Awaken Your Senses and Restore Your Spirit 

at this Qualifying Workshop and California Retreat 

with Laura Esculcas

November 4-6, 2025

Join a rare gathering of wisdom and wonder—a retreat designed for seekers, visionaries, and leaders who are ready to experience a new way of being in the world.

This Retreat is for those who feel called to:

In this Three-Day Immersion (2 half days + 1 full day), experience the Labyrinth and explore the Star Trail Journey. Over three days, you’ll:

Retreat Cost: $898, excludes lodging

Early Bird Rate (if paid on or before October 6, 2025): $843, excludes lodging

More information: https://lauraesculcas.com/discover-sacred-grounds

or email Laura at labyrinthlaura@gmail.com

Registration Form link: https://forms.gle/25FBsKxgkUWyX5G69

Book your room at 5-star Allegretto for a special retreat rate of $235/night double or single occupancy (taxes  not included). 

About Allegretto Vineyard Resort

Allegretto is a luxury resort and sanctuary of art, wine, and wellness, lovingly curated as a place to pause, reflect, and attune your senses through contemplative practices and the pulse of the land. Every detail at Allegretto is designed with harmony in mind. In a landscape of beauty and surrounded by sacred art, let both the labyrinth and the seasons guide you gently back to center. Allegretto is located in Paso Robles, on California’s Central Coast - a hidden gem nestled among vineyards and golden hills, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

Allegretto link: https://www.allegrettovineyardresort.com

Laura Esculcas

With passion for myth and metaphor, Laura curates wisdom journeys and immersion experiences in Portugal’s mystical landscape. She leads retreats, pilgrimages, and programs in Portugal and online, guiding leaders and seekers to cultivate resilience, creativity, and inner wisdom. Based near Lisbon with her husband and son, Laura’s work is grounded, inspiring, and quietly transformative.

Laura is co-founder of EarthShamans, a SoulCollage® facilitator, and is recognized as one of the leading teachers in the world of labyrinths. An Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator and Faculty Member with Veriditas, she trains leaders and facilitators internationally in the transformational power of the labyrinth. With more than a decade in Silicon Valley operations management and certification in Sacred Landscapes, Acoustic Feng Shui, and the Personessence™ System, Laura bridges structure and soul—bringing depth, clarity, and presence to times of change.

Laura first met the labyrinth in 2001, on an Advent Quiet Day in Santa Cruz, California. Since that day, Laura has been a Labyrinth Enthusiast. She has served with Veriditas as a small group facilitator in Chartres, and teaches qualifying workshops and Labyrinth Facilitator Training in Europe and online.

The Veriditas Labyrinths in Higher Education Initiative invites you to a Meet & Greet to discuss the use of labyrinths on campus. Join us for a free one-hour informal online gathering to connect with fellow labyrinth enthusiasts in Higher Education. Whether you are a maker, facilitator, keeper, student, alumni, faculty, dean, chaplain, staff, or simply interested in working with labyrinths in an educational setting, we are here to support your work. 

Register to join for free and a zoom link will be emailed to you with the confirmation. Please complete our short survey if you have not already so that Veriditas can better support you.

To learn more about the Veriditas Labyrinths in Higher Education Initiative along with free recordings from previous webinars and resources click here.

Step into the winding path of the labyrinth and the spaciousness of your own inner voice. Journaling the Labyrinth: Writing Your Way Home invites you on a creative and restorative journey where symbols yield reflection, and words become companions on the path toward self-discovery.

Guided by Susan Borkin—psychotherapist, speaker, and author in the field of therapeutic writing—you’ll explore the intersection of labyrinths and journaling, two ancient practices that, when combined, open a powerful doorway to insight, healing, and renewal. Whether you are new to journaling, curious about the labyrinth, or simply seeking a fresh way to reconnect with yourself, this workshop offers a space for quiet exploration, laughter, and authentic expression.

What to Expect

• Gentle introductions to journaling as a form of self-care and creative awakening
• Experiential labyrinth-based exercises designed to deepen reflection and mindfulness
• Opportunities to write, share (if you wish), and listen within a supportive, confidential community
• A deeper understanding of the labyrinth and how to use it
• A blend of humor, inspiration, and grounded practice—Susan’s signature teaching style

You’ll Leave With

• Fresh insight into your own inner story
• Simple, portable tools for ongoing personal reflection
• A renewed sense of direction, clarity, and calm
• How jounraling and the labyrinth support each other to deepen the experience of both

This day long event serves as a Qualifying Workshop for going on to take Veriditas Facilitator Training

Susan Borkin, PhD, is a psychotherapist and speaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A pioneer in the field of writing therapy, she is the author (or contributing author) to six books on journaling. She is an advanced facilitator and member of the Veriditas faculty. 

The waves of the ocean breathe with their natural rhythms of ebb and flow, of flowing forward, letting go and returning to source . How can we honor our own unique natural rhythm? How can we find a balance between inner and outer nourishment?

In this retreat we will explore these questions, using SoulCollage® and the Labyrinth to deepen our understanding of the natural rhythms around us, and to explore ways to create flow and ease in our daily lives as we consider living in a more cyclical way.

Our activities will include:

• Creating a Moon Mandala to better understand the phases of the moon
• Creating SoulCollage® cards to express the messages in each moon phases
• Connecting to our inner wisdom and intuition by dialoguing with our SoulCollage® cards
• Labyrinth walks to integrate and deepen the messages of our SoulCollage® cards.

Catherine Anderson, Faculty

cathy@catherineandersonstudio.com

The labyrinth Catherine constructed in her backyard in 2007 has been an important element in her mindfulness and creativity practices and Catherine loves showing others how the labyrinth can support us in quietening our mind and uncover our creativity. She is the author of Journaling the Labyrinth Path, a book of finger labyrinths, quotes and journal prompts inspiring you to find your unique work in the world, and Meeting Your Soul on the Labyrinth: SoulCollage® and the Labyrinth as Pathways for Transformation.

Catherine uses the labyrinth, SoulCollage®, expressive arts, poetry and mindfulness as pathways for self-discovery and as ways of uncovering meaning and purpose in life. Her personal journey of self-discovery has taken her from a career as an attorney to photography-franchise owner, to creativity-workshop facilitator.

Photography is another creative passion for Catherine and her book The Creative Photographer won a Silver Nautilus Award in the Creative Process Category in 2012.  As a SoulCollage® Facilitator Trainer, Catherine loves teaching others how to facilitate workshops using the SoulCollage® process which uses images as a form of “soul language” to access our inner wisdom.

As a life-long learner, Catherine has been fortunate to train with Jean Houston, Seena Frost, Lauren Artress, Jan Phillips and many other wise teachers. In addition to her work in the US, Catherine leads creative pilgrimage retreats in South Africa, France, Italy, Mexico and Portugal.

www.CreativePilgrimage.com

On the labyrinth's winding path, we are asked to trust and let go as we surrender and embrace the journey. An opportunity for self - reflection and an invitation to focus on the journey and not the destination.

December is the perfect time to reflect on the journey within, an opportunity to embrace what we are called to hold onto and discern what we need to let go of.

In this workshop you are invited to join others in community, as we settle into the change of season and the end of the year. This workshop is an invitation to take intentional time out of the routine of your daily life, a sacred pause, for rest and renewal both individually and together. We will engage in the spiritual practices of the Labyrinth, and Soul Collage® with time for deeply listening with an open heart to the whispers of our souls.

Serves as a qualifying workshop for those going on to take Facilitator Training.

Sharry Nyberg:  is Co-Founder of Glide into Grace Retreats. She is passionate about sharing the labyrinth with others, training with the Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress in San Francisco in 2002 and becoming a Veriditas certified Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator in 2019.  She is a trained SoulCollage® Facilitator and a creator of art. She retired after serving the United Church of Christ for over 21 years and continues to lead retreats, workshops and creative opportunities, as a spiritual companion on the journey, holding sacred space for others to experience and engage in rituals and practices noticing moments of sacred-nicity.

An online retreat of reflection, creativity, and connection, with Laura Esculcas.
*Winter Edition*

Whether you’re walking a labyrinth, traveling on pilgrimage, or navigating the inner terrain of soul-work, every journey brings with it unexpected gifts. In this creative, contemplative workshop, you’ll craft your own set of Pilgrimage Wisdom Cards—small, meaningful reflections made by hand and heart.

Through the art of collage and guided reflection, you’ll create 3–4 (or more) cards to inspire your personal practice. These cards can accompany you on pilgrimage, serve as daily meditations, be used before or after labyrinth walks, or become blessings to offer fellow travelers.

Together, we’ll explore the themes and rhythms of pilgrimage—including the three R’s of the labyrinth path: Release, Receive, and Return. The workshop includes:

• A handheld labyrinth meditation
• Group and small-group reflection
• Inspiration and prompts for card creation
• Instruction and time for hands-on collage
• A curated packet of NEW collage materials (mailed in advance*)
• You'll leave with a set of one-of-a-kind cards to carry forward—reminders of your own wisdom, creativity, and unfolding journey.

✨ Come with open hands and a curious heart. Let the path reveal its gifts. ✨

*Please register early to receive your art packet before the workshop. Serves as a qualifying workshop for those going on to attend Facilitator Training.

Laura Esculcas, Faculty

With passion for myth and metaphor, Laura curates wisdom journeys and immersion experiences in Portugal’s mystical landscape. Laura is co-founder of EarthShamans, a SoulCollage® facilitator, and teaches Energetics of Art with Ubiquity University Wisdom School. She is trained in Sacred Landscapes, Intuitive Feng Shui, and the Personessence™ System of Understanding People. Laura holds both an M.A. in Wisdom Studies and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.

Originally from the US and having worked in Silicon Valley for over ten years in high tech operations and management, Laura moved to Portugal to pursue her dream of an integrated life lived as a sacred journey shared with others. Now informed by more than ten years of immersion in the Portugal ecofield, Laura uniquely blends depth of experience, keen curiosity, and genuine open-heartedness as she facilitates wisdom journeys and pilgrimage experiences into Portugal's place-based myths.

Laura first met the labyrinth in 2001, on an Advent Quiet Day in Santa Cruz, California. Since that day, Laura has been a Labyrinth Enthusiast. She has served with Veriditas as a small group facilitator in Chartres, and teaches qualifying workshops and Labyrinth Facilitator Training in Europe.

Laura speaks English and Portuguese and lives near Lisbon with her husband and son, and their two dogs.

In this workshop, we will discover the universal patterns and symbolism woven into the design and experience of the labyrinth. We'll explore this ancient archetype as a map, mirror, and mandala for exploring the metaphors of life. The labyrinth can help us better understand our individual and collective journey as we return to our center and orient ourselves with the universe. Together, we will reflect on our orientation, perspectives, and connection with the cosmos, using the labyrinth to behold our personal cosmology.  Through making, tracing, and walking labyrinths, we can find our role in the evolving universe. 

This class is for people new to the labyrinth or seasoned enthusiasts wishing to deepen their practice. It is a qualifying workshop for those wishing to take the labyrinth facilitator training with Lars and Laura Esculcas that continues the next week. For more information see: https://www.Veriditas.org/FT

“Symbols enable us to enter into experiences that are otherwise impossible.”

 – Brian Thomas Swimme

Lars Howlett, Faculty

Lars Howlett builds, walks, and photographs labyrinths as a practice in mindfulness. He is a Veriditas Faculty Member and Certified Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator having trained with the leader of the labyrinth movement, Lauren Artress, at at Grace and Chartres Cathedrals. For three years he was the apprentice to Master Builder Robert Ferre, learning the art of sacred geometry and his methods of creating proportional and precise Classical and Medieval patterns. In 2015 he launched Discover Labyrinths LLC based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lars inherited his mentor’s custom tools, labyrinth library, and workshop curriculum. In 2017 Lars was named a Master Builder by contemporaries in his field.

Now leading a new generation in designing and building labyrinths, Lars works hand-in-hand with individuals and institutions. In workshops, writing, and tours, he shares his experiments and experiences. He has been an invited speaker at schools, retreat centers, art museums, and at Grace Cathedral, as well as the 2011-16 conferences of the Labyrinth Society (TLS). He is a member of the Wisdom Circle of TLS, serving as a board member from 2014-17 and was the coordinator for World Labyrinth Day from 2014-18, a global event with more than 5,000 participants in 30+ countries on the first Saturday in May. In 2021 he became a part-time staff member of Veriditas as the webinar coordinator, social media manager and resource developer.

Would you like to introduce the labyrinth to others, facilitate group walks and lead transformative workshops? Join Veriditas Faculty Members Laura Esculcas and Lars Howlett (see bios below) for our next Virtual Labyrinth Facilitator Training. Go deeper with your personal practice in the labyrinth, meet others on a similar path, and receive a hard copy of our updated 160-page facilitator's manual with a wealth of labyrinth resources! Past participants can also enroll in the course again for half-price as a refresher.

Take the training from the comfort of your home in five consecutive 4 hour Zoom sessions (with breaks totaling one hour). Laura and Lars will share their insights, experiences, and inspiration from their personal and professional work with the labyrinth. Attendance in a Qualifying Workshop within the past two years is required for participants to experience a shared labyrinth journey led by a Veriditas Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator. (Check our calendar for in-person or online qualifying workshops).  To become trained, you must actively participate in the entire 16-hour training. For more information about scholarship opportunities and the program see: Veriditas.org/ft  

So, what is a labyrinth facilitator? First, it's someone who understands what a labyrinth is and can speak about it to a variety of audiences. This is actually a bit tricky, since the definition is quite slippery, and the origins are mysterious. Also, the terminology and applications of labyrinths vary a lot depending on if you’re talking to a group of high school students, a church congregation, patients at a cancer treatment center, or employees in a corporate office. Likewise, there are an infinite number of applications for the labyrinth. You could walk for prayer, healing, transformation, creativity, problem solving, community building, or stress reduction, among other things. 
 The second main aspect is organizing events and optimizing the labyrinth experience. There are many aspects to leading a group walk from framing the labyrinth with music, light, and thematic elements to incorporating a ritual or interactive element. There's also the pace and flow of the walk-- conducting the symphony of different people entering and exiting into sacred time and space. Lastly, there is the practice of holding space for a variety of experiences and providing opportunities for processing the walk through small group sharing, journaling, or other creative reflective exercises. Finally, becoming a labyrinth facilitator creates a pathway to working professionally in the realm of labyrinths. 

This training runs from Monday, January 26th through Friday January 30th, from 9 AM to 12:30 PM Pacific time each day with moderate breaks.

Laura Esculcas, Faculty

http://www.mysticalportugal.com

With passion for myth and metaphor, Laura curates wisdom journeys and immersion experiences in Portugal’s mystical landscape. Laura is co-founder of EarthShamans, a SoulCollage® facilitator, and teaches Energetics of Art with Ubiquity University Wisdom School. She is trained in Sacred Landscapes, 

Intuitive Feng Shui, and the Personessence™ System of Understanding People. Laura holds both an M.A. in Wisdom Studies and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. 

Originally from the US and having worked in Silicon Valley for over ten years in high tech operations and management, Laura moved to Portugal to pursue her dream of an integrated life lived as a sacred journey shared with others. Now informed by more than ten years of immersion in the Portugal ecofield, Laura uniquely blends depth of experience, keen curiosity, and genuine open-heartedness as she facilitates wisdom journeys and pilgrimage experiences into Portugal's place-based myths.

Laura first met the labyrinth in 2001, on an Advent Quiet Day in Santa Cruz, California. Since that day, Laura has been a Labyrinth Enthusiast. She has served with Veriditas as a small group facilitator in Chartres, and teaches qualifying workshops and Labyrinth Facilitator Training in Europe.

Laura speaks English and Portuguese and lives near Lisbon with her husband and son, and their two dogs.

Lars Howlett, Faculty

www.DiscoverLabyrinths.com

Lars Howlett is a leading expert in the design and creation of sacred space for walking meditation, centering prayer, personal healing, conflict resolution and community building. Lars is a practitioner of mindfulness and student of sacred geometry since 2003, experimenting with a wide variety of designs, materials, intentions and settings in his personal and professional projects. Universities, churches, health centers, retirement communities, mental health centers, retreats, and individuals find Lars for inspiration and insight in creating exact replicas of historical patterns or one-of-a-kind artistic installations. 

Lars was a three year apprentice to Robert Ferré, inheriting the tools, techniques, and teaching curriculum of a master builder. Lars is a Veriditas Faculty Member and Certified Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator trained by the Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress at Grace and Chartres Cathedrals. He was the Chairperson of World Labyrinth Day from 2013-18.

Lars is an inspiring teacher and passionate speaker on the history, spirituality, and practice of walking labyrinths, leading workshops to cultivate inner wisdom for personal transformation with slideshows of personal projects and visits to sacred sites on four continents. 

FOR CERTIFIED FACILITATORS ONLY.

2:00 pm to 5:30 pm each day Pacific time – 5 sessions of 3.5 hours each. Must be present for all sessions. Held on Zoom platform.

Our Advanced Facilitator Training is a leadership and skill-building workshop for Veriditas Facilitators with at least two years of experience facilitating labyrinth activities. Open only to those Veriditas trained facilitators who have been certified (or have turned in an application to be certified). You will receive the latest Facilitator Training Manual.  After training, you will be eligible to apply for accreditation to hold Veriditas qualifying workshops. 

This is a 15 hour intensive virtual training that covers:

The Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress

Lauren is author of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice, The Sand Labyrinth Kit and The Sacred Path Companion: A Guide to Walking the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform (Putnam/Riverhead Books, New York). She is the Founder of Veriditas and an Honorary Canon of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.  She travels worldwide offering workshops and lectures on the labyrinth including a twice a year program in Chartres, France. In addition to being an Episcopal priest, she is a spiritual director and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of California.

Assisted by Dr. Dawn Matheny

Executive Director of Veriditas

Dawn became Veriditas’ Executive Director in 2007.  She has her PhD in East West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, 23 years of experience in a public sector Human Resource Department, and many years of experience working in a non-profit organization.  She has taught on the graduate level and amassed many years of designing and assisting with Veriditas programs around the world.