Sacred Women Retreat — Vézelay, France
In the late spring, from 2-7 ofJune — we will gather for our annual Sacred Women’s Retreat in “Le Moulin de Merle”, close to Vézelay, a place steeped in mystery and devotion. A mystical place known as one of the ancient pathways of the Camino de Santiago and deeply connected to the lineage of Mary Magdalene.
In this powerful landscape of rolling hills, wild forests, and flowing rivers, we will rejoice together, in each other’s company, to explore the mysteries of the sacred feminine — her cycles of descent and return, her wisdom of embodiment, devotion, and awakening.
Together, we will remember the teachings that live in the body, in the Earth, and in the silence between words.
This next retreat is a co-creative journey - one that begins now, in the dreaming time. This annal retreat has become a ressource for many women over the last 6 years, a place to regenerate, rest, undo, relax, unplug and fill up your cup with sisterhood, womb yoga & feminine embodiment practices, nature rituals, cacao ceremonies, mantra & sharing circles, self-care practices, art therapy, and most of all a remembrance of our deep interconnectedness with Mother Nature.
We as women as a loving & supporting forest, nourishing & mothering each other, with unconditional love and authenticity and the absence of judgment. And once a year, we meet to strengthen our bonds and roots, laugh, cry, share, create and ‘be’ together on a sacred land.
This year our Sacred Women retreat will unfold at the Moulin de Merle, a beautifully restored watermill nestled in the lush, green heart of Burgundy. The land itself feels alive, pure and untouched - the rushing river around the mill, spacious lands with trees, hidden green corners for quiet reflection -the steady murmur of water reminding us of life’s continuous flow.
We can enjoy our yoga practice outside next to the river, eat our breakfast on the old porch of this magical watermill, enjoy romantic rooms who take us back to the 18th century, and leave the hustle and bustle of our modern life behind.
This place invites us to slow down, and drop back in rhythm dictated by the songs of the birds who wake us up, the gentle arriving in a day without rushing, feminine embodiment practices, walking meditation, qi qong, cacao circles, yin &yoga nidra, journalling or simply watching the river and trees. It’s exactly in the non-doing that we come back home to ourselves and something greater. And we feel alive and connected again.
Le Moulin de Merle is a place that welcomes both stillness and celebration, retreat and renewal - the perfect sanctuary to gather, remember, and reawaken the sacred feminine together.
The Moulin is located at 23km from Vézelay, and was originally the 1st pilgrims stop after Vézelay. It’s many rooms hosted tired pilgrims after their 1st day of walking from the Basilica Marie Madeleine de Vézelay towards Santiago. The Moulin is a sanctuary of stillness and feels like a pilgrims place.
Vézelay hosts the UNESCO heritage Mary Magdalene Cathedral, a spiritually alive little hilltop village, ancient cobble stone streets walked by 1000’s of pilgrims. As you climb up to the Cathedral you feel yourself being carried towards the luminous Basilica and it’s rose garden. The most powerful part of the Basilica is for me personally the underground crypt where relics of Mary Magdalene are being preserved. The womb of the church where you can feel her spiralling heartbeat. A space that feels for me like a vortex of love which awakens a remembrance of the Divine Feminine mysteries.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Staying in the Moulin de Merle is an unforgettable experience, as the old Villa emanates comfort and old French luxury, embedded in nature. The Villa has 9 rooms, elegant, authentic with high ceilings and floral wallpapers. There is the possibility to have a private room, or share a room with 1 or more women.
Every room has it’s own unique fragrence and magic- a sense of forgotten times, beauty and calmness. We will have the entire the Moulin for ourselves, including a living room, yoga space and fully equipped kitchen. Outside we can enjoy the river, a swimming pond, a fire place, and forest walks all around us.
Here below you can find the different room options plus the according price for the entire retreat:
Private room (limited): 1100€
Shared room with two: 970€
Dormitory (Shared with four): 950€
This price includes your stay during 5 nights, 3 delicious home cooked vegetarian meals a day, fruit, snacks, teas, as well as the teaching program. (vegan/gluten-free is optional)
At the moment we have only 3-4 spaces left!!!
In the company of women, it’s easier for each of us to remember our own truth. We remember that our lives depend on our capacity to drop all facades and pretenses. We remember the bliss of just accepting that we are here to be ourselves. And we remember, together, that the most powerful place for us to be, even if it’s sometimes terrifying, is fully in our body, so that we can move with the vulnerability and compassion of a broken-open heart.
― Meggan Watterson, Mary Magdalene Revealed.
