Sacred Waters
a divine feminine summit
Five days beside the living mineral springs of the California coast — held on the Feast of St. Teresa of Ávila, mystic, to celebrate Mary and the handed-down stories of the divine feminine, woven with devotion, wine, and the waters that have called women here for generations.
Oct 12 – 16, 2026 | Sycamore Mineral Springs
FOUNDERS OFFER $1,222 until July 25 (then $1555)
Hosted by Magdalene Network · Avila Beach, California
The Invitation
She is rising on the water
Every October 15th, St. Teresa of Ávila — Carmelite mystic and Doctor of the Church — is remembered as a woman who wrote plainly of turning to Mary Magdalene in her own darkest seasons, saying she felt her "come to my assistance." Two women, centuries apart, reaching for the same sacred feminine thread.
We are gathering that thread again, here, to celebrate Mary on this sacred feminine land — beside water that has been rising from this ground since long before either of them was born.
Sacred Waters is a five-day etreat hosted by Magdalene Network, for women ready to descend into contemplation, devotion, and the wild, unclaimed feminine. You'll sit in circle to hear the handed-down stories of the divine feminine — Mary's teachings alongside the oral traditions of this land — at a mineral springs resort on California's Central Coast where naturally heated waters have drawn seekers for over a century.
This is our first gathering: intimate, hand-held, and offered at a founding rate that will not be repeated once we open beyond this circle.
The Land & The Water
Waters older than any of our names for them
This coastal hillside has been sacred ground since long before it had a Spanish name. Sycamore's own recorded history begins with the Chumash people, for whom these lands and waters held deep meaning, and continues through the Spanish and Mexican eras into the resort you'll stay in today. Three natural wells still rise from the earth here.
We are working directly with the Chumash tribe
to shape programming for this retreat — honoring the land and waters on their own terms alongside Mary's teachings, rather than borrowing from either tradition. Details on this collaboration will be shared as the program develops.
I.
Noble Well
Rich in sulfur and magnesium —
the mineral long associated with muscle release, deep sleep, and letting go.
II.
Mythical Well
High in boron and potassium —
steady, grounding waters, ideal for the quieter contemplative sits of the retreat.
III.
Meadow Well
Sodium-rich and gentle —
where we'll hold our closing water blessing, at the edge of the property's open meadow.
We hold this land with reverence for the Chumash people whose presence and history precede our own, and any content shared on their traditions will come directly from that partnership — not from us speaking on their behalf.
The Immersion
Five days, held slowly
A full itinerary and daily schedule will be sent to your inbox once you're on the list. Here's what's woven through the week:
Stories
A Circle to Celebrate Mary
An evening of storytelling — the handed-down stories of the divine feminine, Mary's teachings, and the traditions of this land, shared in circle rather than lecture.
Water
Self-Led Water Blessing
A private ritual immersion in the mineral springs — your own act of renewal, held and witnessed by the circle, on land where water has been sacred for generations
Movement
Beach yoga at sunrise, tuned to breath and tide rather than a clock.
Yoga at the Water's Edge
Portrait
The Goddess Portrait Session
A guided empowerment photoshoot, with Sandi, award winning photographerto see yourself as she is — not curated, not filtered. Flowers, gold light, and the coastline as your backdrop.
Feast
Feast Day Dinner
A ceremonial dinner on the evening of October 15th, marking St. Teresa's feast, in the resort's garden restaurant.
Wine
Central Coast Wine Tasting
An afternoon among the vineyards of San Luis Obispo County, minutes from the springs
Rest
Mineral Soaks & Stillness
Open hours in the hillside hot tubs and waterfall oasis, for whatever your body is asking for that day.
From the Circle
What this retreat already looks like
Real moments from past women's gatherings at Sycamore Mineral Springs. Upload these four to your Systeme.io file manager and drop the resulting URLs in below — see the note under each image.
Photos from previous Sycamore Mineral Springs women's retreat gatherings.
Founding Circle · Beta Retreat
A rate held only for this first gathering
*$1,221 / person
Rises to $1,555 on Saturday, July 25th.
Retreat programming, meals, ceremony, wine tasting, and the goddess portrait session.
*Lodging at the Inn is booked separately through Sycamore Mineral Springs. Joining the waitlist locks in nothing and costs nothing — no payment is required at this time. We're simply gathering the names of women seriously considering joining us, and the current $1,221 rate is only guaranteed to those on the list before it rises.
Sacred Waters
Hosted by Magdalene Network
October 12–16, 2026 · Sycamore Mineral Springs, Avila Beach, CA
A founding retreat for the divine feminine, in partnership with the Chumash tribe
HOSTED BY
The Magdalene Network
The Magdalene Network is a growing community devoted to reclaiming the hidden wisdom of Mary Magdalene, the Divine Feminine, the Gospel of Mary, and the inner path of awakening.
We are not here to hand you another doctrine. We are here to create a sacred space where women can study, question, remember, practice, and return to the authority of their own soul.
Sandi Rufo
Sandi is a writer, researcher, teacher, and co-founder of Magdalene Rising and The Magdalene Network. Her work is devoted to helping women dismantle the conditioning that silences their inner authority and return to the wisdom already alive within them.
Through her writing, courses, circles, and research into Mary Magdalene, early Christianity, and the Divine Feminine, she creates spaces where women can question deeply, remember honestly, and reclaim their own soul voice.
Carrie Schulze
Carrie is a teacher, devotional guide, and co-founder of Magdalene Rising and The Magdalene Network.. Her work is rooted in prayer, ritual, the rosary, Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the daily practice of building a living relationship with the sacred.
She brings tenderness, devotion, and spiritual steadiness to the work, helping women discover that prayer does not have to be borrowed language. It can become an intimate conversation between the heart and the Divine.
Linda DelToro
Linda is a co-founder of Magdalene Network and an integral keeper of the community’s vision, care, and gathering spaces. Together with Sandi and Carrie, she helps hold the practical and spiritual architecture of a movement dedicated to remembrance, sisterhood, and the restoration of feminine wisdom.
Be first to the well
No payment is required to join this list — we're simply collecting the names of women who are seriously considering this retreat. You'll be the first to receive the full itinerary and booking link, and the $1,222 rate is only guaranteed to those who've joined before it rises to $1,555 on July 25th.
Name
The Magdalene Collective | The Magdalene Network | 2026
