Inclusive All-Genders Retreat on the Mendocino Coast with Creative Expression and Group Dialogue
Come As You Are: A Retreat Without Boxes
Some retreats ask you to conform. Symposium: The First Gathering asks you to unfold. Hosted from November 4–9, 2025, this inclusive retreat for all genders on the Mendocino Coast invites you into a brave, beautiful space of creative expression, spiritual dialogue, and identity celebration.
Open to all gender expressions, sexual orientations, body types, and spiritual paths, this gathering is a sanctuary for those who have often felt on the edges of traditional retreat spaces. Here, queer inclusivity isn’t an add-on—it’s a foundation.
Through modalities like ritual art, storytelling, sacred movement, and group dialogue, you’ll be supported in reclaiming parts of yourself that have been waiting to be seen, expressed, and honored.
Why Inclusivity Is Sacred
Too often, spiritual spaces replicate the same binaries and exclusions found in broader culture. At Symposium, we believe that true healing must be intersectional, embodied, and inclusive.
Facilitators draw from trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and gender-affirming frameworks—creating containers that honor consent, authenticity, and expression. Circles are guided with clarity and compassion, inviting both vulnerability and play.
Rooted in Spirit Camp’s queer-owned ethos, this retreat isn’t just for LGBTQ+ folks—it’s for anyone seeking a space where they don’t have to perform, explain, or shrink.
Retreat practices include:
Group dialogue sessions on identity and connection
Creative expression through intuitive art and writing
Rituals of visibility, healing, and liberation
Body-centered practices honoring comfort, choice, and agency
This all-gender healing retreat in California creates the kind of spiritual ecosystem that supports real transformation.
For context on inclusive facilitation, visit Transcend Retreats, an organization dedicated to safe, expansive healing experiences for queer and trans communities.
Photo of Deer Haven, one of the our many unique cabin spaces. This cabin has three beds. Cabins have between 1 to 8 beds each and provide several different sleeping arrangements for Inclusive Retreat for All Genders on the Mendocino Coast. All cabin spaces are included in Safe space for spiritual exploration.
Photo of Group Glamping Tents Setup in Sunset Meadow. We have 10 Glamping Structures that can be added with 1to 3 beds each. This can increase bed capacity of campus to 50 guests across 20 unique accommodation spaces.
Facilitators Who Hold Space for All
Julia Henning (@iamjuliahenning) leads the retreat with a focus on expression and narrative sovereignty. Her experience in immersive coaching, psychology, and mythic facilitation helps guests craft stories that affirm identity and dignity.
Lindsay Dorio (@zenithmassagebylindsay) supports the group through somatic guidance that centers body positivity and consent-based touch. Her work welcomes every body as sacred and enough.
Irina Estyunina (@irinaestyunina) weaves behind-the-scenes magic that ensures every participant feels safe, supported, and seen—whether it’s adjusting lodging needs or creating altars that reflect shared values.
These facilitators co-create a container where being yourself is celebrated, not tolerated.
Safe, Sober, Spiritual Space
At Spirit Camp, inclusivity lives in every detail—from gender-neutral restrooms and bunking options to the sober, substance-free environment that allows for clarity, connection, and conscious presence.
You’ll find body-friendly accommodations, trauma-informed language, and creative rituals that meet you where you are. Whether you’re arriving with deep spiritual roots or just beginning to explore, you’ll be welcomed without assumption.
Shared meals invite community. Sacred council invites truth. Art-making and movement invite joy.
This is a group dialogue and expressive retreat where no one is left behind—and where the forest becomes a mirror for your truth.
Belonging Among Redwoods
Just 10 minutes from downtown Mendocino, Spirit Camp is nestled on a ridge where redwoods tower, fog rolls in like mystery, and stars shine freely.
This Mendocino inclusive retreat experience is easily accessible from the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, and Marin. You don’t have to cross an ocean to find sacred space—you just have to say yes to yourself.
From the moment you arrive, you'll feel it: this is a place that doesn’t just welcome diversity—it’s built on it.
FAQs for First-Timers
What if I’m new to retreat spaces?
You’re in the right place. This retreat is designed to support first-timers with clear guidance, soft landings, and gentle invitations into participation.What’s the community vibe like?
Respectful, playful, sacred, and affirming. You’ll be surrounded by curious, kind humans committed to co-creating a meaningful experience.Are pronouns and identities respected?
Absolutely. We use name tags with pronouns, invite identity-based breakout options, and prioritize inclusive language and structure.
Local Queer-Inclusive Culture
Out of This World Café in Mendocino is a local favorite—a cozy, queer-friendly coffee spot with great food, spiritual books, and a warm vibe. A lovely stop before or after retreat.
Mendocino Artisans Co-op showcases local queer and trans artists offering everything from ceramics to ritual tools. It's a powerful place to witness creative expression as spiritual activism.
Both spaces reflect the larger ecosystem of inclusion that surrounds Spirit Camp—and affirm that your identity is not only welcome, but celebrated here.
A Space Where All of You is Welcome
No masks. No labels. No code-switching. Just your full, radiant self.
Join a circle where gender expansiveness, authenticity, and expression are woven into every ritual, every meal, every firelight song.
Be part of Symposium: The First Gathering—a six-day journey of healing, creativity, and belonging for all genders.
To see more retreats rooted in equity, expression, and connection, visit spirit.camp/retreats.
TOPICS:
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