Invitation to Circle of the Seven Senses’ Phoenix Rising Retreat, May 2024

November 2023

Dear All,

We’re writing to let you know about an exciting opportunity – in May 2024 Liesl King and Zoe Birch will be hosting a Circle of the Seven Senses retreat entitled ‘Phoenix Rising’ in Alvisquer, Portugal, on the Algarve coast, with places for eight women!  We will go for four days – Thursday 23rd of May through Monday 27th, and in addition to the activities in our Seven Senses circles we will consciously activate a sense of presence every day as we visit the villages, restaurants, and beautiful beaches of the Algarve.

We all live in a busy world with lives that place many demands on us, meaning that we often experience monkey mind syndrome which offers little peace.  Our aim is to create space for you to connect with who you are and who you are becoming. Some would call this aligning with their soul’s path, and others, connecting in with your unique essence.  Our retreat will invite you to honour the gifts you bring to the world and invite you to change the old patterns which no longer serve you.

Together, we will cultivate conscious awareness. By focusing on our six senses of taste, hearing, touch, smell, sight and intuition, we will activate our sense of hope; our inner Phoenix.  The retreat will provide you with clarity about what is most important to you, and it will offer a deeper understanding of what it is you have to offer yourself, your loved ones, and the wider world as a whole.

Here’s a sneak peak at the itinerary, subject to adjustments as needed:

Villa Azul, Alvisquer, Portugal

        

A taste of activities in our Seven Senses Circles:

Oracle Card by Hannah Kenyon

Retreat Cost: £1,195
Includes:	Does not include:
Transfers to and from Faro airport	Airfare to and from Faro Airport
Seven Senses Circle Sessions	Evening meals
Accommodation in a double or twin room*	Single Room supplement (where available)*
Breakfast and lunch	Treatment/Massage at Elle Day Spa
Exclusive access to pool and grounds at Villa Azul	Entrance fee to Salinas Mud and Salt Baths
Taxi fares to and from activities listed	Cost of boat ride on the Algarve

Non-refundable deposit of £300.00 due 15th of December 2023 to secure your place.

Remainder due in instalments 3^rd of February 299.00, 3^rd of March 298.00, 3^rd of April 298.00.

Email: liesl@circleofthesevensenses.co.uk to book. We have a maximum of eight places available – we recommend that you book early to avoid disappointment.

Contact information: liesl@circleofthesevensenses.co.uk and zoe.clare.birch@gmail.com

Information and Guidance for Phoenix Rising Retreat:

At Villa Azul, there are places for four people, sharing twin or double rooms in addition to Zoe and Liesl; places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. There are spaces for an additional four people, also sharing twin/double accommodation, within fifteen minutes’ walking distance of Villa Azul.

Villa Azul will be our central gathering place where we will have breakfast and lunch, and where we will hold our Seven Senses Circles, either in the morning or afternoon.

We will prepare a list of recommendations for what to bring and share it by March. You will need a water bottle, a pen and a journal*. You will need a travel plug converter so that you can charge your phone. Please purchase travel insurance.

Once we know who is staying where, we will send you guidance related to the accommodation for the relevant venue. If you come with a friend we can put you together in a twin room, and if you are happy to share with someone you haven’t yet met, we will organise a Zoom call for you both to meet in advance.

Zoe and Liesl will be booking flights from Leeds-Bradford airport, UK to Faro airport.  Transfers from the airport to Villa Azul take approximately 45 mins to 1 hour. If we could all arrange to arrive by 2pm on Thursday 23rd of May that would be ideal in terms of the transfer.  We will aim to coordinate our group into one minibus or two separate taxis; please stay in touch on the Whats App group we will set up for the trip.  We will ask you to send your flight details with arrival times in advance. Please ensure that your passport is up to date with the correct number of days required following travel dates before you fly.  In the case of a delayed or postponed flight, please let us know as soon as you can and we will reimburse your transport from Faro airport after you arrive.

The initial £300.00 is non-refundable, as Zoe and Liesl will be paying a non-refundable fee for the accommodation six months in advance.  If something unforeseen should arise after you have paid one or more of the instalments and you would like a refund on the instalments, please let us know as soon as possible.  And finally, if you cannot attend and someone would like to attend in your place, or if we have a waiting list for the trip and we fill your place, we will then refund your original deposit. Thanks for your understanding in advance.

We recommend that you purchase some Portuguese currency (Euros) before you go. You may need cash for some of our dinners out (not all venues may take a cash card), for anything you would like to buy in the villages, and for tipping where you would like to. 

We ask that you are patient in case we are not able to follow the exact itinerary listed; sometimes for practical reasons on a retreat plans our timings need to change.  We will all need a bit of ‘go with the flow’ energy along the way! Our Villa Azul host, Margaret, has let us know that taxis, for example, may often show up early or late 😊. You can be confident that Zoe and Liesl will be there to hold space for you throughout the duration of the retreat, offering what we know will be a healing and transformative experience.

We will share an itinerary with rough timings each morning. Please let us know along the way if you have concerns and we will do our best to address them.  We will also require advance details of any dietary requirements, allergies or adjustments you will need once you have paid your deposit.

If you would like a one-to-one Life Coaching session with Zoe during the trip, please let her know by 30 March 2024.  The cost of an hour’s session is £99 (please note that this special advance rate is for retreat guests only).

See below for current flight information. Do email us with any questions at Liesl@circleofthesevensenses.co.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can. We’ll also be hosting a Q and A session on Zoom in February, so let us know if you would like the link.

We are so looking forward to stretching our wings with a lovely group of women on Phoenix Rising Retreat!

Love, Liesl and Zoe

    

*Liesl’s Seven Senses Care Packages include a Seven Senses Journal, a pen, a palm stone for meditation or relaxation, a crystal pendant, a Seven Senses Oracle Card with a tag-line just for the receiver, a chocolate bar, and a vial of Liesl’s Seven Senses Blend made from the organic oils of Cedarwood, Lavender, Geranium, Clary Sage and Ylang Ylang and sourced from Fragrant Earth in Glastonbury. Care packages can be purchased in advance and Liesl will bring them to you on the trip. The cost is £75.00, and they are only available to retreat or workshop participants.

Journals and Seven Senses Blend can be purchased separately. Information and full pricing is on the Circle of the Seven Senses website.

Flight Details (Please check as subject to change) – correct at 12 November 2023

LEEDS BRADFORD 

Leeds Bradford to Faro (Jet2)

Thursday 23^rd May : 07.55- 10.50

Return Monday 27^th May:  12.10-15.20 or 19.05-22.15

LIVERPOOL 

Liverpool to Faro (Jet2)

Thursday 23^rd May: 06.30-09.35 

No return on Jet2 but alternative return Monday 27^th May:  19.10- 22.15 ( Easyjet)

MANCHESTER 

Manchester to Faro (Jet2)

Thursday 23^rd May: 07.15-10.20

Return Monday 27^th May: 11.10-14.15 or 21.25 – 00.30

Or Return 08.15-11.15  or 14.45-17.45 (Ryanair)

Or

Manchester to Faro 09.50- 12.45 (Easyjet)

Return 16.00-19.00

LONDON 

Plenty of flights from London airports including:

Stanstead Thursday 23^rd: 10.15-13.10

Or from Luton- 09.20-12.10 (both Ryanair)

Return to Stanstead Monday 27^th:  08.10-11.00 or 10.10-13.00 or 15.10-18.00 (all Ryanair)