GROUP EVENTS

 

Location: Richmond, Kentucky (Address provided in an acceptance email upon registration.) After registering, we will send you an email with directions and instructions. Please check your SPAM folder if you have not received directions from us within a few days. Contact us if you have not received directions within the week.

 

Please note: If you are flying in and renting a car, you must be 25 years old and have a valid drivers license. We cannot pick you up for events. Refunds require a $25 processing fee. Please make sure you can attend before registering. In most cases we are able to transfer your registration to the next available event that is convenient for you. Please prepare for Kentucky winter weather changes.

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Step 1:  Begin your diet/pre cleanse for the ceremony 1-2 weeks before ceremony date. You can find the diet on our FAQ page.

If you do not follow the diet, your experience will not be as effective or may not have any effect at all. You MUST stay off all meats, aged cheeses and alcohol. If you drink caffeine or smoke and cannot stop it completely, please cut back a little each day before the ceremony.

 

Step 2:  What to bring with you: Whatever blankets and pillows you like to make yourself comfortable, although we provide four-inch foam mats, both for ceremony and for your overnight stay, if you choose to spend the nights with us for free. Books, iPads and Kindles are fine for entertainment when not in ceremony.

 

What to wear during the ceremony: Bring 2 of everything in case of soiling your clothes. Comfortable t-shirts or loose tops, jogging pants, shorts or pajama bottoms, extra underwear, extra socks, scrunchies or hair bands to tie back if you have long hair.

 

What NOT to bring with you: Drugs, weapons, expensive jewelry or small keepsakes that could get lost. We are not responsible for any lost or stolen items. All your items are your responsibility.

 

Step 3:  Eating directions for first day of ceremony: Eat a good breakfast that is congruent with diet and then a light lunch. Drink plenty of water. If you like you may choose to fast that day. Stop eating by 12pm noon.

 

Step 4:  Please meet at the address we will send you by 1:30 pm the date of the ceremony. Please contact us by phone if you will be unable to arrive by 1:30. It may be very disruptive to arrive after 3:00. Please note the time zone difference if you are traveling from outside Eastern Standard Time. Feel free to arrive in Berea or Richmond early, and stay in a nearby motel. There is great shopping and hiking in the area. www.visitberea.com or www.richmond.ky.us For other outdoor sights and adventures, check out: www.visitjacksoncountyky.org

 

Step 5:  You will be asked to turn off ringers and vibrations on cell phones.

 

Food:  All meals are per diet recommendation. We will provide you with after-ceremony meals, and you are free to eat from our kitchen during the day. You do not have to eat the food we have. You may eat outside the oratory at your own expense. You may bring a cooler of your own food as well, but unless you require a specialized diet it is not necessary.

 

Staying in a motel?

Participants have the option of staying all night at the oratory with other seekers for free, much like overnight camping, only indoors. If you want more privacy and comfort you can make your own reservations at a nearby place in town. Look up lodging in Berea or Richmond, KY for your options. Accommodations and quality of service may vary, so we are generally unable to make informed suggestions. All guests should try to time their arrival by 1:30 pm EST for introductions and group discussion. Keep in mind the ceremony begins at 4:00 pm, and can last for several hours. We CANNOT allow you to leave for at least an hour after you think you are able to drive, so it may be 11:00 pm before you can go to a hotel. To plan for traveling, be prepared to stay two nights, leaving on the third day around noon. We do not have ceremony the third day; this is for counseling and reintegration.

 

Staying in the oratory?  

Attendees who wish to spend the night should be prepared with their own bedroll, blankets, pillows, sleeping bag etc. Sleeping will be indoors and temperature controlled, but you will be sharing the space with other adults who are there for the same group ceremony. Please be respectful of others' space.

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Departure:

The final group discussion takes place Sunday morning at 9:00 am. This is an important part of the retreat, and is when we do the reintegration work. This discussion group is about what we have experienced during the retreat, and how to apply what we have learned in practical ways when we return to our daily lives. Guests are typically ready to depart by 11:00 am.