9TH Annual Women's Spirituality Winter Retreat
Dauphin Island, Alabama

Program Schedule

General Activities

- Every Morning collective Kiirtan and Meditation
- Morning Sharing Circle/ program
- Every evening a Ceremonial /meditative Program
- Morning and Evening Sun Rise and Sunset Quiet time
- One collective Meal a day, usually Dinner

ARRIVAL Saturday, March 6, 2010

DAY 1: Sunday, March 7, 2010

Introduction of Theme of the Retreat: "Connecting with our ancient Selves and the Grandmothers".
- Collectively go to the mounds and the Bird Sanctuary.
- Sharing the Herstory of the Grandmothers and Dauphin Island.

DAY 2: Monday, March 8, 2010

Day of silence/Maonabrata.
- Opening Ceremony for entering sacred space at this retreat through Samgachaddvam.
- Ancient Herstory of Samgachaddvam (ancient song of Unity and Interconnectedness of all beings).
- The collective global and universal family intention of our ancient Grandmothers.
- Small class about Sanskrit and chanting mantras.
- Visualization:
The Divine is in your heart and Being, shining through you.
Feel the Web of Light,that connects with all beings on the planet, and the whole universe.
Sing from your heart. The heart energy goes through the web of light.
- Spend the day in sacred inner silence on the beach, mounds or bird sanctuary, connecting with yourself and the grandmothers.

Day 3: Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Day of quiet personal awareness and expression.
- Journeying with the Grandmothers drum.
- Time on beach, mounds, bird sanctuary and personal expression through journaling, art etc.

DAY 4: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Day of sharing.
- Sharing Circle: What are we discovering, what are we hearing and feeling.
- Collective making of "Big Reclining Sand and Shell Goddess Sculpture" on the beach behind our house.

DAY 5 : Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Day of sharing.
- Collectively sharing writings, poems, art etc. for a Grandmother book.
- Bring your writings , poems, songs and pictures to share.

DAY 6: Friday, March 12, 2010

Day of Ceremony: "Becoming our ancient Grandmothers". - At dusk in the womb area of the mounds.
- All women dance in a circle. Three women are in the middle, facing and embracing each other. The others are dancing around them and then stand in sacred silence for a few moments, holding the space for and honoring the three fold Goddess: Maiden/ Mother and Crone.
- In the ceremony each woman will enter as a maiden, become a mother and then a crone, then leave the inner circle, to enter the surrounding circle of women again.
- Before she leaves as a crone, and before the new maiden enters, the three women face each other in the circle and the others make one movement around them and hold sacred space in silence.
- The maiden is given and enters with a candle as a symbol of her maidenhood.
- The mother gives the maiden an egg, so the maiden becomes a mother herself. The crone gives the mother a stone, so she becomes a crone herself (lemurian quartz for ancient wisdom).
- Maiden: Innocence, open heart, childlike, purity, creativity (white).
- Mother: Nurturing, caring, sacrifice, including all, compassion, womb, sacred sexuality (red).
- Crone: Wisdom, experience, death, letting go, the void, freedom, outspoken, humor (black).
- Bring 2 and 1/2 yards of either white, red or black cloth, according to your inner calling and preference to make your own cape/ shawl. Bring any acoutraments like glitter pens, colored embroidery yarn and needles, glue, colored felt pieces, small moon, star, goddess etc shaped pendants to put on your cape etc.