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  • Home
  • Who I Am
  • Ceremonies
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Women Weaving the world back to Wholeness

This intimate retreat for women comes at the seasonal time of lmbolc, when we are making our way back to the light from the cave of our winter dreaming. 


Our descent in to the Underworld during Winter is an ancient way of initiation for women, rooted in our connection to the earth and her cycles. By coming together to honour and celebrate the journey we have made and our return from the depths, we are able to integrate the gifts from our meeting with the darkness, and celebrate our rebirth as we welcome the return of the light. 


The retreat has been carefully concocted to take you on a journey of revelation; to unfold your depths so you may recognise the gifts you carry that are yours to share with the world. To activate ancient pathways of belonging that help you re-member the fertile, creative power of the darkenss and your role as Gaurdian of the Sacred Flame.


You will be creating your own womb belt, as a carrier of the gifts you have discovered about yourself, as we share stories and reflections about the journey of the dark feminine, the triple aspects of the Goddess and the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. Weaving into matter the wisdom and power that is your birthright. 


We will journey together in ceremony with the Sacred Fire to honour the Fire Goddess Brighid, invoking her as a midwife to our transformation and the reclamation of our wild, feminine nature. Allowing the fire to burn up the old, limited ways of being that have denied your full expression. There will be also opportunities to spend time with the land and tend to a Sacred spring, clearing the pathway ahead for this next cycle of growth. 


To conclude our time together we will celebrate the journey with a rite of passage in nature, honouring all that we are leaving behind and the rebirth of spring within. 


This journey is an invitation for you to restore the Sacred in your life and embody your Sovereignty as a woman, deeply rooted in Nature and aligned with your Soul’s longing. 

Claim your place

Register here

what to expect

Ritual crafting & Womb belt weaving

Making and weaving with our hands as we re-member and gather the threads of our journey to create a ceremonial womb-belt and other ritual items to connect with the Dark Feminine.

Circle of Women

Coming together in community to recreate the ancient temple of the Goddess - a space to share, sing, drum, inspire, explore and forge new connections to support you on your way.

Veiled Dance of the Goddess

Exploring the darkness and different expressions of the Dark Goddess through guided ritual and movement.

Walking the Land

Connecting through our feet, listening with all our senses, we will tap into the rising earth energy at Imbolc to awaken our feritlity and creativity.

Yew Wisdom

Spending time with a wise Yew elder, guardian of the threshold of death and rebirth, to remember our roots and connect with our inner wisdom.

Fire Ceremony

Invoking the Goddess Brighid - midwife, blacksmith and muse - as we tend to the Sacred Fire and call upon the Burning Woman within to inspire our creativity and transformation. 

Embodiment Practices

Gentle guided movement each morning to inquire and release, and some solo and group exercises connecting with the emerging earth energy of Imbolc.

Inner Journeying

You will be guided on visualisations to relate with and integrate hidden parts of yourself, bringing to light the gifts in the darkness. 

Rite of Passage Closing Ceremony

Celebrating the return from our Winter descent as a rite of passage, we will co-create a threshold crossing in Nature to step intentionally in to this next phase of growth as we welcome the energy of Spring into our bodies and become initiated at Guardians of the Sacred Flame.

Words from previous Return initiates

"Isla held divine space with such wisdom, grace and prowess. I felt in safe and sincere hands to inquire, to unfold, to relax and rejoice. When I look back on this weekend I feel nothing but admiration for Isla and a warm golden glow for the time I spent connecting to myself, nature, the spirit of imbolc and my fellow goddesses. Highly recommended."

- Jess 


"No words describe my gratitude for how you gently, yet strongly, led us last weekend. This feels like the tangible beginnings to aspects of my life that have always been present but never fully articulated."

- Kayleigh

  

"I felt really held and nourished. I felt how you live and breathe this work and I felt I had been initiated into a beautiful way of being - in tune with my inner goddess and the pulse of Her that can be felt in all things. Over the course of the weekend I called in an aspect of the Goddess within me that I needed to connect to and I really feel it now. I cannot thank you enough."

- Rosie


"The retreat was spiritually and emotionally uplifting. Isla is a very empathetic and open facilitator who weaves a wonderful warm energy throughout the weekend and holds a beautiful safe space to 'just be'. My lasting memory was the drumming and dancing around the fire! Who needs Ayahuasca !?"

- Sue


“Isla’s wisdom, humility and deep presence brought a sense of connection which surpassed all of my expectations. We were introduced to some beautiful trees on an ancient piece of land and encouraged towards  healing release, through the element of a roaring bonfire.A fantastic group, hosted by an insightful, safe, playful and authentic shamanic practitioner. Truly memorable and highly recommended.”

- Kate


"For me it was the magical and emotional weekend that was just what I needed. So much deep healing and coming together of like minded souls was just medicine to my soul. I cannot thank you enough for holding such a beautiful space to feel safe and held."

- Melis

The Venue - Little Earth

    The details

    Dates & Times

    Arrive: 6pm Thursday 2nd February 2023

    Depart: 3pm Sunday 5th February

    Venue

    Little Earth, EarthSpirit Centre, Dundon, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 6PE 

      

    Just five miles from Glastonbury, on the edge of Compton Dundon village, EarthSpirit lies within the ‘temenos’ (sacred enclosure) of Avalon.


    The centre has twice won the Kindred Spirit ‘best centre’ award. It is situated between two hills, one a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), the other a nature reserve. It is just two minutes walk from St Andrew’s church, which has within its cemetery a yew tree that’s more than 1,800 years old.

    Location & Transport

    EarthSpirit is just 25 minutes from junction 23 on the M5 and 20 minutes  from the Great Western Railway inter-city stop at Castle Cary.  EarthSpirit is two and a half hours drive from London (M3/A303) and one  hour from Bristol.


    For all the details on how to get to the venue, visit the website.

    Accommodation

    There are a mixture of twin and triple rooms, all with en suite, located in the Little Earth building. All with easy access to kitchen facilities and main gathering place.

    What's Included

    • Teachings and guidance from Isla
    • Womb belt weaving tuition
    • Fire ceremony
    • Rite of Passage closing ceremony
    • Delicious vegetarian food (other dietary requirements catered for)
    • Unlimited herbal tea infusions, tea/coffee, fresh fruit & snacks
    • Accommodation in recently refurbished twin or triple rooms, with en suite
    • Time and space to rest, journal and explore the surrounding landscape


    Investment

    10% OFF EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT IF YOU BOOK BEFORE WINTER SOLSTICE


    £495 - En suite triple room


    £525- En suite twin room (FULLY BOOKED)


    £150 deposit required to confirm your place.

    It is also possible to pay in instalmen

    Reserve your place

    Fill out a registration form

    Your Guide

    Isla Macleod is a modern-day medicine woman, attending to the threshold between the visible and invisible realms, in service to the Earth community. Her work as a ritualist and healer is informed and inspired by her relationship with the natural world and devoted towards helping others to remember what is Sacred in their lives by creating rituals and facilitating journeys that reconnect them with a sense of meaning and belonging.


    Isla has a wealth of experience holding retreats and guiding others through earth-honouring ceremonies, that are accessible and inclusive. She has worked extensively in the terrain of ancestral healing, grief tending, nature connection and rites of passage, crafting journeys that help others to honour significant transitions and experience the hidden realms of psyche and spirit in a safe and grounded way.


    It is part of her ongoing commitment to her ancestors to listen to the more-than-human world and dream into the indigenous ceremonies of these Celtic lands, weaving together the wisdom that is embedded in the land to craft rituals that honour our native lineages, whilst making them relevant for these times. 


    For more information about her inspiration and training, visit 'Who Am I?'


    Isla embodies the Celtic wisdoms with such love and beauty, enabling an ancient wisdom to re-emerge within me and a passion to feel my belonging to earth once more.


    Laura

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