What does it mean to live contemplatively on an alive Earth?
“Contemplation is sustained attention, infused with Love” — James Finley
This residential weekend is held in a spirit of deep rest, nourishing food, good company and beautiful surroundings. Guided by the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, Hildegard of Bingen, Teilhard de Chardin, John Moriarty and other nature mystics we will explore the holiness of the body and the earth, and the relationship between them.
Hildegard taught that the body holds the seasons, the elements and a reflection of the earth we call home, so that turning toward one draws us naturally toward the other. By slowing down, we return to the quiet wisdom of the natural world, finding a harmonic balance that restores us from within.
Through Lectio Divina, prayer, group dialogue and time in nature, we will share in a stream of revelation that reminds us that the whole earth is filled with God’s glory, our clay vessels included. This grounding retreat, offers as a soothing tonic to the fast-paced, disconnected pace of modern life.
Together we will ask: how can we feel more at home in creation, and more deeply in right relationship with the earth we belong to? And how might that inspire us to walk gently on the soil of the earth, and to relate with reverence to the soil of our own bodies?
“The contemplative life, is its own form of resistance” — John Phillip Newell
Painting credit: “Rising Spirit” by Marina Petro
Details
DATES
November 27-29, 2026
LOCATION
An Tairseach Ecology Centre
CATEGORY
Weekend Retreat
FEE
€410
NOTES
Arriving Friday at 5pm and departing Sunday at 5pm
Price includes 2 night's accommodation, breakfast, lunch & dinner, course content, tea/coffee/snacks.
Taylor Marie Daniels
Taylor Marie Daniels, RN-BSN, SEP; Founder, In Rooted Bloom, is a trauma-informed Psychiatric Nurse and certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP™). With over a decade of study in diverse healing modalities, she provides a holistic, embodied approach to nervous system restoration.
She integrates the intersection of Christic faith—viewing the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit—with somatic practices, supporting individuals in expanding their capacity for personal relationship and encounter with God's loving presence as an ever-available extended nervous system. Approaching her work with awe and trust in the body's inherent intelligence and healing capacity, Taylor finds deep joy in holding ceremonial spaces, teaching, and serving at international retreats and online programs.
Key Qualifications and Trainings:
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), with 7+ years in pediatric mental health and trauma-informed care
• Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, 3 year training through Somatic Experiencing® International;
• Experiential Dream Work with Leslie Ellis (nervous system healing through dreams)
• School of Kingdom Ministry
• Mayan Abdominal Massage, Abdominal Therapy Collective (Rosita Arvigo lineage)
• Holistic Pelvic Care with Tami Kent (pelvic health, womb embodiment, and energetic balance)
Melanie O'Driscoll
Melanie O’Driscoll, Retreat & Programme Manager at An Tairseach.
Melanie is a group facilitator with over 15 years’ experience working with groups in an engaging, dynamic way that encourages active participation and experiential learning.
Using a variety of team building and group dynamic techniques and practice Mel specialises in working with group to co-create safety were authenticity, honesty and courageous curiosity are allowed to flourish.
After a life changing encounter with Christ, Mel’s interfaith journey grew roots in the Celtic Christian tradition through rosary prayers in Irish and pilgrimages to holy wells and sacred sites across Ireland and Europe.
Using ceremony, storytelling and ritual, she helps people to meet the land – the body of Earth – well, cultivating right relationship with place, self and other. Mel is passionate about creating space for encounter with land-based wisdom that Celtic Christianity offers us and how it can help us engage with the polycrisis of our time.
Key Qualifications and Trainings:
• Bachelor of Science from UCC in Biological Earth and Environmental science majoring in Zoology (graduation in 2016) with 10+years in environmental educator and group facilitation.
• OneSpirit Interfaith Ministry Training (graduation 2022) which included a 2 year training on spiritual counselling skills (Rogerian), training in the art of ceremony and ritual, experiential learning of different faith paths and deep personal biography healing. Since then, she has spent 4 years facilitating group healing journeys with sound, prayer and nature.
• Various leadership and facilitation trainings from the Meitheal team development in secondary school, Sustainable Development Goals advocate training with Development Perspectives in 2020 and Social Entrepreneurs Ideas Academy also in 2020.
• Foundational trainings in Non-violent communication and Restorative Practice.