Mantra & Medicine weekend ~ Call of the North

⏀ Sagas of the North: Story & Sound Experience
As you arrive at our Mantra & Medicine weekend, we welcome you with a sound-experience, to start your journey with a sense of wonder and relaxation. Our aim is to bring back the feeling of the ancient Nordic Longhouse. The Longhouse was the heart of a village, a place where families and neighbours came together to seek shelter from the harsh Nordic winters and, more importantly, to connect. It was a space where the bonds of community were forged and stories were passed down from generation to generation. In this special opening session where you will be invited to lay down, the old tales of the North come to life. This unique experience blends the soothing resonance of instruments like the gong, the drum, and our voices with the captivating art of storytelling.

⍙ Cacao & Microdosing Mantra ceremony
In the beginning of the evening we come together for the highlight of this weekend: The singing circle. On this night we combine three beautiful tools for transformation: Cacao, Mantras and microdosing Magic Truffles. The microdose that will be offered to you in this event contains between 1 and 2 grams of fresh truffles. You will be free to choose in the moment the amount that calls you most, because it’s important you feel comfortable. The fusion of singing and altered states of consciousness is a tale as old as human history. Indigenous cultures and ancient civilisations understood that the voice could carry intentions and prayers, to the divine realms. It can tap into the depths of one’s feelings, revealing layers of suppressed emotions or unspoken truths and explore our innermost sensations. We will sing various songs rooted in the Nordic culture. With this Nordic winter theme we want to bring the wisdom and healing of ancients myths and various Norse spiritual traditions. Nordic music is raw, powerful and has an uncompromising quality to it. By chanting these songs and invoking these energies, we can allow ourselves to go into the parts we often ignore or even repress.
Learning to accept the light ánd the darkness within yourself, others and life, is a huge gift. By bringing consciousness to the depths of our soul, we are able to clear our energetic body and use our life force to reclaim and rebirth our true and beautiful self. Join us under the canopy of a wintery forest, as we sing, connect, and journey into the heart of a culture that continues to inspire and mesmerise. In doing so, we become not just participants, but bearers of a musical heritage that stretches back through the annals of history.

You can read more about our Nordic theme to get a feel for it here ⇣
More info

‘The new dawn is reborn from the darkest night.’

⏄ Breathwork
Breath is the essence of life, an involuntary action that sustains us from the moment we are born. In each of our events, we invite different experts in Wim Hof, Conscious connected breathing or Psychedelic Breath. Breathwork is a practice that harnesses the power of conscious, controlled breathing to influence our mental, emotional, and physical states. It encourages the release of suppressed emotions, offering a cathartic experience. This can aid in addressing unresolved issues and fostering emotional well-being. It also improves your immune system, eliminates toxins from the body and enhances your lung capacity.

The experiences and insights gained on the previous day can stir up emotions and feelings. The Sunday morning Breathwork session provides a safe and supportive environment for releasing any residual emotional blockages and helps you leave with a sense of emotional clarity.

I will guide this ceremony together with my partner in life; Robert Tolenaars. We are both musicians that have crossed paths years ago, and since then we perform devotional music from all over the world in singing circles, cacao ceremonies and concerts. With a combination of vocals, guitar, shruti box and the medicine drum we feel we offer a unique depth to any journey in which the power of sound and music is used as a way to inspire and heal. We guide you through the light as well as the dark. We have carefully searched for songs and prayers that fit this theme. When we sing with others, blending our voices, we start listening more attentively, feeling the energy of the group trying to find harmony. As everyone synchronises their breathing, and thereby the beating of their hearts, singing in unison, a bond forms and feeling of completeness surrounds the group. By chanting these both ancient and modern words we invoke the fire within ourselves and let our heart bloom.

⏀ About Cacao
Cacao ceremonies originate all the way back to Mayan and Aztec traditions in central and south America. Cacao opens the heart and allows for a deeper, authentic love based connection with yourself, others, the earth and all of life.
Read everything about ceremonial Cacao here ↓
More info

⏃ About Microdosing
A microdose is about 1/15 of a full trip dosis, and therefore has a subtle effect. It doesn’t come close to the psychedelic effects of a ‘normal’ dosis. The aim here is to help you fully experience everything that is alive in you, so you are able to process. Rather than mind-altering, the effects of Microdosing are best described as mind enhancing.
Read everything about magic truffles and microdosing here ↓
More info

⏁ About mantra chanting
A mantra is a sound or a vibration that becomes very powerful when you repeat it. Singing the ancient words with subtle intentions help you to reach a deep state of meditation. By simply repeating the mantras, you can disconnect from your thoughts. The mantra becomes more abstract so it can lead you into a place of pure consciousness. Each mantra or song with its different sound has another effect on the human psyche. The sound vibrations penetrate every cell of the body. When we sing these mantras together in a group, often a profound sense of unity and connection arises. The harmonious sounds created by everyone, are felt deeply within and help you raise your vibration.

⍙ Preparation
For the cacao ceremony on Saturday evening we want to invite you to put a bit of extra effort in your outfit, inspired by this Nordic theme. We love creating space for self expression, so this is your chance to wear that amazing dress you never wear, or to borrow something nice from someone. Make sure you feel both beautiful and comfortable. This is a sacred ceremony. Just like we create an altar, and decorate the space, we also give some love to ourselves and make sure we fully show up. In this way we seal the space from the influence of the outside world and enter a different world in which you can fully submerge yourself. In the book; ‘King, Warrior, Magician, Lover’…this is called ‘sacred space’.

⏄ The team
Robert Tolenaars: Organizer of this weekend, Musician, Coach & Teacher CHECK HIM OUT! 
Pleuni van Hulten: Organizer of this weekend, Yoga teacher, Mantra chanter, Soundhealer, Cacao addict.
Theresia Hofmaier: Breathworker, Massage therapist with a magical touch, CHECK HER OUT!

Time schedule (open to change)

Saturday 27
⌾  12.00 Onwards arrival.
⌾  13.00 Opening circle
⌾  14.00 Story & Sound experience
⌾  15.00 Soup and free time to enjoy the forest and connect
⌾  17.00 Opening ritual
⌾  18.00 start ceremony
⌾  22.30 end ceremony and late night dinner

Sunday 28
⌾  9.00 Bodywork & Breathwork session
⌾  11.30 Vegetarian brunch
⌾  12.00 Free time to enjoy the forest and connect
⌾  14.00 Closing circle
⌾  15.00 Leaving time

Your ticket price includes
⌾ Story & Sound-experience
⌾ Mantra circle with ceremonial Cacao and a microdose of magic truffles
⌾ Delicious snacks and tea
⌾ Soup for a light lunch on Saturday
⌾ Vegan dinner Saturday night
⌾ Vegan brunch Sunday morning
⌾ Fully guided body and Breathwork session

⎑ About the location
AVANI means: ‘The good earth’, and stands for grounding within yourself, ground with each other. Being in contact with yourself and the earth. This retreat and training center is surrounded by trees, and a newly planted food forest. The beautiful architecture, the natural light and all the indoor decorations make you feel at home right away. The location is very close to the “Loonse en Drunense duinen” in Helvoirt. Take a look on their website.
AVANI

Sleeping and other extra’s:
AVANI retreat has some beautiful dorm-rooms, private rooms and yurts available. Upstairs there are 2 dorm-rooms, each with 6 wooden beds with linen bedding. And 2 private rooms with ensuite bathroom. There are also 2 wooden yurts with a fireplace located on their land. One with 6 and the other with 8 beds.

• Private room with bathroom for 2 (Please only book with 2 people) €120
• Bed + Bedding in a 6 bed dorm-room €35pp
• Bed without bedding in the 6 bed yurt €30pp

Book your spot HERE

NOTE: We totally understand that life has other plans sometimes and for some reason you are not able to join this event you were so much looking forward to. However, our event planning proces takes precise coordination, budgeting and agreements based on the amount of tickets sold. This is why we decided not to give refunds, because it otherwise simply isn’t possible for us to keep doing this work.
We dó have a few options though:
– You are free to resell your own ticket to someone you know, share it on your social media, or post in our FB event. Please inform us about the exchange, so we can update the name list.
– If there is a waiting-list, we will help you sell your ticket to someone else.
– For exceptional cases please contact us.
*24h before the start of this event we are not available anymore to help you sell your ticket, due to preparations.