I was scared. Afraid of what’s next, of what’s been lost, or of finally confronting the questions I was avoiding. I wanted an escape, but there was none. I felt cursed. That fear often leaves its mark—we become scarred, carrying emotional, spiritual, or physical wounds that shape how we show up in the world. But midlife offers us a potent invitation: to transmute those scars into something sacred. My sacred experience was having an NDE (Near Death Experience), a divine intervention, that helped me to see that I had more options in my life. This is a common sentiment we hear at MEA: you helped me to see I have more options.
These three words also frame the spirit of our upcoming MEA “Shadow Healing: Make Peace With Your Past, Reclaim Your Power” workshop August 4-9 with renowned shaman and teacher Alberto Villoldo and his colleague Marcela Lobos. Alberto’s wisdom—drawn from his decades working with Indigenous healing traditions in the Andes and Amazon—reminds us that transformation isn’t linear, and healing is often more mystical than mechanical. He’ll guide us through practices that help alchemize pain into purpose, wounds into wisdom.
This workshop isn’t just about recovery. It’s about remembering: who we are beyond our fears, beyond our cultural programming, and beyond the roles we’ve been assigned. It’s for those ready to sit with their stories, listen to the whispers of the soul, and leave with rituals that nourish them long after the workshop ends. If you’re feeling the pull—curious, cautious, even a bit cracked open—this experience is for you.
Come join us. Let’s journey from scared, through scarred, and into the sacred together. August can be your month of metamorphosis. Santa Fe will hold you. Alberto will guide you. MEA will welcome you.
-Chip
P.S. Last chance to enroll for my “Learning to Love Midlife” weekend workshop at the Omega Institute in the Hudson Valley of New York July 11-13. For those of you in the Northeast U.S. who’ve been saying, “please come to the area so I can come to a workshop or, as an MEA alum, bring a friend,” here’s your chance.