Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the alternate route directions.
Please note: On Wednesday September 20, online registration may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes while system maintenance is performed. If the 'Register Now' page does not load, please wait about 15 minutes and try again.
Life has many transitions: From the birth of a child, to the loss of a parent, from getting a new job to grieving a pet. We all experience these “hello or goodbye” moments of change but what do we do to mark them meaningfully? Could our lives be better, richer, and more resilient if we had real ways to honor, sanctify, and make sense of these important thresholds?
What we need is ritual.
Rituals are our most trusted guide during times of change. They give us a sense of stability in the face of uncertainty and offer us a tangible and time tested way to acknowledge that as life changes, we too must change.
Join internationally renowned author, artist, and ritual teacher Day Schildkret, the visionary behind the Morning Altars nature/art/ritual/movement, to understand ritual crafting.
Based on Day’s newest book, “Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change,” (Simon Element) this transformative workshop will give you a basic foundation of what ritual is and isn’t. Together, we will explore the historical, sociological, and ancestral understandings of ritual, its functional relationship to thresholds, and how ritual provides stabilizing and integrating benefits such as understanding, meaning, and reflection.
This workshop will not only teach you the concepts and theories of ritual itself, but also the components of ritual design. You will cultivate a ritual toolkit in order to experiment and craft your own rituals that bring wholeness.
During the day we will focus on the importance of preparing ritual time and space, practice the art of bearing and being witness, as well as story-sharing and story-listening in pairs and triads. At night we will craft a collective creative ritual, offering the group an opportunity to practice and experience ritual design in action that allows for greater awareness, empathy, and deepening relationships.
During this workshop, you will practice:
You will come away from this workshop with the courage, resources and skills to ritualize your losses, celebrations and life changes to bring stability and resilience when life changes.
Recommended reading: Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change, Schildkret (Simon Element).
Special Note: This workshop will be held as a 2-night, 3-day, and also have the option to extend your time and workshop content into a third night and fourth day. To extend your time in the workshop, select the “Add Extra Night” option when completing your reservation.
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
Day Schildkret is an award-winning queer author, artist, ritualist, teacher and is internationally known for Morning Altars, which BuzzFeed calls, “a celebration of nature and life.” For nearly two decades, he has worked with individuals, communities, and organizations to help heal the culture through a meaningful and creative response to personal and collective change.
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Friday
8:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
4:15 pm – 6:15 pm
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (extended stay)
Monday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm (extended stay)
Summer Groovers will experience Esalen in a format similar to our Self Guided Explorations workshops. Each Summer Groove week or weekend will open and close with a circle, and be filled with festive, nostalgic activities that harken back to those days of yore.
More activities can be found on our open class schedule.
See general schedule information including arrival, departure and meal times.
Click Register Now to view availability of accommodations and all-inclusive, program-specific tuition. Please note that not all accommodation levels are available for every workshop and additional faculty fees may apply.
We offer scholarship funds for those with financial need. Learn more.
Please note: On Wednesday September 20, online registration may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes while system maintenance is performed. If the 'Register Now' page does not load, please wait about 15 minutes and try again.
Click Register Now to view availability of accommodations and all-inclusive tuition that includes lodging, three meals per day, access to the baths, and all activities on the Summer Groove schedule.
We offer scholarship funds for those with financial need. Learn more.
For this workshop, you will register and pay for accommodations and tuition in two separate steps.
Second, click Book Accommodations from this page and enter the password to complete your reservation to stay at Esalen.
Prices for accommodations include your lodging, meals, open classes, and use of the baths and other facilities. View partner program accommodations pricing.
As of June 30, 2023 we no longer require a negative COVID test at the time of check in. Please read our current COVID safety guidelines for complete details prior to booking your stay.
All guests and faculty must provide proof of negative test results at time of check-in. Please read our current COVID safety guidelines for complete details prior to booking your stay.
In addition to proof of vaccination, all guests and faculty must provide proof of negative test results at time of check-in. Please read our current COVID safety guidelines for complete details prior to booking your stay.
Effective January 7, 2022 in response to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant, all guests and faculty will provide proof of negative PCR, NAAT, or antigen test results at time of check-in. The test must be taken within 72 hours nd results must come from a laboratory or healthcare provider.Please read our updated COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Effective December 15 in accordance with new guidance from Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Health, all guests, students, staff, residents, and faculty are required to wear masks in all indoor public settings, irrespective of vaccine status, for the next four weeks (December 15, 2021 through January 15, 2022). Please read our updated COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Effective November 19, 2021, in accordance with new guidance from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, all guests, students, staff, residents, and faculty are no longer required to wear masks indoors on campus. Please read our updated COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Starting November 5, 2021, due to substantial levels of COVID-19 transmission in Monterey County, a mask mandate established by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will go into effect. Please read our COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
All guests will be required to provide proof of vaccination upon arrival starting September 3, 2021. Please read our COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Masks are no longer mandated indoors or outdoors, except during massage sessions. Guests are not required to provide testing or vaccination verification before arriving on campus. Please read our COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Life has many transitions: From the birth of a child, to the loss of a parent, from getting a new job to grieving a pet. We all experience these “hello or goodbye” moments of change but what do we do to mark them meaningfully? Could our lives be better, richer, and more resilient if we had real ways to honor, sanctify, and make sense of these important thresholds?
What we need is ritual.
Rituals are our most trusted guide during times of change. They give us a sense of stability in the face of uncertainty and offer us a tangible and time tested way to acknowledge that as life changes, we too must change.
Join internationally renowned author, artist, and ritual teacher Day Schildkret, the visionary behind the Morning Altars nature/art/ritual/movement, to understand ritual crafting.
Based on Day’s newest book, “Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change,” (Simon Element) this transformative workshop will give you a basic foundation of what ritual is and isn’t. Together, we will explore the historical, sociological, and ancestral understandings of ritual, its functional relationship to thresholds, and how ritual provides stabilizing and integrating benefits such as understanding, meaning, and reflection.
This workshop will not only teach you the concepts and theories of ritual itself, but also the components of ritual design. You will cultivate a ritual toolkit in order to experiment and craft your own rituals that bring wholeness.
During the day we will focus on the importance of preparing ritual time and space, practice the art of bearing and being witness, as well as story-sharing and story-listening in pairs and triads. At night we will craft a collective creative ritual, offering the group an opportunity to practice and experience ritual design in action that allows for greater awareness, empathy, and deepening relationships.
During this workshop, you will practice:
You will come away from this workshop with the courage, resources and skills to ritualize your losses, celebrations and life changes to bring stability and resilience when life changes.
Recommended reading: Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change, Schildkret (Simon Element).
Special Note: This workshop will be held as a 2-night, 3-day, and also have the option to extend your time and workshop content into a third night and fourth day. To extend your time in the workshop, select the “Add Extra Night” option when completing your reservation.
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
Day Schildkret is an award-winning queer author, artist, ritualist, teacher and is internationally known for Morning Altars, which BuzzFeed calls, “a celebration of nature and life.” For nearly two decades, he has worked with individuals, communities, and organizations to help heal the culture through a meaningful and creative response to personal and collective change.
June 2–4, 2023
This program is full. Find another.
Applications are closed.
Applications are closed.
Life has many transitions: From the birth of a child, to the loss of a parent, from getting a new job to grieving a pet. We all experience these “hello or goodbye” moments of change but what do we do to mark them meaningfully? Could our lives be better, richer, and more resilient if we had real ways to honor, sanctify, and make sense of these important thresholds?
What we need is ritual.
Rituals are our most trusted guide during times of change. They give us a sense of stability in the face of uncertainty and offer us a tangible and time tested way to acknowledge that as life changes, we too must change.
Join internationally renowned author, artist, and ritual teacher Day Schildkret, the visionary behind the Morning Altars nature/art/ritual/movement, to understand ritual crafting.
Based on Day’s newest book, “Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change,” (Simon Element) this transformative workshop will give you a basic foundation of what ritual is and isn’t. Together, we will explore the historical, sociological, and ancestral understandings of ritual, its functional relationship to thresholds, and how ritual provides stabilizing and integrating benefits such as understanding, meaning, and reflection.
This workshop will not only teach you the concepts and theories of ritual itself, but also the components of ritual design. You will cultivate a ritual toolkit in order to experiment and craft your own rituals that bring wholeness.
During the day we will focus on the importance of preparing ritual time and space, practice the art of bearing and being witness, as well as story-sharing and story-listening in pairs and triads. At night we will craft a collective creative ritual, offering the group an opportunity to practice and experience ritual design in action that allows for greater awareness, empathy, and deepening relationships.
During this workshop, you will practice:
You will come away from this workshop with the courage, resources and skills to ritualize your losses, celebrations and life changes to bring stability and resilience when life changes.
Recommended reading: Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change, Schildkret (Simon Element).
Special Note: This workshop will be held as a 2-night, 3-day, and also have the option to extend your time and workshop content into a third night and fourth day. To extend your time in the workshop, select the “Add Extra Night” option when completing your reservation.
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
Day Schildkret is an award-winning queer author, artist, ritualist, teacher and is internationally known for Morning Altars, which BuzzFeed calls, “a celebration of nature and life.” For nearly two decades, he has worked with individuals, communities, and organizations to help heal the culture through a meaningful and creative response to personal and collective change.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org