Western Massachusetts Wilderness Rites

Greetings!

Western Mass Wilderness Rites is a budding organization created and run by seven women: Eliza, Erica, Grace, Jacquelynn, Judy, Suzanne, and Tamara. We bring many years of experience in counseling, guiding, teaching, mentoring, mothering, making, learning, and wandering.

Our goal is to offer nature-based programs and rites of passage ceremonies to our community. This work will help repair our culture and strengthen our communities by supporting and guiding individuals toward more profound relationships with place, people, and self over multiple years.

In 2021, we began to plan, dream, and train ourselves in readiness for this work.

In 2022, we ran our first multi-day rite of passage program for young women.

In 2023, we are planning another rite of passage for teen girls and beginning to create other programs for young adults, adults, and elders.

We do all of this work on a volunteer basis because it is crucial. Still, additional costs come with creating and running programs. So we are fundraising to help us cover the start-up costs, including insurance, trainings, equipment, and administrative fees.

We are also creating a scholarship fund to help make our programs accessible.