We are delighted to announce that we are now accepting applications for our

Wild Earth ~ Wild Soul
Nature-based Practice Group

a 9-month experience of soul-centered human community
embedded in a more-than-human world

April – December, 2025

Scroll down for more information & detailed schedule

Apply now!
Click here for application

Living through these times of unprecedented challenge, we find ourselves at a precarious moment in Earth’s story. Ecological, social and economic systems are all approaching tipping points. Yet, we trust that we — being a product of 13.5 billion years of evolution on this planet — were made for these times.

We are called by the living Earth to both re-member and re-imagine what it means to be human — as if we truly belong in and to this Earth, as if we are embedded and entangled with this living world. We are called to practice new ways of understanding ourselves, new ways of relating to each other, and new ways of inhabiting this living world. We are called to do our part in what Joanna Macy describes as the “Great Turning”, and to move closer to creating what Charles Eisenstein calls “the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible”.

In the face of such uncertainty and opportunity — with eyes and hearts wide open, knowing our individual lives are finite, and believing that the way we show up matters — the essential question becomes: “How, then, shall we live?”

In order to build our capacity to lean into this calling with resilience, hope and inspiration, the Wild Earth ~ Wild Soul Practice Group aims to explore, support and cultivate the following essential dimensions of the human experience:

• Nature: Learning to live in deeply meaningful and reciprocal relationship with the living world.  We acknowledge that we humans are just one expression of life in a more-than-human world. Grounding our sense of belonging in the web of life, we aspire to both recognize the gifts and accept the responsibilities of being essential and powerful members of the earth community.  “Who might we become, as we engage intentionally with a living world, as if every being were alive, intelligent, and suffused with soul, imagination and purpose?”

• Community: Learning to live as embodied, relational human beings in supportive community with others.  We practice relating to each other with authenticity, openness, compassion, warmth and curiosity. We also explore our differences, welcoming and honoring the diversity of authentic presence and unique expression that comes through each individual. As a group, we explore, “What might emerge from this deeper sense of belonging in a human community?”

• Soul & Spirit: Inquiring into the mysteries of who we really are, and why we are here. Centering our sense of belonging in soul and spirit, we explore both our soul’s calling and our embodiment of a soul-centered life of meaning and purpose. From this deeper ground of being, we engage the poet Mary Oliver’s profound question, “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?”

Throughout the year, we practice engaging in sustained, meaningful and reciprocal relationship with ourselves, each other and the living, animate world.  And through a variety of nature-based practices and soul-centered inquiry, we continually explore the mysteries of who we are, who we are becoming, and how we can live more fully and courageously in these times of radical change and renewal.

Our home base for this profound group work is the uniquely beautiful land of Tinaja Ridge — a hidden jewel of wildness in the Rocky Mountain foothills near Lyons, CO. We also strongly encourage and support you to engage in your ongoing personal nature-based practice in a natural area closer to your home. 

The commitment to Wild Earth ~ Wild Soul Practice Group includes:

• 2 full weekend retreats:  In June and again in early October, we gather for a 2.5-day retreat at Tinaja Ridge, Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. These weekend intensives offer more spacious opportunities for deeper connection and group process, collective and self-designed ceremony, extended immersion and connection with wild nature, and include the option of overnight camping.

• 7 daylong immersions: One Saturday each month (April, May, July, Aug, Sept, Nov and Dec) meeting outdoors in our home ground here at Tinaja Ridge. Each of these daylong immersions includes opportunities for deepening into relational community; intentional solo wandering and connecting with wild nature; and engaging in a variety of nature-based mindfulness, embodiment and ceremonial practices.

• 8 evening gatherings: These will be held on a Tuesday evening in Boulder, roughly midway between our monthly daylong immersions.

• 4 personal mentoring sessions: Meeting 1:1 with one of the guides, either in person or by Zoom.  These 1:1 sessions provide a rich opportunity to deepen into your personal unfoldment, integration and ongoing soul work. Four sessions are included, with the option of additional personal mentoring sessions throughout the year at a substantially reduced fee. 

• Engaging with nature-based practices on your own time, in a natural area closer to your home.

• Meeting with a practice partner each month to foster vibrant personal connections between all participants as well as to support deepening into your ongoing nature-based practice.

• Suggested readings and recordings to complement and enhance your experience in the group.

Wild Earth ~ Wild Soul Practice Group Application Form

Group size is limited to 10 participants.

Here’s what recent participants are saying:

“Gene and Lauren are masters at facilitating a circle that fosters open-heartedness, acceptance, and safety. They are adept listeners who see and hear the beauty and depth of each individual.  They hold a space which enables me to open my heart and to give voice to  my inner knowing.  It is transformative.”
~Joan C. (WE/WS, 2021 and 2023)

“The 9 month Wild Earth – Wild Soul adventure was wonderful and skillfully orchestrated by Gene and Lauren, who beautifully weave together their skills in working with people and the land. They use poetry, music, nature, guided meditation, pilgrimages and connection with the participants to weave the essence of soul into the more than human world.  I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in expanding their relationship with Nature.”
~Jeff A. (WE/WS 2023)

“Following the guidance of our facilitators, I learned to give the other participants the same “delighted attention” I gave to the trees, and in turn, I received the same. As we built trust and connection and learned skillful ways to communicate authentically; as we held each other’s stories with love and care; as we listened deeply and were listened to in turn, I experienced a powerful opening of the heart:  I and my fellow humans are Nature, just as the trees, animals, earth and sky are Nature.”
~Susan D. (WE/WS, 2023)

“Tinaja Ridge is a magical setting for nature based practices. Gene and Lauren’s love and commitment to the land and to providing deep, soul connecting practices are nurturing and healing. We are fortunate to have them as a resource.”
~Ginnie W. (WE/WS, 2021 and 2023)

Your guides:

Gene Dilworth, MA: Gene is dedicated to the project of rewilding the human spirit as an essential dimension of being fully alive and fully human in these challenging times. By nurturing meaningful relationship with the more-than-human world and facilitating deep inquiry into the mystery of one’s true nature, he supports individuals to discover, re-member and live from the center of their soul-rooted sense of belonging to the world. With degrees in ecology and ecopsychology, Gene has been teaching and guiding groups and mentoring individuals in transformative nature-based experiences since the mid-1980’s. He is founder of the Wild Heart Center for Nature & Psyche, and frequently guides wilderness retreats through Animas Valley Institute.

Lauren Golten MS, MA, LPC: Lauren is a nature-based therapist and a group facilitator drawing upon her extensive training and experience with the Animas Valley Institute’s  Wild Mind work, the Matrix Leadership Institute, and the Work That Reconnects. She holds masters degrees in Field Biology and Wilderness Therapy. Lauren’s 25-year practice and study of meditation and mindfulness, and her life-long love of the natural world, are core to her work as a therapist and facilitator. She sees clients and leads nature-based programs at her home-place of Wild Tinaja Ridge near Lyons, Colorado.

2025 Schedule and Registration:

2 Full Weekend Retreats/Intensives:

• Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, with optional overnight camping both nights
• June 6-8 and October 3-5 

7 Monthly Daylong Immersions:

• Saturdays, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, at Tinaja Ridge
• April 26, May 10, July 5, August 9, September 13, November 1, December 6

8 Monthly evening council gatherings:

• Tuesday evenings, 6:00-8:00 pm, in Boulder
• May 20, June 17, July 22, Aug 19, Sept 23, Oct 14, Nov 11, Dec 16 

Financial commitment:  

To ensure this program is accessible to people of all income levels, we offer substantial discounts for early registration. A non-refundable $400 deposit is required upon registration to hold your spot. A monthly payment plan is available at no extra charge.  

Full tuition:   $3895  (or $400 deposit + 9 monthly payments of $388) 

Payment can be accepted via:

• Venmo to @Gene-Dilworth (preferred)
• Check (contact us for mailing address)

If you are feeling a strong YES to joining us this year, please fill out this short application form. We will then set up a 30-minute call to discuss your interest, answer all your questions, and mutually determine whether this group is a good fit for you at this time.  After this application process is completed, a non-refundable $400 deposit is required to hold your spot.

If you absolutely want to join us and are fully prepared to make the time commitment, and the only barrier to your participation is financial limitation, please contact us  and we’ll do our best to find creative ways to make it possible for you!

Apply today!
Click Here for Application Form

This will be our 4th annual cohort of the Wild Earth ~ Wild Soul Practice Group. Each year is both wildly fulfilling and uniquely different, as both the group and the practice continue to evolve in interesting and surprising ways. Each year we have a blend of new participants and a few folks returning for a second or third year.

We look forward to another rich and meaningful experience with a small group of whole-hearted humans in deep relationship with the living world in 2025, and we hope you’ll consider joining us!

Feel free to contact us by email or phone (303-746-3162) if you are interested but want more information or have any questions.