…we at Soltara strive to pay such precious gifts forward however we can. We are grateful for such inspiring work – not only do we get to be creative in the ways we give back to the environment and improve the lives of others, but in truth, it is our highest mission and ultimate purpose.
At Soltara, we believe each person is on their own healing journey to free themselves from the things that hold them back, in order to best use their talents and skills to serve the world. In this way, the path to healing comes full circle, and the integration of that healing in turn leads to the healing of others. Through fulfilling this sacred duty, each of us can do our part to move the whole world forward.
“The love within us is meant to extend outward. The closer we grow to our inner light, we feel a natural urge to share it. We all long for meaningful work, some creative endeavor that will be our ministry, by which the energies within us might flow out to help heal the world.”
– Marianne Williamson
Our Track Record
Before Costa Rica became our home, the founders and team members of Soltara were part of a center in the Peruvian Amazon, where we worked closely with the local indigenous population in the jungle village of Libertad. There, we completed many projects and initiatives, including:
- Helping finance and build a new school for the ~80 children in the village.
- Financing and building 6 bathrooms for the villagers (who previously did not have working toilets).
- Raising over $12,000 for installation costs and donating solar panels for the entire village to have light and electricity.
- Collecting and donating school supplies, toiletries, clothes, shoes, medical supplies, and other needed items.
- Providing a monthly monetary donation to the village.
- Providing employment opportunities as well as a place for the local women to sell their crafts.
- Providing free English classes.
- Contributing a portion of our profits to the Amazon Rainforest Conservancy.
- Coordinating the filming of a documentary about war veterans suffering from PTSD and their healing journey with ayahuasca, in order to spread the message of the dire need for alternative forms of healing for our veterans.
Our ethos of reciprocity describes the important and beautiful lesson of the medicine that all of life is interwoven and interdependent – none of us exist in isolation, and all are connected. As such, we are committed to living out this universal law in everything we do, and strive to embody the indigenous wisdom and spirit of the medicines and its people in order to be responsible stewards of the Earth and her bounty.
Soltara’s Initiatives in a Sustainable Paradise
Choosing Costa Rica as our home was no accident. According to various world indexes, it is considered one of the most progressive, sustainable, and greenest countries in the world. It is a country that understands the need to protect Earth’s biodiversity, and follows through in action and policy. There is much we can learn from this way of living, both individually and as a collective. Rated the greenest country in the world in 2009, Costa Rica also has the highest percentage of land dedicated to national parks and reserves. It was ranked the highest in the Latin Americas on the Human Development Index (a composite index of lifespan, education, and per capita income), and is the only democracy in the world without a standing army (preferring instead to have “an army of teachers”). In 2016, over 98% of Costa Rica’s electricity was generated from green sources, and the country plans to be entirely carbon neutral by 2021. Our location on the Nicoya Peninsula is considered one of the 5 “Blues Zones” of the world, where a significant percentage of people live active, healthy lives over the age of 100. [Source]
We plan to continue living out the values of our ethos and country by supporting both our local Costa Rican community as well as the Amazon rainforest – the birthplace of Ayahuasca and the home of our healers – through our work at Soltara.
We are honored to be working closely with indigenous healers and creating employment opportunities for our local community. Before we arrived, the property was being used infrequently as a family vacation rental, and was deserted for most of the year. Through Soltara, we have been able to provide dozens of employment opportunities for the local population, and we are so humbled that they are as excited about us being there as we are! As such, we are continuing efforts to develop a symbiotic relationship promoting ecological and economic opportunities and benefits, including:
Local, organic farming and permaculture
A quick drive from Soltara to a neighboring village brought us to a small farm collective. Run by a local family, this collective employs low income women to live and work on the farm, and shares the profits evenly. Their organic, pesticide-free produce blew us away – we had never imagined cucumbers could be so delicious (and if you add a little salt, it makes for a perfect afternoon snack!). We are honored to partner with and support their efforts, cut out excess plastic packaging and waste, and adhere to our principle of food as part of the healing process.
Sustainable, local fishing
We are lucky to live along the coast of the largest ocean in the world, and our fisherman neighbors agree! We are happy to support their small and sustainable fishing business, and as such, enjoy fresh fish, shrimp, and other seafood delivered to our doorstep and without excess packaging. The local ecosystem of the Nicoya Peninsula is one of the healthiest and most thriving in the world, thanks to the sustainable fishing and environmental practices of the locals, and we are pleased to report that this conscious living reflects in the taste as well! Complemented by the excellent (and ayahuasca-friendly) preparation of our talented kitchen staff, we are honored to join forces with others who respect the ocean’s health and sustainability as much as we do.
Community Engagement
We love our local communities and are grateful to be in co-creation with them to support our mutual thriving. We regularly engage in reciprocal acts of service, as well as national alliances and advocacy, including:
- Donations to local schools and community projects
- Volunteering our team’s time for service projects & cleanups
- Monthly free community ayahuasca ceremonies
- Significant discounts & scholarships for locals who desire to join a retreat
- Supporting professional development opportunities for our staff
- Co-creating a national alliance of ayahuasca centers in Costa Rica with pillars of community care, safety & harm reduction, education, advocacy, and reciprocity
Our Right Relation Fund
Each month we donate a portion of revenue to various aligned causes and organizations on the front lines of conservation, indigenous rights and reciprocity, supporting marginalized voices in the movement, accessibility to plant medicine healing, and more. Below are some of the contributions we have made from this fund:
Supporting the Amazon
The Amazon is at a critical tipping point, and we know that the health of the Earth, many indigenous populations, animal and plant beings, and medicines depend on the health and conservation of this rainforest. We partner with various organizations to support Amazon conservation, indigenous rights and land reclamation, and bio-cultural restoration:
Amazon Rainforest Conservancy
We are proud partners of the Amazon Rainforest Conservancy, a non-profit dedicated to this conservation work. We recently completed a $10,000 USD matching campaign to fund the protection of a wildlife and jaguar corridor, home to the last refuge of the remaining 15,000 jaguars in the world.
Amazon Watch
Amazon Watch is a non-profit working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples to protect the rainforest and our climate. Their goal is to stop Amazon destruction, advance Indigenous solutions, and support climate justice. As community partners we support their efforts through direct donations and raising awareness about their projects, campaigns, and updates.
One Million Acres
We have partnered with the non-profit organization One Million Acres (OMA) to protect 300 acres of rainforest and plant 300 Palo Santo trees (and counting!) through regenerative bracelets. Made from indigenous artisans using eco-friendly materials, each bracelet funds the protection of an acre of rainforest, the planting of a Palo Santo tree, and provides sustainable income for indigenous artisans.
Supporting Indigenous Wisdom-Keepers and Communities
Maestro Americo & Maestra Olga’s School for Shipibo Children
Maestro Americo and Maestra Olga are two Peruvian Shipibo healers we are blessed to work with at Soltara Healing Center. When they are not holding ceremonies at Soltara, Maestro Americo teaches in his village of Roaboya near Pucallpa, Peru.
As more and more of the next generation seeks to leave their hometown and find work in more Westernized areas and fields, he recognizes the need to help young Shipibo children connect with their heritage and culture, as well as the wisdom and medicine of the Amazon.
He is currently raising funds to build a school for Shipibo children to learn the traditional ways of their culture, support the continuation of Shipibo curanderismo (healing), and reconnect future generations of Shipibo people to their roots. Soltara is matching donations up to $5000 USD to support the building of his school! Click here for more information and to donate.
Supporting Shipibo Families & Communities
We regularly support the families of our beloved healers with additional expenses, medical bills, unforeseen circumstances, and other projects they are working on, including the publication of a Shipibo book about culture, cosmology, and personal history. We also love sponsoring the Christmas traditions in the villages of our healers, and have funded the sweet bread & hot chocolate tradition for the children of Roaboya, near Pucallpa, Peru.
Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines – Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative
We are proud community partners with the Chacruna Institute’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative, which seeks to decolonize philanthropy by offering funding without strings attached, to 20 different indigenous communities in Central and South America. Donations support ecological wellbeing through land rights activism, bolstering food security, and strengthening economic resilience. Learn more and donate here.
Supporting Marginalized Voices & Healing in the Movement
Conferences
Soltara has sponsored conferences that uplift and highlight voices in the psychedelic movement which are often marginalized, including the Chacruna Insititute’s Queering Psychedelics I, Queering Psychedelics II, and Women in Psychedelics Forum, and the Psychedelic Liberty Summit. We are also proud Community Partners of Chacruna.
Scholarship Programs
Part of our mission at Soltara is to help make healing accessible for all those who are committed to their process and ready to undergo this sacred journey. In particular, we recognize that the unfair targeting of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) from the war on drugs, stigmatization, and institutionalized racism, means that these communities may have less access or ability to access these medicines. In addition to our General Scholarship Program, we also offer a BIPOC Scholarship Program, for guests to participate in our week-long retreat at no cost to them.
Supporting our Veterans
War veterans are a vastly underserved population in the Western medical system, and plant medicines have shown huge potential for healing where other approaches have failed. We are proud to offer discounts for veterans across all of our programs, and have participated in multiple collaborations with veteran-led organizations such as Heroic Hearts Project, VETS Inc, and Veterans of War, with specialized retreats, discounts, retreat donations, and scholarships.
We are always open to ideas and collaborations, so if you have an idea or would like to work with us on a project, feel free to contact us
By living out the values of our ethos and our home, we hope to contribute to a global awakening that inspires balance, harmony, respect, healing, transformation, and a deeper understanding of what it truly means to live a pura vida.
