Winter Solstice Portal Retreat

The ancient medicine of the Winter Solstice offers us the opportunity for metamorphosis and rebirth as we move through the darkest day and welcome the return of the light. 

We invite you to a beautiful warming space rich in transformation and heart, to harness the potential of this potent moment in the Earth's cycle at one of the most powerful energetic spots in the world. Working with practices for deep embodied transformation and soul alchemy, we will guide you on a journey to the depths of your love and magic through the portals of the land. 

“Transformative, life affirming, magical, I laughed, I cried, I loved, I went deep inside and I learned to accept love. It was one of the most profound weekends of my life and I'm so excited for the next one! Josh and Laura were absolutely flawless." Alex G ★★★★★

You will be taken on a journey to open your heart and reconnect to your body through working with the magic of the land and waters with plant medicines and indigenous prayer, Somatic Experiencing, Emotional processing and release, dream work, meditation, a delicious blending of Hatha Yoga and Kirtan, Breathwork, Daoist practices for rebalancing our energetic, emotional and physical system, vocal opening and expression work, mantra, shamanic quantum prayer (manifestation work) and ancient Celtic Ceremony to open you up to the power of the land and the solstice. 

If you feel a call to revisit your deeper self, return to your heart, experience soul-centric community and immerse into a land overflowing with myth, magic and holy water, this could be for you. 

As the ancient ones who journeyed to this land knew, when we come together in community to do inner work in energetically powerful places, the work is deeply amplified within us and the collective. For those of you curious about the science behind this, check out the work of Rory Duff.

"Already a month after it happened, the experience of connection at this retreat still permeates every fiber of my being. I still find astounding how they managed to create such a bubble of heightened consciousness over a weekend where connecting with one's self and the rest of beautiful souls on the same journey felt as easy and fulfilling as it could get. Spiritual growth and a renewed sense of connection with my self were marks this retreat left in me I can now confirm are not fading away." David G 

★★★★★

This will be a full yet spacious programme designed to assist you to drop more deeply into your heart and soul, the medicine of community and the  healing available to us at this ancient place of pilgrimage. 

Included in this retreat: 

Working with the sacred waters of Avalon: 

Ceremony in the White Spring -  one of the main portals to the otherworld

We will gather in the Witch's temple, the White Spring, to connect to the power of manifestation prayer and to the hidden portals to the Annwfyn through a guided magical visualisation. 

We will bathe and cleanse in the sacred waters, and speak our spells in community. This water is white and is on the side of the Tor. Being in this temple is akin to being in a witch's cauldron, which in many ways it is! 

Entry to Chalice Well Gardens 

Chalice Well is one of the great Holy wells of the world and legend has it this is where the Holy Grail was buried. The water on this side is red, and is associated with the Rose Lineage, Mary Magdalen, Yeshua and the Knights Templar. The energy of this water is deeply cleansing and purifying. 

We will walk around the gardens, hold guided meditations at the wellhead, bathe in the sacred waters and leaving offerings to the land. 

Breathwork Ceremony 

Be guided through a full rebirthing breathwork ceremony by trained breathwork facilitator Josh Swords to unlock your soul's guidance. This will be held on the sacred Chalice Hill by a beautiful open stove fire. 

Plant medicine & dream work 

Experience plants grown in the local area to assist with healing and astral connection including wild lettuce, Californian Poppy, Mugwort & specially curated herbal blends associated with the solstice to heighten your connection to your dreams and astral realms. 

Cacao & Blue Lotus Pilgrimage 

The powerful medicine of blue lotus, used by the Ancient Egyptians to open the crown up to spirit and the mastery, combined with the plant medicine of heart opening Cacao, will assist you to experience the sacred sites more deeply, as we guide you on a pilgrimage to experience the power spots of Avalon. 

Winter Solstice ceremony guided by ancient pagan techniques 

Laura has been connected to and studying these ancient Pagan rites since she was a young child. We will connecting to the land of the South West and its mythical Celtic lineage, weaving Celtic rituals and practices for deepening in connection with land and spirit to harness the energy of the Solstice. 

Movement & Embodiment 

Trauma-informed work for working through our inner blockages 

Informed by the work of Peter Levine and Gabor Mate led by Laura. 

Yoga & Embodiment 

Guided by our certified yoga teacher Sophie May Mason. You will be held through a delicious practice of Hatha yoga & mantra practice to start our day on Saturday morning. 

Quantum Manifestation work 

Practice Shamanic Intention work (and its cross over with traditional Pagan magic) for manifestation at powerful ancient sites known for manifestation potential. 

The power of mantra & Medicine Music 

Experience this ancient technique of opening up to the codes of Sanskrit to transform your consciousness. 

Community building 

Experience heart centred intentional community working with powerful intentions for vulnerability, openness, boundaries, radical self acceptance & expression & more. ]

Nourishing Food cooked in house by our exceptional chef 

“The other people attending the retreat became family..the Ceremonies ran by Laura and Josh were executed with every inch of their being, the music was angelic... the only negative was that we didn't have another day. I departed full of love light peace in my soul and forever grateful to Laura and Josh for everything they did for us that weekend and can't wait for the next retreat, I will be there. Forever grateful.” Leon ★★★★★

Watch the highlight from last year's Winter Solstice retreat: 

What's included: 

• Held activities & support for the entirety of the retreat,
• Full board accommodation in beautiful retreat venue
• All meals: Nourishing vegan food - breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Facilitation of practices and support throughout the process,
• Private access to the spring
• Entry to Chalice well gardens,
• Cacao and other plant medicines (a combination of Dream herbs, St. John's wort, Lady's Mantle & others depending on the needs of the group)
• Live music
• Access to wattsapp group for carpooling options

The Venue: 

Our retreat venue is at the gorgeous Sambogaya retreat centre, at the bottom of Chalice Hill. Legend has it that this is where the Holy Grail was buried. This mound is also where the red spring resides. We will be going into the mythology and significance of the red and white waters on the retreat. 

Your Facilitators: 

Laura Reeves 

Laura has facilitated with Psychedelic Society since 2017. After a decade of working with shamanic plant medicine, she offers transformational spaces designed to explore the darker parts of our psyche in order to experience deeper love, expansion and liberation. Currently she is studying to be a doctor of the Amazonian Master Plants and lives part time in the Amazon Rainforest with an indigenous maestro. 

Over a decade ago, she travelled the Americas working in NGOs focusing on ecological sustainability before discovering the ancient keys to the psyche found in the plants of the rainforest. Experiencing a deeper sense of reality inspired the creation of transformative arts company Infinite Experience, who travelled the world with their interactive theatre piece designed to transcend separateness. She now holds workshops, ceremonies, retreats and 1-1 sessions designed to connect people to their deeper essence guided by her experience and years of training in healing modalities. 

Training: 

• Diploma in Craniosacral therapy - 1 year - CCST. In depth work with the Nervous System (anatomy & pathology); trauma informed study

• The Wisdom of Trauma course with Gabor Mate 

• Over 10 years working with shamanic diets, techniques and practice

• QiGong teacher training - 1 year - Mimi Kuo Deemer 

• Somatic Experiencing - short course - Peter Levine 

• Reclaiming your six body wisdom areas course with Suzanne Scurlock

• Masters in Acting from East 15 (Alexandra technique; somatic practice & training; Meisner technique; physical theatre; body connection work; Clown studies; Bouffon)

• BA (hons) Philosophy and Theology - consciousness studies/metaphysics - University of Nottingham and Melbourne 

More about Laura: www.laurareeves.co.uk 

Josh Swords 

Josh is somatic coach and breathwork facilitator with a speciality in neuroscience and trauma informed techniques. The core of his work is to reconnect you to your deeper truth and divine essence through releasing fear and trauma. 

Training: 

• The Wisdom of Trauma course with Gabor Mate 

• Trained Somatic Experiencing practitioner - SOS Internationale 

• 1 year breathwork training - Alchemy of Breath 

• Trauma informed coaching certificate 

• Polyvagal practice certification training 

• BA (hons) Sport Rehabilitation and Medicine - St Mary's University London 
 
Sophie May Mason 

Sophie is a Reiki practitioner, medicine musician & 500 Hours YTTC Hatha Yoga instructor. She has practiced Yoga for eight years and is dedicated to calming the mind, creating harmony and connecting to the self and the divine through her practice and teaching. 

She will guide you through asanas, pranayama, meditation & mantra to bring harmony & awareness to the mind & body, cultivating mindfulness & developing greater awareness by relaxing the nervous system & to rediscover & honour our true nature, that of peacefulness & joy.

Additional Facilitators & musicians TBA soon 

EVENT TIMES: 16:00 on the 13th of December - 1:00p.m. on the 15th of December 

LOCATION: Sambogaya Boutique Retreat Centre, Dod Ln, Glastonbury BA6 8BZ

PAYMENT PLANS: Available on request. Please buy payment plan deposit ticket (£200 and we will be in touch via email to set up the remaining payments. Balance must be paid 2 weeks prior to the retreat. 

ALL ENQUIRIES: laura0reeves@gmail.com

REFUNDS POLICY: Please note, we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. When possible we encourage reselling on Ticketswap.

ACCESS:  We do our best to include everyone in our events, regardless of health circumstances. If you have access requirements please email the event organiser directly to discuss. Many facilitators are able to offer reduced ticket prices for those truly unable to afford the ticket price. If this applies to you, do please get in touch with the event organiser.

For PSYCHEDELIC KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES please check out the Psychedelic Society website. 

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