Long ago, shamans predicted that when the children of the Earth most needed the healing and power of plant medicine, the plants would answer the call. Today, cacao expands hearts across the world with the neurotransmitters Serotonin and Anandamide. The Olmecs called the cacao beans "kakaw" (heart blood) long before the cacao tree was scientifically classified as Theobroma, meaning "food of the gods”. Cacao contains the highest amount of magnesium of any food, and is naturally dense with calcium, zinc, and iron. The wisdom of the human body craves cacao in its natural form to aid in accessing the power of our emotions and our desire to connect and create. Rise in Love Ceremonial Cacao from Peru is an ancient strain called criollo cacao, and is entirely sourced from small, organic farmer’s cooperatives in the Andes.

Cacao Ceremony & Deep Rest is a journey on the path of contemplation. My favorite states to exist in are made of liminal spaces where all things are possible through presence. In order to reach them, the body must be at ease, the mind needs to feel limitless, and the heart must remember the rhythm of its own expansive nature. The path of contemplation exists between the path of meditation (right brain) and the path of concentration (left brain). It is the middle way of the corpus callosum that unites duality. To walk the path of contemplation is to release into relaxation, to remain open hearted, and to trust the wonder and joy of the beginner’s mind.

During the 2-hour workshop, we will nourish the connection to our Self through deep rest, a heart opening cacao and/or hawthorn tea (cacao is not suggested with antidepressants) ceremony, noble silence, gentle heart opening asanas, gratitude writing, a shamanic drum journey and a long savasana with yoga nidra.

Ceremonies by their very nature, create an invisible, but felt threshold, between the mundane and the sacred world. They allow us to coexist in harmony with our spiritual and human Self. As human beings, we are wired to feel the importance of endings and beginnings. As spiritual beings, we know that we are not separate from ourselves, each other, nature, and that we have no true beginning nor end. Yet, we have abandoned our remembrance and our honouring of rituals, as we have abandoned our deep inner knowing that whispers about our innate belonging to everything in nature.

Remembrance is stirring within us, and it is chanting of the wisdom and power that we can and must reclaimed through the ceremony of rituals. Each bespoke ceremony is a one of a kind experience, thoughtfully curated to support the individual and their community. Often, the ceremonies mark periods of powerful change. The initiation of young women into their moon cycles and cyclical living. The blessings of mothers and their soon to be born children. The honouring of stepping from maiden into marriage. Blessings for a new home, or business. The honouring of birthdays as solar returns of initiation. The passing of loved ones from the living to a return to spirit. We are meant to gather in community, to share and honour the turning points in our lives. To slow down, notice, and hold each other through life with open hearted reverence.

Email to discuss curating a bespoke ceremony for yourself, or as a gift for loved ones.

The 1:1 sessions have been created with the intent that they deliver an immense energetic shift in a short period of time. All of the modalities engaged are subtle and gentle, but the impact received from them is remarkably strong. They work with the innate wisdom of the individual in harmonizing the relationship between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual body. All parts are activated so that they may rest, recalibrate and heal. We anchor in a desire for unity; between the past and the future, the masculine and the feminine, who we are and who we are becoming.

The inward journeys that we embark on are always the most pivotal ones. They require both bravery and commitment, and what they gift in return are life altering awarenesses. Your journey will be guided every step of the way, and only what is for your highest and greatest good is invited in. The sessions begin with a discussion about where you are in life, and what you would like to move through and past, and what you would like to invite in going forward. It is suggested to drink plenty of water before and after the session to aid the body in shifting and recalibrating the energies we work with.

The two-hour bespoke, energetic session is created to hold you in a safe and powerful liminal space. You are invited to connect with your higher Self, your guides, and your innate wisdom. Curated for what your body, heart, and mind need/want at this moment. We open sacred space with the ritual of ceremonial cacao or tea in noble silence. We consult oracles of divination and practice gratitude writing. An hour of healing reiki. Our session will end with a blissful rest in yoga nidra aided by the shamanic drum.

We are stellar matter embodied in human form. Yoga serves as the unifier of all of the scattered parts of us across space and time. We are the past, present, and future. We are the eternal dance between the masculine and the feminine. We are the distance between the breath of who we were, and who we are becoming. Encoded within each of us is the innate capacity to connect to all parts of ourselves through presence.

Yoga, by its very essence, asks us to know ourselves. Yoga seeks to bring all parts of us into unity and wholeness. It asks that we meet ourselves and others, again and again with wonder, compassion, and the curiosity of the beginner’s mind. Our breath is our lifelong ally. Breath moves us through every stage of our lives and continuously brings us back to ourselves. Breath empowers us to meet and move internal mountains at light speed.

The essence of yoga is not reliant on asanas. Yes, the physical practice of yoga gets us back into our bodies as our homes. Yes, we become stronger and more present within ourselves as we move through the asanas, but they were never the end goal. Movement of the physical body allows us to shift and reallocate energy in the mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies. Yoga allows us to remember to feel into our hearts as an act of devotion.

It takes immense courage and commitment to show up, and transverse the landscape of the ever changing Self. The truth is that we are never the same person twice when it comes to our yoga practice. Everything we do, every day of our lives, is a living practice. We are not striving for perfection, or an end goal. We are seeking to experience and meet ourselves with open-hearted wonder. As long as we are breathing we are continuously practicing yoga.

Nature’s Coven-Offerings of Devotion is a 9-month journey of creation through ritual magic. It is a call to our collective devotion to the feminine, and her infinite incarnations through each of us. This is the power of our individual magic amplified, anchored in community, and exalted through nature. This is the power of a modern coven. This is the reclaiming of the Divine Feminine by women as we weave the past, present, and future lifelines of the feminine in the present.

It is no longer enough that we resurrect goddesses as they have been depicted and written about from the masculine perspective. Every woman alive on this Earth is a living/breathing vehicle of the feminine. Each woman has a vital story to shape and tell. The heart of the circles is the magic and power of words. Words are our most potent human magic. Words are the creators and activators of our worlds. The words we think. The words we speak. The words we whisper. The words we chant. The words we dream. The words we conjure with. The words we shape our existence through.

We begin Offerings of Devotion on the weekend of the 28th & 29th of October right before Samhain. We close our 9-month journey right after Summer Solstice on 22nd and 23rd of June. The online circles will meet on Saturday nights and the in person circles will meet on Sunday nights from 6-9pm. Our 9-month journey is divided into 3 elements. The first 3 months belong to Fire, the next 3 months to Air, and the last 3 months to Stone. We will be building symbiotic relationships with each element as an aspect of the feminine embodied.

The circles will be a heart offering to a specific goddess and element of nature each month. We invoke the goddesses and elements to manifest into our lives, our dream states, and the shaping of our individual and collective futures. Two of the goddesses we have worked with previously in Rituals of Reverence, are coming back. Hecate and Brigid are stepping forward again to offer their guidance, strength and protection.

We open Offerings of Devotion with Hecate, followed by Marie Laveau, The Morrigan, Brigid, Bastet, Demeter, Medusa, and Athena. The last goddess will remain veiled in mystery until our final month.

1. Hecate Online 28th of Oct 6-9pm, In Person 29th of Oct 6-9pm

2. Marie Laveau 25th of Nov 6-9pm, In Person 26th of Nov 6-9pm

3. The Morrigan * Online 17th of Dec 6-9pm, In Person 16th of Dec 6-9pm

4. Brigid Online 20th of January 6-9pm, In Person 21st of Jan 6-9pm

5. Bastet Online 17th of Feb 6-9pm, In Person 18th of Feb 6-9pm

6. Demeter Online 23rd of March 6-9pm, In Person 24th of March 6-9pm

7. Medusa Online 20th of April 6-9pm, In Person 21st of April 6-9pm

8. Athena Online 18th of May 6-9pm, In Person 19th of May 6-9pm

9. The Mystery Online 22nd of June 6-9pm, In Person 23rd of June 6-9pm

All Online circles will take place through Zoom. All In Person circles will take place at Lila Yoga (37 Bruntsfield Place). Because Dec is usually a very full month for everyone, the In Person circle will take place on Saturday and the Online circle will take place on Sunday. All dates are approximate and may need to change. If for any reason, the dates need change you will be notified ASAP. Having run yearlong circles previously, date changes have not yet needed to happen.

Each circle will have a limited edition, handmade and bound in ceremony notebook, dedicated to that month’s goddess and our offerings to her. The phenomenal artist Caitlin McCarthy has drawn each of the powerful goddesses on the covers of the notebooks. The notebooks will become our grimoires. Our journey across the landscapes of our hearts will be aided by ceremonial cacao and hawthorn. We are the Divine Feminine embodied, and she is writing her own story as she lives it NOW.

When joining for 9-months you will receive:

1. Nine limited edition notebooks with the corresponding goddess each month beautifully brought to life by Caitlin McCarthy

https://www.caitlinmccarthyart.com/

The notebooks are hand stitched in ceremony, and the goddess stickers are printed on high quality vinyl in the US.

2. A 500g bag of Rise In Love Organic Ceremonial Cacao.

3. Nine devotional candles to burn during our circles, and to take home for your own offerings of devotion.

4. A 1-hour, online, ancestral healing session with Fiona Townend. Fiona is a dear friend and medium whose wisdom I trust and value immensely. Her wisdom is such an empowering gift.

5. A first edition Witches of Legend oracle deck by Annabelle Lewis.

https://www.annabellelewis.com/

6. Three, in person, 2-hour Cacao Ceremony and Deep Rest, or 9 online yoga classes with me.

7. You can choose to attend all of the circles in person, online, or switch between them.

I have chosen a 9- month journey because this is how long it takes the feminine to bring new life into the realm of physical existence. What do you want to bring forth in this time together? There are immense energetic shifts taking place between Samhain and the Summer Solstice. Each goddess aspect of the Divine Feminine we work with will lead us forward towards her next incarnation. The goddesses want to be felt, heard, and embodied. Some of the goddesses will feel very at home within us, while others will absolutely disrupt our ideas about ourselves. This is how the feminine works. She is both a nurturer and a destroyer from which all life flows.

I hope that whether you are in for the duration of the nine months, or coming in for particular months, you will be met by your full power, and that you share that power with your communities. I hope you receive, take, and gift wisdom back into the world. I hope you allow yourself to meet all of the goddess aspects of yourself. I hope you remember your primordial nature and to trust it unwaveringly. I hope the bonds you forge with the Fire, the Air, and the Stones will be ones you carry with you always. I hope our Offerings of Devotion become ones you come back to again and again. I hope that with every breath you know you are NOW writing the story of the feminine in human form.

With immense love,

Sarah-Alexandra

Nature’s Coven- Rituals of Reverence is a 9-month journey of creation through ritual magic. It is a call to reverence, remembrance and the activation of magic. This is the power of individual magic amplified and anchored in community and nature. This is the power of a coven.

Ask yourself now what your heart seeks to create. Imagine the intention anchored in your ancient cellular memory, radiating outward to be supported by a group of open-hearted women, and by the whole of nature.

The circles are built around the power of words. Words are potent magic. Words are the creators and activators of our worlds. We will meet for the new moons to invoke our hopes for ourselves, each other, and the nature that nourishes us all. We will be working with the full moons and the power of words & rituals to release what we carry that has already run its course.

We begin on the weekend before Samhain, and end on the new moon for Summer Solstice on June 18th. The online circles will meet on Saturday nights and the in person circles will meet on Sundays from 6-9pm. We are entering a period of immense change and growth and in this metamorphosis we create at light speed.

Each circle will be devoted to a specific goddess and how we invite her into our lives, our dream states, and the shaping of our individual and collective futures. We will begin with Hecate, Isis, Nyx, Brigid, Aphrodite, Persephone, Artemis, Freya and we end the circles with the Oracle. Each of us is a living Oracle embedded with stellar magic.

The 9 months are divided into 3 elements. The first 3 months belong to earth, the next 3 months to water, and the last 3 months to the trees. We will be building symbiotic relationships with each element becoming the guarding of each.

Each circle will have a limited edition notebook dedicated to that month’s goddess and moon rituals. The wonderful artist Caitlin McCarthy has drawn each of the powerful goddesses on the covers of the notebooks. The notebooks will become our grimoires.

Our journey across the landscapes of our hearts will be aided by ceremonial cacao and hawthorn. The time has come to remember that we are children of Earth, we are Open Hearted, and we are Limitless.

Rise of the Crystalline Woman is a year-long women’s circle that will guide us through the Andean medicine wheel. The heroine’s pilgrimage invites us to Release in Trust, Rest in Courage, Rewild in Nature, and Radiate in Wisdom. We, like the Earth herself, are crystalline, cyclical beings embedded with ancient wisdom. This wisdom is rising. It is asking we become the true stewards of Earth.

We will journey with the ceremonial cacao as our plant medicine. We will invoke the healing properties of different crystals each month to amplify our own crystalline nature. We will activate with crystal infused, organic, perfume oils exclusively created for the circle by Brooke from Black Moon Botanica. We will clear with palo santo. We will evolve our connection to our intuition through writing practices anchored in bespoke notebooks created for the circle. We will speak our truth without apology. Each circle will end with a ½ hour mediation and shamanic drumming journey.

The circle is divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant corresponds to one of the cardinal directions. Each direction is governed by a sacred animal that will serve as our guide and teacher. We will enter the quadrants with ceremonies that coincide with the equinoxes and solstices. Each directional ceremony will use a different candle by Black Moon. Every ceremony will be opened by a different woman. I will open the Autumn Equinox, Brooke from Black Moon Botanica will open Winter Solstice, Clare from Stoneroot will open Spring Equinox, and LiYing from When Still Waters Speak will open the Summer Solstice. There will be many, awe inspiring guests who will be woven through the circle. The healing of the circles is always twofold as we speak and listen with open hearts.

Some of us will journey together for the full year, others for months, while others will dive in and out depending on the month that speaks to her the most. We each embody unique magic that is waiting to be explored and activated. We enter the wheel to release, travel through it to face deep rest, continue to rewild back into our nature, and we emerge radiating our wisdom. We will not be the same women who entered. Our collective wisdom and magic will alchemize into the Earth. The feminine creates from what it unseen, and can only be deeply felt. She becomes the living embodiment of a divine co-creator. She is at peace and in communion with the whole of nature.

Nature’s Coven-Rest & Receptivity Retreat

Sept 19th-22nd (6pm arrival) -Sept 2024 (2pm departure)

From stunning Old Kilmun House

www.oldkilmunhouse.com

Let the magic of the Autumn Equinox blanket the body and the senses in the memory of their innate wisdom. As the leaves begin to turn, and the earth begins her cyclical descent, you are invited to rest and open to the brilliance of your feminine receptivity. Held powerfully by the majestic land of Scotland’s west coast, and by the tender embrace of the most enchanting women, you will cross the Equinox threshold into your own inner sanctum. Rest & Receptivity has been created with the willful intent of doing less, and being open to receiving.

Our greatest teachers on this retreat will be our stellar bodies, the magnificent nature, and our willingness and ability to surrender to them both. As cyclical beings we have maps of how to thrive active in every cell, and yet we are often taught to override them. On this retreat, your feminine nature that knows she is the vessel of creativity is asked to surrender to her animal body, and to allow inspiration to pour in moments of stillness and receptivity. When we are in states of bliss and non-doing, we become available for pure energy to inspire us in how we live and how we create. This is the feminine’s way of tapping into her limitless abundance.

The intent behind the creation of Rest & Receptivity is to create a retreat held by women for women to come together in community to rest and receive inspiration by simply being. The retreat will begin and end with circles to honour and invoke the four elements and cacao ceremonies. During the four days we are together creating room for the Self through spaciousness will be key. We will come together in the late mornings for gentle stretching, morning pages and meditations. There will be two forest bathing experiences during the retreat, one to the Benmore Botanical Garden and one to Puck’s Glen. On Friday and Saturday evening there will be soundbaths held in the yurt by the incredible Caroline and Alison. The retreat will be catered by our awe inspiring, onsite chef Megan of Meg’s Kitchen with divine vegetarian/vegan meals. A ceremonial cake by the wondrous Catherine of Caked by Catherine. We will be joined by the phenomenal, feminine wisdom practices from my magical friends Evelyn and Fiona. Everything you need and so much more is awaiting your arrival. Expect magic.

Many of our rituals will be outdoors (weather dependent). Bring clothing that feels cozy and freeing. Bring waterproofs, swimming costumes, and hiking shoes. You will be nourished in every sense of the word.

Kilmun house is a place of deep magic and it offers:

*A massive garden with ancient trees and a burn running through it.

*Yurt with a wood fire, yoga mats, blankets and bolsters.

*Hot tub

*Holy Loch across the street for wild swims

*Walk right into the arboretum for immersive forest trails.

*Walk straight into a fairy tale in Puck’s Glen.

The retreat will be intentionally capped at an intimate number of participants.

ingle occupancy all inclusive £1111

Double occupancy all inclusive £999

Triple occupancy all inclusive £888

Book your £333 depoist here:

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16101722&appointmentType=63286422

Rituals of Reverence- Autumn Equinox Retreat

September 2023

Held at beautiful Old Kilmun House www.oldkilmunhouse.com

Rituals of Reverence Retreat-Autumn Equinox 2023 will take place in my favorite place in Scotland and will be co-hosted by two of my dearest and most magical friends and I. Nerys, Niamh and I know how vital being in nature is for our ritual practices and we look forward to welcoming you to Old Kilmun House, the gardens, Holy Loch, Puck’s Glen and Benmore Botanic Garden. Removed from the city, we will move, dance, play, and revel in our feminine nature. Surrounded by the elements of nature, the journey inward will be one power and empowerment. Rituals of Reverence moves us forward into the communion and expression of our authentic Self. All of our rituals will focus on shining a light on each individual woman coming into alignment with her soul purpose and sharing her gifts with the world.

Rituals of Reverence begins on the evening of the 14th of September and concludes on the afternoon of the 17th of September. Nerys, Niamh andI have dedicated a great deal of our lives to rituals that anchor us in personal, ancestral, and nature based reverence. We would love to share them with you in the only way we know how. Join us in a deep dive into some of our favorite rituals of devotion as we prepare to welcome the Autumn Equinox. 

What you can expect: 

-To be held in power and love through your time with us.

-You will be in a group of powerful & like hearted women who want to see you shine.

-To enjoy deep rest and connection in the most beautiful and comfortable home, garden, yurt, hot tub and surrounding nature.

- To be nourished by delicious food from our incredible caterer (menu will be vegetarian/vegan, please let us know about any allergies ).

- Opening and closing circles of water and fire ceremonies. Three days of morning rituals that will include: yoga, sacred silence, divination, writing, meditation, reiki, cacao ceremonies, forest bathing, and cold water therapy (sleeping in, rituals do not begin until 10am). Everything is optional.

-A guided forest bathing experience to Puck’s Glen with a cacao ceremony.

-Sound bath evening in the yurt for the new moon.

-A bespoke Rituals of Reverence gift box that you will take home with you to develop and continue your rituals. We are so excited about this! You will LOVE everything within it. Yes, there will be notebooks, ceremonial cacao, crystals, and some surprise ritual gifts. Each box will be specifically curated for each participant and no two will be the same. 

Come as you are. We want you to be comfortable. Many of our rituals will be outdoors (weather dependent). Bring clothing that feels cozy and freeing. Bring waterproofs, swimming costumes, and hiking shoes. Leave everything else to us. You will be so well looked after. 

As always, there will be some magnificent surprises that we won’t yet share until you’re there.

Island Magic Soul Spa Retreat

14th-19th of October 2023

Isle of Bute

Fully Book. Waitlist Only.

https://fireandrain.scot/island-magic-soul-spa-oct-23-isle-of-bute/

Death and grief and not subjects most of us have been taught to sit with. They are just as natural of a part of life as birth and joy, yet most people would rather not acknowledge them. In order to embody our full human capacity we must be able to navigate the terrain of fears as well as we navigate our hopes.

For the past 5 years, I had the honour to co-host retreats for widows and widowers with my incredible friend Ute who created Fire and Rain Soul Spa. The retreats are a place of connection, vulnerability, bravery, kindness, friendship, creativity, community, and deep & hard emotional work. Ute has created something sacred and powerful. The retreats are a place to simply be without having to pretend. Everyone is welcomed to come exactly as they are.

As the only person on the retreats who has not lost their life partner, I am immensely humbled to be allowed to partake. I am privileged to listen, to learn, and to impart some of the tools that I have gathered in my self-help kit. These are the tools that have, over the years, become my daily rituals formulated from my yogic, shamanic, and writing practices.

These retreats take a deep toll on my heart, but the gift of them is greater than the gravity of the grief. The hope is always stronger than the loss. Grief is like an electric current that runs through the room. Unseen but deeply felt. Empathy allows for the loss to feel tangible. To hold the space with power and integrity requires that I dig deep within myself. I am humbled and privileged to be fully present with the stories and histories of love and loss, and love remembered.

The incredible participants blow my heart wide open each and every time. They continue to show up to every session, to share their loss, and to continuously say yes to new experiences. They are phoenixes embodied. Yes, the pain is there, as is the love, the resilience, and the spark that is set alight in our eyes when we speak about those we love. It is this power to come together, to share, to feel, to grieve and to heal that deepens are human experience with a quiet strength that can never be undone.

Dear Child is the real life fairy tale that guides the listener from the moment they enter the world, and throughout their lives. It is dedicated to the inner child within each of us and the wisdom that we carry within us. It is a humble reminder of what is importnat and what must not be forgotten.

https://insighttimer.com/sarahalexandra/guided-meditations/dear-child

A deeply restorative yoga nidra practice focused on sending love and gratitude throughout the entire body through the use of the breath. This practice is both healing and rejuvenating and is ideal for entering a place of stillness and peaceful rest.

https://insighttimer.com/sarahalexandra/guided-meditations/yoga-nidra-for-self-love