Experience the Fae forest & her lush mountain blessing
Dearest merrymakers, midwives, mystics, wellmaidens, and deermothers,
The druidic ancestors invite us even deeper into the flame. Do you see them now? Their wings flicker like lightening bugs showing the way.
Burning bright of belonging: reconciliation - celebration - prophecy. The poles are shifting. Return, return.
This unfolding elemental power across the earth is ours to wield, craft, and farrow.
And if you are called, may we follow.
Through the garden gate and under the willow tree, a spiraled path appears in fate and mist.
We gather to reclaim. Our essence rebirthing in Her Holy Name. The mushrooms lay a labyrinth fresh upon the earth of dragon, fae, and elven; the resurrecting DNA of human incarnation.
Although our world is a keeper of shadow, there is hearth; a warmth, and mirth always present. The truth cannot be denied in the golden light effervesence.
The world of our ancestors is presenting for us to gather. May we drum in shamanic dance, song, oracular merriment; and make love with the land.
under the harvest moon
here in higher elevation, we follow the trail into the waterFalls, into the fire
& into the void.
Meet us among the mists & muses for a
4-Day Shamanic Mushwomb Retreat
Perhaps you hear an ancestral calling when you turn towards the otherworld of the primordial fae family?
The naturally brilliant ways of sunlight reflecting through trees, the burrowing of bunnies like a shadowed forbidden trail; and the sparkle of crystalline mountain streams. When you are here, it is like the wind directs your path, and mushrooms beam up a signal from underground. There is a magnetic pull - simple yet profoundly into the dark, wet, dragonwomb of dirt and moss.
To curl up and be held by Her is a medicine from the old, old rising; always alive in the fresh forest scent. Perhaps this remembrance leads to a subtle pulsing in your womb. Do you feel your DNA talking to you?
The land longs to be entered.
The dragonlines of Appalachia are passage into the organic earth rich with mineral and mycellial presence. This retreat is a gift of timeless celebration, shamanic education, wise and embodied support, and musical merriment for ever-giving devotion, creative purpose, and flame-tending for rebirth of our Gaian grid.
This world cannot wait to unfold for you! There is so much love for you here.
Let's celebrate it together!
The emerald hearts of Druidic-Celtic ancestry have roots to recover in the dragonlines of the Earth. The Appalchian mountains are keepers of ancient Gaian medicine.
Merry Mushwomb is equal parts union with the land, celebration of our Fae Rites, and a soul retrieval for our wombs. May we have an enchanted return into the ordinary yet miraculous realm of primordial ancestry.
HELLO MY NAME IS
Eliza Ma'ora
The land where this retreat is held calls me again and again. Over and over, I return. We bless each other with creations, gems, songs, wind, flowers, and luck.
This land has been asking me to bring the merrymakers; those who are interested in reviving their connection to ancestry with mushroom medicine. To hold a transformational gathering where we are consciously conceiving in love.
May this retreat hold restoration of memory, soul ancestry, and gifts of the light. Appalachia has gifted (returned) much creative power to my oracular nature. There is a strong mythos and ancient medicine that I am guided to share with others who feel the calling to Merry Mushwomb.
This year I am celebrating 20 years of journeying with medicinal mushrooms; the magic ones, the dryads and deer.
The deer were known to wait for me to get off the schoolbus as a child. Our driveway was long; and lined by pine, white birch, maple, and oak. They would stand at the end of the driveway and walk with me all the way down to their path; our path, leading to a clearing in the woods where the wildflowers and mushrooms glowed by a certain light. I was fortunate enough for these woods in Michigan to raise me. To teach me of their ways long before I understood what it meant to be human in the 21st century. In the photo above are mushrooms that grow in the deerbones at my childhood cabin. These mushrooms are my ancestors; they are the deer, and they grow for me; I know this deeply, and I am forever thankful to be a keeper of Amanita medicine.
My connection to the forest and world of magic mushrooms has me feeling at home in Appalachia. My soul knows those mountains from a time before. We are old friends; and for those called to retreat now, I am guessing you will also feel the cosmic reunion.
I have been leading ceremonies with magic mushrooms for many years in this life; and I feel the remembrance living in the minerals of my bones from lifetimes before. It is one of my greatest joys to share in their medicine with otherbeings. The mushrooms belong to all of us. They are all of our ancestors; and they hold medicine for returning to a much more reciprocial earth and inhabitation of the Gaian grid.
My relationship with ceremony and shamanism offers celebration as a direct initiation into whatever is waiting for you in the world of fae. Although there is a merriment involved in the medicine, the way I hold medicine is through an atmosphere of educational enrichment. Anyone who sits with me will become closer to their innate innocence, shamanic essence, and alchemical skillset. The medicine provides much primordial transmission and a full embrace for transformation.
Such magic requires space for opening, surrender, immersion, threshold, breakthrough, lifestyle shifting, and integration.
Julia Claus
My medicines flow by way of claircognizanse, sound & song, sexual energy healing, shamanic journeys, the plants, movement, breath-work, and the ancient Feminine Arts. I bring the gifts of innocence, joyful remembering, mother nurture, unconditional love, and enchantment.
As a child, I remember watching the Fae dance where the sunlight met the water on the pond in my backyard. I would sit beneath the grandmother Willow and listen to her ancient whispers of a time out of time, and dream of crawling to the Otherworld by way of the portal in her trunk.
Throughout my teenage years and early adulthood, the medicine of fire brought many initiations. In my late twenties, I began to open to the Light of the plants, and they supported the beginning of my soul retrieval process. A few years later, while studying Celtic Grail Shamanism, my path converged with Eliza’s - and my soul found home.
I am a Mother to two sparkly Light Beings, ages 6 and 2. Together with my husband, we have made our home within the Dragon lands of Leicester, NC.
I have been a pracititioner of the shamanic womb arts for over 6 years. Within my healing practice Lotus Womb, I support awakening wombs through intuitive bodywork and traditional womb massage, energy work, ceremony, and private mentoring. I am in service of soul reclamation and rememberance, menstrual magic, Mother wound tending, fertility, sovereign pregnancy & birth, Divine Union, pleasure, and intimacy. I’m passionate about helping women shed the programming so they can reclaim their purpose and power; and step fully into ecstatic states of bliss.
I am so honored to be co-creating this Fae Fest of Light and Remembrance. My heart bursts with cosmic currents of pure joy and bliss for it all!
www.lotuswomb.com
Mushroom Teachers & Noya Rao
May we invoke elders and teachers of the Natural World; human and plant alike, those who are connecting to the flow of life and interdependence of existence.
Weaving with the Elements and Directions of the Womb, we will generate a wild and innocent feminine lightbody; one who co-creates within the mycellium web of life.
The mushrooms are inherently holding the codes of ancestors past and future; devoted to recovering layers of innocence by spiraling with the light and dark. Just their biology alone is weaving them into oneness.
Noya Rao is always present as the Tree within each of us; inherently within, our plants teach how the impossible becomes possible through connection in the womb of creation.
All creation is formed within the sacred union of sound and light.
Experience a gateway into Song of Sophia teachings, land activations, plant-taught ceremony with Noya Rao (an initiator of World Tree cosmological embodiment), womb-wise shamanic practices, ceremonies of mushroom ancestry, elemental crafting, ritual blessings in waterfalls; and somatic integration.
invoke the druidic tree of wisdom through Noya Rao & the canopy of holy old trees in the balsam and oak forests
THe harvest moon is mushroom foraging season in Appalachia! May the mushrooms of mystery and delight surprise you around every corner. It will be a wild bounty.
an invitation to connect with thousands of monarch butterflies during their fall migration
Merry Mushwomb Overview
the structure
Now: Registration is open
September 1: All payments & forms completed
September 10: Two Hour Call to open the energies and prepare intentionally for medicine weaving
September 28 - October 1: Merry Mushwomb Retreat
October 15: Two Hour Call to seal the energies with arkana and experience of somatic integration
Additional private integration is always available from Julia & the Song of Sophia team trained in shamanic somatics
the prayer
Everything we do in Song of Sophia is reflected into the greater Collective Consciousness and Lived Human Experience. We are a school of Sophianic Souls and druidic ancestors; of animism and of our grandmother's wisdom.
We carry a certain light of the midwife; a frequency of softening and exposure felt around the world. We are the natural webweavers who witness prayers activate integral and transformative change in realtime through a simple being.
May our loving grid be a practice and reflection of sovereignty for all who are interested. May we take as much time as we need to defrost the frozen nerves of a frenzied generation past. May this compassionate caretaking directly influence our entrainment in the world. May we hum like bees; crisping an actualization to behold higher hivemind, rooted into body as a living prayer and into the earth within and around you.
Although Merry Mushwomb is focusing on celebration as medicine, our offering is not just another climatic spiritual experience. We are a 'salt of the earth' lineage. We are tending a special recipe of spirit and body that has been integrating magic and mundane since time immortalle. Although our retreat is a relatively short-time together, we are slow-churning honey into a realization that flows throughout a holistic system - seen and unseen.
our holy medicines
Mushrooms! Holy foraging season! The forests will be full with the magical mushrooms of the season. Eliza and Julia are devoted to wildcrafting, foraging, and their own mushroom projects. They will be bringing medicines near and dear to them.
Chocolate! We will invite Julia's homemade chocolate as a sacrament for celebration during our waterfall baptism.
Wild foods! Soups, stews, cremas, freshly baked sourdoughs! Nourishments of the colorful hearth worlds of the season.
Fresh Spring Water! Be fed by the regional crystals and minerals.
Noya Rao! The great Tree of Light that has been most recently stewarded in form by a few Shipibo families of the Amazon River Basin; yet the frequency of the tree is felt and shared around the World and every culture.
Mapacho & Mugwort! A smoking blend for purifications, clear vision, and connection to the spirit of the Otherworld.
The mountains, streams, and waterfalls! The sacred tree grove! The Full Harvest Moon & Autumnal Sun. The winds, rain, golden leaves, and monarch butterfly migration.
reclamation & activations
Any womb who wishes to remember and reclaim is invited.
meals & lodging
Enjoy Autumnal Eating by our favourite kitchen witch, Mia of WombLoveApothecary! Cardamom squashes, spiced craft teas, and fire-roasted root vegetables!
Lodging and meals will be included in the price of the retreat with a few exceptions: please bring your own snacks and also a "Harvest Offering"
Hot Springs, NC
LODGING COMPONENTS
LOgistics & pricing scales
queen bedroom for single occupancy
a cozy and private bedroom with a view of the forest in the mainhouse; steps from peace and tranquility in the altar room, and next to the main deck to take in the bird's eye view. Shared bathroom with the twin bedroom.
sold out
twin bedroom to share between sisters
Share a gorgeously lit room tucked into the trees; open the windows for an autumn crossbreeze as you dream at night. Desk and shelving for storage; shared bathroom with queen room
sold out
5 spaces in bunk room remaining
The mattresses are supremely cozy! Each bunkroom has a doorway to the outside overlooking a firepit and numerous forest trails. If you wake up early, ascend the spiral staircase to the grand altar room just above for morning tea and solitude. Each bunkroom has a separate bathroom.
sold out
community camping in the sacred grove
camping is sold out
All scholarship spaces and financial supports have already been alloted at this time. Please note. This is not a retreat suited for those in pregnancy or within nursling postpartum. Also this retreat is not suited for children. Thank you.
Transformational Stories
“I count every opportunity I have to work with Eliza and the mushrooms as a sacred and holy one. And also truly just fun and beautiful communion with my favorite beings!”
To work with Eliza and the mushrooms is to be invited into the mycelial web that she holds naturally as keeper of the forest's ancient wisdom and secrets. Mushrooms were some of the very first medicine that Eliza and I worked with when I started with her 4 years ago. Mushrooms have become a sacred ally to me. I call upon them as ancestor and teacher. They create with me, and I sing their songs and speak their poetry. They are artists, networkers, and weavers of the organic grid.
One of the most potent gifts I've received recently working with Eliza and Amanita is rooting even more deeply into my own earth, my own body, which has been hard for me to inhabit for myriad reasons. Now accessing the Earth as an element of my body, the lower half of my temple is allowing me to be more present with TRUST AND TRUTH in my life, to take up more space, to embody my spirituality more deeply, and to ground my nervous system into regulation on a much more consistent basis.
Cherstaria, ceremonial Healing Practitioner
“Everyone needs a Julia Claus!"
"Working with Julia both in 1:1 and through her Women's Circle has been transformative on many levels. She brings a deeply intuitive and grounded energy to any space she steps into. She is a powerful guide and a wise woman. She creates a safe space that has allowed me to release some of my guards and drop in a little deeper. Working with her has been such a beautiful experience!" -Haley F, Herbalist
"From the first session with Julia, I was able to fully drop in and connect with my body on the table, which was a first for me. As time went on I was able to take what we "worked on" outside of our monthly sessions together. I broke up with hormonal birth control 2 years prior and then got diagnosed with PCOS and I was really struggling to relearn and connect with what felt like, my new body and womb - Julia held me in ways I didn't know I could be held and brought me right back to my body and womb. Julia has a profound ability to meet you where you're at and tend to you in the most gentle and powerful way. Anytime I can somehow weave Juila's servicers into conversation, I will because I believe every woman needs this tending to! Everyone needs a Julia Claus! "
- Bella B, Homebirth and Postpartum Doula
Watch Carrie’s Retreat Testimonial Video
all the details
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
FOR YOU TO cover:
NOTES
A few places for financial support are available if you mention it on the application form. This is not a retreat suited for those in pregnancy or within 90-days postpartum. Also this retreat is not suited for children or nurslings. Thank you.
TRAVEL
Our staff will carpool all retreat participants to and from the Retreat Center. On September 28, we will pick you up at Earth Fare in Asheville; and on October 1, we will drop you off at Earth Fare (unless you have made other personal arrangements). Exact timing will be communicated with registration. You do not need a car while at the retreat; but if you decide to camp, it will be nice to have all your gear with you. Space in the carpool is minimal for baggage.
MOUNTAIN LIFE
We immerse in the flora and fauna to help us integrate our ceremonies. Nature is our best support system as we navigate our healing. Therefore, we are staying at a comfortable eco-retreat center that is rooted in a beautiful spiritual energy. There is very limited wifi and phone service. Something to keep in mind is that we do not permit phone access during ceremonies; and for several days, phones will be kept in a separate area. Non-toxic and organic toiletries are required. It is a magical remembrance itself to be immersed into the deep forest with the sounds, smells, and creatures! This means when we are at the retreat center, you'll mostly be ‘off the grid’.
CANCELLATION POLICY
All retreat participants are required to have their own travel insurance to ensure the security of their financial investment. TravelGuard is a good option for most people to include their own trip costs including retreat registration and living expenses, travel, lodging required before and after the retreat. All payments made to Song of Sophia for the retreat are non-refundable and non-transferable - no exceptions.
In case of an unexpected issue or pandemic related travel ban occurring during the retreat, a credit to attend the retreat during a rescheduled date will be issued. Any guest cancellation because of sickness or showing a positive PCR test cannot be refunded fully due to the small and intmate nature of our gatherings.
Be sure to get insurance for your own costs to be covered.
Get in touch
If you have any questions, please email
admin@songofsophiaschool.com
Copyright © 2022 Song Of Sophia * Terms & Conditions • Website Design by Carol Hampshire