The Mystic's Path A Women's Creative & Spiritual Retreat Umbria, Italy
Walk with the mystics.
Return to yourself.
Five days in the hills of Umbria, walking in the footsteps of women who trusted their instinct and made their own path. Six months of the Wanderess Circle, so what begins in Italy becomes how you live.
4-8 October 2026 No more than 10 women 8 places remaining
A free, low-pressure conversation with Ellie before anything else.
Dr Ellie Chadwick, PhD in Theatre Work commissioned by Tate Modern, the Barbican and the National Trust Interviewed by BBC Radio 4 Ten years leading international retreats
You may be here because…
Somewhere in your house there's a notebook you haven't opened in years.
Or a guitar. A camera. A box of paints. And when someone asks "do you still write?", you hear yourself say "not really, with everything going on", and you change the subject a little faster than you meant to.
Somewhere in the last few years, you lost touch with a part of yourself.
Maybe it shows in what you stopped making: the writing, the painting, the singing, the dancing that used to be yours. Maybe it shows more quietly, as feeling less alive, less playful, less intuitive than you once were. Or perhaps you've spent so long living the story expected of you that you've forgotten what your own story feels like.
Your life works. You hold a lot, for a lot of people. And still, something in you keeps asking for more than another holiday.
That call deserves to be followed. This retreat is where you follow it.
The women who walked these hills
One night in 1212, an eighteen-year-old noblewoman slipped out of her family's palazzo in Assisi. A good marriage had been arranged for her. A safe life, written by someone else. She walked out of it on foot, in the dark, towards something she trusted more.
Her name was Clare. And these hills remember her, along with Rita of Cascia, Angela of Foligno and the other women of Umbria who stepped outside the roles expected of them, answered an inner call, and trusted something deeper than convention. They made their own path, at a time when that cost far more than it costs today.
On The Mystic's Path, we spend five days with their stories, in the landscape where they lived. We meet these women not as ideals to emulate, but as mirrors. Through storytelling, somatic movement, writing, art and ritual, we explore what their courage has to say to the chapter you're standing in now.
They remind us that another way of being is possible. It always was.
One journey, four parts
Five days in Umbria (4-8 October)
Your home is Siliano Alto, a 200-year-old stone farmhouse on the border where Tuscany meets Umbria, set in a secluded estate of rolling hills and woodland. Each day begins with a gentle grounding ritual: breath, movement, arriving in your body. From there, days move between archetype and myth workshops, intuitive writing, symbolic art and altar-building, somatic movement and dynamic meditation, contemplative walks through the sacred landscapes of the mystics, shared meals and evening ritual. Your stay, meals, transfers, excursions and all materials are included: you bring yourself, we hold the rest.
A small circle of women
This is an intimate group of no more than ten, and it's shaped with care: every woman joins through a real conversation with Ellie first, so the circle you sit in is made of women who are genuinely ready for this work, and ready for a little adventure too. Opening and closing ceremonies, shared meals, long conversation, celebration, laughter and honest company do as much as any workshop.
Six months of the Wanderess Circle
The retreat is the beginning, and what follows is designed so it lasts. From October to March you'll have a personal one-to-one integration session with Ellie, a monthly live circle with your group (kept intentionally succinct, so it fits real life and every time zone), a private community with monthly themes and creative practices, guest workshops with artists and cultural practitioners, and a WhatsApp group for ongoing connection.
The Heroine's Journal & the Heroine's Journey Course
On retreat you'll receive The Heroine's Journal, Ellie's guided journal through the twelve stages of the Heroine's Journey. Alongside it, you'll have six months' access to the complete Heroine's Journey Course: a 12-module online programme, one module for each stage, each weaving visual storytelling on the mythology and symbolism, a somatic practice, a Jungian active imagination practice and a creative practice. Two modules open each month, and they're yours to explore in your own time and time zone.
Five powerful days open the door. Six supported months are how the change settles into your everyday life.
Siliano Alto, on the border where Tuscany meets Umbria. Stay, meals, transfers and materials are included.
Somatic Mythwork™, in plain words
Somatic Mythwork™ is the method Dr Ellie Chadwick created from fifteen years of theatre, research and somatic practice. It brings together mythology, Jungian archetypal psychology, somatics and creativity: story and the body, working as one.
You won't study the mystics from a distance. You'll step inside their stories: writing, moving, giving them voice, making things with your hands.
Transformation doesn't happen by understanding a new story. It happens when you begin to embody one.
At the centre of this retreat stands the archetype of the Mystic: the woman who listens deeply, trusts her inner knowing, and finds meaning beyond what is expected of her. Around her live the other stories women are handed, the Virgin, the Saint, the Witch, the Maiden, and part of the work is choosing, consciously, which of these stories you still wish to carry.
You don't need to think of yourself as artistic or have creative experience. You simply need a willingness to be curious, to explore, and to discover what emerges.
Every practice is trauma-aware, choice-led and held with care. Everything is an invitation.
Held by Dr Ellie Chadwick (PhD)
Ellie is a theatre practitioner, creative facilitator, trauma-informed somatic therapist and accredited counsellor (ACCPH). Over 15 years she has created immersive experiences commissioned by Tate Modern, the Barbican and the National Trust, been interviewed by BBC Radio 4 on creative education, and led international retreats for nearly a decade, from Bali to the UK. She holds a PhD in Theatre, and she built Somatic Mythwork™ to bring together what she knows best: story, creativity and the body as doorways back to yourself.
If you speak with her, you'll notice the thing her participants always mention first: you feel safe, deeply seen and supported, and you laugh more than you expected.
Words from women who've walked with Ellie
Abbey, on her retreat with Ellie 3 min
If you want a break from the day-to-day and time to nourish your creative side, join one of Ellie's retreats. Memories I will carry with me forever.
Literally life changing. Something really has shifted for me, and I am being even more my authentic and powerful self.
Ellie made me feel safe and supported the whole time. The memories I made with her will stay with me forever.
The workshops and activities helped me tap into parts of myself I didn't even know existed. I left with a renewed sense of confidence and purpose.
The Mystic's Path is for you if…
- You're in a season of transition, or sensing that a new chapter wants to begin.
- You miss your creativity, whether that means making things again or simply feeling more alive, playful and connected than you have in a while.
- You're drawn to mythology, story, ritual and travel with meaning.
- You long for a grounded approach to spirituality, one that honours both body and soul.
- You're ready for a taste of adventure: a new country, unfamiliar practices, and the gentle push of an edge or two.
- You want depth that's held with care, and you'd rather be met as a whole woman than treated as a problem to solve.
- You can give yourself five days, and you're curious what six supported months could do.
- You believe there may be another way of living: one that is more creative, intentional and deeply alive.
How joining works
Book your discovery call
Pick a time that suits you and answer a few short questions first, so the conversation starts from what matters to you.
Talk with Ellie
A relaxed video call to explore where you are, what you're drawn to, and whether this is the right path for you now. The fit matters in both directions, and Ellie will be honest with you either way.
Reserve your place
If it's a yes on both sides, a £600 deposit secures your spot and your welcome pack arrives. From there, October is yours to look forward to.
- Today
- You send the form. Nothing to pay.
- Within a week
- You and Ellie talk. Thirty minutes, no pitch.
- 4-8 October
- Five days at Siliano Alto.
- October - March
- The Wanderess Circle, month by month.
8 places remain for October.
Your investment
The Mystic's Path is a six-month membership anchored by five days in Italy. One investment covers the whole journey.
£3,800
or £3,500 if paid in full
- Save £300 when you pay in full.
- Private room upgrade: +£400.
- Coming with a friend? You each save £500. Mention it on your call.
- UK clients can spread the cost over up to 12 months through our finance partner, where available: ask about it on your call.
What this includes
- Your stay at Siliano Alto, 4-8 October, with all meals and transfers
- Every workshop, ritual, excursion and creative material across the five days
- Your copy of The Heroine's Journal and a curated Wanderess gift bag
- Six months of the Wanderess Circle: a personal one-to-one integration session with Ellie, monthly live circles, a private community, guest workshops and ongoing connection
- Six months' access to the complete Heroine's Journey Course: all 12 modules exploring the stages of the Heroine's Journey through Somatic Mythwork™
- Alumni pricing on future Wanderess retreats and 20% off additional one-to-one sessions
There is nothing to pay today.
Book your discovery callQuestions women usually ask
I'd be travelling on my own. Is that unusual?
Most Wanderesses arrive solo. It's one of the reasons the circle bonds the way it does: everyone begins as a stranger, and nobody stays one past the first dinner.
I'm not "artistic". Can I still come?
Yes. You don't need to think of yourself as artistic or have creative experience. You simply need a willingness to be curious, to explore, and to discover what emerges. Nothing you make will be judged or performed.
Will I have my own room?
Accommodation is shared unless you have specifically booked a private room. Shared rooms are part of the intimate, communal nature of the retreat and give participants an opportunity to connect with one another throughout the experience. If you have booked a private room, your accommodation will be reserved accordingly.
Is this a therapy retreat?
No. Ellie is a qualified counsellor, accredited with ACCPH, and a trauma-informed practitioner, which is exactly why she's clear about what this retreat is and isn't: every practice is held safely and by invitation, but this is a creative and spiritual journey, and it doesn't replace therapy or mental health treatment. If you're unsure whether the timing is right for you, bring the question to your discovery call and you'll get an honest answer.
How does travel work?
You arrange your flights: most guests fly into Rome and take the direct train, and we collect you from the local station. Transfers are included, and full, simple travel guidance arrives with your welcome pack, and Ellie is on hand for questions before you book anything.
What happens after October?
The Wanderess Circle begins: your one-to-one integration session with Ellie, monthly live circles, the private community, guest workshops and the WhatsApp group, plus your Heroine's Journey Course modules opening month by month, through to March 2027. The retreat opens the door. The Circle is how you keep walking through it.
What are the payment terms?
The £600 deposit secures your place and is non-refundable, as places are limited and your booking holds a space in a small circle. The remaining balance is then paid ahead of the retreat, in full or, for UK clients, through our finance partner over up to 12 months, where available. Everything is set out clearly before you commit, and you can read the full Terms & Conditions here.
October is close, and the hills are waiting
The women who walked this land centuries ago answered their call with everything to lose. Yours asks for five days, six supported months, and one honest conversation to begin.
The notebook is exactly where you left it. October is when it opens again.
Thank you. That's the hard part done.
Ellie has your note. Pick a time below and she'll come to the call already knowing where you are.