Source,, Soul & Bodymind
Initiate, Unify, and Integrate your true Self
16th - 22nd September 2024
@Glastonbury, UK
Welcome to a unique and powerful journey of self-discovery and transformation.
This 7-day shamanic retreat allows you to explore the depths of your being through an alchemical blend of ancient wisdom and modern techniques.
This experience has been created to help you reconnect with your essence, purpose and body wisdom. I will lead this journey with Graham Gough as my Support Facilitator - Graham has many years of experience working with Soul Medicine - and a team of highly experienced assistants and Shamanic Breathwork Facilitators.
At the beating heart of this transformative retreat is a potent alchemy of three Shamanic modalities:
Breathwork, Aspecting, and a 3-Ring Constellation Map.
These practices work in harmony to unite the parts of us.
Source, Soul, and Bodymind.
Understanding the Human Experience
The art of being human is often a mystery that we're rarely taught. We explore a triadic structure: the source at our core, the soul as a subtle etheric form, and the bodymind encompassing our physical form, personality, and consciousness.
This journey provides a space to explore these aspects of self, uncovering how they interact and influence our lives. We will examine where they empower us and where a lack of integration holds us back.
The structure is a model for exploring the reality of the human experience.
Our approach is inclusive and respectful of all belief systems, focusing on personal growth and self-understanding.
Our Core Practices
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Shamanic Breathwork: A powerful technique to connect with your essence, reclaim lost aspects of self, and release stored emotions and energy
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Aspecting: A holistic and embodied multidimensional dialogue process that engages body, mind, and spirit to integrate different aspects of self and resolve inner conflicts
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3 Rings Constellation Map: A physical journey through the layers of self, fostering greater self-understanding, appreciation and integration
What You Will Receive From This Journey
• Explore, clear and integrate the relationship within yourself of the source, soul and bodymind parts
• Learn about, practice, and experience three forms of rituals/ceremonies:
Shamanic Breathwork, Aspecting and 3-Ring Constellations
• Create Mandala Art for Journey Processing & Integration
• Sharing Circles & Small Group Processing
This Journey is created with love and care, inviting you to a safer space to feel and transform. It is also a brave space that invites you to tap into your courage and intention to meet all that may arise.
The Nature of Self: A Holistic Perspective
Who or What am I?
We view the self as a sacred union of three aspects:
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Source - Our connection to the divine or universal consciousness
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Soul - The ‘perhaps’ eternal, transpersonal aspect of our being
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Bodymind - Our physical form, including mind, personality, and ego
In a healthy system, all of these parts would be connected, cooperative, and integrated, allowing us to choose how we live and what to do with our precious lives. Sadly, often, this is not the case. It is common for these parts of us to be disconnected, in opposition or conflict, leading to a life where we feel lost, confused, lacking purpose, on the wrong track, unable to belong here, or, at times, even empty inside. This journey is not an intellectual experience to analyse and understand the reasons behind the disconnect or conflict; it is an embodied, energetic, etheric, multidimensional exploration deep into our inner worlds and outer consciousness.
This journey is designed to help you:
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Connect more deeply with your spiritual essence
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Align your soul purpose with your everyday life
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Integrate all aspects of yourself for greater harmony and fulfilment
The 7-Day Transformative Experience
This journey is designed to support your capacity to bring into your everyday life the parts of you that are Source, so that you can remain connected to this energy. This journey is calling in soul retrieval, connecting our soul purpose to the human animal and ego personality and finding a way for both to be heard, valued, and prioritised in your life.
Our struggles in life often arise from fractures in these key relationships, which result from conflict between or domination by one or more parts of us carrying more power or influence than the others. This process is an opportunity and space to heal those wounds and reconnect the parts that have often become disconnected from or are operating in opposition to the other aspects.
Questions We Will Explore Together
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How can I better connect my spiritual self with my everyday life?
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How can I honour all aspects of myself - spiritual, emotional, and physical?
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How can I resolve conflicts between different parts of myself?
Is This Journey For You?
If some of these statements resonate, this journey may be for you:
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I feel disconnected from my essence or higher purpose
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I struggle to balance my spiritual needs with my physical and emotional needs
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I sense an inner conflict between different aspects of myself
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I feel out of place in my body or the world
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I find it challenging to integrate spiritual experiences into my daily life
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I hear the soft voice of my soul purpose, but I don’t know how to listen or understand what it is saying to me
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I love to enter into trance states and multidimensional journeying, yet at times I feel like I do not want to return to the body and everyday life realities
About your Facilitator
ELAINE YONGE
My journey has involved a lifelong fascination with and inquiry into awareness, purpose, the human condition, love, sexuality, spiritual connection, soul wisdom, expansion, learning, unlearning, meditation, physiology, health, disease, and exploring aliveness, death, and grief. This week-long is an alchemy of 3 powerful modalities that transformed my life. Since then, I have supported groups and individuals in harnessing and transforming themselves and their reality with the magic and the somatics of Breathwork, Aspecting, and Constellations.
For over 10 years, I have been working with groups and individuals to create integrated journeys that support the intention of the retreat spaces I offer. I draw from different lineages and modalities, including Tantric and Shamanic practices, Somatic Sexology, Sexological Bodywork and Shamanic Breathwork. I am a group facilitator, educator, coach, guide, and energy/bodyworker in the transformational field. I work with embodied healing, consciousness, soul medicine, Shamanic Breathwork, sacred sexuality, and somatic sexology.
Support Facilitator for this Journey
GRAHAM GOUGH
I lead from my core, supporting others to let go of resistance to what is and embrace their true self. I marry intuitive wisdom, esoteric knowledge, life force, and somatic awareness to help others embody their soul.
I’m a 2019 graduate of Highden Mystery School, New Zealand. I have returned to support further initiations in-person and online. In September 2022, I will once again co-facilitate a version of the same training at Nikkila Temple, Finland.I also hold a leadership role for the mysteries of the soul in the online Avatara community, which explores the inner and outer reaches of the human experience.
With eight years of spiritual practice and training, I combine sexological bodywork, shamanism, and aspects of psychotherapy. Inspired by the work of Metzner and Grof, I am currently training as a psychedelic therapist. I am always looking to break new ground with trust, depth, care, and love as the foundations of anything I offer.
Our Venue 'Earth Spirit'
Just five miles from Glastonbury UK, situated in a beautiful landscape between two nature reserves, lies EarthSpirit within the 'temenos', the sacred enclosure of Avalon. Earth Spirit is build in seventeenth century farm buildings that have been restored and specially converted for use as a venue. They are set within seven acres of fields and gardens.
The complex is based around a converted long barn with oak timbers, reed torching and stone walls. The feeling is medieval, but with modern comforts such as under-floor heating and a large woodstove. The high roof and skylights create a light, airy atmosphere.
Accommodation
Accommodation is in shared bedrooms. There is also a very limited amount of single bedrooms and double rooms for couples at an additional charge. (Please mention this in your application form).
The experienced chefs take pride in creating delicious, healthy meals. Where possible organic- and always locally-sourced, to prepare nutritious, vegan and vegetarian dishes. They are happy to accommodate your needs in case of allergies or intolerances. (Please inform us of any special dietary requirements in your application form).
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Who may benefit from this Journey?The Pleasure Journey welcomes individuals, couples and triads of all genders, sexual orientations and relationship statuses. · You have a desire for more Pleasure in your life. · You may find it difficult or impossible to experience Pleasure without some external stimulus, another person, toys or imagery. · You may be missing Pleasure in certain parts of your life. For example; your mind may be a place with plenty of Pleasure, but you may be lacking it in your body or vice versa. · You are aware of addictive patterns around how you experience Pleasure. · You have a sense that you do not allow yourself to experience Pleasure. · You have a sense that there is more Pleasure possible. · You have access to a good level of Pleasure, but you want to experience the maximum Pleasure possible for yourself in this life, in this body. · You are afraid of Pleasure, or you feel guilty about experiencing Pleasure. · You may be skilled at supporting others to experience Pleasure but struggle to allow yourself to receive Pleasure fully. · You are a curious adventurer. · You have a pattern of putting the needs of others above your own needs. · You may have healed and moved on from many of your life challenges and you are no longer in pain or suffering, but you sense that you are still disconnected on some level from your full Pleasure capacity. Expansive, ecstatic bliss remains elusive for you. · You are trapped in pain or suffering and learning to experience Pleasure could be healing for you. · You LOVE newer, different subtleties of Pleasure. · You are keen to be part of a group process. · You are comfortable with - or open to exploring spaces where there may be loud music, voices and expressions, sensitive and powerful emotional shares, possible nudity and sexual expression in a group space. · You are open to sharing experiences with others as part of this Journey if that feels right for you. However, you clearly understand the purpose and that connection with others is not the primary focus of this Journey. · You are comfortable with - or are open to exploring a group space that is sex-positive, body positive, welcomes vulnerable shares and gives permission for the expression of emotions.
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What will the Journey involve?There will be group sessions in the morning, afternoon and most evenings. The offerings will include small groups, larger sharing circles, a series of written and verbal inquiries to track your patterns, a few educational sessions, movement and dancing, individual and group rituals and meditations. The traditions and practices draw from some modern-day specialities like sexological bodywork, conscious communication and consent. Alongside this, we will explore some ancient wise temple arts, including Tantra, Meditation and Shamanism.
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Why should I attend and what might I gain?· At the end of this Journey, based on the experience of many beings that went before you, your idea of - and relationship to Pleasure - as well as your capacity to experience Pleasure, will be clearer, deeper, wider, reformed and/or reconnected. · The week will invite you to expand your current pleasure limit or pleasure ceiling. · The offerings will support you in learning how to develop your capacity to hold more Pleasure in all its forms and to do this for a longer time. · You will have gained skills to reconnect to Pleasure when you move away from Pleasure, when something external in life takes you out of it, when you forget, when you shut down or feel fear. · Our desire for you at the end of this journey is that you take this new reality back into your everyday life, with a more profound reference point in your being and body as to what Pleasure is for you. · You will understand and appreciate how crucial Pleasure is to your well-being, and therefore you will give it attention and priority. · You will be more aware of - and may shift entirely - some of your barriers to Pleasure that have limited you in the past. You may discover new pleasures you didn't know you were missing in your life. · You will be more confident in understanding and speaking out your boundaries, and therefore, you will be more willing to welcome and allow Pleasure to arise.
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What experience is this Journey offering me?An opportunity to fully immerse yourself and be held and guided in a strong, consensual, brave container for 7 days. This container is created with love and care at its core, inviting you to a safer space to feel and transform. This is also a brave space, one that invites to tap into your courage and intention to meet all that may arise. There will be an invitation to explore many different forms and intensities of Pleasure so that your mind, body and soul can reset, rewire, learn or relearn what Pleasure is for you and how it feels. In this Journey, your relationship to Pleasure will be explored, questioned and challenged to call in a reset for an expanded capacity on a neurological, cellular, somatic and subconscious level. This week is intended to support you in increasing your personal pleasure limit or pleasure ceiling. We all have a limit or ceiling, whether we are aware of it or not. The limit is the amount of Pleasure we feel safe to open, receive, hold in our bodies and or we may believe we deserve.
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Why do I need to learn about Pleasure? Why does it not come naturally to me?We are born with a wonderfully natural sense of innocence and Pleasure. For many of us, sadly, the experiences we have in life move us away from Pleasure. We may judge Pleasure as wrong, we may be afraid of Pleasure, we may fear, or we may have experienced others judging or disapproving of us when we express Pleasure. Often religion, our family or our culture has imprinted a belief that Pleasure is somehow selfish, indulgent or perhaps even sinful. Many of us have been punished or shamed for feeling Pleasure. We may even have been trained or have trained ourselves to disconnect from or block out Pleasure entirely from our lives to keep ourselves safe. We, therefore, need to learn or relearn how to allow, invite, and welcome Pleasure back into our life.
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What topics, practices and rituals may be part of this Journey?· Safety in the Body · Body De Armouring · Play · Affirmation Meditations & Visualisation · Core Erotic Theme & Sexual Styles · Sensate Focusing · Shamanic Breathwork Journeying · Yoga - Mindful Self Love · Awakening the Senses · Pleasure Somatic Body Mapping · Yin and Yang Energy Orgasm
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Who may not be suitable at this time to join this Journey?You have significant unresolved trauma in your physical, mental or emotional body. The training is not designed as an alternative to therapy or medical treatment. This Journey can be challenging as well as rewarding. Please read our Extended Note on (Mental-) Health & Trauma, if any of above are true for you. This should support you to make an informed choice. If you doubt this Journey is suitable for you and would like a reflection, please send a message to one of the organisers of this Journey: TPJ@ElaineYonge.com You believe you may need one-to-one support with your Pleasure at this time. You do not enjoy being part of a group process and are not open to seeing this as a gift. You are not comfortable, familiar with - or open to exploring spaces with loud music, noise and/or emotional expression. Your primary motivation for attending this retreat is to create connections and have experiences with others rather than explore your own body and Pleasure.
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Is this experience for individuals or couples?This Journey is suitable for you, whether single or in a relationship, including those of all genders and all sexual orientations. Most people take this Journey as individuals and each group usually has a few couples who join. A Note for Couples: If both of you wish to attend, you can decide to work with your partner only, or choose to work with others for all or some of the practices. The Pleasure Journey can be a powerful container for couples to regain their relationship with Pleasure as individuals and as part of their relationship. Please note if you are attending as a couple, it can be of benefit if you have both undertaken this type of experience or retreat before, separately or together. The reason for this is that when you join as a couple you are not only taking your individual journey, you are taking your relationship on a journey of its own. While being on the journey with your partner brings additional gifts to attending as an individual, it does give you another dimension of experience to hold alongside your own experience. Experience has shown that it can be challenging for both if one member of the couple is attending to please the other. It is essential that you both want to be part of this experience. It is important that you have good communication skills to navigate challenges that may arise. Please be clear; this is not a couples retreat or couples therapy journey. If you attend as a couple, we will support you as much as possible, given the group setting, to move through the process with care for your relationship. Extra caution is advised if one member of the couple has a significant history of Trauma; the other may feel obliged to focus on supporting their partner rather than focusing on their own Journey.
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Do I need any previous experience with similar retreats or specific knowledge before I attend?This week is a deep, intimate and potentially intense journey. While you do not need any previous experience with similar retreats or sessions to join this retreat, it may be more challenging if this is your first experience of this nature. Don't hesitate to get in touch with the organiser - TPJ@ElaineYonge.com - if you feel you need further guidance on this. Suitability depends on the human being that you are. If you are open to jumping in fully to new kinds of experiences, this may be an appropriate opening to your exploration of sexuality and Pleasure. If you are more of a slow and gradual type of human, you may want to attend some similar evening - or day workshops to find out whether you feel like spending an entire week in this kind of space and process. There is no judgment regarding your preferred way to learn and expand; awareness of what works for you is key. While acknowledging the above, please know that all the essential information, skills and knowledge you require will be shared during this week as we move through the Journey. Many individuals have joined this Journey with no previous experience and found themselves fully able to dive into the process and group space. A few individuals have found it challenging to be in a space that dives deeply into sensitive topics and practices around sexuality with no prior experience in this kind of space. Therefore it can be beneficial to your Journey if you have attended other retreats based on meditation, consent and boundaries, sacred/conscious sexuality, tantra, or shamanism. This retreat often compliments and deepens those experiences and skills.
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Am I free to choose how I engage in this Journey?Please know you will be welcomed, supported and held in your authentic truth throughout this week-long exploration. We ask that you attend all the sessions unless there is a valid reason you are unable to join a session. The choice to join this journey is a commitment to the process. This is not a retreat where you can pick and choose which sessions you would like to join. The reason for this is that the process is a sequential journey and missing one part may affect your capacity to continue. You are, of course, supported to take care of your own needs. All rituals and practices are an invitation for you and at all times, you are free to find your own way and pace to answer this invitation. We encourage freedom of choice in participation, both at the start of a session and during. If you request support or have questions regarding the experience, we will do our best to support you in deciding whether or not the experience is for you at this time. You will never be pushed or pressured to take part in any activity that is a no for you. You are free to step out of an experience at any time. Again we may offer you support at that moment if you desire it; there will be no explanation required from you. If you do not want to participate in a certain practice, you are welcome to stay in the room and dependent on practice you can do this solo. If you wish to leave the space, we ask that you check in with or inform a team member before doing so. Practices are sufficiently explained in advance by the Facilitators or Assistants, to allow you to consider whether you want to participate and to agree on your boundaries. You are encouraged to modify exercises if your physical (or other) capabilities require it. At the start of every practice that will include sharing an experience with another person/persons, time will be given to make agreements and discuss boundaries. You are never required to share a practice with a particular person. At times the group will choose their own partners. At other times the team may create dyads or small groups to share experiences. Participants are always free to choose not to share experiences with individuals who do not align with them. There will always be a possibility of not participating in the practice in such a case.
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What are the Space, the Team & the Group Container like?This is a guided space where the team intends and desires to support you on your Journey with presence and care. We create and hold a space where safety and courage are key, core team members are Trauma sensitive-informed. However, the nature and sensitivity of working with Pleasure and sexuality can bring forward challenges for some individuals. While the team take our role as guides with full recognition of our responsibilities, those who join this Journey require a degree of self-awareness and self-responsibility. The focus of the team for this journey is to support the group. The team are in agreement that no sexual or romantic interactions will take place between members of the team and participants of this journey during the week and for an agreed time after we close. With the exception of previously existing connections. This container will be supported by a set of group agreements which we will co-create on our first day together. An example of these agreements can be found here. You are welcomed, supported and held in your authentic truth. It is the highest intention of the team to create a space and journey that is Inclusive of diversity and capacity with regards to sexual orientation, age, gender, religion, ethnicity, those with physical impairments and or limitations. Please be aware that venues where The Journeys take place are not amended specifically for people with physical challenges or mobility issues. If you are in doubt whether your health situation makes this Journey possible for you on this location, please contact the organisers. This Journey will include both a consent-boundaries session and an emotional express-release session for all those attending, regardless of your previous training or experience with such skills.
Practicalities
Arrival & Closing times
Arrival & registration: 16th September 2024 between13h30 and 14h30
Closing: 22nd September 2024 from15h00
Getting there and away
The nearest city with airport and trainstation is Bristol (1h). We will provide suggestions on how to get from the airport/station to the venue once you have subscribed.
Important note: Do not plan to arrive late or leave before the end of the retreat.
Investment for this All Inclusive
GBP 1.770
Includes the training, nutritious homecooked meals, a stay at the lovely 'Earth Spirit' with sauna and hottub all week in the idyllic surroundings of the Glastonbury countryside 'Avalon'.
Ready to embark on this transformative journey?
or contact us if you have any more questions.
Space is limited to ensure an intimate and powerful experience for all participants.