the incubation retreat
women’s circle & ceremonial mini-retreat
saturday, november 7, noon – 3pm
12 women
in-person at indigo dragon in leucadia, ca
sliding scale: nest, nourish, flourish
what dreams are you incubating?
some dreams we announce with trumpets, spreadsheets, domain names, declarations over dinner, and small forests of brightly colored post-it notes. (oop, you caught me!)
and then there are quieter dreams.
you know what dream seeds you walk with – the book whose opening sentence has been wandering around in your heart for years now, that strange and luscious idea for a business, gathering place, painting, new home, adventure, or entirely different way of living that keeps tugging at your sleeves.
sometimes a dream is abundantly clear, and sometimes all you’ve got is there’s longing in me, and I think I need to pay attention. both kinds of dreams are sacred.
this day is for taking retreat together, and meeting them.
the incubation retreat
in november, when the natural world is drawing energy inward, twelve women will gather on the outdoor deck at indigo dragon for three hours of shamanic journeying, writing, art, sharing, flowers, chocolate, spirit, and the special magic that happens when thoughtful women give what’s important their undivided attention.
some things need a little autumnal darkness.
some things need warmth, privacy, excellent company, a good question, a beautiful stone held in the palm, and enough time to hear what they’ve been trying to tell us.
ordinary life asks us to respond.
retreat gives us room to listen.
we start by listening
we’ll begin in circle, gathering around an altar of flowers, ocean water, stones, oracle cards, and the drum, and each woman chooses an incubation stone to accompany her and take home afterward. (these stones spoke for you. we listened)
from there, we’ll spend time writing into the dream itself with journal prompts by turns potent, sweet, insightful, and revealing.
because twelve intelligent women can generate hundreds of excellent and well-meaning ideas for one another, we’ll also practice one of my favorite and increasingly rare forms of magic:
listening without fixing.
then, we go to the spirits
after a little rest, sunshine, and chocolate (of course), we’ll shift from the thinking mind into the mystical unseen realms and take a shamanic journey with live drumming.
with your incubation stone in hand, you’ll journey with the drumbeat to your helping spirits and ask for another perspective on your dream – and how best to honor and birth it.
journeys with the spirits are insightful, and extraordinary.
this isn’t about ‘receiving the answer.’
retreat gives dreams room enough to answer us back.
a little about retreat
personal retreat has been one of the great gifts of my adult life, and I’ve been taking myself away to listen, rest, adventure, create, discern, pray, get gloriously lost, and occasionally discover something important on retreat for decades now.
retreat can be solitary or shared, deeply spiritual or deliciously playful, restorative, creative, adventurous, strange, lavish, or all those before lunch.
we enter retreat with intentions and carefully packed bags, and the retreat itself begins participating, delivering encounters, symbols, hilarity, beautiful timing, and gifts we couldn’t possibly have put on the itinerary.
this little november retreat is a three-hour taste of that, shared in community.
things to bring
- journal & a handful of colored pens
- an eye covering for our shamanic journey (instructions provided)
- one very beautiful flower
- water, warm layers, creature comforts
bring the dreams that have been incubating with you.
the mystery brings the rest.
warm welcome
I’ve been holding women’s circles, retreats, ceremonies, and long-form transformational work for more than twenty-five years.
some of my favorite moments across all those years have been when a woman hears herself say something true that she didn’t know she knew.
welcome to a gathering held with warmth, humor, and care.
details
saturday, november 7 · noon – 3pm
indigo dragon · outdoor deck
12 women
choose the sliding scale that allows you to come play:
nest · $95
nourish · $145
flourish · $195
retreat together is magical
we’ll send one another home with flowers in our hands, beautiful stones in our pockets, chocolate still on our lips, messages from the spirits, and whatever the afternoon decides to give us…
it’s a joy and honor to welcome you.
love,
anna
warm welcome, dreamers.