Partners - Illuman Of Washington

Illuman of Washington is proud and deeply grateful to partner formally and informally with the following:

The Center for Action and Contemplation Richard Rohr hosted our community within the CAC for almost 20 years, before Illuman grew up and was set free to stand on its own feet. The CAC remains our single biggest supporter…we can never say thank you enough.

The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology has been a major partner for Illuman of Washington. This graduate school has given us free space for leadership retreats, co-sponsored a retreat with Belden Lane, and numerous men in our community have either attended and/or work at the school.

Animas Valley Institute has trained many of us in our community, Bill and Richard have been friends for decades, and we continue to incorporate Plotkin’s work in a number of offerings.

Journeymen shares a great deal with Illuman, except it focuses primarily on youth, offering rites of passage, council, wilderness wanderings, and other similar practices to help youth develop into healthy human beings. Nicky Wilkes, one of the founds went through the MROP in 2017. We are deeply grateful for their wisdom, passion, and partnership, especially in our own work with the next generation.

Ekone Ranch is the site for the Elders’ Rites of Passage®, and several men in our community are choosing to be buried in the White Eagle Wilderness Cemetery located on the ranch. Ekone hosts many similar programs for kids and adults, including rites of passages, vision fasts, kids camps and earth stewardship. We’re so fortunate to be able to hosted by Ekone!

Gratitude for the wider circles, whose orbits we overlap…

I attended the January retreat and was moved by the power of the male community. The greetings upon arriving shifted my focus to assessing my gifts, wounds, and blessings. The time and space shared presented an opportunity to seek spiritual direction and understanding in the community of brothers.

~Stephen

I attended the January retreat and was moved by the power of the male community. The greetings upon arriving shifted my focus to assessing my gifts, wounds, and blessings. The time and space shared presented an opportunity to seek spiritual direction and understanding in the community of brothers.

~Stephen

The January retreat was a great way to reconnect with the deepest needs of the spirit and leverage time-tested rituals for powerful impact. A wonderful opportunity to connect with other men that are on their own path of spiritual transformation, and learn from their journey and experiences.

~Participant

At the end of the retreat, I felt deeply at peace and very grateful for all the men who shared this space with me, as well as the volunteers who made it happen. I can't wait to go again!

~Ned

It was comforting to spend time in the company of men who are there to support you; and who you can support as they and you walk through the stages of life.

~Dennis

After making the MROP years ago, and coming home to unpack the experience virtually alone, the Illuman retreat gave me a sense that, finally, a community is present, and willing, to share the journey.

~Participant

The combination of the gathered group, the small group "council" times, and the time in solitude was refreshing. It felt like a safe place to reflect and refocus, receiving encouragement from others along the way.

~Participant

In the stillness of a damp, quiet corner of the Seattle metro area, a diverse group of men gathered to share rituals and a common desire to become better, more generative men. It was perhaps the first time I've ever experienced real unity in such a group of men, and the sacred time paved the way for some life-changing healing that could only have happened in the company of others.

~Sam

Last year's retreat, was powerful as a continuance for those of us who had been through an MROP and for our brothers who were interested in learning more about MROP's and opportunities for being with like minded men.

~Participant