Perhaps you have been tending to work, family and the thousand small demands of everyday life. Somewhere along the way, your own wishes have become harder to hear.

Winter Moon Retreat offers time to pause and reconnect: to acknowledge what has brought you here, appreciate what is already present, and explore what truly calls you forward.

Some desires may feel as true as ever. Others may soften or change as you discover what lies beneath them. We will explore the stories and expectations that shape our wishes, our capacity to respond to life, and the possibility of loosening our grip enough to receive something unexpected.

The intention is to leave rested yet inspired, with greater clarity about what matters to you and confidence to continue the enquiry in your own time.

Live, improvised harp meditations form the heart of the day. Before each journey, Gareth offers a short reflection, question or example. Then there is space to settle, listen inward and allow your own experience to unfold.

We begin by exploring one affirmation together, learning how to bring a personal enquiry into the quiet. Further harp journeys allow you to revisit groups of wishes, notice connections and begin finding words for what feels true.

There will be quiet time to capture discoveries, optional reflection in small groups and opportunities to gather as a whole circle. Sharing is an invitation; you choose what to keep private.

A homemade lunch and breaks give you room to walk, breathe, laugh, gather or find some space of your own. We close with a harp gratitude prayer and guidance for continuing the ceremony at home.

The retreat prepares you for a personal winter ceremony beginning on 21 December.

You write thirteen affirmations on separate pieces of paper, fold them and place them in a bag. For twelve nights, beginning on 21 December, you select one at random and safely burn it as an offering to the unseen, in trust and gratitude.

On the thirteenth night, you open the one that remains. This becomes your personal commitment: something to nurture through your attention, choices and actions. The other twelve have been released in trust.

Our preparation explores what each wish means to you, what is within your power to embody, and what you are willing to surrender. The practice brings personal responsibility and spiritual trust into conversation.

You do not need to complete all thirteen affirmations during the retreat. You will leave with an understanding of the process and time to continue before the ceremony begins.

Before the retreat, you will receive a primer introducing the thirteen themes and a few prompts for considering your present life and desires. Bring some provisional notes or wishes; they can change.

Selected books, authors and podcasts will be offered for optional exploration. The primer provides our shared starting point; further reading is there if it interests you.

Gareth Wilkins is a Lake District musician and the founder of The Restorative Harp Project. He creates spaces for deep rest, presence and reconnection through live, improvised harp.

This retreat brings that practice together with a winter ceremony he has undertaken personally, and the enquiry it continues to invite in his own life.

Twelve participant places, with Gareth making thirteen.

Early bird: £100 — the first seven places, available until 30 November 2026, unless sold sooner.

Standard: £120 — once the early-bird allocation is taken, or from 1 December 2026.

Your ticket includes the full retreat, advance preparation materials, guidance for continuing the ceremony, refreshments throughout the day and a homemade lunch. The planned menu includes soup, quiche, bread, cheese and cake. Please contact Gareth about dietary requirements before booking so arrangements can be discussed.