GATHERING OF THE TRIBE – Sinai (for women)
Women’s retreat in a small group (min 8 – max 16), lodging in a beach camp, in the hostel of the famous Saint Catherine Monastery, in the Sinai Desert and in Dahab. To indulge into the water and desert energies, hear the call of the Hathor goddess and the moon god Sin, and re-activate our original creational powers as women.
Most of the retreat will be in Open Space, creating the program by sharing in circles, feeling into the energies and acting upon what we feel that needs to happen. Monique and Anne will facilitate and bring in moments of body awareness, meditation, music, ritual…
PROGRAM 21-28 OCTOBER
21 Sawa Beach camp: gathering at 6 pm for dinner: evening circle
22 Day in Sawa Beach camp at the shores of the Red Sea: embracing the water energies
23 Leaving for St Catherine Monastery: sinking into the desert energies
24 St Catherine monastery, near the Elija Gardens, Moses Mount: meeting ‘Catharina’, the pure one
25 Overnight trip to the canyon desert: into the emptiness and the unknown, rewriting your own story
26 Leaving for Dahab, Bedouin Moon Hotel, at the shores of the Red Sea
27 Day in Dahab: re-integrating into the world, your daily life
28 Depart at about 11 am, after breakfast and closing circle
Led by: Anne Wislez & Monique Willemsen
Date: From Saturday October 21st, 6 pm (for dinner) – to Saturday October 28th, 11 am (after breakfast and last closing circle)
Location: – Sawa Camp at the Red Sea (https://sawacamp.com/), sleeping in simple 2 person beach cabins
– Saint Catharine Monastery in Saint Catherine (https://www.sinaimonastery.com), sleeping in 2 person bedrooms
– Desert Camp, sleeping together in a Bedouin tent
– Bedouin Moon hotel in Dahab (https://www.facebook.com/BedouinMoonDahab/), sleeping in 2 person bedrooms
Price: 1150 € / 1099 € for early birds, subscribing before August 31st 2023.
Including: accomodation in the beach camp / monastery / hotel in a 2 persons bedroom, Canyon desert-trip and sleepover, 3 meals/day, transports to the anounced trips, facilitation, guidance & organization
Excluding: your flight to Sharm-el-Sheikh and the taxi between the airport and the Red Sea location (to and fro / to be organized personally), tourist visa (25-30 €), personal drinks and extras, extra trips and transportations decided on the spot
Language: The retreat will be given in English
Please take with you: easy and light clothing that preferably covers shoulders and legs, and a shawl, especially for the Monastery * good walking shoes * flip-flops/sandals * swimwear * warm pullover/body warmer and legging * warm sleeping bag * towel (needed at the beach camp and for the desert sleepover)
Take into account that temperatures in the Sinai can vary from hot at the seaside (30°) to very cold (a few degrees) at night in the deeper desert. Still try to pack as lightly as you can, as we will have to move often.
REGISTRATION
You register by paying the costs – or a downpayment of € 350 – to MENSEN IN BEWEGING / Triodos Bank / NL13TRIO0390261068 / BIC TRIONL2U, and the full payment before the 21st of September. Please mention “Sinai Women 2023” in the payments, and send a confirming e-mail to anne.wislez@telenet.be Thank you!
ANNULATION
In case of annulation up till one month before the event, you pay the registration costs of € 350. After that date 3/4th of the amount has to be paid, to fulfill our contracts with the hotels and local organizations.
PRINCIPLES OF PARTICIPATION
We mainly work with the principles of Open Space, which means we create the program together on the spot, sharing in circles every morning and evening to feel into what is ‘cooking’ and what brought us together.
The Open Space principles are:
1. The people who are there, are the right people
2. Whatever happens, is the right thing to happen
3. When it begins, it begins
4. When it is over, it is over
5. Follow the Law of Two Feet
6. Expect the unexpected
To make sure the open space works effectively we need also some boundaries and clear intentions.
Here are the conditions we work with:
1. You reserve a place by paying a downpayment of € 350 (see above for details) mentioning the title of the event. The whole sum needs to be paid one month before the start of the event. For cancellation rules: see above.
2. The journey or flight to the event is not included in the price nor the organization of it; you need to organize this yourself.
3. As we are not a traveling agency we cannot be held responsible for the journey towards the retreat, nor during the retreat.
So make sure you have a good personal travel and health insurance for your stay.
4. If you stay extra days before or after the event, please get in contact with the hotel yourself.
5. Please bring local currency, or dollars to pay for any drinks, additional trips we might want to make, and personal items.
6. We stay with two people in a room. Please inform us with whom you want to share your room.
7. The food will be mainly vegetarian, but sometimes there will be fish or meat, depending on the hotel. If you have any specific dietary needs, make sure you organise this yourself.
8. We will be lodging in simple but comfortable rooms with bathroom in the two hotels, but also a very basic beach camp and with bedouins in the desert, where you will need your own sleeping bag and towel.
9. Your passport needs to be valid at least six months. You need a tourist visa for Egypt, which can be bought at arrival.
10. We are guests in another country, culture and religion. Please respect the local customs, rules, dresscode and formalities. Inform yourself about the country customs before you go.
11. The main intention of our work is personal and collective healing. If you want to visit specific touristic sites, please organize this before or after the event.
12. No drugs of any sort are permitted, and we like you to limit alcohol (especially in islamic culture). This will help you to bring your energy to a higher level.
13. We like your preparation and devotion to this work by tuning in the months and weeks before, by asking a few questions to yourself: What is my intention? What do I want to achieve? What is my pitfall or my shadow? How can I prepare myself?
14. You can only participate for the whole event or conference. The event always starts with the opening dinner and circle on the first night, at 6pm, and ends on the last morning with a closing ceremony at 10 am.
15. Your participation is at your own responsibility. Of course we will do anything possible to make your stay as safe and comfortable as possible, but please take full responsibility for your own safety, and your emotional, physical or financial well being during your stay.