being accepted to this retreat, you will receive an emergency phone number that we ask you to share with your loved ones so that you will not need to be monitoring your own messages. A retreat manager will be present throughout the entirety of the retreat to support the group. If at any point during the retreat you are feeling ill, are injured, or are in distress please speak with the retreat manager.

Food & Dietary

All meals will be nourishing vegan food prepared by the retreat kitchen team. If you have dietary restrictions, please indicate them in your registration form and we will do our best to accommodate them.

What to Bring

A detailed packing list will be sent 3 weeks before the retreat.

Getting There

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge is located in the small, rural town of Springfield, New Hampshire. The center is approximately 2 hours from Boston and 5 hours from New York City. There is ample parking available on the grounds. Upon registration, participants will receive a shared document where they can self-organize offers and requests for ride shares. You can read more about getting there here.