Seven Senses Retreats
At the heart of this venture are the Circle of the Seven Senses Retreats, offered to groups of women for a full day, over a long weekend, or across several days. Alongside collaborators Liesl leads the retreats which incorporate meditative reflection, creative writing and art-journalling, movement and dance.
The retreats include some or all of the following activities: Cacao Ceremony, creative visualisation or yoga, drumming journey, literary readings and discussion, creative writing or art-journalling, divination with Oracle Cards, laughter and sharing, and guided, free-style movement to music. Each event foregrounds a single theme, that of Touch, Taste, Smell, Hearing, Sight, Intuition, or Hope. Every retreat aims to activate each one of the senses at some point in the day. Every session aims to bring you into greater alignment with who you are and who you are becoming.
In every session we centre the spirit, activate the imagination, and liberate our senses.
Seven Senses Retreats can be delivered at an alternative location, as a series, or on an individual basis. Please contact Liesl for details on liesl@circleofthesevensenses.co.uk
Retreats – Indicative Content
A SENSE OF TASTE
9:45 Arrival
10:00 Introductions + Cacao Ceremony
10:30 Yoga
11:00 Drumming Journey
11:30 Intention setting
12:00 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Taste Creative writing/Art-journalling workshop
2:45 Coffee, Tea and Oracle Cards
3:15 Dance/Movement
4:00 Closing ceremony
4:30 Departures
INDICATIVE LITERARY INPUT: LAURA ESQUIVEL, LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE (1995)
A SENSE OF SMELL
9:45 Arrival
10:00 Introductions + Cacao Ceremony
10:30 Creative Visualisation + Drumming Journey
11:15 Intention setting
12:00 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Smell
Creative writing/Art-journalling workshop
2:45 Coffee, Tea and Oracle Cards
3:15 Dance/Movement
4:00 Closing ceremony
4:30 Departures
INDICATIVE LITERARY INPUT: ROBERT FROST – ‘AFTER APPLE PICKING’ (1914), ABI CURTIS WATER AND GLASS (2017)
A SENSE OF HEARING
9:45 Arrival
10:00 Introductions + Cacao Ceremony
10:30 Yoga + Drumming Journey
11:15 Intention setting
12:00 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Hearing
Creative writing/Art-journalling workshop
2:45 Coffee, Tea and Oracle Cards
3:15 Dance/Movement
4:00 Closing ceremony
4:30 Departures
INDICATIVE LITERARY INPUT – W.B. YEATS, ‘THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE’ (1890), AND ALICE OSWALD ‘FOX’ (2016)
A SENSE OF SIGHT
9:45 Arrival
10:00 Introductions + Cacao Ceremony
10:30 Creative Visualisation + Drumming Journey
11:15 Intention setting
12:00 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Sight
Creative writing/Art-journalling workshop
2:45 Coffee, Tea and Oracle Cards
3:15 Dance/Movement
4:00 Closing ceremony
4:30 Departures
INDICATIVE LITERARY INPUT – WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, ‘I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD’ (1815), ABI CURTIS, ‘ULTRAVIOLET’ (RELEASED THROUGH THE POLLINATION PROJECT, 2017)
A SENSE OF INTUITION
9:45 Arrival
10:00 Introductions + Cacao Ceremony
10:30 Creative Visualisation + Drumming Journey
11:15 Intention setting
12:00 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Intuition Creative writing/Art-journalling workshop
2:45 Coffee, Tea and Oracle Cards
3:15 Dance/Movement
4:00 Closing ceremony
4:30 Departures
INDICATIVE LITERARY INPUT: URSULA K. LE GUIN, THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS (1969), LAVINIA (2008)
A SENSE OF TOUCH
9:45 Arrival
10:00 Introductions
10:15 Creative Visualisation + Drumming Journey
11:00 Intention setting
11:30 Activate your Sense of Touch (1) – A sense-centred adventure
12:30 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Touch (2) – Creative writing/Art-journaling workshop
2:45 Coffee, Tea and Oracle Cards
3:15 Dance/Movement
4:00 Closing ceremony
4:30 Departures
INDICATIVE LITERARY INPUT: ‘BLACK MOTHER WOMAN’ (1971) BY AUDRE LORDE, ‘THE TOUCH’ BY ANNE SEXTON (2018)
A SENSE OF HOPE – WEEKEND RETREAT
(Indicative timings, subject to venue)
DAY ONE
9:45 Arrival
10:00 Introductions + Cacao Ceremony
10:30 Creative Visualisation + Drumming Journey
11:15 Intention setting
12:00 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Hope (1) Creative writing/Art-journalling workshop
3:00 Free Time – write, visit hot tub, or walk in nature
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Oracle Card Reading
8:30 Guided, free-style dance/movement
9:30 Retire
DAY TWO
9:00 Yoga
10:00 ‘Always Coming Home’ – centring activity
12:00 Lunch *
1:15 Activate your Sense of Hope (2)
Creative writing/Art-journalling workshop
3:00 Free time – write, visit hot tub, or walk in nature
5:00 Closing Ceremony
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Departures