Awakening Your Inner Compass
9-Day Medicine Wheel Initiation
in the Foundations of Shamanic Practice
Lake Atitlán, Guatemala | Sep 14 – 22, 2024
An Invitation into the Magic of the Spirit World
Hello friends!
I am excited to share that I will be offering a new Shamanic Immersion Retreat this September 14 – 22 at the Kawoq Forest in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.
The retreat will focus on the theme of ‘Awakening Your Inner Compass‘ – a task that I see as both essential and rewarding in the initiatory journey towards embodying your True Self.
Your Inner Compass is the key to developing a lasting sense of trust in yourself and Spirit as you navigate Life.
It is your gateway to your Inner Knowing, to Inner Peace and to living a life of Purpose.
It is also your gateway to the magic of the Spirit World.
All of us have natural gifts and innate abilities to connect with Spirit, and we also all have challenges– places where we are asleep or blocked by trauma, confusion or fear patterns that make it difficult to recognize our Inner Guidance and embody our spiritual gifts.
In this retreat we will be working with the Medicine Wheel (an ancient shamanic map of the Universe) as a Great Initiator for Awakening Your Inner Compass.
I’ll be sharing traditional nature-based wisdom teachings and practices, along side modern adaptations of the Medicine Wheel that integrate understandings of trauma, psychology and human development.
There will be space for you to explore and connect with your unique shamanic gifts, and practice getting out of the way to express more of your True Self.
We’ll do all of this in partnership with the Spirit World–connecting through prayer, guided journeys, plant medicine ceremonies, nature connection, and other altered states of consciousness to support your retreat intentions and tend to anything that may be getting in their way.
Please find more details about the retreat below, and feel free to book a free 20-min call with me if you are interested in attending and have questions.
Much love,
Megan
Retreat Flow
The retreat will be held in a shamanic way, with opening and closing ceremonies. Each day will include a combination of classroom time, experiential practices and guided experiences with altered states of consciousness. We’ll move through the 7 Directions of the Medicine Wheel over the course of 7 Days, with a full day dedicated to each direction.
Mornings will include guided movement, yoga or meditation.
Daytime will be reserved for teachings and experiential practices.
Evenings will be for medicinal ceremonies and other journeywork.
Tentative Schedule
Subject to change
DAY 1: ARRIVAL
Arrival, Opening Cacao Ceremony, Orientation
DAY 2: EAST
Medicine Wheel Class 1, East Teachings + Practices, Cultivating Shamanic Awareness, Nighttime Ceremony with Plant Medicine
DAY 3: SOUTH
South Teachings + Practices, Working with Nature & Spirit Guides, Drumming Lesson, Medicine Dance
DAY 4: WEST
West Teachings + Practices, Vision Tending, Ancestral Connection, Nighttime Ceremony with Plant Medicine
DAY 5: NORTH
North Teachings + Practices, Shamanic Healing 101, Art of Ceremony, Sharing Circle
DAY 6: ABOVE
UpperWorld Teachings + Practices, Walkabout Day Ceremony with Plant Teachers, Working with Shamanic Tools
DAY 7: BELOW
UnderWorld Teachings + Practices, Tool Making Workshop, Soul Mandalas, Temazcal
Day 8: CENTER
MiddleWorld Teachings + Practices, Integration Day, Group Medicine Shares
Day 9: DEPARTURE
Closing Cacao Ceremony, Departure
Location & Accommodations
The retreat will be held at a beautiful eco luxury retreat center overlooking Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, in the mountains above San Marcos la Laguna.
Some of the amenities include:
• Fresh, locally sourced vegetarian meals each day, with gluten-free options •
• Beautiful yoga platform and outdoor classrooms •
• Contained ceremony space with panoramic lake and volcano views •
• Private outdoor spaces for connection to the land and Lake •
• 3 ancient Mayan Altars where we will have the privilege to pray and be in ceremony •
• Traditional Temazcal Sauna •
• Option to book additional massage & wellness services (for additional fee) •
**Please note that this is a rustic off-grid solar powered retreat center with clean and easy to use composting toilets. The center is only accessible by foot and is a short10-15 minute hike from the village. There will be a bag portage service available for a very small fee. If you have any concerns about physical fitness, please contact Megan to discuss.
Who Is This Retreat For?
This retreat is for people of all-levels of shamanic experience.
It is especially for those with an interest in shamanism who want to dive deeper in their relationship with the spirit world, working with altered states of consciousness, and exploring their medicine gifts.
The container is adaptable. It is designed to meet you where you are and help catalyze the conditions needed for you to realize your intentions.
This retreat is ideal for anyone wanting to bring shamanic practice into their daily live and personal practice, or explore how it might weave into their path of service.
In order to participate it is important that you are in a state of overall health and wellness to do light hiking, participate in late night ceremonies, and feel resourced to step into the mystery of your own inner world.
The most important thing in determining whether the program is right for you is that you feel a resonance and overall ‘yes’ to it. If you are in any way unsure or have questions, I am happy to meet with you to discuss. All you need to do is schedule a 20-minute intro call.
What You’ll Receive
• Core foundational teachings in shamanism and shamanic practice •
• New tools for connecting with your Spirit Guides & Allies on an ongoing basis •
• A deep dive with the Medicine Wheel as a resource for self-discovery •
• Multiple medicine ceremonies for healing, learning and celebration •
• Safe space to explore your unique medicine gifts and path of service •
• A map for bridging shamanism with psychology and other healing arts •
• Time for rest, self-care and integration •
• An invitation to participate in the co-creation of our closing ceremony •
• Integration support during and after the retreat •
Megan Theoret, Lead Facilitator
Megan has been a student of shamanism for 15 years and is trained as a practitioner, ceremonialist and guide. She also practices as a Psychedelic Guide and Integration Coach for Mindbloom, Inc. where she supports clients enrolled in Ketamine-Assisted Therapy programs to overcome anxiety, depression and PTSD. She also leads their Guide Education Program.
The Medicine Weaver School for Sacred Creativity and Shamanic Change-Making is Megan’s passion project, where she has been offering online courses, mentoring and retreats over the past 4 years. Megan found her way into shamanic work amidst a worsening health crisis in her mid-twenties. Finding no answers in modern medicine, she began her own search for health and well-being.
For more than a decade she studied with contemporary shamanic teachers as well as indigenous teachers, most notably working with Shipibo-Canibo people of the Amazon River Basin, Wixarita people of Mexico, Mayan people of Guatemala, and Q’ero people of the Andes. During this time she discovered that so much of her physical pain and suffering was connected to unresolved current and past-life traumas that were preventing her from living in alignment with her True Nature.
Through her journey towards reclaiming her health she found her way into a path of service. One of the unexpected gems was uncovering an ability to hold space in the darkness, recognize innate potential and unique abilities in others, and help people come into alignment with their path of medicine and healing.
Her formal training for this work is as a shamanic practitioner and ceremonialist through the Power Path School of Shamanism (2010-2020), as a certified Nature-Connected Coach through the Earth-Based Institute (2017-2018), as a Pranayama Breathwork Facilitator through Life Awareness Project (2021) and as a Sound Ceremony Practitioner (2023). Megan loves to share lessons that have come to her through her own healing journey, along with the learned, familiar and old ways that have been passed on to her by an array of shamanic healers and teachers.
Caroline Leach, Supporting Facilitator
Caroline is a psychotherapist who specializes in mindfulness and somatic approaches to healing trauma, particularly early developmental wounding that results in complex attachment trauma. She is a meditation instructor in the Mahayana and Mahamudra lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, weaving the view and wisdom of dharma into her work with clients and students.
In recent years, her studies have taken her into more subtle and invisible realms. She has trained at a modern mystery school in energy work and archetypes, focusing particularly on the relationship between the feminine and masculine. She is trained in sound healing and has been apprenticing with medicinal plants through ceremony, retreat, and dieta for the past two years.
Caroline holds a Master of Arts in Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology and has trained in Somatic Experiencing, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples, Sex Therapy, and Psychodynamic Theory. She leads retreats for Naropa University and has offered professional and curricular development for institutes and universities in both Nepal and Bhutan. She currently lives at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.
Ray Lewey, Supporting Facilitator
Ray is a trained psychotherapist, bridging Western psychotherapeutic models with contemplative practice, Buddhist psychology, and plant wisdom. Ray is a certified meditation instructor, and has taught and staffed numerous residential meditation retreats on Tibetan Buddhist elemental practices for psychotherapists in training.
As a transgender man, Ray brings an intimate and embodied experience of navigating the space between worlds, cultivating a fearless allegiance to one’s inner knowing, and inquiring into the deep mystery of what it means to truly express who and what we are.
Ray is interested in exploring various healing and wisdom traditions in order to help others reconnect with sovereignty of mind, heart, body, and spirit so that we may all bring forth our own unique medicine in service of greater healing.
Early Bird Pricing
Double Accommodation: $2200 per person**
**Price increases to $2500 per person after July 14
All accommodations are shared with 2 participants per room. For an additional fee we may be able to provide private single accommodation rooms on an as-needed first come basis. Please contact Megan for more information.
Scholarship
There are 2 Scholarship accommodations. These are available based on financial need and may include minimal work/trade. Please contact Megan for more information.
Awakening Your Inner Compass
$500 deposit to hold your space
PLEASE NOTE: If you are experiencing financial hardship, sliding scale scholarship and work/trade options are available. Please contact me for more information.
If you have any questions prior to registration, you are welcome to sign up here for a free 20-minute intro call.
Everything That’s Included
- • 9 days, 8 nights of lodging in a shared 2-person room
- •1 fresh cooked meal on arrival and departure days
- • Breakfast and Dinner during full retreat days, plus generous afternoon snack
- • Gluten-free options by request
- • 7 Days of Immersion in Medicine Wheel Teachings
- • 2 Cacao Ceremonies
- • 2 Nighttime Medicine Ceremonies
- • 1 Daytime Walkabout Ceremony
• 1 Temazcal
• Guided Practices & Group Time
• Group Integration Call via Zoom following the Retreat
Questions you might have
Is this a training?
In some ways yes, in some ways no. Ultimately, shamanism is a path of direct revelation. No one can train you to be you, just as no one can train a flower to bloom. And yet many shamanic cultures also recognize that living in relationship to the Medicine Wheel is the key to catalyzing the natural unfolding and flowering of the True Self.
In accordance with this, I will be sharing Medicine Wheel teachings, tools, and practices that are all foundational to shamanism. I will share these with the intention of opening doorways and creating space for you to make your own connection with Spirit and discover the magic and wisdom of the Spirit World for yourself.
My hope is that you walk away empowered and resourced to continue developing your relationship with Spirit in whatever ways are most natural and authentic to you.
Will I get a certification?
No. This is a foundational course in shamanism and not a certification program. It is designed to give you the tools and resources to develop your own personal practice of connecting with your Inner Compass and collaborating with the Spirit World. If you want to be certified as a shamanic practitioner, you would need a different and higher level training.
That said, connecting with your Inner Compass will empower any path of service. If you are already trained in a healing art, there may be some practices, teachings and ways of being from the retreat that naturally and easily weave into your existing practice. This may also be true for other paths of service, including leadership, creative projects, business and parenting. We will discuss more about this during the retreat.
Are there any requirements for participating in the retreat?
Yes, there are a few requirements. The first requirement is that you feel a heartfelt desire to do this work, and are committed to taking responsibility for your journey. This means that you agree to dedicate yourself to the experience, and show up and participate as much as you are able.
It is also important to be aware that shamanic experiences have a way of activating and amplifying what’s been going on beneath the surface. This can result in intensified mental, emotional and energetic activity.
It is essential that you are at a level of mental, emotional and physical wellness that you are able to navigate and integrate these types of potentially heightened experiences without causing harm to yourself or those around you. Equally important is that you are well resourced with external support and able to recognize and call on help when you need it.
Do I need previous experience with shamanic practice?
Awakening Your Inner Compass is for people of all experience levels. All of the teachings will start from a place of beginner’s mind and include the necessary foundations and frameworks for anyone new to shamanic practice.
Are there any risks involved with drinking Cacao or other ceremonial medicines?
All of the medicines at the retreat will be optional. Guidance and information will be provided before each ceremony so participants are empowered to make informed decisions for their highest benefit.
Cacao is a very mild medicine (similar in potency to a lightly caffeinated beverage). It is not for everyone, including those with some pre-existing health conditions, especially related to the heart and vascular system. It is up to you to do your research, consult with your physician before the retreat to determine what is best for you.
Please share any health concerns on your registration form and contact Megan with any specific questions.
What if I don't want to or can't drink Cacao or other ceremonial medicines?
It is not required that you drink cacao or any other medicines in order to participate in our ceremonies. And it is not necessary to drink medicines in order to work with their Spirits. Great benefit can be received either way and there will be many other aspects and ways to engage in our ceremonies.
Have other questions? Please feel free to schedule a free 20-minute intro call.
What others are saying about their Medicine Weaver experiences
“Throughout this transformational course, I had the beautiful experience of connecting with my soul, my medicine, and my shadow with other like-minded people to enjoy the journey with! I worked through some giant fears about being seen and heard, sharing my medicine, and speaking from my heart without filtering it. I also experienced some profound healing around deep grief. I feel like I shed so much and also gained so much…like a rebirth! Megan is a phenomenal teacher and after working with her, I finally have the sense of soul-aligned purpose that I’d been seeking for so long. Now I’m ready to go share my medicine with the world!” ~Kim C.
“Megan’s incredible capacity to hold space for not only the group as a whole, but also as individuals, is so very generous, and so very impressive. Her willingness to connect and open up to strangers is the heartbeat of the program and allows the participants to truly make the most of the 12-weeks in their truest and most vulnerable selves. Access to the course beyond the 12 weeks is a real gift as well- I look forward to continuing my journey with Megan’s guidance as I revisit and fine-tune my own medicine.” ~Helen C.
“Megan is one of the most intuitive people I have ever met. She is able to put aside any kind of agenda of her own, truly listen to another, and offer gentle but powerful insights.” ~Anna S.
“Working with Megan has been one of the most revelatory and positive experiences I have ever had. She helped guide me through deep admission of behaviors and patterns, and worked towards easing me into change by providing grounded, caring advice and direction. I have truly come out the other side a more confident, self-actualized person.“ ~Ash T.
“Megan is a wise and amazing guide and is able to facilitate powerful transformational experiences. She is brilliant at creating an “experience” and holding space.” ~Jen B.