Build a relationship with nature and learn to connect with places of power where you go. From Tate-Haramara (Grandmother Ocean), to the mountains, lakes, and caves…each place has energy to offer you.
MaRah Seminar House
An off-the-grid holistic retreat center on the wild southwestern coast of Portugal
Monte Velho is a unique sanctuary set in a remote and pristine part of the Costa Vicentina Natural Park, where the land meets the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded by dramatic cliffs, expansive beaches, and aromatic native forests, the retreat center offers an ideal environment for deep rest, reflection, and renewal.
Rooted in nature and simplicity, Monte Velho invites guests to reconnect with themselves and the land through immersive experiences and the healing power of wild, open spaces. Winding trails lead through untouched terrain, offering direct access to scenic coastal viewpoints and forest paths. Whether drawn to stillness or exploration, this is a place where transformation unfolds in rhythm with the elements.
Brant Secunda
Brant Secunda is an internationally acclaimed shaman, healer, and teacher in the indigenous Huichol tradition of Mexico. During an intensive 12-year apprenticeship, Brant became the adopted grandson and close companion of Don José Matsuwa, the renowned shaman who passed away in 1990 at the age of 110. Brant was chosen by Don José to take his place in helping to carry on Huichol Shamanism.
Recognized as a global thought leader and spiritual teacher, Brant has been a lecturer at the Mayo Clinic, the American Holistic Medical Association Conferences, and a faculty member of the Five Branches Institute of Chinese Medicine. He also co-founded the Humanistic Medicine Conference with the World Health Organization, the Peace University in Berlin, and is a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild.
Striving to bridge the worlds of fitness and spirituality, Brant co-authored the award-winning book Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You.
Nico Secunda
Nico Secunda has been steeped in the indigenous traditions and spiritual practices of the Wixáritari since birth. He completed an intensive shamanic apprenticeship with his father (Brant Secunda) at twenty-one years of age and underwent the rare transmission of power ceremony to become a Mara-Akame (shaman) in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.
He is the Executive Director of the Dance of the Deer Foundation – Center for Shamanic Studies and the Co-Founder of the Huichol Foundation. Nico is also the Executive Director + Chief Instructor at Aikido of Santa Cruz.
As a child of both the modern world and the ancient Huichol culture, Nico has walked a unique path, bridging the new and old worlds. Because of this, he offers a very relatable approach for people striving to integrate spiritual practices into their daily lives and unify various aspects of the self.
What is 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.
Wixárika Tribe
The Huichol (Wixáritari) are a small indigenous tribe of approximately 35,000, living in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. They are considered one of the last cultures in North America to have maintained their pre-Columbian traditions to this day.
Shamanic Healing
Inherent to the spiritual traditions of shamanism is the art of healing. Although our programs do not aim to teach people to heal or become shamans, they most definitely provide the tools for personal healing and transformation.