MEDICINE WOMAN MOVEMENT - INITIATION GROUND
PORTUGAL - October 3rd - 13th 2025
WELCOME TO A TRANSFORMATIONAL INITIATORY JOURNEY FOR WOMEN
A 10 day deep immersion held in the beautiful wild lands of northern Portugal in a majestic valley, the creek where 2 rivers meet. What a blessing to be held in the wild beauty of this land & allow it to open, teach & accompany us. We will be working with the highly curated shamanic Journey work of Medicine Woman Movement, the heartbeat of this work is returning to our indigenous soul .
The Gateway in is embodied ceremony & ritual. You will be skilfully guided through this body of work to a place where deep alchemy unfolds.
During our time in this sacred land we will travel deep into our inner worlds through embodied ceremony & ritual. Returning to ways in which Medicine Women & Earth keepers work, harnessing & communing in relationship with the Sacred Elements, Animal Spirit allies, our Ancestors & the unseen. Working with & harnessing the power of the 4 directions, we journey with a powerful practice of embodied soul retrieval. As we awaken our wild nature through movement & dance, we begin to drop into the deep mystery & river of our life & longing. Together we will create a Hayhuaricy (Dispatio) offering to the spirits a truly beautiful prayer. Also journeying into the ancient womb of mother earth in a sacred & purifying Temazcal (sweat lodge ceremony). Many days we will work with the beautiful heart opening plant medicine of Cacao.
Woven into our days will be womb & menstrual cycle wisdom, learning how we can live more in alignment with our inner seasons & cyclical nature, how we can reconnect within to the ancient wisdom of our womb. We will also be led by the beautiful Serafina into an introduction of Sufi whirling. We will have time within our days to rest, to be bathed & nourished in the cleansing sweet waters & waterfall, to rest in the Sun on a secluded beach along the river, to cover our bodies in clay & detoxify our skin, star gazing & singing medicine songs around the fire….
WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM THIS WORKSHOP
> A deepening understanding of the transformational power of this work & practices that you can journey with, personally helping you to continue opening the gateway back to the deep longing of your heart & purpose.
> A profound healing from being immersed in the wild lands & waters with a strong & beautiful circle of sisters alongside you in this transformative Initiatory journey.
> A Deepening in your relationship with yourself, coming home in a profound way to your sense of belonging & beginning to uncover your deep gift & purpose in this life.
> You will begin to transform the past into Medicine.
> A deeper understanding of how to make offerings to spirit, to pray in gratitude & remember the power & gift in reciprocity.
> A deeper understanding of the heart & transformational power of Ceremony & Ritual.
> Experiencing & working with the healing power of a TEMAZCAL (SWEAT LODGE) ceremony, we will have two beautiful lodges.
> A powerful healing technique to work with (on yourself only), gifted from Indigenous Inca Paqo (Shaman) in the high Andes of Peru.
> Alchemical Womb Wisdom.
> Work with the powers of the menstrual cycle for personal healing, creativity and spiritual awakening.
> Be initiated into the way of the deep feminine.
> An introduction into SUFI Whirling & the power & beauty of this devotional practice (with Serafina).
> Connect with the Elements with a real sense of recognition that you are an elemental being, widening your sense of ground, belonging & power.
> A deepening relationship with the beautiful heart opening medicine of Cacao.
> A deeper understanding of Medicine Woman Movement as embodied prayer & the transformational power & alchemy it holds.
> A deeper understanding into Shamanism & how the extraordinary can be seen and felt in the ordinary. How we can bring the medicine of this work into our day to day relationships with loved ones, family, friends & to the wider community and web of life that we are connected to.
So we can experience the most profound medicine of the land , earth waters sky & receive the most healing & transformation from our time together within ceremony - Initiation Ground will be a digital free space so all devices get switched off ( of course anyone who needs to phone home or check in with family ect can ) just on the whole we are creating a time offline , off social media , offline to the outerworld so we can deeply be here
MEET BONNIE MCATEER YOUR GUIDE ON THIS JOURNEY
Bonnie is a Medicine Woman & wild spirit who has traveled across continents & vast inner worlds for over 2 decades to bring this medicine home. She weaves in deep teachings from intensive Initiations she received in the Amazon rainforest bridging a pathway from the dreaming world to this world.
Her roots are deeply nourished by a 13 year shamanic apprenticeship with the founders of Movement Medicine, in which Bonnie Graduated & trained to the most advanced level, after 10 years of teaching locally & internationally she was called by spirit in the form of a double lightning strike just after the birth of her second child to initiate her own body of work.
She weaves within this work the prayer & prophecy of our time, Bonnie is initiated into an ancient lineage of Inca Paqo of the Qero people in the high Andes, journeying in an ongoing apprenticeship training as a Nusta Paqo.
Also trained as a menstruality mentor with the Red School she shares her deep passion for reclaiming the wisdom of our womb & cyclical nature. With decades of work within ceremony & ritual she holds a powerful space for deep transformation & homecoming.
“Bonnie is a radical human being and she brings this edge into the space she holds. Her offering is about our deep connection with spirit and the other-world.” .
CARA CREEK
MEET OUR GUEST FACILITATORS WITHIN INITIATION GROUND
MYSTIC WHIRLING DANCE:
Serafina will lead us in the devotional dance of the Sufi dervishes & mystics, known as ‘Sema’ Whirling. Sema, meaning listening, is a ceremony in which we collectively share in practices to empty ourselves to become a channel & vessel for the divine to enter. Serafina will share techniques in the art of Whirling along with preparatory practices & supportive, grounding meditations. Through the exploration of our inner circles and spirals, we begin the dance with the Beloved.
Serafina is a dancer, embodied practices facilitator & dance journey guide, who teaches workshops & initiates, she calls upon a lifetime of experience, seeking throughout the worlds, inner & outer, exploring meditative practices from different lineages to enter into different states of consciousness. Her way guides us to embody the natural rhythms of ecstasy through a heart based approach to dance, we turn around ourselves, towards the heart, in sync with the earth & the cosmos.
TEMAZCAL (SWEAT LODGE)
The Inipi, also known as the Sacred Sweat Lodge or Temazcal, is an ancient ceremonial practice with deep historical & cultural roots. The origins can be traced back to the indigenous peoples of North & South America, particularly Native American tribes who have passed down this sacred tradition for generations.
The Sweat Lodge Ceremony holds immense spiritual significance & is considered a powerful tool for healing, purification, & spiritual connection. The practice is deeply intertwined with the Native American's cultural heritage, worldview & deep connection with the natural world. Kauil, originally from Mexico, & Isabel Mota, from the Azores, are a couple deeply committed to the sacred tradition of the sweat lodge/Inipi, which they have facilitated together for over 9 years.
Kauil, a medical doctor with more than 15 years of experience in this sacred practice, carries profound influences from Lakota traditions while also honoring Mexica & Tolteca elements. His path includes participation in numerous ancient traditional ceremonies, where he has connected deeply with spirit & supported others in their journeys.
Isabel, a doula & trained traditional midwife in Mexico with a background in psychology, complements this work with her nurturing presence & dedication to ancestral practices. She has actively supported & participated in these sacred ceremonies, bringing her profound understanding of life transitions & ceremonial work to their shared path.
Together, they create a transformative & sacred space within the sweat lodge/inipi, guided by the elements of fire, earth, water, & air.
INITIATION GROUND - 10 Days @ Cara Creek - 3-13 October 2025
INVESTMENT:
Initiation Ground Fee
Early Bird (until 31 May): €1500 / £1250
Full Price (from 1 June): €1800 / £1500
Payment can be made via PayPal for € payments & via bank transfer for £ payments.
A €600/ £500 non-refundable deposit can be paid to secure your place.
Various instalment options & payment methods available.
ACCOMMODATION:
Accommodation & Food costs:
10 nights accommodation includes garden to table meals & healthy snacks throughout the day. All bathrooms are shared.
Eco Pods are every nature lover's dream to sleep to the sensations of nature from the comfort of a cozy bed. They were designed and built with inspiration from sacred geometry.
Private or Shared pods from €150 per night - Shared Rooms for €180 per night
A non-refundable deposit can be paid to secure your chosen accommodation option and the remainder will be due on arrival at the venue.
BOOKING:
Enquire with Serafina at initiationgroundmwm@gmail.com to secure your place and select your accommodation.
Within us lives a forest so alive with otherworldly nectar of such unimaginable depth & beauty, within our bones the ancient wisdom of our Ancestors & the Earth & stars echo, within the sweet waters of our heart & womb memories of our indigenous soul call us home.