Awakening the Wild Woman Retreat

The Call

The wild woman lives within us all…

She is the instinctual, creative force.

Untamable and untouchable by modern life…

She is the spark of an idea jolting us awake at 4:15
She is the nagging shrew gnawing at our bellies when it’s time to leave
She is the black tidal grief bursting through the seams
making way for rays of gratitude to seep through the trees
She is the fox curled around her babies as they sleep

She is the blazing raging chant that calls us to the streets…

If you have found your way here, the Wild Woman is calling to you.

Perhaps life has become predictable, mechanical, too comfortable. There’s nothing exactly wrong, but your effervescent sparkle has become dull, your heart numb.

Perhaps you’re overwhelmed, on a hamster wheel you can’t escape, your nervous system is headed to burn-out and all you want is be in a dark room for days on end.

Or perhaps, like many of the women who find their way to us, you’ve spent your whole life following the path that we've been taught will lead to happiness, giving to others without nourishing yourself, and are now feeling hollow, tired and sure there must be something more.

Welcome dear traveller…

We are in devotion to the Wild Woman, and all that she summons in us.

This year, as we listened in close to her crooning and mutterings, she is calling us to create a space for resourcing, releasing, play and creativity.

She is calling us to respond to the heaviness and chaos we are seeing in the world, by creating a space that prioritises joy, rest, connection and nourishment. A space that is deep but also light. A space that recognises that inner resource, imagination and collaboration is what we most need to meet these times.

Will you join us?

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Please Note: Spaces are extremely limited, so book well in advance.

“A deeply moving and transformative experience.”

"There are almost no words to describe the space held on this incredible wild women retreat by Gaia and Alana. The spectrum of emotions and wilderness I explored within myself and the women in this circle will leave a lasting impact on my life. I arrived a stressed, disconnected person and left spiritually connected with myself, my sisters and the land - lifted, empowered and truly rewilded. Thank you for the invitation, for all us for showing up with such courage, vulnerability and embodiment of our authentic selves. The morning cold river dips will remain as sacred memories in my heart." - Jade S

What to Expect

Nature Connection

**Voice Work and Singing **

Movement and Dance

**Sharing circles **

Ceremony

Play ** **

Weekend Highlights

This immersion is a journey designed to take you into the descent and out the other side. Here are a few elements of the journey to get you excited.

Deep Nature Connection

From woods and rivers to rolling hills and tors we will guide you into immersive experiences that leave you feeling resourced, inspired and a little bit feral.

**Cacao Ecstatic Dance **

Working with 5 archetypes: maiden, warrior, lover, queen, priestess, we will move through the major energies of the feminine, meeting and healing parts of ourselves that may be lying dormant or blocked, and reviving our sense of power, agency and aliveness.

Sensory Art Temple

An immersive evening exploring the interplay between pleasure and creativity. Using the senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing as our gateway, we’ll play with different sensory stimulus and creative practices such as visual art and poetry to bring the inner world to outer expression

Day Trip on Dartmoor

We will be spending an afternoon at one of our favourite places on Dartmoor to explore and immerse ourselves in the wild nature available to us.

**Fire Ceremony **

A prayer space, communing with and seeking support from our grandfather, the fire. This will be a time to sing, dance, make prayers, and share.

**Hot Tub and Sauna **

Between connecting to each other and our wild selves, there will be plenty of time to relax and restore in the in house Hot Tub, Sauna and natural swimming pool! It's a real treat.

In More Depth

The Wild Woman has many faces and facets. In this retreat we are focused on _Sovereignty, Surrender, Belonging and Vitality. _

Sovereignty:

Is having agency over our lives. It is born from trusting our inner experience and developing the capacity to be with discomfort. By connecting deeply with the body we find here our first and most primal authority - the body never lies. Through both subtle and dynamic practice we will rest, release and reconnect to our body's intelligence, coming to develop an unshakable sense of self-knowledge and ability to hold ourselves through internal storms.

Surrender:

Is a state of deep relaxation that happens when we feel safe in our bodies and trusting in our support structures. Through playful and spacious encounters with nature your body will experience the profound interconnectedness of all things. From this place of union, we experience a natural feeling of being held by something greater and come to experience a deep trust in life itself.

Belonging:

Is when we can let our guard down, be vulnerable, messy, shiny and bold without fear of being shamed or shunned. It is inherently relational, and through practices that drop us into a state of authentic connection we repattern unhealthy relational patterns of hiding, chasing or contorting, learning how to be protected and connected at the same time.

Vitality:

Is what we feel when we are connected to our passion and creative expression. It is innate in all humans, and is sadly stamped out of many of us at a young age. Through creative practice that centres playful and joyful exploration, rather than outcome, we move away from art as something to be critiqued, towards art as a tool for healing, and a language spoken by the soul. This awakens something within and opens the door to our life force.

A few Important Things to Note

1. We have an experienced team of trauma-informed practitioners, but we are not therapists. While this work may have therapeutic benefits, this is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. This is a space for group process work, and the amount of 1-1 support we can provide is limited. If you are seeking therapy then we encourage you to seek 1-1 support from a qualified psychotherapist. **If you have a history of mental health challenges or trauma, please contact us in advance so that we can have a conversation about whether this retreat is right for you at this time. **
2. The food will be mainly vegan and gluten free with some cheese and egg options. Tea and coffee will be available. You can bring your own deli meats if you really need it. Let us know as soon as you can about any dietary needs.
3. There is limited phone reception at the venue. We encourage you to take the opportunity to disconnect from the outside world, and to fully immerse yourself in nature. Please make sure you tell loved one's that you will be out of communication for the weekend. You can give dependants the phone number of one of our team if you need to be contactable, and Wifi may be accessed upon request.

Venue

Creekleigh Dell is a gorgeous intimate venue tucked away on the outskirts of Dartmoor near Ashburton. The land is lovingly tended by a community of people we hold dear who have been restoring and regenerating the land over the last 6 years.

Facilities Include:

• An incredible newly renovated Octagon workshop space with wood burner and wooden floor
• A large wood-fired sauna overlooking the pond
• A massive wood-fired hot tub
• A natural swimming pond
• Woodland to wander and connect with

Getting there:

Public Transport via train or bus to Newton Abbot (25 mins away) then taxi or car share. For those driving we will provide more information and directions via email.

We create a whatsapp group in advance so that you can arrange a lift share or taxi share with other women on the retreat.

Investment

Your Booking Includes

4 nights accommodation

4 days of workshops and ritual

Breakfast, lunch, dinner + snacks

Hot tub, sauna & natural swimming pool

Access to Venue Woodland

Afternoon field trip to Dartmoor

Cacao

(Does not include travel to and from site)

Payment Options

Single Hut - You will have a room & double bed to yourself - £885
(Bring your own pillow, duvet/sleeping bag and sheets.)

Twin Hut - You will be sharing with one other - £785
(Bring your own pillow, duvet/sleeping bag and sheets.)

Bell Tent - You will be sharing with one other - £685
(Bring your own ground mat, pillow, duvet/sleeping bag and sheets.)

Van/Camping - You will bring your own tent or van - £585
(You'll also need a ground mat, pillow, duvet/sleeping bag and sheets.)

Payment plans available on request

*We have a limited number of reduced scholarship places for Women of the Global Majority, LGBTQ+, and folks who live with disabilities, those from marginalised communities or challenging socio-economic backgrounds. Reach out to apply for a scholarship place.

We are in a process of learning and unlearning how to make our space equitable, diverse and inclusive of the multitudes of experiences of women, trans women, femme and non-binary folk. Offering low cost scholarship places for those who might struggle to access or participate in events like this is part of our approach. For further information please read our inclusion statement.

To apply for a scholarship or if you have any questions or concerns please email alana@truenature.org.uk

Ticket Policy

• £200 of your ticket is non-refundable. This is to cover any admin costs if you choose to cancel and to support participants to be sure they can attend before purchasing a ticket.
• We do not offer the 10% membership discount on our retreats. This is because our overheads are so high, and a 10% discount on an event with a high ticket value has a huge affect on our overall budget.
• We cannot offer any refunds if you decide not to attend within 14 days of the retreat start date. With such short notice we are usually unable to fill your spot. If we (or you) do manage to find someone to fill your spot we can transfer your ticket to another retreat.
• Please be sure that you are able to attend the whole retreat before booking. We request that participants join with the intention of staying until the end of the retreat unless this has been discussed and arranged with us before booking your ticket and prior to the start of the retreat.

About the Facilitators


Alana Bloom

Alana Bloom is a multi-disciplinary artist, facilitator, women’s mentor & nature connection guide stewarding eco-centric and animist ways of being that bring us back into connection with the natural world, each other and our deepest nature. She has guided transformational experiences for people to explore unleashing their true wild self for nearly a decade, working with hundreds of people and a variety of organisations on the frontiers of personal and planetary healing.

She has devoted many years to her own enquiry of embodied kinship and draws on training and lived experience across a variety of modalities and approaches. Alana supports people in rediscovering their innate belonging, wildness, and wholeness through ritual, embodiment, and practices that foster connection the more-than-human world. She is a co-founder of True Nature and member of Thresh & Bray Theatre.

www.alanahydebloom.co.uk

_‘Her mixture of skill, authentic expression, intuition and pure feminine power as a facilitator, ritualist and artist have empowered, inspired and catalysed my own authentic creative expression.’ _

Gaia Harvey Jackson

Gaia is a group work facilitator specialising in women's empowerment, relationship coaching, and conscious dance.

She has been holding playful and deep spaces for transformation since 2016 including women’s circles, dance events, courses, retreats and her flagship 9 month facilitator training programme; EMPOWER.

Gaia’s work centres around the messiness of the human experience and our universal desire for peace, freedom, love and connection.

She weaves together inquiry, embodiment, relational life therapy (RLT), ritual and mindfulness into an integrated approach that works across the psychological, spiritual, emotional and somatic levels of being, to bring greater awareness to our shadow patterns, and practices to find greater levels of freedom and aliveness.

Gaia co-founded True Nature - a platform for feminine empowerment - in 2023 and worked as a core member of The Psychedelic Society from 2016 - 2024.

Other organisations she has worked with include Medicine Festival, Morning Gloryville, Togetherness, Alter Ego Network, Ecstatic Dance UK, Noisily, and Ecosystem Restoration Camps.

Training and Experience

• Certified Relational Life Therapy Coach
• Certified coach with the MOE Foundation
• Worked with thousands of people over 10 years delivering group work
• Trauma informed practitioner
• In relational therapy for 6 years
• Regular supervision to support practice
• Graduate of Yoga of Sound and Chocolate and Midwifing the Veils

Find out about all Gaia's offerings here: www.gaiaharveyjackson.com

“Gaia always holds a safe and loving space to explore the depths of our souls. It's one of the only places I have in my life to truly be myself - no expectations, limitations or judgement."