Men's Retreat Fall Intensive
October 3rd - 5th, Upper Ojai, CA
We sit in the traditional Shipibo way. This will be a special weekend of prayer, reflection, council, group exercises and soul-centered healing
Time & Location
October 3rd - 5th Upper Ojai, CA
About the Event
OUR PRAYER FOR THIS CEREMONY RETREAT:
Through this work, we are continually confronted with our own imperfections and humbled by the awareness of our own divinity.
This medicine is a powerful & sacred tool: it illuminates our inner being and gives us perspective into the many layers of our subconscious. This, in turn, can have positive, life-changing effects on our habitual patterns and beliefs. Beyond the reorientation of these outdated patterns is the gift of building connections that support the continuous unfolding and deepening of our inner knowing.
We are learning that there is no limit to the growth that any one soul can experience in a lifetime. Yet it takes digging deep and a willingness to recognize our conditioned patterns to step into that liminal space of infinite growth.
We have found that the profound nature of this work is best served by an environment where everyone feels comfortable enough to be truly vulnerable with one another.
For this reason, we do a thorough screening process to ensure a safe container for all participants.
We strive for our maloca to remain open to anyone looking for a safe, non-judgmental place to face themselves and bring their best self forward.
Our Format
Join us on the weekend of Oct. 3rd - 5th for two nights of prayer and two days of deep practice, ceremony and council. This retreat is dedicated to our shared values of integrity, inner work and our commitment to a life lived in service to our partners, children and greater community.
We will gather on a beautiful mountain top in the upper Ojai Valley for two nights of prayer (Fri/Sat) in the Shipibo tradition. On Saturday morning, after our integration, Andrew will lead us in a day of guided practice to help us build and strengthen our community. We'll sit again in prayer on Saturday night. After integration on Sunday morning, we'll do another series of group exercises and then we'll round out the afternoon on Sunday with a Men's Council where we'll serve ceremonial cacao.
By gathering with other men in this space dedicated to sharing from the heart and grounding the body in nature, this retreat invites you to participate in healing the pervasive disconnect within ourselves, our families, and our world. Our retreat draws on traditional Amazonian healing technology (ikaros), contemporary psychology, and practices from the men's work movement to support you in communing with other like-minded men, reconnecting with your center and aligning with your purpose.
Practice - Guided exercises in pairs and small groups to develop refined awareness in connection, challenge each other towards authenticity, and relate to your fellow men with with both strength and sensitivity. Facilitated by Andrew Griffes.
Ceremony - Two nights of ceremony held in the Shipibo tradition and led by Maestro Robin York. Co-facilitated with Andrew Griffes, cermonialist extraordinaire, Ava Tara and Shipibo Maestro, Benjamin Parkes.
In this way of style of prayer, we work with traditional Amazonian plants and Icaros (healing chants) to call for individual and collective healing, share gratitude for the blessings in our lives, and learn from earth-based wisdom practices.
Integration on Saturday and Sunday morning to reflect on and further integrate the insights we receive from ceremony.
Council (on Saturday and Sunday afternoon): Circle up in a time-honored practice of speaking to what truly matters, and listening to the emergent wisdom echo back into our group awareness.
Council brings to light the challenges we face as men, highlighting themes of resilience and the innate drive to serve our communities and families. It fosters a space where natural strength and sensitivity can grow through meaningful connection.
Ceremonial Cacao will be served for our Men’s Council on Sunday afternoon.
Join us for a special weekend.
RETREAT INCLUDES:
~ 2 night of traditional ceremony
~ 2 group integrations the morning after Ceremony
~ A nourishing soup after each ceremony, as well as breakfast provided & pot-luck lunch
~ Group exercises on Saturday and Sunday led by Andrew
~ Men’s Council in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. Ceremonial Cacao will be served for our council on Sunday.
~ Accommodation in the ceremonial space or your own tent
Our ayni (sacred exchange) for this retreat is: $1250
Once you make your deposit, you will get access to our onboarding portal, which includes a thorough preparation process.
Financial support: / partial scholarship available
If you would like to attend and could benefit from some financial support towards the cost of your participation, please email us directly and share a few details about your specific situation. We have a limited number of partial scholarships, and we will do our best to make it possible for you to join. Please email us at: [email protected]
If you have any questions or would like more info, please book a call with Robin or Andrew. We would be happy to answer your questions.
How to Reserve Your Seat:
To reserve your seat, you can choose to make a deposit and pay in full one month before the weekend, pay in payments, or pay in full upfront.
WE KEEP OUR GROUPS SMALL TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF OUR SACRED CONTAINERS. FOR THIS REASON, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU BOOK YOUR SEAT EARLY TO ENSURE YOUR PARTICIPATION, AS THIS RETREAT WILL FILL UP VERY QUICKLY.
If you have any questions or would like more info, please book a call with us. We would be happy to answer your questions.
Please book a call with us.
Ceremonialists
Maestro Robin York
Robin is a traditionally trained Shipibo Maestro with over 17 years of experience dieting master plants in the jungle.
Robin combines his long apprenticeship with the Mahua family of Shipibo healers, with his own decades of psycho-spiritual study to support individuals in a return to wholeness, authenticity, and creative purpose. Robin's story
Andrew Griffes
Andrew is an executive coach and spiritual mentor. His work focuses on relational leadership to foster thriving companies, communities, and reciprocity with the natural world. He completed his Master's in Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, and has facilitated men's groups centered on embodiment and leadership through the past 12 years. You can learn more about his men's work here: About Andrew
Ava Tara
Tara Medico is a master healer and channel. Tara's medicine is connected to the light of the stars and his own guides that he often channels in ceremony. With his incredible voice, orations and songs he brings great joy, courage and healing to our circles.
Click here to listen to Tara's new album: Ava Tara's Music
Maestro Benjamin Parkes
Benjamin Parkes is a seasoned ceremonialist and Shipibo Maestro with over a decade of experience dieting master plants in the Amazon jungle. Initiated in the revered Mahua lineage, he holds a deep reverence for the sacred, purpose-driven work with the plants and creates ceremonial space with profound grace and presence.
Our Lineage
Kibi Kaya
In Shipibo, the language of our indigenous teachers in the Peruvian Amazon, "kibi" means "towards," and "kaya" is "soul" or "spirit."
Our work at Kibi Kaya serves as a Soul Bridge that moves us towards a journey of sacred remembrance as we re-align with Spirit and our innate wisdom to help us live a more purposeful life.
TESTIMONIALS
Working with Robin and Alicia has been more beneficial to me than years of therapy; through recognizing old patterns that keep me stuck, connecting with, processing, and releasing deep emotions, and helping me see the pure light we all possess. While it is each individual who must walk the path to healing, their insights, support, and vast experience are invaluable along the way. I look forward to continuing this path with them.
Robin provides a safe, nurturing container for deep healing to occur. He offers so much love and warmth to each participant in the ceremonies, and I have found him to be someone that embodies maximum integrity in his work and his commitment to carrying the Mahua lineage forward. I recommend him most warmly.
— Shaun R.
I want to share that Robin is an absolute loving, caring, genuine human being who puts so much effort, care and dedication into meeting the needs of all the participants. He’s a 100% heart and a true pleasure to be in presence with.
Alicia is amazing in her skill and capacity in bringing the group field into a focused, intentional vibration, to bringing the group field to its edge, and to really pull out that essence of dedicated transparency and vulnerability. Together, they really create a space where we can drop into the depth of the work.
— Jens Jarvie
Through this work, I was able to really get to some core truths and follow that path the whole way down instead of getting stuck at my inner blocks like I have so many times before.
— M. S.
The retreat helped me to see my truth and live my truth by showing me hidden things that needed attention, - and where I still need to do some homework."
— Darius V
CANCELLATION POLICY:
If you cancel 60 days prior to the start of a retreat you will receive a full refund. Between 60 days and 30 days you will receive 50% of your deposit.
If you cancel 30 days or less prior to the start of a retreat, you forfeit the full cost of the deposit.
All participants are required to have paid in full 1 month prior to the start of a retreat.
Please note: any refunds will incur a 3% processing fee.
**Exceptions will be made for emergencies or extenuating circumstances.
