A Love Story Rooted in the Heart of Creation
The Living Union of Two Souls in Nature’s Embrace
Shantree Kacera, RH, DN, Ph.D.
“To love fully is to move like the elements, sometimes still as stone, sometimes fluid as water, sometimes alive with wind, and sometimes bright with fire.”
Waking each day beside the person who knows me most, sharing mornings wrapped in quiet intimacy and nights steeped in gentle reflection, we shared and created memorable stories and shed tears that softened life’s hardest edges. We have walked through storms and sunlight, certainty and doubt, ordinary days that slipped by unnoticed and extraordinary moments that seemed to pause the world itself just for us. When I speak of it aloud, it almost feels like a dream. Yet here we are, Lorenna and I, still discovering each other, still showing up, still choosing one another again and again. Love, I have learned, is alive, breathing, moving beneath the surface, flowing between hearts, bodies, and minds. It is a rhythm that carries us even when life is loud, chaotic, or uncertain.
Much of our work, both personally and with couples, has been shaped by the elements and rhythms of Costa Rica. The lush jungle, rushing rivers, wind weaving through the trees, and the steady pulse of the land have all been teachers in our lives. Here, in this abundant natural world, we have witnessed how relationships, like the land, thrive when rooted in presence, nurtured with care, and allowed the freedom to grow. It is this living practice that inspired Romanced by the Elements: Awaken the Sacred Union Within and Between retreat.
Learning the Language of Love
In the early years, I discovered that love is a conversation that moves through both the ordinary and the extraordinary. We learned each other’s rhythms, the ways our hearts respond to touch, moods, and fears. Long nights of deep communion under starry skies, talking about everything and nothing, losing track of time, I realized we were learning not only about each other but about ourselves. Love, I understood, is something to inhabit. It exists in motion, in breath, in presence.
Countless moments have become touchstones in our journey together. I remember one afternoon in Costa Rica when the air shimmered with heat and the sky suddenly opened, releasing a tropical downpour. The jungle came alive, leaves glistening, howler monkeys calling, the scent of earth rising around us. Instead of seeking shelter, we stepped into the rain barefoot, eyes wide with awe. Water streamed down our faces as we laughed, spun, and pressed our hands together, one with the elements, one with each other. In that moment, love revealed itself as wonder, as play, as the pure joy of being utterly alive.
There were mornings when the wind carried the scent of the ocean inland, and we would pause in our small sacred garden, feeling it press against our skin, lifting our hair, whispering through the palms. Sometimes we would let the breeze guide our movements, twirling, lifting our arms, feeling as though we were dance partners with nature itself. Those mornings taught us that love is movement, but it is also stillness. It is both the lifting and the landing, the fire and the calm, the river flowing into the sea.
Even in moments of challenge, I discovered the sacredness of staying present. There were times when work pressures or the weight of the world pressed on us both. One evening, after a day heavy with disappointment and frustration, we simply sat on the deck in silence, hands brushing lightly as rain fell around us. Neither of us spoke. We did not need to. That quiet presence, the simple act of showing up, was more sustaining than any solution or plan. I learned that the foundation of love is often found not in grand gestures, but in steady, attentive presence.
Vulnerability and Shared Silence
Our relationship has been shaped by vulnerability. Over the decades, Lorenna and I have learned to let down walls, to speak our truths even when they are difficult, and to listen without judgment. One evening, after a particularly tense week, we found ourselves walking along the ocean. The jungle hummed with nocturnal life, the moonlight reflected in the water, and we held hands as tension dissolved simply through our presence. Moments like this, where no words are necessary, have taught me that intimacy is as much about shared silence as it is about conversation. It is a dance of attunement, listening, and honouring the other’s presence in full.
Joy and playfulness have been as vital as reflection and stillness. I remember a morning when we woke early to watch the sun rise over the Pacific. The mist hung low over the cliffs, and the waves whispered against the shore. We walked together along the empty beach, bare feet sinking into the wet sand, our hands intertwined. We paused often to watch how the light shifted over the water, to feel the warmth of the sun on our faces, to simply exist together in the quiet. At one point, Lorenna pulled me into a spin, and we embraced in joy so freely that it echoed across the sands and mingled with the cries of the seabirds. In that shared, simple delight, love revealed itself again as vitality, as presence, as sheer joy in being together.
Communication has been a quiet, miraculous thread running through our decades together. Speaking my truths, listening fully, and sometimes simply being present without words have been central to sustaining our union. I remember a morning when I shared a concern that had been lodged in my chest for weeks. Lorenna listened deeply, without judgment or interruption, and in her gaze, I felt reflected, understood, and held. These moments of full listening, of witnessing and validating each other’s inner world, are the foundation upon which intimacy grows. They taught me that connection thrives not only in dramatic gestures, but in ordinary, attentive moments.
Periods of transition and challenge could have pulled us apart, but they became opportunities to practice patience, compassion, and conscious love. On evenings when the world felt heavy, we would sit together in silence, the sounds of the Costa Rican jungle surrounding us. No words were necessary. Being together, simply being present, reinforced the trust and commitment that carried us across decades. I learned that sacred union requires presence, willingness, and the courage to return to one another again and again.
There were times when the high tide of the ocean rose too high, cutting us off from the nearby path. We would laugh at our own frustration, then sit by the water’s edge, listening to its roar, waiting for high tide to go out, letting its power remind us that life moves beyond our control. These shared experiences taught me to surrender, to trust in the rhythms of nature, and to allow our love to adapt and bend like branches in a storm rather than break.
The Power of Space and Presence
I have learned the subtle, profound power of space. There is a difference between togetherness and intimacy. Stillness, reflection, and quiet observation allow love to deepen in ways words cannot. Sitting together in the morning sun, reading side by side, or walking paths near our ecovillage in companionable silence has been as nourishing as any conversation. In these moments, the sacredness of union is felt as a pulse beneath the surface, a rhythm requiring no articulation.
Travelling, teaching, and sharing experiences have been equally formative in shaping our union. Early trips to remote bioregions of Costa Rica, wandering forests, exploring rivers, and sitting by volcanic shores at sunrise have created memories and lessons that continue to inform our work with couples today. These journeys remind me that love thrives in adventure, curiosity, and the willingness to explore together. They are also a living metaphor for the retreats we now offer, stepping out of the familiar into a space where presence, attention, and the natural world amplify connection.
Through decades of partnership, we have developed practices that help us return to alignment. On quiet mornings, we sit facing each other, hands touching lightly, breathing together. One of us may speak a truth, a fear, or a joy. The other listens fully. Sometimes tears flow, sometimes laughter bubbles up, sometimes there is simply silence. When we rise from these shared moments, there is balance, hearts aligned, connection renewed. This is the natural expression of care, devotion, and attentive presence cultivated over decades.
Daily rituals have become essential to sustaining the vitality of our union. We greet the dawn together, noticing the way light filters through the trees, how the air carries the subtle fragrance of flowers and earth, how the birds announce their presence with song. Sometimes we meditate side by side, many mornings we do back to back and share reflections of our night or do breath work together to get the energy moving for the day. These practices are simple, yet they root us in the present and remind us that love is a living, conscious act, cultivated moment by moment.
We have found that even small gestures carry immense weight. A touch, a glance, a shared breath, a cup of tea prepared for the other in the morning sun, becomes a reminder that presence is love made tangible. Over decades, these gestures accumulate into a deep reservoir of trust, tenderness, and devotion that can be drawn upon in times of stress, uncertainty, or distance.
The Double Hammock Story
One of my most cherished memories of our time in Costa Rica took place late one evening beneath a full moon. The day had been long and hot, the kind that leaves the air thick with the scent of hibiscus and the hum of crickets. Lorenna and I made our way to the double hammock strung between two tall palms near the ocean edge. The night sounds surrounded us, the sound of the ocean waves, the palm leaves rustling softly, the rhythm of the jungle alive in every direction.
We climbed into the hammock together, our bodies naturally finding that quiet balance that only comes with years of knowing each other’s rhythms. The hammock swayed gently, and I could feel her heartbeat beneath my hand as we listened to the night. The moonlight poured through the trees, painting everything in silver. A soft breeze moved over us, and the scent of earth and ocean drifted in. We didn’t speak for a long time. There was no need. In that suspended cradle of air and fabric, it felt as if time had dissolved. There was only breath, warmth, and the subtle movement of two lives woven together.
As I closed my eyes, I felt Lorenna’s warmth beside me, the rise and fall of her breathing, the subtle shift of her hand against mine. I sensed the vastness of life itself flowing through us. The ocean, the trees, the wind, the distant call of the night birds all seemed to be part of a single heartbeat. I felt the weight and the freedom of decades of shared experience gathered into this one perfect moment.
After a while, Lorenna turned toward me, her eyes reflecting the moonlight, and whispered something simple and true, “Love is not something we hold, but something that holds us.” The words settled into me like a seed finding soil. I remember thinking that if all the teachings of love could be distilled into one moment, it would be this, lying together in stillness, embraced by the elements, utterly present, utterly alive. The ocean sang beside us, the forest breathed, and the stars bore witness. That night, the world felt whole, and so did we.
We lay there in the hammock, still and swaying gently, feeling the pulse of the earth beneath us. The stars had multiplied in the night sky, and the moon’s silver light shimmered on the ocean as though it were a living thread connecting everything. I felt a deep gratitude for the path we had walked together, for the trials and the triumphs, for the laughter and the tears. I realized that this is what sacred union truly is: the ability to rest together fully, to exist in the same space with complete presence, to witness and be witnessed, to feel life in its totality moving through and around you. In that stillness, I understood again why we dedicate ourselves to sharing these experiences, why we invite others to step into presence, to awaken the sacred union within and between themselves. It is in moments like this that love reveals its most profound, luminous, and eternal form.
I inhaled the humid night air one last time before drifting fully into sleep, feeling Lorenna’s hand in mine and the soft sway of the hammock carrying us between earth and sky, between past and future, between hearts that had learned to move as one.
The Invitation to Awaken the Sacred Union
As I reflect on our thirty-year journey, I recognize that sacred union is a living practice, a conversation, a dance. It requires courage, curiosity, attention, and compassion. It asks us to embrace both light and shadow, in each other and ourselves. It reminds me that love is lived moment by moment, breath by breath.
It is from this experience that we extend our invitation. In February 2026, we will host a seven-day immersive retreat in Costa Rica called Romanced by the Elements: Awaken the Sacred Union Within and Between. This retreat is designed for couples who wish to step away from daily responsibilities and immerse themselves in the exploration of presence, connection, and sacred intimacy. Surrounded by lush forests, the Machuca River, and the abundant life of our ecovillage, couples will be guided through experiences of movement, reflection, shared ceremony, and embodied connection.
The retreat is intentionally intimate, limited to a few couples, so each partnership can be held with care, attention, and depth. Participants leave with renewed clarity, strengthened connection, and practical insights for nurturing intimacy in everyday life. Through guided practices, personal reflection, shared experiences, and immersion in nature, you reconnect with your beloved and awaken the sacred union within and between you.
Supporting Growth Beyond the Retreat
In addition to natural and relational practices, we hold a diversity of tools and traditions in our medicine pouches, carefully chosen to support the growth of conscious relationships. These may include plant allies, ritual elements, and other subtle supports to cultivate attunement, awareness, and connection between partners. Each offering is a tangible way to carry the intention of the retreat forward, continuing your journey together beyond the week in Costa Rica.
Participants are invited to move through the days with awareness, noticing how connection is reflected in every interaction, every gesture, and every breath shared. Couples often report a heightened capacity for listening, a deepening of compassion, and a renewed curiosity about each other. Through walking meditations along riverbanks, shared silent meals, and playful encounters with the jungle, the sacred nature of union becomes visible, tangible, and alive.
Our invitation is simple: step fully into the presence of your beloved. Let the world fall away. Feel the movement of the earth beneath your feet, the wind on your skin, the rhythm of life moving around you. Breathe together, walk together, share laughter, tears, and silence. Allow yourself to awaken to the sacred connection already present within you. Thirty years of conscious partnership have taught me that this union is a living practice, continually unfolding. In Costa Rica, surrounded by the richness of life itself, we offer space, guidance, and invitation to experience it fully.
Love is a journey, an ever-evolving conversation. It asks us to show up, to be present, and to awaken the depth of connection possible when two hearts commit fully to one another. Join us in February 2026, step away from the familiar, immerse yourselves in the elements, and allow your love to awaken in ways gentle and profound. The sacred union is waiting, ready to be discovered, cherished, and celebrated.