Deep Masculine Journey 2027
A rigorous mentoring program for Illuman men
Cultivating Wholeness and Encountering the Sacred Masculine
Illuman’s Deep Masculine Journey (DMJ) is designed to plunge us into the magic and rapture of our authentic True Self. Created out of a need for a longer-term experience deepening us into our own journeys of illumination, the DMJ is an eight-month mentoring program where we rendezvous together for three in-person immersions in untamed landscapes of desert and mountain.
The DMJ is a discovery of the wild mysteries of our own wholeness and self-healing. We will experience the thrilling wonder and discovery of nature as mirror, explore our own shadow selves, and make ourselves vulnerable to the mysteries of the Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine. We will explore such questions of:
What is masculinity and what Robert Bly called, “the deep masculine”?
What does it mean to live as an authentic and initiated man, going down to the depths of my own journey of illumination?
How do I cultivate my own self-healing?
How do I discover and grow in my relationship with the Inner Beloved?
What is my purpose in this stage of my life, and what gifts am I being called to share more deeply with the world?
The DMJ is an extended exploration of the True Self lasting over several months from February to to the end of September 2027. In our journey will encounter the soul of the more-than-human world and court the sacred realm of Divine Feminine and Masculine. We will embark on a grand spiritual adventure, fiercely plumbing the depths of our deepest longing and falling more deeply in love with the world. With any luck, we will discover more concretely what Thomas Berry entitled “the Dream of the Earth” for our lives through an eight-day vision quest that concludes the program. If you’ve ever wondered “What’s next?” for yourself, this could be it.
The DMJ includes monthly virtual councils on Zoom, and monthly one-on-one mentoring with one of the trained guides. We will engage in many spiritual practices including our own solo wanders in the wild between in-person sessions. The heart of the program includes three in-person immersions in some of the wildest places in the United States:
April 19 – 24, 2027 Joshua Tree National Park (to be confirmed)
July 10 – 14, 2027 Serendipity Camp, Conifer, Colorado (to be confirmed)
Sept 22 – 30, 2027 Aravaipa Canyon Ranch in Arizona
The DMJ is heavily influenced by the work of Bill Plotkin and the guides have been trained by the Animas Valley Institute. Other influences include Richard Rohr, Robert Bly, James Hollis, and Marion Woodman. The first DMJ immersion is a five-day exploration of the True Self through the nature-based map of the human psyche found in Bill Plotkin’s Wild Mind. The second immersion focuses more deeply on the journey of descent, shadow work, and the Muse/Inner Beloved. The third immersion is an eight-day ceremony called a vision fast which includes an invitation for a rigorous four-day fast/three-day solo in the desert.
The Great Mystery and the Anima Mundi (Soul of the World) will be our mentors as we journey deeper into our own initiation through the facets of wholeness in the True Self. We will also navigate the inner protectors of the False Self that impact our relationships and our understanding of “what we do for a living.” We will give special attention to a variety of “soulcraft”™ practices including:
Dream tending
Deep Imagery Journeys
Healing and wholeness work
Grief work
Core Wound work
Shadow work
Self-designed ceremony
Courting the Muse
Council and mirroring
In all candor, the DMJ is a rigorous, life-altering experience. The mysterious terrain of the deep masculine, encountered primarily through courtship with the divine feminine, may be profoundly disruptive to life as you know it. The possibility of what Bill Plotkin identifies as “soul encounter” can radically change the experience and understanding of your identity and vocation.
Cost:
Cost for the DMJ including the monthly councils, mentoring, and the three five-day intensives is $2,800. The fee covers expenses incurred such as campground and/or retreat center rentals, permits, and travel expenses for the guides. The cost does not include your travel to and from the intensives, or any equipment such as a tent or hiking boots you may need to acquire. You will be responsible for your own breakfasts and lunches during the immersions, and be on one group dinner meal team. A limited amount of scholarship funds are available. If you are admitted into the program, a non-refundable fee of $1000 payable to Illuman is required to confirm your acceptance.
Limited Enrollment and Application
We are now accepting applications for the 2027 DMJ on a first come basis. Due to the nature of the program, space is limited to fourteen participants.
An application is required with a non-refundable $25 deposit. Before applying, we ask participants to familiarize themselves with the work of Bill Plotkin and the Animas Valley Institute, specifically the nature-based map of the human psyche in Wild Mind. We also ask that you check your schedule and with your loved ones to make sure that if accepted into the program, you will be able to attend the three immersions.
How physically demanding is the DMJ?
We will be car camping and sleeping in tents in Joshua Tree and the Colorado Rockies, with no showers available. We will conduct moderate hikes through the wilds of desert and mountain, 7500ft in elevation in Colorado. Please be in reasonable shape and able to hike up to a mile on uneven terrain with a backpack.
In-Person 2027 Session Dates:
April 19 – 24, 2027 Joshua Tree National Park (to be confirmed)
July 10 – 14, 2027 Serendipity Camp, Conifer, Colorado (to be confirmed)
Sept 22 – 30, 2027 Aravaipa Canyon Ranch in Arizona
Recommended Reading List
Wild Mind, The Journey of Soul Initiation, Nature and the Human Soul, Soulcraft, by Bill Plotkin
The Universal Christ and The Immortal Diamond by Richard Rohr
Under Saturn’s Shadow: The wounding and healing of men by James Hollis
The Maiden King by Robert Bly and Marion Woodman
The Great Conversation and The Solace of Fierce Landscapes by Belden Lane
We by Robert Johnson
Finding Your Wild, by Dan Dolquist
This life-changing program fee is $2800, excluding food and travel. Scholarships are available to ensure that everyone who feels called to this journey can participate.
The DMJ sounds intense. What are others saying about the DMJ who have completed the program?
“Three or four years ago I was dead inside. The darkness surrounded me. This program made me alive again and I am forever grateful.”
— John
The DMJ was highly organized from the beginning. It is apparent much thought and planning has gone into this. The description of the level of physical exertion required was on the mark.
— R
This has been the best year of my life!
— Eric
“All my life I have protected myself from such closeness to the earth . . . What a marvelous and shattering experience to drink the night sky and feel the deep sense of vulnerability it brings with it.”
— G
This was a “perfect” fit in that the Guides challenged me across so many facets of my psyche to gain a new sense of balance. It was a Master Class in both content and process.
— B
“Much thanks to you guides, gifted teachers and beloved friends. You put much skin into this program and took some great risks to make it happen. You befriended us and let us get close to you. Thank you so much brothers. I will forever be grateful.”
— Gil
Your Guides
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Dan Dolquist (Guide)
Dan is a dreamer, a Presbyterian pastor, and guide with the Animas Valley Institute. Dan studied the wisdom traditions of Christianity with Fr. Richard Rohr at the Center for Action and Contemplation, and spent the last twelve years training with Bill Plotkin and the Animas Valley Institute. He has written two books, most recently “Finding Your Wild” through Luminare Press. He is a Howling at the Moon cohort guide for Illuman and a member of the Curricula Council. Dan completed his Men’s Rites of Passage in 2013.
His website is dandolquist.com and email is dandolquist@gmail.com
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John Lew (Co-Guide)
John is a spiritual seed planter, self-awareness guide, wild mind mirror, and soul-centric change agent. He is trained in Wild Mind work with Animas Valley Institute, and certified in Jungian work through the Jungian Institute of Los Angeles and Dream Tending at Pacifica Graduate Institute. John is passionate about the Wilderness and Inner work, and is an Illuman cohort guide, a member of the Curricula Council, and did his Rites of Passage in 2014.
Email: gjohnlew@gmail.com
