About the Facilitators
Solomon and Aelana have been exploring a spiritually-centered life together for more than 20 years, delving into a range of traditions and practices, including major forays into Tibetan Buddhism, Lakota Ways, Western psychotherapeutic modalities, Taoism, Orthodox Christianity, and Animism.
Fundamentally, we are grounded in a non-dual perspective that makes room for a panoply of cultural ways and expressions of the sacred.
We strive to live a spirituality which is grounded, wholesome, and whole-hearted. We both have extensive retreat practice going back to the mid 2000s, and have both completed multiple dark retreats, up to 30 days.
We work closely as a team, dialoging and collaborating regularly around the needs of each retreatant.
In addition to our work with the dark retreat, we express our spiritual values and connection through an on-going project of land stewardship, food forestry, and ecological restoration.
About Our Facility
Our retreat is located in a rural setting amid pastures and wetland, in Oregon’s southern Willamette Valley, and within a convenient drive from the nearest airport.
The dark space includes a private bathroom (also darkened) with bath and shower. Central heating and air conditioning maintains comfortable airflow and temperature, while a double door system allows for meal delivery without light intrusion.
Meals are delivered twice a day. Meals are custom prepared to match each retreatant's dietary needs and preferences, using high-quality, nutritious, and organic ingredients. We strive to provide a food experience that is both nutritious and flavorful, to compliment the sensuous experience of darkness. We believe that food should be an enjoyable part of the retreat, to promote a sense of ease and greater relaxation into the dark. When possible, ingredients are sourced from our own gardens.
We can accommodate vegan, vegetarian, and meat-eating diets, as well as most other dietary limitations.