A year long journey to reconnect with self, purpose and the wisdom of these lands
Seasonal Alchemy is for those seeking deep nature connection and a reimagined life.
Guided by a timeless Celtic map, this seasonal journey reconnects you to rhythms that have guided humanity for centuries, fostering resilience, compassion, and an intuitive approach to life and work.
We invite you to step out of prevailing cultural narratives, into a story rooted in interrelationship, mystery, and soul. Join us on Seasonal Alchemy.
This journey is for you if…
You feel a sense of unease with the direction of our modern culture and its disconnect with the natural world.
You are ‘on purpose’, but you feel overwhelmed, stressed and exhausted by how much there is to do.
You want to contribute something truly meaningful and inspire future generations, but you’re uncertain about your path forward.
You long for a supportive and understanding community where you can explore your very own earth based spiritual path.
You are interested in how Celtic culture and consciousness can be practically applied to our modern lives.
This is a year-long holistic programme with four seasonal weekends in person, and online connection and support throughout the year.
Our in person retreats are held at
The Asha Centre - Gunn Mill House, Lower Spout Lane, Flaxley GL17 0EA
Winter : The Renewal 13 - 15 December 2024
Spring : The Beginning 7-9 March 2025
Summer : The Flourishing 29 May - Jun 1 2025
Autumn : The Honouring 12-14 September 2025
The Celtic Wheel
The Celtic Wheel is a map of wholeness.
When we tune into our natural surroundings across the year, we find, within each season, resource and wisdom that can help us make sense of the ups and downs and twists and turns of our inner and outer lives. The wheel encourages us to surrender to and find the necessity and gift within whatever human experience we are having.
The wheel supports us in how to make pragmatic decisions in the daily churn of our ordinary lives. It gives us a deeper understanding of the nature of change, so that we can respond to whatever unfolds with more understanding, grace and skill.
Discover more about our philosophy here.
Your Guides
Our Philosophy
Seasonal Alchemy is born from an understanding that modern society has distanced itself from the wisdom of nature and the sacred lineages of our ancestors. Our philosophy challenges the dominant narratives of our time - narratives that have cast powerful spells over our collective consciousness, leading us to believe in the illusions of separation, endless growth, and the supremacy of technology.
Breaking the Spells of Modern Society
We recognise that we are living under the influence of many spells:
The Spell of Control
Tricks us into believing that we must be the architects of our own destiny, ignoring the natural unfolding of life and the intelligent power of emergence.
The Spell of Self-Improvement
Pushes us to constantly strive to be more, often leaving us feeling exhausted and inadequate, forgetting that we are enough as we are.
The Spell of Pain
Misleads us to believe that feeling our hurt and acknowledging our mortality will only harm us more, when healing comes through acknowledging and embracing our pain and relationship with death.
The Spell of Conformity
Tells us that fitting in is the key to belonging, but real belonging is found in our connection to the land and our unique contribution to the world.
The Spell of Growth and Progress
Teaches us that endless consumption leads to happiness, yet it divides us, sows the seeds of deficiency and destroys our natural environment.
The Spell of Individualism
Leads us to believe we exist in isolation and enact our work alone, yet our ancestors knew that meaningful and sustainable change is achieved in community.
The Spell of Time
Confines us to linear thinking, denying the cyclical (and spirallying) nature of life and the ever-present opportunity to begin anew.
The Spell of Separation
Suggests that we are separate from nature, viewing the Earth as a resource to exploit, rather than a living, animate web of which we are only a small part.
The Spell of the Saviour
Keeps us looped in trying to fix external (and often uncontrollable) dynamics. Whilst systemic attention is essential, the root of global healing begins inside us and in our immediate environment.
You should know, before embarking on this journey, that societal spells can be broken, but the revelations of the Soul, of Mystery and of Mother Nature, cannot.
You cannot unsee what you have seen. Once struck by awe, there is no returning.
The Wild Self, in all its richness of colour, texture and feeling waits to be found just beneath the choppy, murky surface of our modern lives.
Out in the forests and hills the senses come alive; truth, beauty and goodness naturally arise from within; so too does the knowing you are guided and have everything you need.
Programme
Our approach is holistic, cyclical and embodied, mirroring the seasons. We understand that transformation is not a linear process, but an alchemical one. Each season brings its own lessons and opportunities for growth, inviting us to slow down, listen deeply, and see the world as animate and inherently meaningful.
Winter: The Renewal - Samhain
Our journey begins in the stillness of winter, where we embrace the wisdom of Samhain. This is a time of honouring our past and preparing for renewal.
In a world that glorifies perpetual growth, winter teaches us the value of rest, reflection, and the quiet power of the unknown. Here, we learn that true transformation begins in the void, where we release the old and make space for the seeds of new life.
Spring: The Beginning - Imbolc
As winter gives way to spring, we enter Imbolc, a season of rebirth and new beginnings. After the introspection of winter, spring invites us to sow intentions with clarity and purpose.
In a society driven by constant productivity, we are reminded that creativity requires space to listen deeply and choose deliberately. Spring is the time to cultivate new paths, guided by the clarity that emerges from stillness.
Summer: The Flourishing - Bealtaine
Summer, or Bealtaine, is a season of flourishing and vitality. The life force that we cultivated in the dark months now bursts forth, urging us to step into our potential and shine.
Unlike the relentless push for success in modern culture, summer in the Seasonal Alchemy journey is about balanced expansions in alignment with our deepest values and the earth’s rhythms. Here, we take risks, embrace our passions, and engage with the world from a place of authenticity and strength.
Autumn: The Honouring - Lughnasadh
As the cycle turns toward autumn, we reach Lughnasadh, the season of harvest and honoring. Autumn invites us to pause, reflect, and celebrate the fruits of our labour before the inevitable return to winter.
In a culture obsessed with constant forward motion, autumn offers a crucial lesson in completion and gratitude. As we honor the cycle’s end, we also pause and integrate its teachings, readying ourselves to enter the next phase with deeper insight and renewed purpose.
Here are some of the approaches we use to support this work:
Silence and Stillness - allow us to go inwards and find deeper meaning and insight, as well as integrate and process our experience more thoroughly.
Ritual - allows us to reimagine and reform human community and the world we are looking for. Things are moved and awakened with ritual. Ritual, myth and nature need to coexist, they are just as intricate as each other.
Movement and embodiment - keep us in the present moment, connected and resourced.
Nature Connection - Mother Nature holds the conditions for our natural, wild and true self to come alive and be known.
Solitude - shows us a powerful mirror to ourselves, especially when done intentionally and with nature.
Breathwork - our breath changes the way we think, feel and behave. So, if we use the breath purposefully, we have an extraordinary tool with which to direct our lives.
Circles - we regularly come together and sit in circle to share who and how we are, harness collective wisdom and support healing and growth.
Enquiry - whether done in pairs or individually, we uncover the truth of the matter when we look at what is going on with genuine care and curiosity.
Teachings - we teach the Celtic Wheel, which forms the underlying ‘map’ of our work and will support you in navigating change for the rest of your life. We also teach nature connection, ritual and conscious relating.
Poetry & Myth - reconnect us with our soul’s calling and inspire us to lead a heartfelt life.
Coaching - helps us to see ourselves more fully and move towards a more fulfilled life.
Sacred Spring Immersions - refresh, revitalise and renew us.
Community Gatherings - Online
Connection Calls
Throughout the year, over the time of the Equinoxes and Solstices, we will gather for four 1.5hr zoom calls.
This is an opportunity for us to:
Connect with one another and feel our shared space and support for one another in between the in person events
Receive further teachings to deepen our awareness of how we are relating to the seasons around us and inside of us as we honour each festival.
Intentionally look towards the next stage of the wheel so we can best prepare for it.
Online forum
We will be maintaining connection as a group throughout the year on WhatsApp. This will be for people to share ideas, resources and reading materials, photos and to support, champion, celebrate one another.
It will be facilitated lightly. The teachings will be kept to the retreats and the connection calls.
“Whispers of the Season”
Emails bringing wisdom, support and reflections will be sent during each cycle.
The Rhythm
Retreats - In Person
Our in person retreats are held at The Asha Centre - Gunn Mill House, Lower Spout Lane, Flaxley GL17 0EA
These are the dates:
Winter : The Renewal, 13 - 15 December 2024
Spring : The Beginning, 7-9 March 2025
Summer : The Flourishing, 29 May - Jun 1 2025 (3 days and nights)
Autumn : The Honouring, 12-14 September 2025
Arrival: we gather on Day 1 at 4pm and depart on Sunday at 3pm. Note that Summer is 3 days and 3 nights, not two.