7-day transformative sensing and creative retreat in the magical nature of Istria, Slovenia
Opening to the Authentic Song of Your Soul
When:
June, 2020
Location:
Slovenia, in a remote valley of genuine nature in Istria, near town Koper
Facilitated by Romana Ercegović, Ph.D. and John McCurdy
Co-hosts: Mateja Ribarič and Darja Hrovatič
How does it feel when you take time to hear the true voice of you, when you discover the genuine expression of your Soul? When you open yourself to the more of you, to the yet unknown senses, when you allow yourself to dive in the undiscovered depths, through the layers of forgetfulness into the beauty and mystery of your own Soul? When you expand beyond the mass consciousness, beyond concepts of mind, beyond everything you were taught to be true, beyond any spiritual teachings… and discover the unique poetry and wisdom of you, expression of your own mastery?
In this 7-day retreat we will be connecting with our Soul at a very deep level. Through the interweaving of inner and outer landscapes we will be exploring our senses and new magical dimensions of ourselves. The elements of sensuality and playfulness, vision and the dream, will lead us through the experience, which is based on two main principles: Firstly, the principle of feeling within and secondly, the principle of embodying these inner qualities through creative expression (sacred theater, voice, movement, poetry).
The retreat is set in the magical wilderness of Slovenia, providing us with a nurturing space disconnected from the noise and gravity of everyday life. Connecting to nature is an important part of this experience, as it helps us to connect with our own nature as well as open up to our senses – both the physical and the subtle / multidimensional ones.
Our approach to creativity of sacred theater
Creativity, as we understand it, is the experience of connecting with our inherent creative flow, so that we become aware of our unique qualities and gifts that are waiting to be shared with the world and also expressed in everyday life.
We will be using tools such as inner journeys, channelling, silence, imagination, and connection to nature. These tools create space for feeling the subtle, deeper layers of our being. We will then use creative tools such as sacred ritual theater, storytelling, dance/movement and the voice to allow the authentic, natural expression and embodiment our essence in whatever form it wants to be expressed through us.
This retreat is inspired by the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece (devoted to the earth goddess Demetra), where theater was used as a tool for the inner experience of divinity and the sacredness of Life.
In our retreat, we will create a safe, relaxed space where each participant feels free to explore his/her inner archetypal world. Much of the process is based on connecting with other participants in an authentic way and exploring our own creativity in the moment. It’s about inviting more of ourselves to be present; about discovering forgotten, hidden, suppressed parts of ourselves, also those that are called “dark”, as they rise to the surface to be integrated.
You will discover the stories that are waiting to be told through you, become aware of any feelings that want to be heard and expressed. You will then be guided to find your own way to express
the emotion/archetype/experience/story (through story-telling, voice, movement, poetry, music, creation of ceremony…).
Channeling
Romana and John also use channeling as a form of sacred theater, and as a way of giving voice to the wisdom and deeper layers of Soul and Consciousness, as well as to the archetypal Sacred Feminine and Masculine and sometimes certain ascended masters.
It is important to understand that ascended masters are no longer here as our teachers, but as co-creators, friends, who are assisting us in opening to and claiming our own divinity. This retreat is a place for us to experience and share our own wisdom and our tears of release and joy, in a sacred circle of sovereign co-masters, exploring the depths of our mastery together.
For whom the workshop is intended:
This profoundly transformative retreat is ideal for those conscious women and men who have a sincere willingness to dive deeper within their Soul, who have a desire to experience creativity and imagination, and long to spend time in the silent magic of the natural world, out of the comfort zone. This can also be an opportunity for those, who don’t feel comfortable in creatively expressing themselves in front of others (whether speaking, singing, or dancing) to surprise themselves, and to discover how naturally we can let go of our limitations with a some gentle guidance; how natural it can happen when we feel fully accepted, supported and respected by ourselves and others. This experience is also a unique opportunity for blending your enlightenment journey with creative expression.
Activities include:
– Deep inner experiences, channeling, using the imagination; sensing of subtle energies
– Creative experiences through ceremonies, acting, storytelling, dance/movement and the voice
– Interactive experiences
– Connecting to the nature and sensing its many layers
– Gentle body exercises for grounding, sensually connecting with the body and enjoying
– Listening to the silence, moments of solitude
– Observing the sunrise, lying in the grass or by a fire and watching the stars…
– Experiencing and enjoying freedom
(As additional activity there will also be an option to help with practical work such as preparation of food, making the evening fire, etc.)
TESTIMONIALS (from participants of the retreat in 2016, 2017 and 2018)
» This week by the river Dragonja was one of the most beautiful weeks in my life and for sure the most magical and transformative one… With facilitator’s intuitive guidance and holding the space all the happenings somehow magically fell together into the bigger whole and I’ve returned home different than I came there. A huge inner 
breakthrough happened for me: Insights that I’ve been familiar with in my life, have now become alive in my life. I’ve been able to really experience them for real, taste them, see them, and embody them. Each of participants was unique but we managed to live through the experience together, united in harmony. Romana’s subtle leading, openness and acceptance provided freedom and safety to each one of us. From all the differences there came the unique matrix of interrelated balance. We gifted each other with our insights, acceptance and support. I’ve realized that I’ve seen the world through black-white glasses and only now was able to put them down and see all the colours, nuances, gems and sparkling lights. It was a kind of awakening from a half-asleep state into the fullness of life. Coming back into my everyday life, I’ve realized that I can live this magic each and every moment and right here and right now. The days by Dragonja river enriched my life as the most profound and beautiful moment in time and gave me the real-life experience I could not have received through any book, lecture or talk about personal growth.
~ Lea Prezelj
“For me this retreat is about creating space for the voice of our authentic feminine self, and about allowing this essence to flow through us freely; in other words, about embodying the feminine facet of our divinity.”
Kim Seppälä
“I’ve realized, how rich our life is when lived from our depths.”
Andreja C.
“Since I came home from this retreat, I am returning back, almost every day, (for few minutes) with my consciousness to the point where the door of my heart has opened again for real love. This point helps me a lot to increase frequencies of the flow divine energy through my bodies.”
E. J.
“When I decided to attend the workshop, I didn’t really imagine what actually we would be doing there. But what has unfolded far exceeded my expectations. I have to say, it touched the depth of my soul and it triggered big shifts and awakening within me. Pure perfection that is possible only when a co-creation with the higher source, with the Universe itself, is taking place. I am grateful for such intuitive facilitation and guidance. I could feel the whole nature and universe supporting Romana’s beautiful and pure intention which she used for creating this workshop. The soul-support that I received from my fellow sister-participants was so authentic, far removed from the masks of ‘who we are on outside’. The whole process was thus much lighter and faster. Of course, each of us needs to be willing to go through our own process and ready to step out of our own boxes, to allow and let go, and be fully present in the moment. In that way the creative part of us reveals itself.”
~ Mojca Krivec
Words by Lea Petrič:
Practical Information:
Accommodation will be sleeping in tents under the stars.
The location is 40-min. walking distance to the nearest village, and is without electricity, wi-fi, or running water; washing takes place in the pools of the stream.
PRICE:
360 EUR (for participants from Slovenia, Eastern Europe…)
500 EUR (for participants from Western Europe, USA)
Additional cost for all: 110 EUR for 7 days of delicious vegetarian meals.
Camping is free.
This retreat is limited to small group, max. 10 participants, so all will have an opportunity of individual approach and expression.
WHAT YOU NEED:
A tent, flashlight, sleeping bag (also for colder nights), yoga mat (soft one for sleeping and for exercises), notebook, pencil. (you will receive a reminder and detailed information a week before arrival)
Weather can be very hot, but nights are cold, so please have light clothes and also some warm ones.
CONTACT
Contact for applications and if you have any questions about the workshop: [email protected]
Please note that this experience is for those who take full responsibility of themselves, their lives and spending time in the wild nature.
This is how our village will look like:
OUR TEAM:
Romana Ercegović, Ph.D. is an explorer and creator of new ways of conscious soulful theater art – an author, playwright, performer, theatre director, facilitator of transformative creative retreats, poet, author of children’s literature, puppet performances, mother… Romana chose an independent artistic path and follows her vision of theatre, which awakens the perception of beauty, magic, pure joy of life, honors the balance of the feminine and the masculine, as well as the connection to Nature. »My dream… creating a theater’s and other experiences, where by revealing our vulnerability the light is being born …. creating safe sacred space where we are free to feel deep inside, to embody the subtle, pure, authentic essence of who we are, the invisible depths of vastness of human soul.”
As a playwright and director of her theater performances, she re-evaluates and re-dignifies the role of ancient feminine myths and as a performer she embodies different qualities and archetypes from various cultures (such as Mary Magdalene, White Buffalo Woman, Persephone, Demetra, Hecate…). She has traveled to many temples around the world and is deeply connected to the mysteries of the sacred feminine. Her book “The Sacred Ritual Theater: from Matriarchal Mysteries of Europe to awakening of Sacredness in the Theater of Our Time” was published in 2018 in Slovenian Theater Institute (the book is in Slovene language). In this retreat she will be facilitating the participants through the initiatory process of opening, releasing the veils of forgetfulness and entering the inner sacred chamber, the natural state of our sublime divine essence.
In 2018 Romana joined her love, her work and her passion for Soulful life with her partner and beloved husband John McCurdy, in a co-creation of two sovereign creators.
More about Romana
John McCurdy is a passionate explorer of life, and a hopeless romantic. He spent most of his life in America, searching passionately for love and salvation. Along the way he learned there wasn’t anything he needed to be saved from, and then he began to discover the Divine Love that can only be found in the depths of one’s own soul.
In 2018 John’s soul came to him in the form of the archetypal Sacred Feminine. She began to show him many things about the true nature of life, and she asked him to attend and let her speak through him at a retreat he had been invited to in Greece. That was where he began his public channeling, and also where he met the love of his life, Romana Ercegović.
John and Romana were married two months later, and now he is enjoying an entirely new life with Romana and her son at their home in Slovenia. Now John spends his time exploring and celebrating life through the eyes of his soul (except when he forgets!), which is a very different experience from life as just a human. He continues to channel the wisdom of his soul for others, and he has discovered that he is still a hopeless romantic!
“Why do men avoid feeling? Because in allowing himself to feel, a man risks exposing his most precious and sacred treasure: his own Sacred Feminine facet. He hid her away long ago, even from himself, to protect her. He cannot, at any cost, allow her to be found and to become vulnerable, even though she is what he wants, and longs for, more than anything else. It is time to let her come home.“— John McCurdy
Mateja Ribarič is a historian, curator at Slovenian School Museum, a world traveler in the lands of ancient culture’s wisdom and as well traveler of the inner landscapes. She has been co-creating and supporting the creations of Soul of the Earth Ritual Theater for many years. In this workshop she will be supporting the program and taking care of the divine preparation of the food.
Darja Hrovatič is an explorer of freedom and creativity of life. She is a certificate teacher of Cultural Bodywork, a combination of three different cultures: Hawaiian, Maori and Aboriginal. It is based on the traditional Hawaiian healing method in which the therapist moves all the time around the table with the steps and movements like dancing. In this workshop Darja will be preparing the space, taking care of water, helping with meals and take care of other things that will help us all to feel comfortable.
“For me sacred theater is a tool for becoming conscious of sacredness of ourselves, the nature and life itself.”
Romana Ercegović
