A Spiritual Retreat Center and Living Library of Sacred Plants in Costa Rica

The Living Library is an ethnobotanical sanctuary and Costa Rica retreat center in the country's Southern Zone, dedicated to preserving native medicinal and sacred plants and the traditional knowledge that surrounds them. Through small-group spiritual and herbalism retreats, a botanical residency, traditional temazcal, and sacred fire stewardship, we invite you to build a personal relationship with these plants, from seed and garden to altar.


OUR MISSION

The Living Library houses the broadest ethnobotanical preservation project in Costa Rica. Our aims are to educate, conduct research, and promote a generalized ethic of conservation, land stewardship, and respect for traditional ecological knowledge.  The growing collections at The Living Library benefit from both traditional and scientific management techniques.
Hands holding seeds over a forest floor offering, Costa Rica
Hand holding an open achiote pod with red seeds, Costa Rica
Potted cacti in the sanctuary nursery, Costa Rica
Participants holding each other in a circle before a temazcal ceremony, Costa Rica
Group standing in a circle around the fire pit, Costa Rica
Hands placed around a small cactus planted in gravel, Costa Rica
Close-up of a crested columnar cactus, Costa Rica
Rainbow over forested mountains, Costa Rica
Participants seated in a circle in a shaded forest gathering space, Costa Rica
Gathering circle under the trees with participants seated on cushions, Costa Rica
Visitors in the plant nursery under shade cloth, Costa Rica
Rows of potted plants in the sanctuary nursery, Costa Rica
Visitors touring the medicinal plant gardens, Costa Rica
Jungle-covered mountains and gardens under a blue sky, Costa Rica
Open-air shelter and fire circle at night, Costa Rica
Ceremony participants in red headbands gathered around a flower-decorated altar, Costa Rica
Children and adults stacking wood for the temazcal fire, Costa Rica
Hands holding a pile of cacao beans
Helpers building a wood stack for a sacred fire ceremony, Costa Rica
Sacred fire team wearing red headbands, Costa Rica
Residents in red headbands building a wood stack for the sacred fire, Costa Rica
Residents and visitors gathered in the plant greenhouse, Costa Rica
Basket of eggs, fruit and tropical flowers prepared as an offering, Costa Rica
Temazcal lodge and fire in a jungle clearing, Costa Rica
Community gathered around a sacred fire circle in the jungle, Costa Rica
Communal kitchen and dining hall at the sanctuary, Costa Rica
Sacred fire team wearing red headbands, Costa Rica
Group gathered at an outdoor ceremony space in the gardens, Costa Rica
Basket of freshly harvested tropical flowers, Costa Rica
Retreat group gathered under the open-air shelter at the sanctuary, Costa Rica
Our work involves not only the preservation of native medicinal plants but also the development of natural habitats to support such culturally and ecologically significant species. Our research additionally embraces the advancement of sustainable wild harvesting practices and the cultivation of such medicinal plant species significantly affected by wild over-harvesting. 

​We strive to rescue, restore, and document the vast cultural knowledge contained within these medicinal plants, whose diversity is threatened by unsustainable practices and widespread environmental degradation. In this regard, it has been our great honor to collaborate with various tribal elders who have shared their wisdom with The Living Library.

​Additional avenues for productive cooperation exist with libraries, herbalists, laboratories, botanical gardens, and university departments. In general, we seek to engage partners who share our interest of promoting public understanding and educating a broad range of target groups, including community leaders, natural health practitioners, students, and anyone else interested in the medicinal and cultural uses of these increasingly rare ethnopharmacological treasures. 

​It is our hope that the mission of The Living Library will ultimately inspire and empower others to help secure plant diversity for the well-being of the planet and the people who inhabit it.
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DEVOTION TO LEARNING

The Living Library is more than a Sanctuary of many species of plants. It is a sacred space for tribal elders to teach their cultural courses, linking thousands of years of the past to present. We wish to give great thanks to the many nations that support our important role in this worldwide mission.

Explore: Retreats · Botanical Residency · Host Your Retreat · Traditional Temazcal · Sacred Fire Stewardship