Magdalene Rising
A women’s rite of fire, tears & rebirth on the spring equinox
18–21 March 2027 | Portugal
A Four-Day Women’s Retreat to walk the path of Mary Magdalene through your own body - anointing, tears, fire & rebirth.
She was the one who stayed. When others fled, Mary Magdalene remained, wept openly, and was the first to witness new life at dawn. Over three nights we anoint, we release, we rest, we descend into the womb temple and pass through the fire of the sweat lodge. On the spring equinox, when light and dark stand in perfect balance, we rise together.
Come as you are. Leave remembering who you have always been.
“What binds me has been slain, and what surrounds me has been overcome, and my desire has been ended, and ignorance has died.” — Gospel of Mary
What You'll Carry Home
Over these days, you will receive:
• A felt sense of your own worth — anointed, named and witnessed in sacred circle.
• Release of old grief, anger and stories held in the body, through trauma-informed emotional release.
• A living connection to your womb as a place of creation, memory and power.
• The strength that comes from passing through the fire of the sweat lodge on the spring equinox.
• Restorative practices for your nervous system — yin, yoga nidra & sound — to keep at home.
• The teachings of the Gospel of Mary on inner knowing and trusting your own vision.
• The sweetness of the rose ceremony — the Magdalene’s flower, offered to honour your heart and all you are becoming.
• A sisterhood of women who have walked through the fire beside you.
• One sentence of truth you are ready to carry home and live by.
The Magdalene path is not about becoming someone new. It is about remembering the woman you were before the world told you who to be.
Anoint. Release. Rest. Rise.
The Path
I — The Anointing (arrive & be received) Opening circle • anointing ritual with rose & spikenard oil • naming & intention setting • gentle arrival breath & movement.
“Mary Magdalene reminds us that the divine is not something we must earn. It is something we must learn to recognise.”
II — The Tears (release & restore) Trauma-informed emotional release • shaking, breath & voice • paired witnessing • yin yoga, yoga nidra & sound bath • journaling the seven veils.
“Shame contracts us. Love opens us. And awareness gives us the freedom to choose.”
III — The Womb, The Fire & The Garden (descent & rebirth) Womb Temple by candlelight • womb breathing & water blessing • Sweat Lodge ceremony on the spring equinox • equinox feast & fireside sharing • sunrise ritual in the garden • Magdalene rose ceremony • closing circle with rose cacao.
“Your body is not an obstacle to enlightenment. It can be a doorway into presence.”
Woven throughout: sister circles, readings from the Gospel of Mary, song & drum, restorative practice, and nourishing communal meals.
The soul does not become free by avoiding the darkness.
She becomes free when she discovers that the darkness no longer owns her.
The Arc
• Thursday — The Anointing.
Arrival from 4pm, opening circle, anointing ritual by candlelight. We soften into the circle.
• Friday — The Tears.
Emotional release, yin & yoga nidra, journaling the seven veils, Womb Temple by night.
• Saturday — The Fire.
Spring equinox. Silent walk, sweat lodge ceremony, equinox feast & fireside sharing.
• Sunday — The Garden.
Rose cacao & journaling, Magdalene rose ceremony, brunch and closing circle. An optional sunrise ritual for early risers.
A full daily flow is shared with you on arrival — each day moves slowly, with intention and spaciousness.
LOCATION: The Shanti Space
Shanti, Sanskrit for Peace or to T. S. Eliot “The Peace which passeth understanding.”
The Shanti Space is a sanctuary for personal development & empowerment; a space to rest and restore well-being whilst bathed in abundant nature.
The venue, an old Quinta set in a national park endowed with beautiful fruit trees, giant oak corks, grape vines, vistas and a stream at the end of the garden where we often encounter our neighbours; deer and wild boar.
✧ TRANSPORT
The nearest airport is Lisbon only 25 minutes away.
✧ The easiest way is to come in Uber / transfer. It will cost you about 30€ and 25-30 minutes of travel.
We can put you in touch with other participants to share the ride.
Come home to the woman you have always been
✧ DATES
18–21 March 2027
4 Days / 3 nights
Arrival: 4pm
Checkout: Midday
✧ EARLYBIRD RATES
Earlybird by 31 January
Spacious Dormitory - €666
Single Shared Twin - €777
Private room with ensuite - €888
After 31 January
Dormitory - €777
Single Shared Twin - €888
Private room with ensuite - €999
We look forward to welcoming you. To secure your place, click your room above to pay in full. Community places: we hold a few places at a reduced price for women on a low income in Portugal. To apply, contact Jessica directly at info@theshantispace.com. Lugares solidários: temos alguns lugares a preço reduzido para mulheres com baixos rendimentos em Portugal. Para se candidatar, contacte a Jessica através de info@theshantispace.com.
An Intimate Container
Spaces are limited to honour the depth, safety, and intimacy of this work.
“There is a difference between being chosen and choosing yourself. Sovereignty begins when we stop waiting to be chosen.”
Included:-
Three nights accommodation, organic plant-based meals, snacks & teas, full program including sweat lodge ceremony
Not included:-
Flights, transfers, treatments & insurance
✧ YOUR FACILITATORS ✧
Your Lodge Keeper: to be announced
An experienced lodge keeper will hold the sweat lodge ceremony, keep the fire and lead the safety briefing. A full introduction is coming soon.
Your Guide: Jessica Maria
Founder of The Shanti Space, Jessica began exploring non-dual Tantra, Yoga & Meditation 20 years ago & has touched the lives of many with her work & spaces dedicated to healing & transformation.
She’s taken groups on immersive awakening journeys through the Himalayas of Nepal, hosted retreats & workshops all over the world, she featured at Om Yoga Show London & shared her practices at one of the world's leading high-end restorative wellness programmes while featuring in publications such as The Telegraph, Elephant Journal & The Yoga Mag.
Now with over 750 hours' yoga teacher training specialising in disciplines such as Yin, Kundalini & Tantra, she is a certified Meditation & Breathwork facilitator with a somatic & nervous system-informed approach. Embodiment, her lived experience & initiation into Motherhood along with her love for Nature are integral to her grounded approach to spirituality.
In 2011 she bowed out of a successful career in creative advertising, burnt out & seeking inspiration she travelled the world to deepen her practice, explore cultures & ways to bring depth & expansion to her creativity & life view.
Passionate about rekindling women’s connection with their cyclical nature, the seasons & hold the unattended parts within, she brings a trauma-informed & grounded approach, compassionate, fluid & intuitively inviting greater awareness to the teachings of the breath, resourcing & resilience to retrain the nervous system & rekindle trapped energy to support people in reaching the highest potential of their hearts.
Her practices are carefully selected to gently unravel & release the blockages women face in a culture that has oppressed us for generations, to empower women to live beautiful abundant & fulfilling lives.
She holds a container for emotional release while offering tools to cultivate more expansive awareness, connection & integration.
