Isla Mujeres -the Island of Women- historically has been used for retreat and healing rituals among the Mayan peoples because it powerfully evokes elemental life . . . rich, lush and alive.
On the southern tip of the Island stands an arch . . . an opening in the rocks, a portal, a remnant from an ancient time. This place, sacred to Ixchel, the Mayan Moon Goddess, invites all women to gather here for a time of retreat and replenishment. As we step through her portal, we recommit ourselves to fully enter our beauty-wisdom nature.
On Ixchel's beloved Island, we invite women, each year, to gather together . . . to form a circle, to weave together our stories . . . to become midwives of our dreams and visions.
This beautiful island, Isla Mujeres, encircled by the turquoise Caribbean Sea, will conspire with us . . . breathe with us as we embody our truths, move in us as we find our dance, speak with us as we share our stories. Ixchel herself encourages us to reflect upon and explore new possibilities of connection and joy. Together, we will create a circle of abundance and strength, as we receive Moon stories full of mythic magic.
Storytelling, yoga, movement, water play, guided imagery, and journaling will serve as forms for accessing our psyche's depths. By naming and sharing our gifts in our sacred circle we will be enriched and enlivened, as individuals and as a joyful and potent community of women, committed to healing ourselves, our sisters, and our world.
Ceci McDonnell LISW and Karen Rosenberg, LISW, experienced therapists and guides, are offering two retreats for women in 2006. The February retreat is on Isla Mujeres, Isle of Women, in the Caribbean Sea, historically a place for healing rituals among the Mayan peoples. The March retreat is on the Tulum Beach on the Yucatan coast, near the ancient Mayan sites of Tulum and Coba.
Participants will stay in an intimate, informal hotel on the beach where landscaped trails, tropical gardens with hammocks hidden away and the beauty of the ocean will provide a perfect abode for the retreat. Space is limited.
