Connect with the 4 Directions
Purge yourself of negativity and learn to absorb positive energy from the powers of the cardinal directions.
Experience & Learn
Details + Logistics
Program Schedule
Check-in and Opening Session
Check-in time begins at 3:30 pm on Saturday (June 18th). Dinner will be served at 6:30 pm, followed by an opening session and ceremony.
Daily Schedule
We do not offer a set itinerary, as Brant likes to go with the flow when teaching retreats. Each day will, however, have a general structure…
- 8:00 am……………………….Breakfast
- 9:00 am – 12:00 pm ………Morning Session
- 12:30 pm………………………..Lunch
- 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm………..Break
- 4:00 pm – 6:00pm…………Afternoon Session
- 6:30 pm……………………….Dinner
- 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm………Evening session
- No evening session Tuesday + Thursday
The daily schedule may change. Brant generally will share the day’s schedule during the morning session each day.
Final Day + Check-out
The retreat will conclude on Saturday (June 25th). Attendees must be out of their rooms by 9:00 am.
Meals & Accommodations
Our all-inclusive packages include lodging, meals and use of all amenities – the bathhouse, sauna, hot tub, as well as all the Feathered Pipe Ranch facilities and grounds.
The Ranch offers a wide array of accommodations, from western-style chalet rooms and cabins to glamping favorites – deluxe wall tents, tipis and yurts nestled in the heart of the Montana Rocky Mountains, with private and shared options available.
About the Ranch
Feathered Pipe Ranch is a place unlike any other. Located in the powerful landscape near the Continental Divide, the Ranch offers an opportunity to truly immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.
Travel Information
Location of the Retreat
The Retreat is held in the pristine wilderness of Montana Rocky Mountains outside Montana’s capital, Helena.
By Air
If you plan on flying, the nearest airports are Albany Helena Regional Airport (airport code HLN). Direct flights into Helena currently originate in Salt Lake City, UT (Delta Airlines), Denver, CO (United Airlines), Minneapolis (Delta Airlines), and Seattle (Alaska Airlines). The Ranch offers a complimentary shuttle service from/to Helena Regional Airport on arrival/departure day.
Missoula International Airport and Bozeman International Airport are larger airports located about 2 hours away. You will need to arrange your own transportation.
By Car
The Ranch is located about eight miles west of central Helena off of Highway 12. If you are driving from Helena, take Highway 12 West a few miles out of Helena, turn left (south) at the sign for Colorado Gulch. If you are driving from Missoula, you turn right (south) at the sign for Colorado Gulch a few miles before you reach Helena. We are at the very end of this road, about 5 miles in. You’ll see rolling lawns, a small lake, and the Main Lodge on your right. Pull into our loading area (past the parking lot) and unload your luggage. You can get settled in, park your car in the parking lot and walk down to the lodge.
If you are using a GPS to get to the Ranch, the address is 2409 Bear Creek Rd., Helena, Montana.
Want to learn more?
We’re happy to answer all your questions.
CONNECT WITH YOUR TRUE NATURE
The Way of Shamanism
Shamanism is a way of honoring nature. Practiced in various forms around the world by different indigenous tribes, the methods of shamanism are diverse; however, they are unified in their inherent basis in the natural world.
This program focuses on the teachings and practices specific to the Huichol people of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Considered to be one of the last tribes in North America to have maintained their pre-Columbian traditions, the Huichol continue to practice their ancient spiritual traditions to this very day.
Brant Secunda
Shaman • Healer • Ceremonial Leader
Brant Secunda will lead this program and with his direct and humorous teaching style, he transmits the simple, yet profound teachings of shamanism.
Since completing an arduous 12-year apprenticeship with Don José Matsuwa, the renowned Huichol shaman, Brant has traveled the globe, sharing the ancient wisdom of the Huichol culture. His teachings and healings have helped thousands of people over the past 40 years.
DISCOVER YOUR TRUE NATURE
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shamanism?
Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition and moreover, a way of life. It is a way to connect with nature and all of creation. The word shaman originates from the Tungus tribe in Siberia. Anthropologists coined this term and have used it to refer to the spiritual and ceremonial leaders among indigenous cultures worldwide. The word shamanism can be used to describe the ancient spiritual practices of these indigenous cultures. Clearly the countless similarities between various ancient traditions played a role in the continual generalization of the word.
Over the past few decades the term “shamanism” has been popularized throughout the western world, especially in new-age circles. Today, it can be difficult to distinguish between traditional forms of shamanism and modernized, often esoteric practices that utilize the term.
One could view shamanism as the universal spiritual wisdom inherent to all indigenous tribes. As all ancient spiritual practices are rooted in nature, shamanism is the method by which we as human beings can strengthen that natural connection.
Who is Brant Secunda?
Brant Secunda is a shaman, healer and traditional ceremonial leader who completed a 12-year apprenticeship with Don José Matsuwa, the renowned Huichol shaman who passed away in 1990 at the age of 110.
For over 30 years, Brant has been leading conferences, workshops and retreats around the globe. He is a co-founder of the American Herbalist Guild, the Peace University, and the Huichol Foundation. He is also the co-author of the award-winning book Fit Soul Fit Body, 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You.
How did Brant Secunda become a shaman?
When he was 18 years old, Brant Secunda traveled from his native New York to the remote Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico to find the Huichol people. He was adopted by the revered Huichol shaman Don José Matsuwa and underwent a rigorous 12-year apprenticeship with him. Brant was initiated into the Huichol Indian tribe through a five day vision quest, a period of isolation in the wilderness without food and water, in a sacred cave in the Huichol Sierras known to the Huichols as the Cave of Grandmother Growth.
Other rites of passage included capturing and releasing a wild rattle snake with his bare hands to face his fear of death, enduring a fourteen month fruit fast to enhance his sensitivity to the natural world, and surviving a nine day vision quest so that he may, according to Huichol cosmology, learn the language of the gods. The nine-day vision quest, considered lengthy by Huichol standards, along with several other five-day vision quests, helped to establish him as a respected initiate within the Huichol nation.
Who are the Huichol people?
The Huichol Indians are a small tribe of approximately 35,000 living in central western Mexico near Ixtlan in the Sierra Madre Mountains. They are said to be the last tribe in North America to have maintained their pre-Columbian traditions. Their shamans and healers practice today as they have for generations. In part, their survival is due to the focus of their traditions, as well as their remote mountainous territory. The Huichol way of life continues today much as it has for thousands of years. Still without electricity or running water, the Huichol people rely on their relationship with nature to sustain their communities.
Huichol is a term given by the Spanish. In their own language, they refer to themselves as VIRARICA, which translates as “The Healing People.” The Huichol were once considered a Nation of Shamans. Today, there are still many shamans who continue to perform ceremonies and heal the people.
What is shamanic healing and how does it work?
Ancient shamanic healing techniques have been passed down for thousands of years. Today, shamans continue to heal through shamanic methods and practices that work with an individuals spiritual and physical energy; realigning a patient’s energy.
What does Dance of the Deer Foundation do?
The Dance of the Deer Foundation is dedicated to the continued survival of the ancient indigenous way of the Huichol. Brant Secunda and Don José Matsuwa founded our organization with this vision and today, we continue to support the Huichol people and their culture.
Don José emphasized to Brant that the cultural survival of the Huichol people depended upon external awareness of the Huichol way of life. In 1979, Brant Secunda established the Dance of the Deer Foundation Center for Shamanic Studies to disseminate and preserve Huichol culture, practices, and traditions, and to provide direct assistance with the goal of promoting self-sufficiency and economic independence.
As executive director of the Dance of the Deer Foundation, Brant Secunda instituted and maintains the functions of the foundation and conducts seminars, pilgrimages, and retreats on Huichol shamanism worldwide.
What is the Huichol Foundation?
The Huichol Foundation was started in order to expand the long-standing project for the Huichol Indians and to garner greater international support for their culture.
What is the book Fit Soul, Fit Body about?
Together with 6-time Hawaii Ironman World Champion Mark Allen, Brant founded Fit Soul Fit Body to help bring together the worlds of fitness and spirituality.
What is Shaman Chocolates?
Brant founded SHAMAN Organic Chocolates to help create direct support for the Huichol people. 100% of their profits go back to help Huichol villages.
How can I get involved?
Seminars, pilgrimages, and retreats on Huichol shamanism are offered worldwide through the Dance of the Deer Foundation. The website shamanism.com offers a wealth of information including the Shamanism Journal, with new articles uploaded monthly. You may also sign up for the monthly e-newsletter.
Not sure this is the retreat for you?
