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Motherland
Ceremonial altar with candles, crystals, herbs and sacred objects at Motherland

Retreats at Motherland

New Moon Circle

A small-group Ayahuasca retreat in the Netherlands, inspired by the energy of the new moon.

The new moon invites us to slow down, listen inward and set intentions for a new cycle. During the New Moon Circle, we create space together for what you are ready to welcome, nurture and allow to grow.

Small group Two ceremonies Friday to Sunday €888 per person

The weekend

A space to come fully home to yourself

From Friday to Sunday, we gather in a small circle, with an Ayahuasca ceremony on Friday and another on Saturday. Between these evenings, there is time to rest, walk quietly in nature and let your experience gently settle.

During the ceremonies, we also work with a beautiful sound-healing chair, inviting you to pause and listen. Throughout the retreat, there is space for playful games, walks in nature and simple moments of connection—an invitation to come back to your body and be here, in the present moment.

Here in Zeijen, the trees, garden and animals are part of the rhythm of Motherland. There is room to breathe, to sit beneath the open sky, or to find warmth in the sauna — without needing to fill every moment.

You are warmly welcomed, with guidance available in English, Italian and German.

Included

  • Two overnight stays at Motherland
  • Two Ayahuasca ceremonies, on Friday and Saturday
  • Homemade vegetarian meals
  • Sauna
  • Pickup from Assen railway station if needed
  • A personal integration call after the retreat

Optional possibilities

  • Possibility to arrive earlier or stay longer
  • Kambo — a traditional Amazonian ritual, available before or after your retreat. Reservation required.
  • Private one-to-one or couple retreats available.

Exchange

€888

per person, including accommodation and meals

A glimpse of Motherland

Emmeline and a guest sitting quietly by candlelight in the Motherland retreat space
Emmeline offering rapé to a guest in the candlelit retreat space at Motherland
Guitar, handpan, drums and small instruments by the window at Motherland

Upcoming weekends

New Moon Circle retreat dates

These small-group retreats run from Friday to Sunday.

27–29 November 2026
8–10 January 2027
5–7 February 2027
5–7 March 2027
9–11 April 2027
7–9 May 2027
4–6 June 2027
2–4 July 2027
24–26 September 2027
29–31 October 2027
26–28 November 2027

Personal preparation

Do you feel called to join us?

A personal health intake is always required before participation. You can only attend after your intake has been approved. A retreat is not a replacement for medical or psychological treatment. Private ceremonies are also possible; contact Emmeline so that you can explore together what may be appropriate for you.

More info

The people behind the welcome

Meet your guides

Holding space together

Through holding ceremonies together, our connection has grown into a friendship that reaches beyond our work. We have come to know each other’s families, supported one another and discovered a shared vision for the space we want to create.

We each bring different experiences and strengths that complement one another. Together, we continue to learn, grow and create—with warmth, honesty and care for the people we welcome.

Emmeline playing the gong in Motherland’s candlelit retreat room

Emmeline

Founder & host of Motherland

Motherland grew from my own journey through motherhood, family struggles, loss and finding the courage to begin again—many times.

As a mother of four daughters, there were times when I felt lost in the world, trying to survive while carrying more pain than I knew how to hold. Yet somewhere within me, a small hope remained—the feeling that life could be different, even when I could not see the way forward.

That search led me to plant medicines, which became an important part of finding myself again. Through my experiences, I began to recognise how much pain I was holding onto, and how deeply I was living in the past.

Little by little, I found a new direction. I wanted my daughters to see more than a mother who was struggling to find her way. I wanted to show them that we can begin again—that we can meet our past with honesty and still move towards a different future.

I began to observe my thoughts and patterns with more awareness, rather than being carried away by them. My connection with nature deepened—with the trees, the animals, the changing seasons and the life we share on this beautiful Mother Earth.

In my twenties, I began exploring energy work. Over the years, I studied and practised different forms of massage, deepening my understanding of anatomy and the human body. I became an energy worker, yoga teacher and reflexologist, following a curiosity that has accompanied me throughout my life.

Looking back, I feel that all these experiences—even the struggles and the times I felt lost—were preparing me to become who I am today. They are part of my life, woven into how I listen, connect and welcome others at Motherland.

I am still learning, still growing and still finding my way. My intention at Motherland is to offer warmth, presence and space for people to listen to themselves, reconnect with their bodies and discover their own direction, at their own pace.

Portrait of Pita beside a mountain lake

Pita

Holding space for transformation, connection and the light within.

My path has never been a straight one. Life has brought me through profound losses, challenging family dynamics, painful experiences and my own struggles with addiction. Like so many of us, I have had to find my way through the patterns and wounds we inherit, the stories we carry, and the ways we sometimes lose connection with ourselves.

What once felt like a struggle eventually became a doorway. My search for healing led me to psychedelics, opening up new perspectives on consciousness, the human experience and our capacity for transformation. What began as a personal journey gradually became a calling.

I spent two months in the Amazon rainforest, studying within the Shipibo tradition. Through this experience, I received what I understand as my Don — a spiritual gift and calling through which I was initiated as an Ayahuascera. This experience profoundly shaped my relationship with plant medicine, ceremony and the responsibility of holding space for others. Back in Germany, I continued my education through a more scientifically oriented training in psychedelic facilitation, bringing together traditional knowledge, personal experience and contemporary approaches to consciousness work.

Yet one of my greatest teachers has been much closer to home: my four wonderfully different children. Motherhood has taught me more about love, responsibility, patience, boundaries, letting go and trusting another person's individual path than any textbook ever could. It has taught me that every human being carries their own truth, and that our task is not to shape others into who we think they should be, but to create the conditions in which they can discover who they are.

Today, I bring these experiences into my work with people. I am curious about what lies beneath the stories we tell ourselves. I value honesty over comforting illusions, responsibility over blame, and genuine growth over the endless repetition of old patterns. I believe that we can meet even our most difficult experiences with courage, compassion and a little humour. I don't see myself as someone who has arrived at the end of the journey, but as a fellow traveller who has learned to recognise certain paths, hold space through uncertainty and offer a different perspective when it is needed.

My approach is grounded, open-minded and deeply human. I honour the depth of spiritual experience without believing that healing needs to be surrounded by mystery or fear. I want people to feel safe enough to explore their inner worlds, while remaining connected to their own discernment, freedom and responsibility. I am not here to provide answers for someone else's life, but to support them in finding their own.

Beyond my work with individuals, I carry a vision of community: a way of living in which people support one another without losing themselves, share what they have to offer, take responsibility for the whole and allow each other to grow freely. A world shaped less by competition and fear, and more by connection, integrity, peace and love.

I believe we don't have to wait for the world to change before we begin living differently. We can start here, with how we meet one another, how we listen, how we take responsibility and how we create together.

Today, I feel that I am living my purpose: to touch as many souls as I can, to plant seeds that may blossom in their own time, and to help people reconnect with the light that has always been theirs.

Community, sharing, peace and love are not just ideals I believe in. They are the world I choose to help create.