Aerial Witchcraft Retreat

Merging Movement, Magick, & Manifestation through Aerial Arts & Witchcraft

October 27-Nov 3, 2026
Casa Chango Mexico, Puerto Escondido
Instructor: Sovay Bontempi

Take a Flight Down the Crooked Path and spend a week learning what it means to live life as a modern aerial witch.

This retreat is for aerialist practitioners who have heard the calls of the wind, earth and sea and want to spend a week diving deep into modern paganism and incorporating ritual, intention and manifestation into their aerial practice.  In this retreat you will spend your mornings learning the fundamentals of modern witchcraft and developing your own unique practices.  In the afternoons you will be taught aerial sequences on hoop and hammock that connect to the theme and intention of the day, with options to accommodate different bodies and challenge a variety of skill levels.  In the evenings you will put your practices together and learn how to incorporate your aerial work into sacred space with rituals and magickal workings.

The goal of this retreat is for each participant to leave with an understanding of the key practices that make up modern witchcraft and the knowledge of how to continue growing in their own power as this next iteration of the wheel turns.  We will also emphasize the healing power of movement and dance, working through the lense of aerial arts and finding ways to bring intention and power into your physical practice.

This retreat will occur as the world is moving away from summer/fall and stepping into the darkest time of the year.  It is a time when many cultures across the world believed the dead were closer to the living, and have developed practices to connect with their ancestors.  We will explore several of these practices, honoring the old ways and the new as we learn about the intersections and history of the pagan cross quarter day Samhain, the traditional Mexican celebration of Dia De Los Muertos, and American Halloween.

On Halloween, a US holiday, you will have the option to go out in the evening to a local event celebrating in a multi-cultural way.  For Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday, we will be guided by a local Mexican community member to build a collective traditional ancestor ofrenda (altar) and try traditional foods eaten during this time of year.  You will have the opportunity to do Catrina style make-up and go out to a local event celebrating the holiday.  On the last night of the retreat we will celebrate Samhain by stepping into the veil and doing a magickal working on behalf of those who have come before us.

What is Day of the Dead?

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is an ancestral celebration on Nov 1 and 2 that long pre-dates the Spanish Conquest. Dia de los Muertos is a time to remember loved ones lost and honor the pathways of life end death.  We are invited to view death as a welcomed part of life, not as an ending, but the beginning of a journey to ultimate peace. In the local markets, cemeteries, and homes, you will see brightly colored skeletons, skulls, marigolds, food, music, and ofrendas (altars) everywhere during the holiday.  It can be a refreshing, new way to view death, life, and the spaces in between.

What is Samhain? 

Samhain (pronounced Sow-un or Saa-wn) is the first cross quarter day on the Pagan wheel of the year.  In paganism, holidays follow the natural flow of the seasons and are celebrated on solstices, equinoxes, and cross quarter days.  Samhain is the midpoint between the fall equinox (Mabon) and the Winter Solstice (Yule) and marks the start of the pagan calendar.  Samhain is believed to be the time where the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest and journeys between worlds are possible.  It is traditionally a time to honor and connect with our ancestors.  As this is entering into the more contemplative season of the year, Samhain is also a good time to practice Shadow Work, learning to face the darker parts of ourselves and the world we live in.

The rest of our time will be spent eating amazing, healthy food, swimming in the pool, hot tub, and warm ocean, reading in hammocks, and breathing the tropical air.  There will be time to explore local markets and beaches as well as the local night life.

Prerequisites

We recommend you to have at least one year of consistent (weekly) aerial practice and familiarity with aerial hoop and/or hammock/sling.  Advanced practitioners are also welcome.  Beginner aerialists may be welcome if you already have a physical practice that translates well to aerial arts.  Here are some of the skills that you should be able to execute.

• Hoop – ablity to hold a 30sec double knee hang on the top bar of the hoop
• Hoop – ability to hook a knee and enter the apparatus when the hoop is mounted at chin level
• Hoop – comfortable in a front hip hang
• Hammock – ability to get to goddess wrap/diaper
• Hammock – familiar with hip key
• Hammock – one entrance to a hip hang – examples: pullover to hip hang or rotating to hip hang from seated

Please email us at SweetRetreatsMexico@gmail.com if you are unsure if you meet the prerequisites.

Daily Schedule Sample

• 7:30-9:30 am: Coffee, Tea and Breakfast
• 10-10:30am: Meditation
• 10:30-11am: Gentle Movement
• 11-1pm: Fundamentals of Witchcraft
• 1pm: Lunch
• 2-5pm: Pool-time, siesta, relaxing
• 3:30pm: Afternoon Treat
• 4:30-6:30pm: Aerial Hoop & Hammock Class
• 7pm Dinner
• 8:30-11:30pm  Evening Rituals (rituals include aerial) & Activities

We will take you to our favorite beaches for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and releasing baby turtles into the sea. There will be evening adventures to a bioluminescent lagoon and local night market.

Note about Mental Health: This retreat will include energy work, guided meditations, exploration of altered states and Shadow work. We will do our very best to maintain and foster a safe environment during our retreat, but we will be covering topics and including practices that can bring up difficult past experiences and trigger uncomfortable emotions. The intent and nature of this work is to heal us and help us to grow into stronger versions of ourselves. However, for individuals who are carrying trauma or who suffer from significant mental illness, these practices can occasionally be destabilizing. We are not medical professionals, so if you are currently working through any significant mental health challenges, we recommend that you consult with a professional before signing up. Please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us if you have any questions/concerns and we will do our best to help clarify.