You're about to spend time somewhere that has been cared for, listened to, and slowly shaped into a place of ceremony. This packet has everything you need to arrive well — how to get here, what to bring, how we hold this space together, and the details specific to your retreat.
A note from Mark: Aranya sits under a stand of old redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's a working sanctuary — part home, part temple grounds — and every person who comes through it shapes what it becomes. I'm glad you're one of them.
The Santa Cruz Mountains have patchy cell signal — download directions before you leave pavement.
We're at elevation in the redwoods — it's cooler and damper than you'd expect, even in summer.
This land carries a lineage. Coming into right relation with it is part of the work.
Ceremony at Aranya is held by our teacher, of the Noke Koî people of the Brazilian Amazon, whose family has apprenticed Mark for several years. We hold this work with the seriousness and humility that lineage asks for.
Move through the grove, the paths, and the ceremonial space as a guest, not a visitor passing through. Stay on marked trails, pack out what you pack in, and ask before picking anything.
What's shared in ceremony or circle stays there. You'll meet people mid-process — hold what you witness with the same care you'd want held for you.
[ Quiet hours, e.g. 9pm–8am ]. This is a shared container — check in with facilitators before altering the physical space.
Come to [ facilitator name / role ] directly. Part of right relation is trusting the container enough to name what needs naming.
This section changes retreat to retreat — fill in before sending.