Nature-Based Mentoring,
Soul Initiation & Rites of Passage

Wild Rites

A path of remembrance, practice, and initiation.

01

What this is

A doorway into awakening through deep nature connection and whole human development practices.

 

This is a path for those who are ready to listen more deeply, live more truthfully, and participate in the healing of culture through the healing of the self, the land, and the interconnectedness with all beings.

02

Who this is for

This is a doorway for those who feel called to become more fully alive, more deeply rooted, and more authentically experienced in the world.

People who feel called to live with greater coherence, courage, creativity, and devotion — as human beings remembering their integral purpose within the web of this living Earth.

This work is for those who sense that the human being is not separate from nature, but an expression of nature — and that our healing, maturity, and awakening are inseparable from the healing of the Earth.

Wild Rites is for people who are ready to deepen, in a gentle and embodied way.

You may be in a life transition, seeking clarity, longing for a more meaningful path, rebuilding your relationship with your body and the Earth, or sensing that there is a deeper calling beneath the surface of ordinary life.

This work may be for you if you are longing to:

Feel more alive, grounded, and connected

Develop a direct relationship with the natural world

Discover and embody your unique gifts

Build confidence through real skills and lived experience

Heal old patterns and step into a more authentic story

Cultivate ritual, rhythm, and spiritual practice in daily life

Prepare for or mark a meaningful life transition

Belong more deeply to land, community, self, and Spirit

Become a clearer vessel for service, creativity, and love

No specific religious orientation is required. This work honors the sacred in many forms and welcomes sincere people of diverse spiritual backgrounds.

03

How we support people

Through one-on-one mentoring, small-group classes, and long-form elemental immersions, we support people in becoming more deeply rooted in themselves, more intimate with the natural world, and more capable of offering their unique gifts in service to All Life.

04

What we offer

Wild Rites offers transformational mentoring and immersive nature-based experiences for those who are ready to come into deeper relationship with themselves, the Earth, and this living animate Universe.

Through wilderness living practices, rhythmic ritual, inner work, skill-building, ceremony, and the cultivation of living relationships with the land, we walk a path of remembrance: remembering who we are, what we belong to, and how we are here to reciprocate the gift of life.

  • Nature-based mentoring and soul inquiry
  • Sit spot practice and sensory immersion
  • Fire tending and archetypal ceremony
  • Soul work and shadow integration
  • Re-alignment with seasonal rhythms and natural cycles
  • Group coherence practices and land based ceremony
  • Rites of passage and initiatory thresholds
  • Personalized practices for bringing your gifts into the world

Personal Mentoring

Group Immersion

Deep Immersion

John Michael Musselman

The wild earth is my primary inspiration and teacher– my sanctuary and solace. Within this most vital realm, I have learned (and continue to learn) how to track and trail the numinous.

Wild Rites offers in-person and nature-based mentoring sessions serving Louisville, Cincinnati, Asheville, Knoxville, and Grand Rapids, as well as online sessions worldwide.

If something in you recognizes this path, I invite you to reach out.

You do not need to arrive with clarity. You do not need to know exactly what you are seeking.

You only need a sincere willingness to practice, to listen within, and to step more deeply into relationship with the living mystery of your life.

We will begin where you are.

Contact John Michael

OR

People Blossom with care

"John Michael's knowledge and passion for the natural world is palpable. His ability to reconnect people back to our truer selves through nature is magical. As society seems to be straying further and further from the path, guides like him are necessary to show us the way back."
Aaron, KY
"Being on the land with John Michael evokes the remembrance that being with self in nature is always a ceremony. His curious, unconditional, and supportive guidance opens the freedom to be, listen, and explore. My time with him clarified my Path, purpose, and how to return to the wild within me. Held within the sacred space he weaves (with nature), I awoke an eternal ~ ancient fire within my soul"
Bridget, AZ
“I met John Michael when I was six years old. I had just moved across the country and was brand new to the town. He instantly made me feel welcomed, and became an amazing mentor to me for the next five years. Thirteen years later, I still see him as a mentor in my life...and one of my closest friends. I have gained new perspectives and learned many things from John Michael, both from his teachings as well as from just being around him. Every time we talk I seem to learn more about myself. Those learnings and insights have pushed me to be the best version of myself to this day. That is priceless. “
Gabriel, MI
"When I connect with John Michael, I always come away feeling a sense of expansiveness. Without fail, he leads me to question the things that I think I “know,” and in doing so pushes what I feel, think and believe to be possible for my own way of being beyond any previous horizon line. I am more connected to the little things...more apt to slow down, unplug, be still, and listen. My appreciation for the mystery that is present all around me, all the time, has grown exponentially."
Casey, CA