Into Darkness - Women’s Day Retreat

A Soul Alchemy™ Samhain Experience

As the light fades and the earth settles into winter’s rest, we, too, are invited to slow down and turn inward.

This Into Darkness Day Retreat takes place at Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival marking the threshold between autumn and winter. A time when the harvest has been gathered, the veil between worlds is said to be thin, and we begin our journey into the darker half of the year.

This gentle journey through the work of Soul Alchemy™ is designed to support you in consciously transitioning out of the active energy of the warmer months and into winter’s stillness, reflection and contemplation.

As the days shorten and the darkness deepens, nature offers us a reminder that we were never meant to keep going all year. Winter invites us to pause, to listen, and to turn our attention inwards.

Together, we will honour what the year has revealed, gather the harvest of what we have experienced and learned, and create space for the quiet season ahead.

This intimate day retreat weaves together seasonal ritual, reflection, healing and deep rest in a grounded, embodied way, with a gentle thread of ancient seasonal wisdom and magic woven throughout.

What To Expect

This is an intimate winter retreat where we come together at the threshold of Samhain to honour the turning of the year and consciously step into the darkness of winter. Through seasonal ritual, guided reflection, meditation and quiet contemplation, you’ll gather the harvest of the year so far and create space to slow down, rest and listen within.

The day blends seasonal wisdom, gentle healing practices and deep restorative rest, with space to reconnect with what truly nourishes you and to consider how you want to winter.

A thread of Soul Alchemy™ runs through the experience, guiding you through awareness, release, reconnection and integration as you move from the light into the stillness of the darker season.

By the end of the day, you will feel grounded, restored and more connected to yourself, with a renewed appreciation for the wisdom of winter and the stillness, reflection and quiet magic it can offer.

What’s Included

• Tea, coffee and light snacks to nourish and refresh you throughout the day
• A healthy, seasonal plant-based lunch to nourish and support your body
• Seasonal reflection and journaling to illuminate the experiences, growth, lessons and successes of the year
• Samhain-inspired seasonal ritual and guided meditation to support stillness, contemplation and the transition into the darker months
• A winter seed ritual to gather and honour what you have harvested from the year
• Group healing using the ThetaHealing® technique to support the release of limiting beliefs around rest, productivity and slowing down
• A Winter Map exercise to reconnect with the people, practices and simple pleasures that nourish you
• A candle-lighting ceremony to honour the light you carry through the darkness, with your candle to take home
• Restorative sound bath to integrate the day’s experience, ground you and support deep rest

Please note: Participants who are pregnant should provide a letter from their doctor before attending the sound bath. Anyone with epilepsy or fitted with a pacemaker will be unable to attend the sound bath. 

What You’ll Leave With

• A deeper understanding of where you are in your own seasonal and inner cycle
• A clearer sense of what you have harvested from the year that has passed
• Permission to embrace winter as a season of stillness, reflection and restoration
• A personal Winter Map to support a more nourishing winter
• A deeper connection with the practices, people and experiences that bring you comfort and joy
• A felt sense of grounding, calm and renewed energy
• Your own ritual candle to carry the light of the retreat with you through the darker months
• An insight into where you are on your Soul Alchemy journey

This is your invitation to pause, step out of the noise of everyday life and give yourself permission to winter.

Who This Day Retreat Is For

This retreat is for women over 18 who feel called to slow down, turn inward, and consciously embrace the energy of winter.

It is for those who are ready to step away from the pressure to keep going, take stock of the year that has passed, and create space for stillness, reflection and contemplation as the darker months begin.

Whether you are seeking spiritual connection, gentle guidance, seasonal ritual, or simply a restorative day away from the demands of everyday life, this day retreat offers an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and experience the quiet magic of winter in the company of like-minded women.

It is also for women who feel drawn to the old seasonal rhythms of the land and the gentle magic of ritual, without needing to follow a particular spiritual or pagan path.

While the day draws on the principles of the Soul Alchemy System™, its focus is on seasonal transition, inner reflection and preparing for the winter pause, offering practices to help you move into the darker months feeling grounded, nourished and connected.

Please note: A level of self-awareness and a willingness to participate in group activities are required in order to participate. 

What To Bring

A notebook and pen and a willingness to be open and an open heart. 

Please wear warm, comfortable clothing and bring anything else you need to feel cosy and comfortable throughout the day. 

Book Your Place

This intimate Into Darkness Retreat is limited to just 6 women, creating a small, cosy and supportive space for the day. 

Price: £95
Includes plant-based lunch, refreshments, all activities, materials and your ritual candle to take home.

With only 6 places available, early booking is recommended to secure your place.

Meet Your Host - Suz McDonald

Suz McDonald is the creator of the Soul Alchemy System™ and a holistic wellbeing specialist who supports spiritually minded people to heal from the past, reconnect with their true selves and live in alignment with their soul’s purpose.

Her work blends grounded self-inquiry with intuitive and energetic practices, guiding clients through deep inner transformation that is both practical and embodied.

Suz is a certified ThetaHealing Master Instructor, Reiki Master Teacher, yoga teacher, sound therapist and mindfulness coach. She has been facilitating retreats and transformational spaces since 2016 across Vietnam, Dubai and Scotland.

Her approach draws on the wisdom of energy work, ritual, nature, meditation and spiritual practice, creating spaces where people can slow down, listen within and reconnect with their own inner knowing.

Through the Soul Alchemy System™, Suz leads clients through a clear, supportive process of illumination, healing and clearing, reconnection and embodiment.

This Into Darkness Day Retreat offers a lived experience of that work, woven into the natural rhythm of the season.

Terms and Conditions 

Please read and acceot the full terms and conditions on the booking form.