A 7-day pilgrimage through the sacred landscapes of the Cathar lands and your own intimate body.
Rediscover your hidden gateways of vitality, sexuality, creativity and connection.
There are moments in life when we know something is missing.
Not because we lack knowledge.
But because we have lost relationship.
Relationship with our body.
Our pleasure.
Our vitality.
Our inner compass.
Perhaps you’ve spent years growing…
Yet still feel disconnected from your pelvis.
From intimacy.
From your creative fire.
From your deepest yes.
What if your body remembers?
Most of us have learned anatomy.
Very few of us have learned relationship.
We know the names of our organs. We know how muscles work. We know how hormones fluctuate.
But almost nobody teaches us how to listen.
How to enter into relationship with the places within us that have carried joy, grief, birth, desire, shame, creativity, love and loss.
Many of us have become strangers to our own bodies.
Disconnected from our pelvis. Disconnected from pleasure. Disconnected from intuition.
Disconnected from the immense intelligence that lives beneath thinking.
Yet the body never forgets. It patiently waits.
Waiting for the moment we are ready to come home.
This retreat is your home coming.
What Are The Grail Gates?
Ancient traditions across the world describe the human body as more than a physical structure.
It is also an energetic landscape.
Most people are familiar with the seven chakras that extend from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.
Yet far fewer people know that our intimate anatomy also contains powerful energetic gateways.
For women, these include the clitoris, the vulva, the G-spot, the cervix, the womb and the ovaries.
For men, they include the glans, the shaft and root of the lingam, the prostate and the testicles.
These are not simply anatomical structures. They are thresholds.
Places where vitality, creativity, intimacy and life itself enter our experience.
Places where love has been received. And where love has been lost.
Places where pleasure has awakened. And where pain has been stored.
Places where memories are often held—not only in the mind, but in the body itself.
When we begin listening to these gateways with tenderness instead of judgement, something extraordinary begins to happen.
Life begins to move again.
Read more about the Grail Gates here
We Journey Through the 8 Grail Gates
The Grail Gates are an initiatory path through eight sacred gateways within the pelvic bowl, inspired by the pioneering work of Seren Bertrand and Azra Bertrand.
Just as the body holds chakras, the womb and the hara—the centre below the navel—also contain subtle centres of awareness. The Grail Gates invite us to rediscover this intimate inner landscape, where the body, emotions, archetypes and spirit come together.
Each gate is connected to a real anatomical part of the body—such as the vulva and clitoris, the head and base of the lingam, the G-spot, the cervix, the prostate, the ovaries or testicles, and the deep centre of the womb and hara.
Richly supplied with nerves, deeply influenced by our hormones, and closely connected to the nervous system, these areas form a living bridge between sensation, emotion and inner awareness.
Yet these gates are much more than anatomy. Each one carries its own qualities, gifts and wisdom, while also holding memories, emotions and patterns that may be ready to be seen, felt and gently transformed.
As we bring compassionate awareness to these often-forgotten places, something begins to shift. The body remembers. Connection is restored. What once felt numb, disconnected or out of reach can gradually awaken into greater vitality, intimacy, creativity and presence.
Each gate corresponds to a physical, emotional, and spiritual aspect of your being:
- Yoni lips / Head of lingam – Threshold of safety and welcome
- G-spot / Base of lingam – Inner magnetism and emotional receptivity
- Cervix / Prostate – Depth, presence, and truth
- Base of womb / Hara – Rootedness, ancestral belonging, Earth body
- Right ovary / testicle – Creative will, sacred fire
- Top of womb / hara – Air, higher perspective, soul insight
- Left ovary / testicle – Water, feeling, flow
- Centerpoint – Cosmic womb/hara, the zero point of union
During the retreat, we reconnect to these gates through meditation, shamanic journeying, breath, dance, shadow work, constellation…
This is not tantric or sexualized work, but rather deep somatic and soul-level healing.
When these gateways awaken…
People often imagine healing as fixing something that is broken.
This retreat invites another possibility.
Perhaps nothing is broken.
Perhaps some parts of you have simply been waiting to be seen.
As these intimate gateways begin to awaken, many people experience:
- a deeper sense of belonging within their own body
- greater vitality and life force
- increased emotional resilience
- renewed creativity
- more fulfilling intimacy and sexuality
- deeper trust in intuition
- greater presence
- a stronger connection with the womb or hara
- a feeling of becoming whole again.
This is not about becoming someone else.
It is about remembering who you have always been.
The Royal Road
Across many wisdom traditions, the intimate body was never separated from the spiritual life.
Sexuality was not considered the opposite of spirituality.
It was understood as one of its expressions.
Within certain traditions this journey became known as the Royal Road or the Womb Medicine Wheel—a path through the intimate gateways of the body that honours pleasure, creativity, devotion and embodied presence as sacred.
Each gate offers a portal to:
- Integrate hidden and suppressed emotional layers
- Heal body, mind, and energetic trauma
- Shadow and gift work
- Reclaim the deep feminine and masculine energies within
- Prepare the body and psyche for authentic intimacy and sacred union
- Access soul memory and awaken original potential
- Elemental embodiment (Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Void)
- Sacred union and sovereignty
“There is an ancient pathway to the power of the Womb; it is the most sacred pilgrimage a human being can take.”
The Land Mirrors the Body
What makes this retreat truly unique is that our inner journey is mirrored by an outer pilgrimage through the sacred landscape of the Cathar lands in Southern France.
For centuries, places such as Rennes-les-Bains, Rennes-le-Château, Pech Cardou and Bugarach have drawn pilgrims, mystics, seekers and lovers of the unseen. Ancient springs, megaliths, forests and mountain sanctuaries continue to evoke a sense of mystery that is difficult to put into words.
Rather than simply visiting these places, we enter into relationship with them. We slow down. We listen. We allow the landscape to speak in its own way.
Each site has been carefully chosen because it resonates with one of the Grail Gates we explore throughout the retreat. As the inner work unfolds, the land gently reflects, deepens and amplifies the process, often in ways that surprise us.
Again and again, participants tell us that the landscape itself became one of the greatest teachers of the week.
Because the Earth is not merely the setting for this journey.
She is part of it.
The land becomes your mirror.
Your body becomes your compass.
And together, they guide you home.
The Chair of Isis
Cave of Mary Magdalene
Alet-les-Bains
Rennes-Les-Bains
Church of Bugarach
Fontaine des Amours
Every day the landscape becomes one of your teachers.
The mountain reflects your inner mountain.
The springs soften what has become rigid.
Ancient stones become witnesses to your transformation.
This is not sightseeing.
It is pilgrimage.
“This retreat is an invitation to walk these ancient paths with reverence and curiosity, not merely to visit remarkable places, but to enter into relationship with them.”
With Mary Magdalene as Guide
Mary Magdalene reminds us that spirituality does not ask us to leave the body.
It asks us to enter it more fully.
She embodies the path where love and truth become one.
Throughout this retreat, we are guided by Mary Magdalene, who is said to have fled to Southern France after the crucifixion. Arriving by boat on the shores of Provence-near what is now Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, she made her way inland.
In the Languedoc region, her memory is very much alive. The Cathars, a gnostic-inspired movement flourishing between the 12th and 14th centuries, held her in deep reverence, not as a pentitent sinner but as the embodiment of the feminine Christ, the one who carries the lineage of the Holy Grail, sacred union, and inner Gnosis.
The landscape itself-mysterious caves, ancient springs, high mountains-still pulses with her frequency. Here, she is our teacher, soul midwife, and guide into the mysteries of love, embodiment, and the healing of the feminine and masculine wounds.
What You Will Experience
- Somatic activations for each gate through breath, meditation, shamanic journeying, movement, sharing and deep presence
- Constellation work to integrate shadow, ancestral themes, and soul memory
- Rituals at sacred sites aligned with each gate and element
- Circles for men and women, and shared practices for sacred polarity
- A space of depth, reverence, and safety—no forced vulnerability or eroticized practice
- Integration of trauma-informed tools with mystical lineage wisdom
- The ground for true sacred sensuality to unfold—gently, honestly, and authentically
Who This Is For
This retreat may speak to you if you long to…
- feel fully alive in your body again
- reconnect with your womb or hara
- heal your relationship with intimacy and sexuality
- deepen your spiritual path through embodiment
- explore the wisdom of Mary Magdalene and the Grail tradition
- experience sacred sites in an intimate and meaningful way
- reconnect with Nature as a living intelligence
- remember that your body is not an obstacle to spirituality…
…it is one of its greatest teachers.
This retreat might not be for you if you
- are not comfortable sharing in a vulnerable, honest way
- do not like guided meditations, shamanic journeys and inner process work
- do not want to step out of your comfort zone and meet your resistance as a portal to healing
- project your challenges onto others
- expect a ‘masculine’ type of leadership that emphasizes external authority and structure
- are looking for a tantra approach
- if your physical condition does not allow moderate walks
Imagine leaving France…
…feeling your feet on the Earth differently.
Feeling your pelvis alive.
Walking with more softness.
Speaking with more truth.
Feeling your body as an ally instead of a problem to solve.
Returning home carrying not only memories…
…but a completely different relationship with yourself.
Testimonials
Hi Mieke, just wanted to a huge thanks for holding the energy and sacred space on the most amazing retreat. I’m still in cloud 9 and very much still embodied.
More pictures from the Retreat
By whom?
Hello, my name is Mieke Anthuenis (1972). I am a womb awakening teacher, shamanic womb healer, menstrual mentor and yoni steam facilitator. My life is dedicated to birthing the new earth and bringing back ancient feminine wisdom, healing arts and spirituality. Since 2005, I have been walking a shamanic path with strong influence from my time in Peru and Colombia and the teachers I met there. I am trained in core shamanism (in the lineage of Michael Harner) and womb shamanism (Fountain of Life, Sanctuary of Sofia and Sacred Woman Awakening). Since 2018, I work as a Moon Mother (level 3) and Vaginal Steam facilitator (Peristeam Hydrotherapy Institute). With a background in Tuina, I seek to bring in the rich and old eastern view on WoMen’s well-being. In my retreats and 1-on-1 sessions, I blend these modalities together, based on the needs of the client, to facilitate a deep and safe space for healing and transformation. I work with persons in all seasons of their life, with or without a womb, with or without a period. I am co-author of the best-selling book Return To the Motherworld and run retreats and pilgrimages in the legendary Cathar region in the South of France.
I am truly honored to connect with you.
xxx
Qi Gong at sunrise
During the Journey Through the Grail Gates Retreat,
Tom Indekeu will guide early morning Qi Gong sessions
focusing on the hara — the lower dan tien,
center of grounding, vitality, and inner strength.
A priceless complement to the deep work with the womb and hara,
these practices awaken presence in the body
and attune the masculine and feminine currents within.
Beginning each day in stillness and movement —
rooted, centered, alive.
Our Venue
Let the images speak for themselves…
Dates & Investment
31 oct- 6 nov.
7 days / 6 nights | All meals + lodging included
€1.699
Payment plans available
6What’s included:
- 7 days/5 nights in a double or triple room in a beautiful retreat center in the Cathar region
- Daily guided meditation, healing & activation, embodiment sessions (powerful inner journeys)
- Ceremonies and rituals
- Guided visits to powerful sites related to Mary Magdalene and the Grail Gates
- All meals included (highly nourishing, organic, low-gluten, vegetarian meals)
- Group transportation for all sacred site visits
- A supportive and intimate circle of sisters and brothers
What’s NOT included
- Travel costs to and from the retreat location (nearest airport: Toulouse)
- Personal expenses & extra activities outside the program
- Optional 1:1 womb healing sessions (available at an additional cost)
Limited spots available – claim your place in this sacred circle!
Cancellation policy
Let’s Connect Before You Book
Because this retreat is a profound and intimate journey, we invite each participant to have a short personal call with us before confirming their booking.
This conversation allows us to:
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Feel together if this retreat is truly aligned for you right now
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Answer any questions you may have
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Ensure you feel fully supported before saying yes to the journey