Pete Fonken
Peter Fonken’s guiding is informed by a lifetime spent wandering wild places while listening to and learning from other than human beings. He feels strongly that nature’s wisdom can help us access our intuitive knowing, thereby allowing a reintegration of authentic wildness and a deeper connection with Soul. He is also fascinated with the human psyche and is committed to exploring its nuances. Peter has been a ranger, guide, wildlife biologist, writer/editor, yoga teacher, and graphic designer during his peripatetic journey through life. He has a M.S. in zoology and a B.A. in both creative writing and biology, is the editor of Animas Valley Institute’s Westwords publication, and author of a forthcoming book of poetry. He tends the land, an orchard, and hives of bees with his wonderful wife at the edge of the wilderness along California’s central coast.
Events with Pete Fonken
Winter Desert Quest – January, 2024January 30 - February 10, 2024
THE ANIMAS QUEST – This is an All Camping & Backpacking Quest. This contemporary Western embodiment of the ancient, pan-cultural vision fast is a dynamic wilderness rite for all who are seeking greater depth and clarity about life purpose and meaning. As a rite of initiation, the quest is a ceremonial descent to the underworld, in which you die to your familiar way of belonging to the world, uncover the passion and wisdom of your soul, and retrieve the gift that is yours alone to bring to the world, enhancing personal fulfillment and genuine service. The Animas Quest catalyzes the…
Wild Mind Intensive - March, 2024March 2 - 6, 2024
Based on Bill Plotkin’s book, Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche, this 5-day intensive is an experiential exploration of our human psyches as unique expressions of the universal forces and patterns of nature. We will work with what we call the Nature-Based Map of the Human Psyche, which is, among other things, a comprehensive inventory of what can be right about a person, a “shadow” version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), mainstream psychology’s list of what can go wrong with people. Our wild minds possess astonishing resources, untapped potentials and depths that we might not even know exist until we…