A 6-day initiation where we explore the womb and hara as inner Grail Gates, mirrored by the mystical Cathar landscape. Through healing journeys, embodiment, constellation, and visits to sacred sites, we walk this path to sacred union, with Mary Magdalene as our guide.
Reconnect the Inner Architecture of Your Soul
Just like the body has chakra’s, the womb and hara (the center below the navel) also hold energetic portals — we call them the Grail Gates.
These pelvic portals are anatomical and energetic centers that hold deep layers of your being. Each gate corresponds to another aspect of yourself – physically, emotionally, archetypically and spiritually.
Each gate has its own psychology, wounds and gifts, and holds a specific vibration. When these gates awaken, they open a path of healing, clarity, and transformation.
This retreat takes you on a profound journey through these 8 Grail Gates – a deep yet safe exploration of the hidden wisdom in our pelvic bowl — a journey of restoring connection, awareness, and sacred power.
No nudity, no erotic touch — the work is energetic, conscious, and embodied.
Complementary to the journey inside, we visit power places in the sacred land of the Cathars. Our guide on this spiral path is Mary Magdalene, who knows these inner and outer lands like no one else.
Through teaching, guided meditation, shamanic journeying, breath, movement, constellation, ritual and sacred sites, this retreat will gently open you for sacred union. With yourself. With another. With Source.
Read more about the Grail Gates here
We Journey Through the 8 Grail Gates:
Based on Seren and Azra Bertrand’s teachings of Womb Awakening, the journey through the Grail Gates is structured as an initiatory path of eight sacred portals in the pelvic bowl, each with its own psychology, wound and gift.
These gates correspond to real anatomical and energetic structures in the body—such as the outer pelvic field, g-spot, cervix, ovaries, prostate, and the deep core of the hara or cosmic womb. More than physical, these gates are thresholds into the multidimensional self. They are both pleasure points and prayer points, both sensitive anatomy and soul thresholds.
It is through these gates that your body remembers its original design. To reconnect with them is to initiate yourself into deeper presence, greater wholeness and soul embodiment.
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, movement, constellation…
This is not tantric or sexualized work, but rather deep somatic and soul-level healing.
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 site visits in the Languedoc – caves, springs, and megalithic power spots
“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
We will not only journey through our inner landscape, but also across the sacred Cathar lands, so that the Earth herself can become an ally in our transformation.
We will visit legendary villages such as Rennes-le-Château, Rennes-les-Bains, megaliths, grottoes, and ancient springs… Each sacred site echoes one of the gates within your body.
Through ritual, movement, prayer and silence, we remember that your body is not separate from the Earth. As you walk these ancient lands, you walk yourself home.
The land becomes your mirror.
The body becomes your compass.
The journey becomes a spiral of homecoming.
The Chair of Isis
Cave of Mary Magdalene
Alet-les-Bains
Rennes-Les-Bains
Church of Bugarach
Fontaine des Amours
With Mary Magdalene as Midwife
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 is for you if you:
- Long for true embodiment of your soul’s potential
- Carry a sense of disconnection from your body or its wisdom
- Are navigating grief, trauma, or the need for deep integration
- Want to reclaim your womb or hara as a center of creative power
- Are preparing for or healing from partnership and long for sacred union
- Are drawn to Magdalene, the Grail, the Cathar lands, or Earth-based spirituality
- Desire a space where depth, silence, beauty and truth are honored equally
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
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
Wim Vandenbergh: space holder & systemic facilitator
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…
By Air
- Toulouse (TLS) – the largest nearby airport with many international connections, about 150 km away.
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Montpellier (MPL) – another good option, about 200 km away.
From these airports you can easily continue your journey by train or rental car. If you travel by train, we recommend taking a connection to Carcassonne train station, where we provide a shuttle service to and from the retreat venue.
By Train
France has an excellent rail network, making train travel a comfortable and eco-friendly option.
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From Toulouse, Montpellier, or Perpignan, you can take a regional or high-speed train (TGV / TER) to Carcassonne.
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From Carcassonne, we will welcome you with a shuttle service to Albières (11330).
By Car
If you prefer to travel by car, you can drive directly to the retreat venue in the village of Albières (11330).
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The village is located in the Corbières mountains, about 1 hour from Carcassonne, 1.5 hours from Perpignan, and 2.5 hours from Toulouse or Montpellier.
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We recommend using GPS navigation to Albières 11330. Once in the village, clear directions to the retreat house will be provided.
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Free parking is available on site.
By Bus
There are also regional bus connections into the Cathar region.
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From Toulouse, Perpignan, or Montpellier, you can take a long-distance bus (Flixbus, BlaBlaBus) to Carcassonne.
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From Carcassonne, continue by local bus or train to reach nearby villages.
For your convenience, we provide a shuttle service from Carcassonne train station directly to the retreat venue in Albières (11330).
Dates & Investment
26 oct- 1 nov.
6 days / 5 nights | All meals + lodging included
€1.799
Payment plans available
Bring a friend and receive 100€ discount. Promotional code: BRINGAFRIEND
Come as a couple and receive 200€ discount*. Promotional code: COUPLE
*(to be used by one of the subscribers of the couple)
What’s included:
- 6 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
Increased Transaction Fees for PayPal and Credit Card
Credit Card: €0.35 + 3.9% of the total amount. PayPal: €0.35 + 6.1% of the total amount.
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