“The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.”

— To Be of Use, Marge Piercy

HOLY WORK

An immersive retreat designed to support your work and your well being.

For healing and healthcare practitioners of all types.

Oikia Karapanou, House of Angels, Aegina, Greece.

October 20-25th, 2026

Co-facilitated by Breeda McKibbin, Sage Hayes and Elissavet Koutouxidou

Six days, five nights to come together in circle with the intention of co-creating generative community building, restorative space, play, liberatory exploration and connection to land and myth.

Perhaps you’ll redefine your work, see from some new angles, expand into future possibilities- we’ll move together into what is emergent, both individually and as a group.

You’ll be guided by an experienced and supportive team of facilitators in one of the most beautiful places on earth. With spirit and intention, our hope is that you’ll leave restored, invigorated and with hands at your back as you travel back to your place with clarity, vision and possibility.

We invite you to listen into your body to feel into if this retreat feels like a ’yes’ to you - we are co-creating from the ground up, moving collaboratively and opening space for connection and mystery.

this retreat is for:

Healing practitioners who are practicing in your community
Somatics practitioners of all types
Healthcare professionals
Mental health professionals
Bodyworkers / body-based practitioners
Movement teachers of all types (yoga, dance, etc)
If you’re wondering if you fit, please contact us!

HOLY WORK - an exploration

Our time is a reclamation and animation of the sacred, mystery and non-knowing that exists in between the lines in the work we do in the world.

Our days will be spacious- morning and late afternoon sessions with ample time off to explore, rest, swim dream and connect around the edges. We will gather together to break bread twice a day- breakfast and dinner at a long outdoor table.

We will set up spaces during the week to explore this and more. Oikia Krapanou (House of Angels) and its garden is a wonderful setting for journaling, writing, reflection, nourishment and connection with nature, ourselves and with each other.

Aegina + Aphaia

Aphaia (the unseen one) was an ancient, localized Greek goddess worshipped exclusively on the island of Aegina. She is best known for the exceptionally preserved Temple of Aphaia—a Doric masterpiece built around 500 BCE. Her mythology centers on transformation, nature, and the sea, bridging early fertility cults with later classical deities. As a group we will visit The Temple of Aphaia- the temple is perched on a pine-covered hilltop on Aegina, offering sweeping views of the Saronic Gulf. It is part of the famous "Sacred Triangle" of ancient Greece, forming a mathematically near-perfect equilateral triangle with the Parthenon in Athens and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion.

What’s included?

Intentionally curated space by an international team of three seasoned facllitators.
6 days / 5 nights of lodging with with exclusive use of Oikia Krapanou facilities and grounds
A curated, impactful program of 9 professional and personal development sessions.
Delicious, nourishing meals and snacks - two meals a day [breakfast+dinner]
Transportation to/from Aegina Port to Oikia Karouponou
Expert guidance from a knowledgeable and warm facilitation team
Daily movement and mindfulness practices
A group trip to Aphaia’s temple
A supportive environment for personal inquiry and reflection.
Time to restore, replenish, and re-energize
One beforehand zoom meeting to support orientation, connectivity and preparation
One after retreat zoom meeting with facilitators and group for integration and sharing

Co-Facilitators

Sage, Breeda and Elissavet are the co-facilitators of this retreat, along with local island host Anita Pataga

LOGISTICS

SCHEDULE:

Day ONE - October 20th
- Check-in is from 14:00 / 3pm onwards, October 20th
- HOLY WORK opening practitioner circle 17:00 / 6pm, October 20th + dinner
Day 2-5: morning & afternoon sessions, 2 meals per day - breakfast and dinner, 3 hour+ break in middle of the day
Day TWO - October 21
Day THREE - October 22
Day FOUR - October 23
Day FIVE - October 24
Day SIX - October 25th
- Closing circle
- Check-out is until 12:00, after breakfast, October 25th

RETREAT CENTER: Oikia Karapanou

An hour by ferry from Athens (Piraeus port)
Oikia Karapanou is a beautiful mansion from the 19th century, surrounded by a huge garden close to the sea. It has been restored to provide an atmosphere of peace and inspiration, an oasis on the soul's journeys.
Oikia hosts and organizes workshops, retreats, trainings, art residencies and all kinds of events aiming at a happier, more conscious life on Earth.
There are 10 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen, numerous terrasses and balconies and of course the spacious and magical garden.
Lodging options: 6 shared double rooms, 2 singles.
We have space for 14-16 participants to stay at Oikia
There is no air conditioning at Oikia Karapanou. During our dates the average temperature is 68 F / 20 C .
Roommates can be figured out with care. We will have at least 2 group gatherings via zoom for folks to get a sense of each other. We will also collect specific roommate preferences (ie. snoring, up early, up late etc. / sleep needs on the google doc we will ask you to fill out after paying the deposit.
Oikia Karapanou is less than a 5 minute walk from the local beach Paralia Agios Vasilios

LODGING SPACE at Oikia Krapanou

Number of rooms & Sleeping capacity

6 Twin bedrooms - 2 people

1 Bedroom with double bed - 1–2 people

1 Three-bed room - 3 people

1 Single room - 1 person

We also have room for 4 non-residential participants.

Number of participants we can host: 22

MEALS:

We’ll eat together! Meals at Oikia are heartwarming experiences – tasty, festive and nutritionally balanced. Our cooks only use fresh products, on season and as much as possible organic. They will be at your disposal to adapt the menus to your needs. The food is based on vegetables, pulses, grain and dairy products – basically semi-vegetarian, with poultry and fish on offer every two to three meals if you like.

When you fill out your retreat info sheet we will ask you about food allergies, sensitivities and needs.

RETREAT COST

EARLY BIRD PRICING UNTIL JULY 31!

Our pricing reflects a shared value of accessibility and our offering. In the spirit of local participation, we are offering a special rate for 2 Greek practitioners.

If choosing a shared residential room, you will be able to specify a roommate request or particular needs on your initial registration form which we will send you after you send in your deposit. Please contact Sage (sage@embodiedliberation.com) if you’d like to set up a payment plan.

REGISTRATION DATES

July 31, 2026 early bird deadline
Oct 1 - final payment due

Residential shared room:

regular rate: €1,750
EARLY BIRD: €1,650 (before 7/31) - PAYMENT LINK

Private room (one available):

Regular rate: €2050
EARLY BIRD: €1950 (before 7/31) - PAYMENT LINK

Non-residential (four spots available):

Regular rate: €1,450
EARLY BIRD: €1350 (before 7/31) - PAYMENT LINK

Greek practitioner rates, shared residential, 2 spots available: €1350 - PAYMENT LINK

to secure your spot, Make €500 deposit HERE.

For currency translation, go here.

Cancellation policy:

90+ Days Out: Full refund of remaining payments, minus the deposit
30 to 60 Days Out: 50% refund of retreat cost, minus the deposit
Fewer Than 30 Days Out: 100% non-refundable.

Your place is confirmed by payment AND acceptance of an application form. In the 48 hours following your payment, you will be sent an application form to complete (please check your spam folder for it if you don’t see it). Once this application has been received you will receive an email confirming that we have reviewed it and will confirm or may follow up with more questions.

TRAVEL OVERVIEW

We’re more than happy to offer some travel planning support. We will set up a WhatsApp thread so that our group can coordinate travel together if that is your preference.

Arrival in Athens:

There is no airport in Aegina. The closest one is Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos", which receives both domestic and international flights all year round. Upon your arrival at the airport of Athens, you need to reach Piraeus port and embark on the ferry that transfers you to Aegina. The ferry trip is between 45 minutes - 1 hr and 15 minutes.

Participants coming from other countries will fly into Athens International airport. If helpful, we can help you coordinate your travel from the airport to Piraeus port. You can travel quite reasonably by train or shuttle bus from the airport to the port where you’ll catch the ferry. Taxi from airport to the ferry is another option but more expensive. Check out here for more Athens travel info.

Flights to Athens:

We recommend using a fare watcher with your dates and cities. Google flights and hopper are great options.

Ferry to Aegina from Piraeus.

Check out ferry schedules here: https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/.

We will pick you up at the port in Aegina and provide transportation to Oikia which is a short 7 minute drive. We will also provide transportation back to Aegina port on departure day.

FACILITATORS

Elissavet Koutouxidou (she/her), Crete, Greece

Elissavet Koutouxidou is a Person-Centred mental health counselor and psychotherapist based in Crete, Greece. She holds an M.Sc. and specializes in providing psychotherapy, mental health counseling, and restorative retreats for healing professionals.

Sage Hayes, SEP, LMT [she/he/they], Maine, USA is the founder and practitioner of Embodied Liberation, a healing arts practice exploring liberation, healing, and justice in the body. For over 30 years, Sage has been a devoted, politicized healing arts practitioner who believes deeply in both individual and collective liberation. Their work weaves together the exploration of lineage, embodied presence, and emergent relational care—threads braided into a practice that supports people in reconnecting with themselves, their histories, and the living systems around them.

They bring a grounded and spacious invitation into the body, guided by care and capacity. Their work extends beyond the therapy room into movement and community spaces, including their work as a DJ and facilitator of numerous workshops such as Death Songs, Restorative Care and Somatics, and Healing Ancestral Trauma for Queer and Non-Binary Bodies.

Based in Maine, USA on Peaks Island, and on the traditional, unceded territories of the Wabanaki Confederacy—People of the Dawnland—Sage continues to deepen their relationship with the elements, the natural world, and the surrounding sea.

HOLY WOR