Return to the Garden:
A visionary retreat for sacred growth - rooted in land, lineage, and intentional practice.
Join us for a carefully held retreat in an off-grid Hawaiʻi rainforest location designed to support reflection and relationship with the natural world. Ask about this site’s deep lineage. This experience brings participants together for grounded group activities and hands-on ecological learning in a thoughtfully facilitated setting.
Reserve Your Spot
The Opihihale retreat is a gorgeous immersion into cultivating respectful connection with the environment and its botanical heritage on very special land, beautifully complemented by a deep exploration of the thoughtful engagement with personal insight and reflection within a shared environment. From the moment I stepped off the plane in Hawaii, I felt a warm sense of community and trust, along with a playful buzz of excitement. I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. The guided gatherings supported deeper connection to each other, ourselves, and the magical, vibrant spirit of the island, making every moment deeply meaningful, joyful, and transformative. I made and deepened friendships here that I know will last a lifetime. If you’re feeling the pull and hear the jungle calling, don’t hesitate to answer! This is a wildly unique, lovingly curated magical experience. 5 Stars!
- Chris D.
Opihihale Ethnobotanical Preserve
The retreat takes place at Opihihale Ethnobotanical Preserve, a 10-acre rainforest on Hawaiʻi Island stewarded with long-term care and reverence by Sacred Garden elder Leanna Standish since 2003.
The land holds a significant ethnobotanical and ceremonial legacy. Nearly fifty years ago, with permission, Dennis and Terence McKenna, Dr. Luis Eduardo Luna, and Kathleen Harrison introduced sacred plants to this region. These plants took root and have been tended in relationship ever since.
Today, Opihihale serves as both sanctuary and living home to species with cultural and ecological significance. The land itself is an active participant in the retreat, offering teachings through ecology, attention, and presence.
What’s Included?
Your retreat experience is fully supported from arrival to departure. Each element is intentionally designed to support a focused, grounded experience.
- 7-day transformational retreat - heritage site (ask), deep rainforest, clean air, off-grid
- All meals provided - local, nourishing, and seasonal + restaurant options
- On-site lodging included - shared and private options (see FAQ below for private pricing details)
- Emotional / spiritual practice support - special diet options (Piper / heart, Salvia / clarity)
- Multiple guided meditations with trained facilitators - Xanga, Heart, Ninos (ask for details)
- Heart opening, visionary community - integration and community integration sessions
- Guided hike with local horticultural expert - through a quietly famous sacred rainforest landscape.
- Care for Earth's Sacred Garden - hands-on caring collaboration with sacred rainforest plants.
- Learn traditional and modern ways for working with sacred plants.
- Local excursion options - explore a beautiful local beach, lava tube, City of Refuge
- Grow your sacred practice, insight and vision within Least Dogmatic, intentionally sacred conversation and community
The Experience
Each element of this religious / spiritual “advancing” retreat builds upon the next, allowing participants to move between reflection, ceremony and embodied action, growing with clarity and support.
Sacred Plant Ceremonies
Three guided ceremonial experiences rooted in reverence supported by optional rare psychoactive plant diets.
Plant Stewardship
Hands-on sacred plant care and refined preparation practices, growing respectful relationships with plants.
Personal and Community Integration
Daily spaces for reflection, dialogue, and shared integration, growing personal insight and shared vision for healing, thriving and sacred community.
Grow Sensitivity and Capacity Through Caring, Engaged Relationship
Grow mature Practice, care for sacred plants, grow leadership, thrive in sacred community.
Daily Rhythm
Each day follows a steady and intentional flow that balances ceremony, integration and connection with the land. Rather than a rigid schedule, this rhythm allows the retreat to respond organically to ceremonial needs, ecological conditions, and the collective energy of the group - (general daily overview below).
Ecological Activities
Ecological / plant caring activities are woven throughout the retreat as an expression of reciprocity with the land. These hands-on practices support the health of the rainforest while offering practical learning rooted in respect, sustainability, and long-term stewardship. Activities may include:
Permaculture chop and drop to enrich soil and retain moisture
Low-impact rainforest path making to preserve biodiversity and soil stability
Eco-build options using locally sourced, renewable materials
A Week of True Immersion
I’m someone who feels most at home in nature, and Opihihale delivered that in ways I didn’t expect. This wasn’t just a retreat into the Big Island’s beauty. It was a complete immersion into both the natural world and deep ceremonial practice with the sacraments.
What struck me most was the balance. The container was organized and held with care, but the space itself (this beautiful eco-retreat home) gave us complete freedom. That combination allowed me to finally let go of all the trappings of modern society: the constant need to “do” something, the daily responsibilities that usually fill every moment. I could actually tune into real self-care.
The ceremonies were plentiful and thoughtfully held. What I appreciated most was the light touch with integration afterward: plenty of space for community connection without forcing process. After years of solo journeying, this was my first real experience with group ceremony, and it opened something new. I got to know some truly wonderful people and deepened my connection with the facilitators in ways that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
I don’t know if there’s one specific takeaway, but this moment stays with me: the day I left the retreat, I was immediately hit by the cacophony of civilization. Cars, machinery, the relentless hum of daily life. It felt loud in a way I’d never noticed before. And in that contrast, I felt profound gratitude for the week of solitude and practice I’d just experienced.
If you’re looking for a space that honors both the sacredness of ceremony and the freedom of nature, Opihihale is rare and precious.
- Romann C.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our most commonly asked questions. Please reach out to us directly if you have any other inquiries: [email protected].and our retreat organizer, Carolyn, will be in touch.
Reserve Your Spot- More than 60 days before the start date: Refund of all payments made
- 60 to 30 days before the start date: Credit for Sacred Garden Community offering
- 30 to 14 days before the start date: 50% Credit for Sacred Garden Community offering
- Within 14 days of the start date: No refunds
● Clothing for Warm & Tropical Weather: Lightweight, breathable layers, comfortable hiking clothes, and a rain jacket for unexpected showers.
● Shoes: sturdy shoes or boots, plus sandals or flip flops.
● Sun protection: a hat and coral-safe sunscreen.
● Beachwear: a bathing suit for beach days.
● Evening light: a flashlight or mini light for moving around after dark.
● Mosquito repellent if you are sensitive.
● Power bank or portable charging device. Mandatory for medical devices.
● Personal medications, or anything else that supports your well-being.
● Personal water bottle.
● Personal Journal & Sacred Items – A notebook for reflections, and any small sacred objects that support your personal practice.
● Come with an open heart, a spirit of adventure, and a readiness to engage with the land, the medicine, and the community.
Why this retreat exists?
Return to the Garden is an immersive retreat designed for Sacred Garden members who feel called to deepen their relationship with the natural world, sacred plants, and community. Set in the heart of Kona, Hawaii, this pilgrimage invites you to step away from daily life and enter a living landscape where the land itself becomes a teacher.
Through intentional ecological stewardship and shared presence, we gather not to escape the world, but to remember our place within it..
In Hawaii, I was delighted that for about half of the Ceremony I was laughing uncontrollably. Not that I was trying to control it. I was further delighted to hear many of the other Psychonauts were inspired to join in. I've taken this to mean that I was in a state closer to my true nature, full of joy with the exquisite privilege of being alive and in a human body.
- Barry B.
Eligibility and Membership
Who Can Attend
This retreat is open to adults drawn to intentional community, land stewardship, and ceremonial practice, supporting a shared environment of care, respect and trust.
Members
This retreat is reserved for confirmed community members who meet practitioner criteria, providing members with streamlined access to retreat participation.
Non-membership pathway
For non-members, participation is available through an application process that provides guidance and support in preparation for the retreat. No prior experience is required.