Women of all nation Tipi Ceremony – PachaMama, Costa Rica

The Women of all nation Tipi Ceremony is a women's ceremony held at PachaMama Eco Village & Retreat Center in Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It is for women of any nation and background who feel drawn to sit in a tipi ceremony in a forest setting. It belongs to the Red Road ceremonies that PachaMama holds alongside its meditation retreats, emotional healing workshops and yoga programs.

What to Expect

The ceremony takes place over two days. The organizer describes the medicine at its heart in these words: "This medicine is innocent. It is precious. It is family, and a friend to all of us. It is a gentle flower of this…" The tone is one of tenderness and kinship, not spectacle. It is a gathering held in the spirit of family.

The Tipi Ceremony appears several times in PachaMama's calendar, and this women's gathering is paired with a separate Men's Tipi Ceremony that begins the following day. Women who come to this one are in a circle of women, set apart from the men's ceremony.

PachaMama's wider calendar gives a sense of the place's character. Alongside the tipi gatherings it hosts the Vision Quest, which it describes as one of the oldest methods used by indigenous people on the Red Road as a kind of initiation. It also hosts all-night ceremonies of silence, music and prayer, and a range of retreats built around breath, voice and the body. People who find their way to this ceremony often have some interest in these Red Road and prayer-centered practices, though nothing in the description says prior experience is required.

The Setting

PachaMama is an eco village and retreat center in the tropical forest near Nicoya, in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. Its programs are held in a natural setting, and some of its offerings take place on the riverbanks within its jungle reserve. A women's tipi ceremony here is held among trees and tropical air, away from towns and schedules.

Before You Go

PachaMama closes its doors for September and October, during Costa Rica's rainy season, so ceremonies are held in the other months of the year. Because the ceremony is for women, it is the right fit for those who want to sit with other women. Men are welcome at the separate Men's Tipi Ceremony held the next day.

Those who wish to understand what the ceremony involves, what to bring, or how to prepare are encouraged to read the full program details shown on this page before deciding to attend.