Rising Connected
Circle Retreat
Belonging & Blossoming In Sisterhood
A 3 day Nature-based Circle Retreat for Awakening Feminine Leaders
5pm Thurs 30th May ~ 2pm Sunday 2nd June 2019 ~ Scotland
Release the myths of the past, honour your authentic voice and claim your true story of wisdom and wellbeing as a woman.
You have a gift. A unique and beautiful gift of feminine wisdom that is the expression of who you are and that life is calling you to share. It is a call to blossom in your authenticity and wholeness ~ to bring to life the beauty, love and deep wisdom that you carry as a women. It’s a call to ground in your power and ‘rise’ as a feminine leader, to play your unique part in creating a more loving and sustainable world.
And yet, the journey of blossoming doesn’t necessarily feel or look quite like we expected it to ~ courageous, clear, inspired, full of energy, love, creativity … ready to heal the world in a jiffy! It’s not quite that simple is it?
The call to rise and blossom with our feminine voices and share our wisdom and creativity, can be experienced in two very distinct ways:
There are times when we can feel deeply inspired and propelled into action with an open-heart and oodles of creative flow and then, as if out of the blue, we hit a wall of confusion, self-doubt and uncertainty. Fear, shame, grief, anger and other difficult emotions can often start to rise. Our conditioned coping response shuts down the flow and suddenly we feel stuck again. We want change to happen more than ever but the thought of being seen in our authenticity, let alone leading, feels too much.
Sound familiar? Well, you’re in good company!
Whether we consider ourselves to be ‘feminine leaders’ or not, the truth is that following our Soul’s call to blossom really is a beautiful and transformative path of awakening… awakening to your authentic nature, your voice, your gift, your purpose and your sense of true belonging to life.
And yet living into this truth means we’ll inevitably meet the parts of us that need tender, healing attention, so they can be heard and included along the way. This meeting and tending to our own needs for healing and wellbeing at all levels. It’s a natural part of our awakening journey and essential to embracing our unique gifts and our true capacity to support others on their journey.
Anais Nin described, in one sentence, how this awakening experience can feel for so many of us. She said: “And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom“.
The inner call to lead, is the Soul’s call to blossom, to open, to be vulnerable enough to be seen in the authentic expression of our truth and wisdom.
This birthing of our Soulful gifts of feminine leadership is a tender process. Just like the bud coming into blossom, we need the environmental conditions that will help us to honour and embrace the parts of us that surface for healing, as we open to our inherent wholeness, our Sacredness and our sense of true belonging to life.
That’s where ‘The Power Of Circle’ comes in. Because we can re-create those conditions in Circle together. We can co-create a Sacred Space to welcome and witness the collective stories of ‘wounding’ that we have been carrying and enable our collective, loving presence and wisdom to transcend them.
Experience the Power of Circle
for Personal and Collective Healing
This 3~ day nature-based Circle retreat, lead by Joey Walters, is a unique chance to be held in a safe container of warmth, wisdom and inspiration whilst you hit the pause button in your life and make space to explore what is ‘rising’ for you, on this inner journey of transformation.
True blossoming in Sisterhood means we are not just invited to witness and welcome one another’s wisdom and light, but to ‘hold space’ for healing the personal and intergenerational ‘wounds’ and ‘myths’ that have reinforced our sense of feminine disconnection and powerlessness over hundreds of years.
In this unique Circle experience, we slow right down to recognise and work with the personal and collective needs of the Circle. With Joey’s guidance, we co-create a Sacredly held space to gently reveal and bring loving compassion to the unspoken personal and collective stories of ‘unworthiness’ that have been dumbing us and dividing us for generations. Presencing and working with this ‘collective holding presence’ has a healing power beyond words.
Whether you’re feeling called to step up to lead a new heart-led vision of change that you’re passionate about, or seeking a more nurturing, authentic and sustainable way to bring your unique voice and wisdom into the world… or perhaps you just know you need a safe space to go deeper into your own healing journey and have a new experience of authenticity and ‘holding’ in Circle with other women…
…this 3 day heart-immersion in an intimate Circle will help you to:
- Trust the feminine wisdom that is rising in you ~ have the courage to be ‘seen’ in your vulnerable power and express your authentic voice.
- Bring awareness, self-love and courage to the ‘inner journey’ of transformation that you’re on, so you can show up more authentically and visibly in whatever context you are leading.
- Understand the systemic impact of intergenerational and collective ‘wounds’ that surface for healing and discover more powerful levels of resourcing from yourself, from ‘life’ and from the Circle.
- Witness and surrender the collective ‘feminine shadows’ that keep many women feeling disconnected, powerless and alone. (E.g. shame, comparison, competition, over-care, unworthiness).
- Deepen trust and intimacy within a collaborative community of heart-inspired women, supporting one another in Rising Connected.
Living ‘The Circle Of 8 Agreements’
Our 3 days together will be a deep dive into a powerful field of connection, wisdom and inspiration. The foundation for our journey together is ‘The 8 Circle Agreements’ which support us in creating a safe, sacred and transformative container for our time together. This is underpinned by a Circular Map called The Wisdom Circle with Circle principles that represent wholeness.
With these principles and the Circle of 8 Agreements as our foundation, and honouring the diversity of each woman’s personal experience, we’ll draw on the collective wisdom and healing power of the Circle to release the outworn stories of ‘separation’ we have been carrying and embrace the true stories of our belonging to life.
We’ll tend to our personal and collective process using open space sharing, small groups, systemic constellations, embodied movement, reflection time in nature, creative ritual and time around the fire. We’ll also be weaving in meditation and awareness practices, as well as morning yoga with Joany McGuire. Our shared journey will culminate in a powerful honouring Ceremony together.
Depending on the issues that emerges in the Circle, we’re likely to touch themes relevant to many women on this ‘rising’ journey, such as:
- Surrendering the ‘inner patriarchy’ ~ Understanding the internal feminine ‘wounding’ and the myths we perpetuate about our value and role as women.
- Leading from wholeness ~ Reclaiming our feminine wisdom and integrating with our ‘healthy masculine’.
- Weaving the Dual Path ~ The interplay of the inner and outer paths of leadership ~ how to navigate both in order to embrace our power.
- The Circle of 8 Agreements ~ Deepening recognition of what creates a safe ‘container’ for women to develop (or rebuild) trust, intimacy and collective healing.
- Restoring ‘The Earth Lodge’ ~ Our role in ‘holding space’ for feminine awakening and embracing both light and shadow to nurture wholeness.
An Intimate Immersion In Nature
And Circle Wisdom
The retreat will be an intimate 3-day immersion in Circle Wisdom for a maximum of 9 women.
We have deliberately capped the numbers, in order to foster intimacy and depth and to give as much individual attention to each woman’s unfolding needs as we can.
This Circle Retreat is for women who feel inspired to foster transformation in some way (big or small), bringing the balance of feminine wisdom and values into their businesses, organisations, communities and families. This includes coaches, entrepreneurs, therapists, business and team leaders, artists, healers and other culture/social change leaders who are playing their part in co-creating a sustainable future for our world.
Each woman will be given individual attention and opportunities to experience being deeply held by the Circle as well as returning her gift of ‘holding space’ for others.
Experience in leadership or ‘holding space’ isn’t needed. What matters most is that you are inspired to bring your unique voice and wisdom forward and that you are open to exploring your own experience more deeply alongside other women.
You’ll benefit greatly if some of the following ring true:
- You’re feeling called to step into the next expression of your potential and lead from your authentic heart, voice and wisdom, (Because you know there’s a more feminine way).
- You’re in an important transition (with your work and life) that can feel overwhelming at times and you need nurturing space for inner guidance, inspiration and feminine mentoring on your journey of transformation.
- You feel ‘isolated’ on your path as a change leader and need connection, collaboration, inspiration and support from other like-minded women in an community that has authenticity, integrity and feminine principles at its heart.
- You love ‘Women’s Circles’ (or the idea of them) but want to release some of the unspoken feelings of shame, comparison and competition that have, in the past, caused pain and impaired authentic connection.
- You want to experience being in a safe, Sacredly held and intimate Circle of women to strengthen your own healing path, experience our collective healing potential and understand more about what holding space (particularly in Circle) really means.
N.B. This may not be the best resource for you now, if you are suffering from extreme anxiety or depression, if you are any medication or if you are completely new to personal/inner development work.
If you have any questions about whether this is right for you please feel free to contact joey at joey@awakeningfeminineleaders.com
Spring Retreat Dates: 30th May ~ 2nd June, 2019
Arrive/register 5pm registration, 6pm Dinner – Thursday 30th May
Circle Begins 7pm – Thursday 30th May
Completion 2pm – Sunday 2nd June (lunch included at 1pm).
Online Introduction & Integration Circles
We’ll meet online to introduce ourselves prior to the retreat which will support our gentle preparations and intention setting for our time together. We’ll also meet online once after our time together to support our integration. (Replays will be available for those unable to participate). Online Circles dates are:
Introduction Circle: 6-8pm BST Thursday 23rd May, 2019.
Integration Circle: Tbc late June.
Welcome to the beautiful Cherry Tree Lodge
We’ll be gathering at the beautiful, intimate, nature-based retreat, Cherry Tree Lodge, in Saline, Central Scotland. This is a peaceful, beautiful home set in rich countryside and stunning gardens, run by two lovely men who will be caring for us during our time. We have exclusive occupancy.
The quality of food, accommodation and care is truly excellent!
All meals are delicious and nutritious vegetarian fare. Gluten free and allergies are catered for.
Registration & Payment Options
This programme is capped for an intimate Circle of 9 women only (participants).
(We do our best to make this as affordable as possible but must also cover higher costs than usual due to capped numbers and exclusive use of the space.)
We invite you to choose a payment from or between the range below. Please feel into your heart to see what feels right for you and trust that. (If you have questions about this please contact Joey).
Minimum of £550 inc VAT
Maximum of £750 inc VAT
On booking we ask for a minimum deposit of £250 to be paid to Cherry Tree Lodge.
Final payment is due no later than 3 weeks prior to the retreat.
Prices include exclusive use of the venue, a high standard of shared twin accommodation for the nights of Thursday to Saturday, all meals inc Sunday lunch and all firewood. (All meals are nutritious vegetarian meals).
Additional B&B nights can be booked directly with Cherry Tree Lodge, subject to availability.
To make your initial reservation for Rising Connected, please
contact Joey Walters at joey@awakeningfeminineleaders.com
“Joey’s ability to create a safe container to deeply hold space is beyond words. I experienced a deeply transformative weekend in circle with her at the Rising Connected retreat at Cherry Tree Lodge in June 2018. Joey has an amazing ability to command a solid, secure framework within the circle, while at the same time gently softening into kindness, compassion and love, always. With this beautifully created safe environment, dropping into deeper parts of my more vulnerable self became open to me in ways that I had never experienced before. I felt profoundly held and had a deeply healing experience during that time.”
From A Rising Connected (2018) Retreat Participant.
To make your initial reservation for Rising Connected, please
contact Joey Walters at joey@awakeningfeminineleaders.com
An invitation from Joey
For the last 15 years or more I have been working with amazing women in different walks of life as a coach and mentor for their journey of feminine leadership. Alongside, I have been on my own journey, growing a profound passion for understanding the inner process of awakening and transformation that takes place when we commit to finding wholeness and stepping into our leadership calling. I have been deeply inspired by the the Circles I have been a part of and led over many years and have a profound passion for the restoration of Women’s Circles as an essential foundation for collective healing, feminine awakening and integrated leadership.
In October 2017, I gave a TEDx Talk at Findhorn which I called ‘Rising Connected ~ giving women the courage to lead’. Since then my understanding of how profoundly important it is for women to come together to heal the collective wounds of our past and rediscover the power of collective feminine wisdom, has multiplied. I am now more inspired than ever to find a way to
build real community amongst women who have deep integrity, who recognise that now is the time for us to lead… and who are committed to discovering how to do that from a place of self-love and respect for life and for one another.
I hope you can join me and a warm, intimate, inspiring Circle of women for the next ‘Rising Connected’ retreat in Scotland.
Together we’ll unravel what it means to belong and blossom in Sisterhood.
With love!
