Owning Wisdom with guest faculty Mirabai Starr

Reclaim the Mystical In the Mundane

Mar 3 - Mar 8, 2025 in Santa Fe, USA

Led by: Mirabai Starr, Laurie Hofmann, Monique Montoya, Lee Johnson

Financial aid is available. Apply Here.

Discover how to experience the holy in your everyday life – and feel more present, joyful and alive in every moment

“Spiritual, but not religious” is the fastest-growing category of religion in the United States. So many of us long for a more profound sense of connection to the Divine but feel that traditional religious frameworks don’t align with our own beliefs or values.

Yet we still yearn for that sense of deep communion that comes from being in community with others and contemplating the awe-inspiring mysteries of the universe.

The good news is, the Divine doesn’t dwell solely within traditional places of worship.

“God walks among the pots and pans,” as Saint Teresa of Avila observed in the 16th century, and it is possible for you to find instant access to the Divine at any moment.

No matter where you are or what you’re doing, that sense of transcendent awe, connection, and gratitude is always available to you – if you know how to access it.

In this Owning Wisdom workshop co-facilitated with Mirabai Starr, you will grow your ability to experience the mystical in everyday moments and transform perceived obstacles standing in the way of a more spiritual life into portals of direct connection with the Divine.

What you’ll gain

Through a combination of our core MEA curriculum and Mirabai’s guided discussion and thought-provoking activities, you will:

Explore the sacredness inherent in the tangible aspects of everyday life – relationships, work, food, and more
Deepen your connection to nature and recognize how the natural world offers you direct access to the Divine
Discover how to find the holy within grief, loss, and disappointment and cultivate greater appreciation for the vast and complex beauty of the universe
Liberate yourself from outdated belief systems that are holding you back from showing up fully as your truest self and directly experiencing the Divine
Deepen your sense of connection to everyone on the planet and liberate yourself from the habit of “otherizing” people based on beliefs or lifestyles
Develop simple daily rituals that allow you to become more mindful and aware of the mysticism that can be experienced in every moment
Embrace the fact that our own messiness and imperfections are an integral part of the sacredness of everyday life.

By the end of your five days with Mirabai and the MEA team, you will feel a much deeper sense of connection with the Divine – as well as with others, with the natural world, and with your own inner self.

You will feel a transformed sense of awe and gratitude and deep reverence for the profound gift of being alive at this exact moment in time.

Meet your faculty

Mirabai Starr

Author of Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground

Award-Winning Author | Teacher | Translator of Sacred Literature | International Speaker

Mirabai Starr, MA, is a leading voice in the interspiritual movement who helps make timeless wisdom accessible to contemporary audiences. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and is on the 2020 Watkins List of the “100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People of the World.”

Starr has received critical acclaim for her revolutionary new translations of Dark Night of the Soul, by 16th-century Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross; The Interior Castle and The Book of My Life, by St. Teresa of Avila; and The Showings of Julian of Norwich.

Her book God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam won the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award for Religion and was named one of the Best Books of 2012 by the website Spirituality & Practice & won the 2014 Nautilus Gold Award for Religion and Spirituality in the Western Traditions.

Her book, Caravan of No Despair: A Memoir of Loss & Transformation was named one of the Best Books of 2015 by Spirituality & Practice; and Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics was a longstanding Amazon bestseller, & named one of the best books of 2019 by S&P.

Starr was born to secular Jewish parents who challenged institutionalized religion and moved the family to Taos, New Mexico, where they embraced an alternative, "back-to-the-land" lifestyle. As a teenager, she lived at the Lama Foundation, an intentional spiritual community in New Mexico that honors the world's spiritual traditions and recognizes the mystical heart of each path. Starr was trained from an early age to recognize and celebrate the interconnections between and among all faiths.

This workshop is for you if...

You feel a passionate longing to connect with the Divine (or God, or the Sacred, whatever you prefer to call it) but feel almost “allergic” to religion

You’re hungry for community with other like-hearted people who are also yearning for greater spiritual connection and communion

You feel like the world doesn’t make sense anymore and are searching for a better way to understand what’s happening

You’re looking for answers to life’s big questions and what you’re finding in traditional belief systems are no longer working for you

You finally feel like you have the time to start exploring your internal landscape and understanding your interconnectedness with all things

You want to live a more spiritually connected life, but feel like the obligations of “regular life” are always getting in the way

You’re willing to adopt new habits that allow you to cultivate greater mindfulness and awareness of the Divine

You’re excited to open yourself to a more immediate connection with the sacred and increase your capacity for wonder and awe

Do this powerful work on our beautiful regenerative ranch in Santa Fe

Santa Fe, USA

Rising Circle Ranch

An upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and spanning nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, with ancient petroglyphs, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.

Big-sky desert country
Breathtaking nature
Interaction with horses and donkeys
Evenings around the campfire
Star-gazing

Meet your MEA facilitators

In addition to the powerful sessions conducted by Mirabai, you will be guided through the core MEA Owning Wisdom curriculum by our faculty members:

Laurie Hofmann is a seasoned chief executive, board chair, and healthcare visionary. She is Partner at OvationLab, the premier expert consulting agency for health care innovators, early-stage and start-up ventures. Prior to that she served for 20 years as a director, vice chair, chief executive officer, and board chairwoman for the Institute for Functional Medicine, the global leader in functional medicine with 150,000 practitioners from 96 countries.

Laurie’s 30-year track record of accomplishments in personalized public health and wellness, functional medicine, personalized nutrition, and science-based natural medicine have served to advance and significantly expand the awareness, reach, and adoption of personalized, systems-based approaches to health and medicine. She is passionate about purposefully navigating her own transitions and supporting others in their “lifequakes”.

Monique Montoya, aka Sneaks, is a curious soul, blending her experiences as a Marketing Manager and Cosmetic Formulator into a journey guided by her heart and rooted in a deep connection to the land. With a family that has walked on New Mexican soil for 500 years, her history is woven into everything she does. Whether snowboarding off cliffs or crafting herbal remedies, Monique finds joy in exploration and the beauty of connection. As the Faculty and Calendaring Wizard at MEA, she works behind the scenes, weaving together the details that make the magic happen. Her path is filled with love, courage, and a deep appreciation for life’s wonders. Let’s explore together!

Lee likes to say that he’s as ordinary as dirt but as complex as soil. He’s resident “cowboy sage” at our campus in Santa Fe, where his love for the simple yet complex hum of nature has led him to work in holistic land management. As steward of our four-square mile regenerative ranch, Lee translates nature’s teachings into simple insights that encourage us to tune into the inner and outer landscape of the world around us.

You will appreciate the opportunity to be in his presence and slow down, listen to nature, and gather around the campfire of shared understanding.

You don’t have to get the dishes washed before you meditate

You don’t need to complete that big work project or wait until you’ve finished dinner and done your chores and finally have a quiet moment to yourself. The sacred can be found just as easily in the doing of these everyday tasks as it can be found in a temple or at the top of an exalted mountain. All you need to do is open yourself to the experience of it.

Are you ready to experience the mystical in the mundane?

People come for the workshops,
but they stay for the community

This is truly MEA’s “secret sauce” and something you can only experience in person: the powerful connections you will make, not only with your fellow participants and the incredible MEA faculty, but also the deeper sense of connection you will feel to your own inner self and the natural world around you.

Research into aging shows that your relationships play a HUGE role in your health and wellbeing later in life. At MEA, you will make deep and lasting connections and become part of a larger community that will make your life richer and more meaningful.

Many of our alumni cohorts have stayed in close touch for years after their workshop and we have a growing number of local alumni chapters all over the world. It’s a joy for us to see them continuing to offer each other community, friendship, and support as they create thriving midlives for themselves. So if you have been feeling at all disconnected or isolated on your journey, we would love to have you join us!

Have we mentioned the food?

The MEA experience is designed in part by Chip Conley, a world-renowned boutique hotelier, which means the food is amazing.

All of the ingredients are locally sourced, organic, and made from scratch in our kitchens by hand-picked chefs. The delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners will leave you feeling nourished inside and out – not to mention the blended drinks made with fresh fruit and other top-shelf ingredients.

Each retreat center has multiple kitchens that always have snacks and beverages available. At MEA, we believe that thriving is delicious!

Your Workshop Includes

5 days and nights of lodging at our boutique luxury retreat center in Baja or Santa Fe with all of your meals, snacks, drinks and other amenities included
Daily sessions and experiential activities to help you connect with your inner self, envision your desired experience, and release what no longer serves you
Meditation covering a range of practices to soothe your nervous system and help you cultivate greater mindfulness and presence in the moment.

Movement to get the energy flowing and build your strength and agility as you chart your course forward to the life you want to live.
Incredible bonding experiences with the most amazing humans you’ll ever meet.
Three delicious, chef-prepared meals plus snacks throughout the day prepared from scratch with the freshest local ingredients.
Festive gatherings to cultivate connection and celebrate the joy and beauty of life.

Tuition starts at $4,000

Ready to start your journey?