Invitation to Surrender
EGYPT 2024
10.31.24 - 11.11.24
Surrender.
You’ve heard of it.
Something in you knows that it’s not the negative thing you once thought it to be.
That it’s not defeat.
That it’s not telling someone else they’re better, stronger, or more capable than you.
You have a sense that it could be the doorway to something different.
Imagine a world where it’s actually the doorway to the highest version of yourself.
To everything you’ve ever dreamed of or desired.
Far from being an expression of defeat, surrender is the deepest essence of feminine power.
Power that comes from your being and not your doing.
It is a pathway to being in co-creative relationship with life.
It requires your awakened heart but not your control.
In fact, all of the ways you've been trying to control your life into being the way you want it to be have likely just left you increasing degrees of exhausted.
It's not some sort of incomprehensible woo.
It's the power of allowing universal forces to align on your behalf.
And that is the most divine kind of magic.
Maybe you've been curious about surrender.
Maybe you've seen a glimpse of it somewhere in your life and you’re looking to find out how to have more of it.
We invite you...
step into the unknown.
with all of your power.
the invitation to surrender
Each year, the women of Love + Freedom embark on this special retreat.
It’s a very precious time for our community of women, who come from all over the globe and all walks of life, to converge together in-person. Quite often for the very first time.
One of the things that makes this annual surrender invitational so special, is that we commit to take this journey together before we even know where we're going.
This convergence is just another expression of the deep feminine principles of listening closely to our desire and intuiting just the next right step--one step at a time--that are at the heart of our shared work together.
In February, at the beginning of our program year, when we make our commitment to travel... much like in life...we don't yet know where the path will take us.
As we come together and begin to listen deeply to each other, we also listen for the call to place. Where in the world is the land connecting with the same lessons that we are? What place is exquisitely prepared to hold us expertly in our process?
So far, we have been called to the jungles of Bali, the peninsula's edge in Washington State, the beaches of Zihuatanejo and the urban cafes of Mexico City.
This year we are following the call to Egypt.
the call to Egypt
Omodunia, mother of the world = Earth + Cosmos
Each year, we listen for the call to place.
Every piece of land has its own wisdom and something to offer.
Egypt, or Omodunia, as she is also known, is revered for her no-turning-back, no-holds-barred approach to transformation. Everyone who is called as part of an expansion journey leaves changed. She is really no joke.
One of the oldest seats of wisdom on the planet, she is bejeweled with living monuments to the masculine and feminine principles of creation.
Her first call takes us to the desert, the living embodiment of the uncertainty of life’s direction. It is also the medicine that will help you discover your own. While many have found the desert a formidable foe, she is as fierce a teacher. And in her oasis communities is held millennia of understanding of the practice of being actively receptive to what is. This thing that we know by the name of surrender.
Then she beckons us to continue along the spine of the earth that is her Nile waters, we will float from the empty womb of the feminine—from which all is created (The Temple of Isis) to experience the dual wisdom of (Kom Umbo Temple)—masculine and feminine, dark and light, life and death inextricably together and on to the mind of the masculine in Luxor (Karnak Temple), before arriving in Cairo to explore some of the most well-known of her wonders.
Egypt calls you to become a conduit between
heaven + earth.
is this you?
Practically speaking, this retreat is a central component of our 3-year Love Side curriculum. It is a core part of our Year 2 (Year of Surrender and Creation) and Year 3+ (Co-Creation) programs. This means that it is included in the program cost and the plan from the moment each woman says yes. It is also available to the women in our Year 1 program (Year of Love), as well as to our program alumnae.
There is also, on occasion, the rare woman who knows that she is ready to expand into her deepest power and that she wants to begin her engagement with Love + Freedom with this in-person deep dive.
If you think this is you...
-then you are a big player.
-you likely have some experience with going left when everyone else goes right.
-you know you're ready to take bold new directions in your life. And you'd like to be less alone, even as you remain in the depths of your unique calling.
-you may have been following our programs for a while. Perhaps you've even wondered if you might be a bit advanced for our introductory year, even though you can feel that the resonance is there. You'd like to know how deep we can go before you sign on for the ride.
-you may be one of our program alums who recognizes that the time has come to take the next step on this journey.
-or you may be in the first year, immersed in your own rekindled romance with your own heart's desire, wanting to touch the euphoria of live experience and glimpse what lies ahead on the deepening path of surrender.
One thing is for sure...
All who come are called.
the programs
much like the album of life,
there's an "a" side, a "b" side, and an "in" side.
First we fill our hearts and souls with the nutrients we most need
--we slow down, we anchor in a location, we get our bearings, we rest.
We open to receiving--at new levels of depth--the wisdom of place, our own heart's desires,
and the healing our next levels require.
And then, from that place of receptivity, we come back into relationship with that which we desire to create. Journeying together up the Nile to commune with some of the most profound works of art and architecture ever created. All in deeply woven into an eternal conversation between the masculine and the feminine. Having opened ourselves on the "a" side, we receive the wisdom of Egypt's treasures on the "b". Temples, waters, pyramids, the legendary Sphinx. We'll supercharge our creativity by engaging with some of the most charged sites of creation across all human history and conceive the seeds of the new forms we want to birth into the world.
After all of that, we'll be poised to change the world,
so we'll spend an extra couple of days relaxing integrating and collaboratively visioning how to do just that.
a side
oasis: surrender to the mysteries
Siwa
october 31st - november 5th
b side
lineage of isis: call to creation
Cairo/Luxor/Aswan
november 5th - november 11th
Egypt has an essential connection to the sacred feminine. Whether we are looking at the feminine foundations of Christianity or the roots of modern tantra, most roads lead back to Isis (or Aset),Goddess of love, healing, fertility, magic, and the moon. We will reignite our connection to the sacred callings that come through our service projects, businesses, and creative lives. Inspire your what’s next as we cruise the Nile and follow the path of sacred activations from the Isis Temple in Aswan to the Pyramids of Giza.
in side
wisdom of isis: l+fe co-creation council
Cairo
november 11th - november 12th
For those women who have decided that being a part of this community is just part of who they be in the world, we also use the opportunity of gathering to set forth new visions of L+FE. The final component of our retreat is a wisdom council where we debrief and integrate our shared experience and collectively intuit the future of this expanding league of extraordinary sisterhood . While this portion of the retreat is by invitation only, like everything we do, the process is also transparent.
a side
oasis: surrender to the mysteries
October 31st - November 5th, 2024
in the ancient desert that is the home to one of history's most well known oracle temples, we begin our gathering with deep rest and the cultivation of spaciousness for receiving the healing and wisdom of this singular place , while connecting with this contemporary oasis community.
the arc of the retreat is set to give you the opportunity to land in, connect with others, go deep, rest, refresh, reset, digest, and re-emerge a new version of yourself.
every day on retreat has its own flavor, and cultivating peaceful agility with whatever comes is part of what’s on the agenda.
day 0 - arrival in Cairo/transport to Siwa
We will actually ask that you arrive on Wednesday 10/30. We'll have an overnight transport and will arrive in a whole new dimension in time for a full first day on 10/31. The surrender begins the moment you arrive (actually, if you've read this far, it's already begun).
days 1-4 - insert surrender magic here
We will be hosted by a steward of the mysteries in her private geomagnetically-attuned homes. We'll be fed healing foods from her farm and expertly guided in excursions to commune with the place that are meaningful and contextualized. We'll work with local guides and scholars to create an understanding of the spiritual and scientific context of our hosting locale.
Practically speaking, we'll float in the famous salt flats and race across the dunes of the wide open desert. But the way we'll arrive there is by letting go of the schedule and the need to know and relaxing into the unfolding.
day 5 - we'll begin our journey back into the everyday world with a visit to the stunning Mediterranean beaches of Marsa Matruh
With it's unexpected stunning white sand beaches and turquoise waters, we will begin to unwind from the peak experience of being swaddled by the desert with an overnight stay at the sea en route back to Cairo.
day 6 - return to Cairo to begin "b" side or to say goodbye for now
We will deliver everyone back to our staring point, Cairo International Airport, for ongoing flights and next adventures.
We will have more details as we get closer about the best timetables as well as hotel recommendations for those of you who would prefer to overnight in Cairo.
For those of you who will be staying on for our "b" side, another adventure of a lifetime awaits!
each day's program will connect us with a highlighted aspect of the sagacity of the land and place
surrender to the ancient mysteries
Working with one of the world’s leading authorities on the mystical temple of Siwa and with powerful teachers on the sacred scientific/spiritual beliefs of Ancient Egypt.
surrender to the salt lake
Connecting with the magical detoxifying powers of Siwa’s famous salt plains and azure pools
surrender to the great sand sea
Experiencing the immensity of Egypt’s Sahara, we’ll journey off the beaten track to explore its epic space and mind-blowing energy
for imagination purposes, you can expect our days to flow something like this…
- Optional Light Breakfast
- Meditation/Movement Practice
- Breakfast
- Morning Teach or Excursion
- Lunch
- Excursions/Guest Facilitators
- Personal Integration Time for journaling, reflection + rest
- Dinner
- Evening Storytelling + Group Integration
b side
lineage of isis: call to creation
November 5th - November 11th, 2024
Following the path of the Nile, we leave the desert for the flowing waters that connect The Temple of isis to the mysteries of Hathor and beyond.
many people who come to Egypt will never see the depths of her.
"seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. seek the path that demands your whole being." - Rumi
day 6 - arrival in Cairo/flight to Aswan
From Cairo we'll fly on to the heartland of the Nubian people. We'll stay overnight in a small Nubian village before embarking on this whole new side of the journey
days 7-10 - cruising the Nile
Aboard our own private sailing vessel that we'll call home for the next 4 days, we'll use our sails in-between places for integration and relaxation. We'll alight to visit some of Egypt's most revered sites and temples including the Temples of Isis and Hathor.
day 11 - unlocking Cairo
We will end where most tourists begin with the iconic pyramids and communion with The Sphinx.
day 12 - return to life
For everyone not staying on for the wisdom council (our "c" side/bonus track), you'll be available to take flights out beginning at any point in the morning. You'll be welcome to leave your bags if you have a later flight and would like to explore more of the city.
our community
We journey first and foremost in the crucible of connection to each other. We are a community of formidable feminine powers from across ages, continents, and backgrounds. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s a sisterhood that defies the conventions of lookalikeness and demographic similarity.
What we share is a love of plunging the depths to understand the truth of life and our fit within it. And that may look like a Vietnamese-American immigrant story or a Brazilian corporate executive-cum-retreat holder story or a Kenyan-born international artist story.
We love to share story. And we don’t require sameness to forge the bonds of sisterhood that have us commit to hearing, witnessing, and holding each other deeply.
You may come for the content, but you'll stay for the other women at the table.
A little about me (your retreat leader and cauldron concierge)...
My name is Kianga Ford, and I’m the very real woman behind Love + Freedom Education. Almost a decade ago now, I walked through the doorway of surrender. Almost accidentally at the time. My life has never been the same.
At that time, I was a university professor and a fine artist, running one of the top fine arts programs in New York City. I’m now a full-time entrepreneur with a coaching business that focuses on helping men and women to unlock the full potential waiting within each of us. To do that, I help people understand how to master and use the twin forces of creation—masculine and feminine energy. Say what?! Yes, there was a time when I used almost zero feminine energy. Honestly, I'd never even heard anyone talk about the possibility of that. And I was…well…tired.
These days, I’ve built/am building both a business and a life without force or efforting, without exhausting myself with the endless to-do’s and shoulds of my previous lives. I move from what turns me on. I grow my offerings organically, largely from the seat of my intuition.
It’s a sustainable life that I LOVE and that is deeply sourced from a place of feminine power.
I have a PhD (abd) in cultural theory and another graduate degree in fine art. I’m also a certified coach and Orgasmic Meditation trainer. But what really qualifies me to do this work is that I’ve walked the walk in the real world. I’ve leaned into these principles of creation and surrender while caretaking a terminally-ill parent, while navigating the wilds of dating and business-building, while choosing to move across country to a place where I knew almost no one (a few times). What I teach has been forged and clarified many times over by real world challenges. And while I may have an academic background, this is a living practice and not an intellectual theory.
I’ve parlayed decades of work as an artist and educator into a refined expertise in Experience and Curriculum Design. What results is not information. It’s the magic of being able to create a context for you to have your own personal and direct experience with the Principles of Creation. It's not about becoming more like me. It's about becoming more of You.
our "a" side host + the homes she built
Camilla Ainley is a British Nutritionist and Naturopath who resides between Egypt and the UK.
She opened her clinic in Siwa in 2007 - addressing imbalances in the biological terrain through hydration, nourishing whole-foods and essential nutrients, effective detoxification and the elimination of disease-causing parasites.
Rooted in the belief that we are multidimensional beings - Camilla’s has forged a mutli-faceted way of supporting humans to be their highest and best, working on both the physical and quantum energetic levels. This includes geo-architectural attunements around which she has designed and built the accomodations where we will stay during the "a" side of our retreat.
She will host us at her organic farm and retreat centre, where she lives what she describes as "a very quiet life close to nature and the rhythms of the earth and feels generously embraced by the remote tribal community of Siwa - who continue to honour a way of life that has endured for more than a thousand years".
our "b" side guide - a native son
My name is Abdelmoety Abdelfathah Elbahrawy (Grand name, Father name, and Family name )
I was born in a small village in the delta about 120km north of Cairo, where I still live with my wife and 3 kids.
When I was 9 years old, I made a clay figurines from the Nile
As a kid, I buried them, saying to myself—maybe someone will find it after 200 years.
When I finished college, I went to Cairo to study Egyptology and Archaeology
My greatest love is Misr (Egypt)
And because I am in love with her (Egypt), she loved me and showed me her beauty.
So if you want to wander the beauty of the womb of the all world,
I am waiting to welcome you and show you her soul.
praise for love + freedom retreats...
“This experience felt a bit like Fantasy Island. It all felt like paradise indeed. I felt seen and heard. Every detail was tended to from snacks to self care items to time and tools for self reflection. As if like magic, comments I made in passing, or perhaps things I'd said and forgotten, later appeared in my experience."
-Diazina Mobley
"When people ask about my trip, the retreat, I find myself saying, I could tell you all the things we did, but it would in no way capture the magic, perfection, transformation, learning, revelations and the exquisite care that went into every detail. I don’t know quite how to explain how I am the same but also different, out the other side. If you know, you know."
-B. Evans
will you answer the call?
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Are you ready to live life from a more well-resourced place?
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Are you ready to feel infinitely supported by a deeper wisdom and calling?
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Are you ready to move into deeper levels of trust in your own intuition and choices?
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Are you ready to release your role as Directress of The Universe and allow life to unfold in ways more magical and expansive than you could ever imagine (let alone orchestrate on your own)?
the journey begins the moment you sign up.
What will these 12 days make possible for the rest of your life?
the investment
THE INVESTMENT INCLUDES:
- a pre-travel group preparation call, so you make sure you’re prepared to make the most of the experience
- a 30-minute post-travel 1:1 follow-up call to help you integrate your new insights on surrender into your real life
- accommodations, airport transfer, in-country transportation, group excursions, local tour guides and experts, all meals and beverages (excluding alcohol and and venue-designated special drinks)
- a $500 credit toward your next program year if redeemed by 11/31
NOT INCLUDED:
- flights to and from your home to our rendezvous point
- personal, medical, travel or other insurance (highly recommended)
- alcohol, other beverages, or meals and snacks beyond those specifically specified as included
- car rental
- other non-included items would include souvenir shopping, personal services (ex: massage), personal phone calls, etc...
*Please note: all program payments must be completed by 9/15 in order to be eligible for travel.
if you are deepening with love + freedom...
if you are new to love + freedom...
THE INVESTMENT ALSO INCLUDES:
- all of the above
- the oasis and lineage of isis retreats
- a pre-travel group preparation call, so you make sure you’re prepared to make the most of the experience
- 3 months of immersive weekly 1:1 coaching (3x monthly per our l+fe coaching schedule) to begin at least 1 month prior to departure
- access to an online introduction to the surrender map that is the foundation of our shared language
- a $500 credit toward your next program year if redeemed by 11/31
NOT INCLUDED:
- flights to and from your home to our rendezvous point
- personal, medical, travel or other insurance (highly recommended)
- alcohol, other beverages, or meals and snacks beyond those specifically specified as included
- car rental
- other non-included items would include souvenir shopping, personal services (ex: massage), personal phone calls, etc...
*Please note: all travel-related payments must be complete by 9/15 in order to be eligible for travel.
our most frequently asked questions
if we haven't answered yours, please reach out to us directly at [email protected]