The description of the workshop is a little vague. Can you tell me more?
This workshop flowered out of the women’s shamanic work taught at the Sacred Trust in England. It is not your typical retreat with a day to day itinerary. While we do have a strong architecture for the week, we are also listening very deeply to the spirit of the group and the land. While we can not provide a traditional outline, we can say that you will engage in movement meditation, dance and a form of seeking to “see” in the dark, where darkness is seen as a loving ally and creative source.
We teach and facilitate learning from a feminine place, beckoning the wisdom of the non-linear and liminal thresholds. Our aim is to drop you deeply into your bodies, relationship to nature and relationship to the spirit of the serpent and the bee. From this place, the womb-beat of your own interior wisdom can be heard.
It is our deepest honor to be women who carry this particular thread of the Lyceum (Path of Pollen) forward in service to the Earth.
Will there be down time during the retreat?
Absolutely. Some days more than others. The workshop will work you on many levels, but it is designed to also nourish and revitalize you. We all need a nap in a hammock from time to time!
Who runs Sol Henge?
Here’s something really special: the woman who runs Sol Henge retreat center is also a bee sister, graduated from the same 3 year Pythoness training as Ariella and Gina. Sarita is well versed in these ways and pours her heart and soul into care of the land. She also leads her own retreats!
During the off season Sol Henge is home to Sarita, her husband Hamish and their two boys
Is this a beekeeping retreat?
No. There will be no bees or beekeeping during the course, other than those you encounter on flowers. This is a women’s workshop which will teach you practices based in European Bee Shamanism. We will work with the honey bee and the serpent as our central motif for connecting with the life force energy of the earth and our own intuitive centers.
What is the weather like?
May in the south of France is lovely! It can be hot, but the evenings are still cool. Sometimes there is rain or the occasional storm.
Sol Henge is a converted farm house. All the rooms are shared rooms with shared bathrooms. Some of the beds are single beds, and some are double. We do not change the price based on a single or a double. You will be assigned to a room upon arrival. There are two bathrooms in the farmhouse. One has a bath and shower, the other has a shower. You are welcome to use both.
Depending on how many people sign up for the retreat, you can expect 2-4 bee sisters per room.
What’s the bed situation?
Why do you teach this in France?
All our work is spirit lead. The retreat is a marriage between the land and the workshop itself. There is something so deeply nourishing, lush, and dare I say, pleasurable about the south of France. Life moves at a different pace. The magic and medicine of the land informs our bodies and therefore informs this particular body of work. Although we do not work with it directly, there is a strong, watery undercurrent of the Mary Magdalene mysteries moving through the land. It is a place I feel held by the mother, while also connecting deeply to the magnetic eros moving within.
Moreover, I have had a life long love affair with France. I visited France on my own at 19 and have been returning ever since. I worked as a tour director in Europe in my twenties and have been extensively trained in leading international trips.
Also…pastries.
We understand. Money can be a big hinderance to many of our dreams. On an energetic level, sometimes in saying yes, the money shows up. Not always, and not just because we are trying to manifest it. Rather, there is, at times, energetic forces at work drawing you toward a possibility for your life, and the energy responds to your yes, even if the how has not yet become apparent. Similarly, we can have all our ducks line up in a row, but still find ourselves standing at the brink with a strange no sitting in our gut. Trusting your yeses and your nos is a big part of embodiment work. This could be a place to lean into what that might feel like for your body.
What we want is for you to have an experience that nourishes rather than depletes. We know what is possible when you leave your daily life and dive into your own depths and flowerings.
On a practical note, we offer payment plans and would be happy to set one up for you!
Budget travel to France is also doable. If this feels daunting to you, reach out and we can give you some tips.
I want to come but i’m worried about money
Cancellations made before March 26 receive 50% refund of money paid.
Cancellations after March 26 will receive no refund and all money paid will be forfeit.
Please be sure about your decision before applying.
What’s your Cancellation policy?
The Sol Henge staff is made up of Sarita and her husband Hamish, and the Chef and any kitchen helpers. Ariella and Gina will be accompanied by an assistant, Ariella’s 2 year old daughter, and a nanny.
Who will be here beyond the participants?
Sol Henge is about a 15 minute walk from the village Saint-Vivien-de-Monsegur. However, there is very little to do in the village. This is not a retreat designed to support exploration of villages or site, but rather to support deep connection to land and your inner self.
What can I do in the nearby area?
The retreat center is a 300 year old farm house in the middle of the south of France. There is a small (and I mean teensy) village called Saint-Vivien-de-Monségur, which is a15 minute walk from the property, but the nearest town with cafes and shops is a 15-20 minute drive away. This workshop isn’t about seeing the sites, it’s about a deep landing into a spot on the earth that is surrounded by the quiet of nature.
If you would like to visit more of France during your trip, Ariella has many suggestions and is happy to share. The Mary Madelene pilgrimage sites in the Languedoc region are not too far away. Paris is a short 3 hours train ride from Bordeaux. You can also join Ariella for 3 days on the honeyroads of Paris for an optional extension to your trip.