The 2026 rite of return ceremony rsvp is OPEN
Spring Rite of Return
April 24 - May 5 (Women Only)
Spring Rite of Return
May 8 - 19 (Men Only)
Summer Rite of Return
June 19 - 30 (Co-ed)
Fall Rite of Return
September 8 - 17 (Co-ed)
The Land is calling!
Veteran Rites invites you to step off on a journey as old as humanity itself…
Upon leaving military service, many of us are caught at a threshold, no longer a Service Member and yet not a Civilian. We are unable to fully “return”, or reintegrate into our communities. The lack of shared experience separating “us” and “them”, stands as a seemingly insurmountable abyss. This chasm between the close bonds and brotherhood and sisterhood we experienced in service and the lonely alienation we experience as civilians can feel impossibly wide. We know the statistics.
We feel it in our bones and many of us have walked the cliff edge between suicide and one more day. For centuries, pan-cultural civilizations and communities have utilized ceremonial rites of passage to welcome returning warfighters home from battle. In most cases, elders who had been to war met combatants outside the village. They understood that to re-enter the village too soon, without a proper rite of return, could be harmful to both the veteran, their family, and community. These communities understood that once cleansed from battle or service, each veteran carries insight and wisdom from their experiences which are invaluable to the long-term survival and sustainability of their community.
It is time to re-establish who we are in this world after military service…
The Veterans Rite of Return serves as an initiation for veterans who are looking for a way to reconnect with themselves, their place in the world, and in their communities.
The roots of the Rite of Return are pan-cultural, and offer a model of human development that acknowledges the changes and transitions inherent in being alive. It marks an individual's passage from one stage of their life to the next. Our Veterans Rite of Return is a guided rite of passage that is not based in any religion or dogma. It relies on each individual’s background, creativity and unique perspective to "self-generate" a ceremony that is meaningful for their life circumstance and a successful return home.
This ceremony has proven to relieve the suffering for those seeking long term solutions to PTSD, Moral Injury, Military Sexual Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Suicidal Ideation.
Our Rite of Return is held in a wilderness setting in Eastern Washington with trained veteran and non-veteran guides. Initiates experience time in community with other vets, four days of solo time, fasting in the wilderness, and a marked return where their stories are shared and deeply witnessed in council. This return marks the beginning of a veteran’s process of incorporating that which they have gained and learned during their time in service and explored in the context of time alone in the wilderness, so they may bring their gifts home, able to participate more fully, in service of their families and their community.
Claim Your Seat & Next Steps
The Rite of Return is available to Current and Prior Military Service Members, Spouses, Partners, Gold Star (18+), and Dependent Survivors of Veteran Suicide.
Veteran Rites welcomes home the entirety of our national military family with Love and Honor. We walk with every individual called to the land to fully prepare physically, mentally, and spiritually for their Rite of Return. We are committed to removing barriers to access that prevent our people from reclaiming their freedom. Once initiated on the land, Veteran Rites will continue to provide opportunities for initiates to incorporate their True Identity, Purpose, and Belonging with Veteran Rites and in their communities.
Participation in the Veterans Rite of Return requires completion of the six-week Roots of Resilience course. This course serves as a foundational preparation, offering shared language, tools, and community support that deepen the Rite of Return experience and help ensure participants are ready for the demands of the ceremony. Veterans must complete Roots of Resilience prior to attending a Rite of Return, and can also be taken as a standalone transition course.
Submitting a Rite of Return interest form does not guarantee immediate placement in a ceremony. Applications are reviewed and responded to based on priority of sign-up and available ceremony dates. Our team will follow up with you directly to listen to your story, discuss next steps, course enrollment, and potential ceremony timing.
The Rite of Return is available to Current and Prior Military Service Members, Spouses, Partners, Gold Star (18+), and Dependent Survivors of Veteran Suicide.
This year, we invite Veteran women and spouses to our inaugural women-only ceremony, which celebrates the unique sisterhood, bonds, shared experiences, and empowerment that womanhood brings. We gather as a community to support and honor the transition each self-generated ceremony offers.
Veteran Rites is honored to combine arms with the VA and all Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grantees to provide innovative solutions to bring our people home to True Identity, Purpose, and Belonging so they can live a future worthy of their sacrifice.
