Retreats - Seeking Ceremony

A New Year Retreat

This retreat is intended for women, and those who identify as such, to come together and create the story you each want to step into this coming year. We will be engaging in solo, partner, and group rituals, and the entire weekend will be framed as a ceremony. Together, we'll explore the visible and invisible moments connected to the vision we have for our lives, drawing on the power of intention and focusing on what we want the year to feel like, rather than what we want it to look like.

This is a community-based retreat with ample opportunities for participants to offer and share their gifts with the group. Please let us know if you would like to lead, offer, or create space for something during our time away together.

Application Inquiry

Xenia Centre

Xenia Retreat Centre is infused with magic. It's set in a tranquil, natural environment surrounded by acres of forest, pristine lakes, and horses grazing in the meadow.

Xenia is a 38-acre sanctuary in the heart of Bowen Island. As soon as you step onto the grounds, you'll feel rooted in ceremony. There's a 1,000 year old tree, a labyrinth, a meditation room, a sauna, and a gathering place where we'll all come together to learn and grow. There's lots of wildlife and animals on the farm too! Xenia has a long history of hosting ceremony, and we're honoured to welcome you to this sacred place.

Universal Rituals

Megan is a true ceremonialist, committed to ensuring that ceremony and ritual are woven into every aspect of our time together.

From how we introduce ourselves, to how we share meals, to how we spend time together in silence, we will explore ritual ceremony from different lenses and perspectives. Each person will walk away feeling inspired and equipped to create their own ceremonies and flex their ritual muscles. There will also be workshops exploring topics such as grief & gratitude, burnout & self care, and our living legacy and the stories we want to tell.

Story Vision

At the heart of this work is a desire to explore, curate, and step into the stories we want to create for ourselves and those who surround us.

Over the course of the weekend, you'll be guided through storytelling activities that include reflecting and releasing the past, honouring the present moment, and setting intensions for the year to come. Together, we will explore archetypes, symbols, metaphors, and visual representations of the stories we've been told and the stories we want to tell, creating a framework we can all draw from and share as we create community.

Cost

The cost is $850 + GST for this three day retreat, which includes two nights shared accommodation, fully catered vegetarian meals, healthy snacks throughout the day, and special treats. It also includes workshop supplies, ritual tools, gifts to take home, and 1:1 support creating a custom ceremony for a moment or milestone in your life.

*Does not include transportation to and from Bowen Island. If the retreat is cancelled due to Covid, we will reschedule and your payment will be applied to the new date. The deposit is non-refundable in case of cancellation for personal reasons.

Accommodations

Xenia is best described as rustic, cozy, and full of heart. There are 4 private rooms, and the rest are shared cabins. Covid protocols means there will be a limited number of guests per room and proof of vaccination is required. We’ll place people in rooms based on individual needs and requests, and on a first come basis. Read more about the cottages and rooms on the Xenia website. Note there is a sauna, meditation room, labyrinth, and 1,000 year old tree named Opa.

Meals

We’ll have a caterer on site with us all weekend, and she’ll be preparing all of our vegetarian meals, including snacks throughout the day. Each meal will have options that include gluten and dairy free. We’ll have dinner together Day 1 evening, three meals together on Day 2, and breakfast and lunch on Day 3. There will be lots of snacks and treats throughout the weekend. You’re welcome to bring your own alcoholic drinks.

Travel

You’re responsible for getting yourself to and from Bowen Island. You are invited to arrive at Xenia from 3pm onward that Friday, and our welcome orientation begins promptly at 630pm. We suggest you take an earlier ferry so you can settle in and enjoy the grounds before we begin. We’ll be wrapping up on the Sunday around 2pm, and will likely catch the 4pm ferry. We’ll send out details about ferry times and carpooling as the retreat approaches.

Accessibility

We offer two partial scholarships for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, as well subsidies for anyone with financial barriers . We will donate 5% of the proceeds from the retreat to the Legacy of Hope, a Canadian, Indigenous-led charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada since 1998.

We’re committed to making our retreats as accessible as possible, although we are limited to the physical accessibility of our venue and rural setting. If you have questions around accessibility. please let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate your specific needs.

Sharing our gifts

We are fortunate to have so many talented people joining us on our retreat. If you have a gift you would like to share with the group – whether it’s leading us in song, with yoga, on a hike, or in conversation, we invite you to share your gifts so we can celebrate them and learn from each other. Please reach out to find out more about our planned workshops.

Past Retreats

In October 2021, we hosted an End of Life Ceremony Retreat for people working in deathcare. Together, we examined the stories we held in connection to grief, death, and dying, and together started to write a new narrative for how we want to talk about death. Stay tuned for a slideshow and stories from this time together.

In January 2020, we hosted our first Story Visioning Retreat, ringing in the new year in true ceremony style. Here’s a slideshow capturing the magic by Felicia Chang.