The Critical Ritual Initiation
Monteverde, Costa Rica • November 2-8
This is not a retreat, it’s a rite!
I see you sister. You've done the work. The circles, the somatic sessions — the deep healing. You've gotten so close. And still. Something hasn't fully been claimed yet. Not in your soul.
There is a difference between knowing you carry medicine and being initiated into it.
That's why I’m calling you to the cloud forest — one of the most biologically sacred places on Earth. Because this mist covered canopy rich in biodiversity . . . it’s where you remember your vastness.
You've been circling the threshold. The jungle is your crossing.
Some thresholds can only be crossed in the wild
Are you ready to do it together?
The Retreat Space
Perched in the mountains of Costa Rica's Tilarán range (Cordillera de Tillaran), the cloud forest of Monteverde is truly heaven on earth.
Arrive from San Jose to our very own private villa sanctuary. This dreamy property is adjacent and walking distance to Nora’s favorite reserve and surrounded by beautiful gardens and ancient trees. This means our home is a transit corridor for so many of the mammals and birds that call the selva their home.
This villa is the perfect combination of privacy and union, since all the rooms are separate but the social areas will be our ceremonial and gathering spaces.
Walking distance to a bakery and local coffee shop, we will be quietly removed but also centrally located to resources.
7 days/6 nights sacred accommodation with ensuite bathroom in each room
Airport Transfer to and from Monteverde (3-5 hour journey) *one time is available for this, if you are outside of this arrival time or miss/delayed flight you will have to pay for your own transportation
All meals prepared with fresh, local Costa Rican ingredients (non-alcoholic beverages included) by a local Costa Rican woman
Four expert-guided jungle journeys into the the reserve (payment of the guide + tip and of the reserve entrance fees)
One entrance into the reserve as a group without a guide
All ceremonies*, plant spirit meditations, somatic breathworks & yoga nidra
*Ceremonies: include vision quests and guided meditations with herbal allies like Mimosa, Hibiscus, and Passionflower
Hands-on herbalism workshops and medicine-making
Pre and post-retreat concierge support from our team
Transportation 2-3 days of the retreat to the locations
A chocolate making workshop
2 pre-integration calls via zoom (before the retreat) + 1 post-integration call via zoom (after the retreat)
Nora as your translator & language teacher! She’s studied Spanish from high school to college and lived in multiple Spanish speaking countries.
What’s Included
Our Promise
You will not leave this week the same woman who arrived.
Not because something will be added to you — but because the forest has a way of stripping away everything that was never yours to begin with. The roles. The stories. The quiet, persistent feeling that you're almost ready, almost there, almost enough.
The Initiation is a pivot point. By the time you cross back over the threshold at the end of this week, you will have named your medicine out loud in ceremony. You will have moved through your body in ways that reach places our English language can't. You will have sat with plant teachers older than anything you've encountered in a studio or a circle. And you will carry home a handcrafted botanical medicine — made by your own hands, from the plants of this land — as a living reminder of what happened here.
Our promise is this: you will leave Monteverde not as the woman who arrived — but as one who has been met by the forest, initiated by the plants, connected with lifelong spirit sisters, and rooted in the unshakeable knowing of what you are here to carry and give.
Lodging
Room options include:
Triple Occupancy Master Suite — Shared King bed (best for family or friends who have shared a bed before) + Twin bed & Ensuite bathroom
Triple Occupancy Upper Floor Villa — Queen ((best for family or friends who have shared a bed before) + Twin bed & Ensuite bathroom
Double Occupancy Villa Apartment — Double and twin bed & Ensuite bath
Single Occupancy Cabin — Queen bed ensuite bathroom
Triple Occupancy Main Villa — Twin bed ensuite bathroom
Booking Details
Shared Bed King ($4,600 each person)
Twin Bed ($4,000) only 4 available
Shared Bed Queen ($4,300 each)
Double Bed ($4,600) only 1 available
Private Queen Cabin ($6,000) only 1 available
All prices are per person.
For the shared beds you must book with a family member or a friend
A non-refundable deposit of $800 is required to secure your place. Balance is due no later than 45 days before the start date (*payment plans are available)
Still figuring out if this is for you?
Let's find out together.
This trio of women creates a container that is rare, intentional, and deeply alive — rooted in the earth, the body, and the liminal realms. With Nora weaving plant medicine and ceremony into the foundation of each day, Christy guiding you beneath the surface through breathwork that moves what words never could, and Grace tending the threshold moments with profound attunement. They will meet you in your body, your story, and your becoming — holding the kind of space women long for.
Meet the Team
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Ceremonialist, Folk Herbalist & Council Leader
As a folk herbalist, steward of the earth, and founder of Critical Ritual, Nora has spent over seven years weaving together plant medicine, sacred ceremony, and community healing in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
She first came to Monteverde as a college student, learning the names of plants before she fully understood what they were trying to teach her. She has returned again and again — as someone who keeps being called back. This land is not new to her. She has walked it in seasons of maidenhood, seasons of grief, seasons of becoming, and seasons of deep initiation.
Nora's work is rooted in the Wise Women Tradition of Healing, ethnobotany, and a deep belief that the plants carry medicine for each of us — we just have to learn to listen. She holds ceremony knowing that each of us needs these spaces to tap into Earth’s intelligence and our lineage connection. It would be her honor to walk beside you into this forest.
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Somatic Therapist & Breathwork Facilitator
Christy is a Licensed Professional Counselor, yoga therapist, embodiment coach, and breathwork practitioner with over fifteen years of experience supporting deep mind-body healing. Her work is trauma-informed, body-centered, and heart-led — rooted in the understanding that healing is not a journey of fixing, but of remembering and reclaiming your wholeness.
In the jungle, Christy will guide the somatic breathwork sessions that take you into the places language can't reach — moving stored tension, dissolving emotional blocks, and creating space for what's ready to emerge. Those who have worked with her describe her presence as a rare gift: steady, intuitive, and deeply safe.
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Reiki Master, Bodyworker, & Ritual Facilitator
Grace is a licensed Reiki Master, Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher, and Peristeam Facilitator whose work lives at the intersection of the nervous system, intentional touch, and holistic wellness. Her approach is refined, restorative, and deeply integrative — honoring the body as both a map and a medicine.
She will guide us through Yoga Nidra — dropping the group into deep states of inner vision and integration between our jungle immersions. Grace will also facilitate a partner massage experience that opens the body to touch, trust, and the kind of tenderness that initiation asks of us. Throughout the week, Grace will help hold the liminal spaces- those threshold moments between one rite and the next where some of the most invisible and important work unfolds.
NOT INCLUDED
Air travel
Travel insurance
Third-party gratuities
Additional spa services or experiences (like zip-lining) outside the program itinerary
Final Dinner at a Local Restaurant
Any food desired outside of the included meals
Shuttle Transfer if outside of the scheduled window
Not quite ready? Let's talk first.
We understand that life is unpredictable. However, due to the nature of this container and the intentional limitations on space, all bookings are final and no refunds will be issued for cancellations or changes — including family, health, or other emergency situations. Registrations are transferable.
Travel insurance is strongly encouraged to protect your investment against unexpected cancellations, delays, or unforeseen circumstances.
A $800 non-refundable deposit reserves and secures your spot on this retreat.
Payment plans are available to everyone!