Movement, Tarot, Kabbalah, Community

Join us in a magical setting in Tuscany to explore the wisdom traditions of Tarot and Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), as well as the deep wisdom of our own bodies . Our intimate group will enjoy daily movement classes and prompts for reflection and creative expression, as we investigate how these ancient ways of knowing may reverberate in our lives. Excursions and special ceremonies will offer an invitation to go deeper. 

Plan to have fun! We look forward to relaxing in the spa and pool, taking walks in the stunning setting, and feasting on locally sourced meals accompanied by lively conversation and lots of laughter. There will also be ample contemplative, restorative time, to “let the soft animal of your body love what it loves” (to quote Mary Oliver). 

Janice Steinberg and Jennifer Lucero-Earle draw on extensive movement backgrounds—dance (Nia, modern, African, Shake Your Soul, authentic movement), yoga (including yoga nidra), QiGong, and somatic therapy—as well as deep personal study of Tarot (Jennifer) and the Kabbalah Tree of Life (Janice). We look forward to sharing our passions with you!

We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance, which covers such things as trip interruption or cancellation, medical care abroad, and emergency medical evacuation. We, as your retreat guides, are purchasing travel insurance for ourselves. 

We happen to have a friend who does a travel blog (she's also a nurse!) and has written a fantastic blog on Demystifying Travel Insurance.  

Some general information on what travel insurance can cover: 

https://www.planetjanettravels.com/demystifying-travel-insurance-what-you-really-need-to-know/

Some options for travel insurance that she recommends are:

• Allianz Travel Insurance
• CSA Travel Protection
• AIG Travel Guard

In addition, there are several online Travel Marketplaces where you can enter your specific information and receive a quote: Squaremouth, Insuremytrip, and travelinsurance.com.

Safety

If you are a U.S. citizen, we recommend that you register your trip with the US State Department. This is an easy process and can be helpful in making it easier for the U.S. embassy or consulate to contact you in a national or international emergency.  

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/step.html   

Health

In the following link you will find helpful information and questions to consider regarding your health and medical coverage while abroad: 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad.html 

Covid

Alas, Covid is still with us. We recommend you bring two tests with you. And we plan to mask while traveling. Janice finds the Kimberly-Clark N95 mask quite comfortable, even though it makes her look like a duck.

Located 2 hours southeast of Florence, Terzo di Danciano is a small medieval hamlet that has been lovingly restored, retaining the unique character of its history while offering the comforts of a graceful country home.  Known since Roman times for its breathtaking panoramic position, the property is surrounded by serene and pristine nature. 

•  The terraced garden has ancient mulberry and olive trees which are harvested to produce their own cold-pressed olive oil.
•  The swimming pool uses filtered rain water and is surrounded by a sunbathing deck oriented towards the rising sun.
•  The private spa center provides a serene place to unwind and offers a large whirlpool bath, Turkish bath, infrared sauna, cold shower and massage/facial treatments.
•  The elegant bedrooms and living areas are made of natural handcrafted materials decorated with colors that maintain the patina and charm of centuries past.
•  Movement sessions will be held in the spacious theater, which boasts high ceilings, aged wooden floors, bare stone walls and lovely natural light. 

The Main House is a magnificent 16th century construction and has 10 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. The floors, stairs, plasterwork, paint and vaults have all been renovated to preserve their unique character and history. Rooms on the upper floors have stunning views of the surrounding countryside, while the ground room floors have direct access to the terrace and garden. Providing the best of both worlds, this setting with Old World charm also has high-speed WiFi.

 You may have met the delightful Kriszti Van Slyke when she was part of our San Diego dance community. Kriszti now directs Terzo di Danciano and will give us an especially warm welcome. 

Your stay includes three meals/day prepared by Terzo's superb chef from locally sourced ingredients. There will be lovely local wine available for purchase at meals.

Special diets—vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.—can be accommodated as long as the chef receives advance notice. On your registration form, you'll have the chance to list any special dietary needs. 

•  €400 non-refundable deposit reserves your spot. A next payment of  €1000 is due by March 1, 2024. Remaining balance/fees are due no later than April 1, 2024.

•  If you cancel your reservation before March 11, 2024: you will be refunded fees minus your non-refundable deposit.
•  If you cancel your reservation after March 11, 2024: all fees are non-refundable, unless your space can be filled by someone else.

*Bookings made within 40 days before Retreat will require full payment at the time booking.

"I want to be at Terzo with my partner, but they'd like to just hang out during the day rather than participate in retreat sessions."

Your partner is welcome to come. Both of you need to register at the shared-room rate. We promise to put you together. 

With their registration, your partner will be able to use all Terzo di Danciano amenities such as the pool, spa, etc. Their registration covers all meals, activities including the cooking lesson and wine pairing dinner, and excursions (Siena, Farmers Market). We'd love to have them join us for wakeup yoga, QiGong or walking meditation and bedtime yoga nidra. The longer retreat sessions are part of a journey that will build as the week goes on, so we'd prefer not to have drop-ins for those . 

Terzo di Danciano staff can suggest fantastic things for your partner to do in the area.

• Comfortable clothes to move in for a variety of dance explorations.

• We typically dance barefoot, but if you're more comfortable in shoes, it's fine to wear jazz shoes or tennies.

• An object that represents where you are in your spiritual journey, that you can put on our community altar.

• A journal and pen. 

• A tarot deck. 

• We'll provide colored pencils and Cray-pas, but if you have favorite art supplies, you may want to bring them.

We will provide a comprehensive packing list upon registration. 

Daily movement classes and prompts for reflection and creative expression, as we investigate how these ancient ways of knowing may reverberate in our lives. 

Excursions and special ceremonies will offer an invitation to go deeper.

We look forward to relaxing in the spa and pool, taking walks, and feasting on locally sourced meals accompanied by lively conversation and lots of laughter. 

There will also be ample contemplative, restorative time, to “let the soft animal of your body love what it loves” (to quote the poet Mary Oliver). 

Plan on having fun! 

Janice Steinberg fell in love with modern dance in her teens and has been exploring body-mind-spirit practices ever since—modern dance, yoga, tai chi, improvisation, tap, ballet, and authentic movement, as well as delicious tastes of 5 Rhythms and gaga. 

She began teaching Nia in 2009 and holds a Black Belt in this rich dance-lifestyle practice. She founded Nia at Dance Place San Diego, which ran for eight years (until the pandemic) and currently teaches four classes/week over Zoom.

Her interest in Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) began in the mid-1990s when she was researching a mystery novel set in Safed, Israel (Death in a City of Mystics, published by Berkley). That began a process of deep study that included having a Bat Mitzvah at age 49, co-leading a women’s New Moon group for several years, and acting as a lay service leader. Her novel The Tin Horse (Random House) dove into the Jewish history of Los Angeles.

She’s woven her love of dance and Jewish practice into movement classes based on the Kabbalah Tree of Life and routines for Jewish holidays, offered in her own community and through Ritualwell.

Jennifer Lucero-Earle held a tarot deck in her hands for the first time as a toddler. Tarot has been an ever-present part of her life ever since - for over 40+ years. She is a tarot reader and somatic alchemist, weaving together archetypes, storytelling, ritual, music, embodied movement, mindfulness and healing arts.

Jennifer is a trauma-informed Registered Somatic Movement Therapist and Somatic Movement Educator. She has been guiding dance as healing classes for over two decades. Her movement repertoires range from Nia, Shake Your Soul, QiGong, Yoga and her own creation, ArcanaDance, which brings tarot to life through embodied dance. 

She weaves her training, education and life experiences in somatic movement and experiential healing to create transformative experiences that illuminate and provide pathways to understand and expand, via the language of the body, personal and universal consciousness. She takes great care to create experiences that nourish your body, nervous system, mind, heart and spirit. 

Her heartfelt goal, with all of her offerings, is to support people in their journey to become more somatically aware, better stewards of their bodies, more empowered to move in ways that make them feel good, and to cultivate the courage to express themselves with joy. 

Tarot as a source of Ancient Wisdom with Jennifer Lucero-Earle

Jennifer is so excited to share her four (plus) decades long love of tarot with you! She’s been reading tarot since she was a child, having learned all about it from her godmother, a deeply beloved community tarot reader in the Bronx, NY. Jennifer also is the creator of ArcanaDance, a therapeutic movement practice designed to facilitate self-discovery, empowerment, transformation & healing through a fusion of tarot, guided movement & music. It’s essentially what tarot cards would look like, if they could dance :)! 

Jennifer is also the creator of a soon to be self-published Embodied Movement Oracle deck. This deck provides awareness into movement patterns, shapes and expressions and offers us ways to explore new ones that fit the evolution of our lives. 

The Embodied Movement Oracle deck allows us to:

- Reflect and explore how body language and expression is a source of insight, intuition, and wisdom.

- Turn to the body as an oracle to understand past and present embodied patterns and divine new ones for the future.

- Offer several somatic-based pathways to embodiment and expression (with or

without an accompanying tarot deck ;)) through movement prompts.

Jennifer will bring a copy of the deck for all participants to explore together!

What is Tarot?

The tarot is a deck of cards comprised of 78 images that essentially map out the human experience. Each card has a name, such as ‘The Fool’ or ‘Ace of Swords’ and represents life experiences, events, or moments that we nearly all human beings experience. They include leaving home for the first time, falling in love, heartbreak, finding teachers, fighting inner and outer battles, and becoming wiser with each experience.

The tarot has been around for at least 600 years and has been used for multiple purposes, ranging from a playing card game to divining the future. While using tarot for “fortune-telling” can be fun, its real depth is in using its archetypal wisdom for personal evolution, growth, understanding, self-empowerment and self-determination.

The 78 cards are divided into the major arcana and minor arcana. Arcana means “key,” “secret,” or “mystery.”

There are 22 major arcana cards/archetypes. They are numbered 0-21. These ancient wisdom guides are considered significant archetypes that invite us to explore universal, cross-cultural and potentially life-transforming themes in our past, present and future. They map out the arc of life from the beginning of our journey all the way through to self-actualization (or achievement of wholeness).

There are 56 minor arcana/archetypes. They are numbered Ace -10 and also include court or people cards (Page, Knight, Queen and King). These 56 minor arcana represent the four elements (air, water, fire and earth). The four elements correspond to aspects/realms of our lives: mind, emotions, spirit and body. The court/people cards correspond not only the four elements but also to levels of human maturation and personal development, from beginner to legacy keeper.

In our Dance into Ancient Wisdom retreat, we will use tarot to facilitate the embodiment of the ancient universal archetypal wisdom associated with the cards. We will read the cards, dance with them, journal about them and see them in the stories we share with one another. 

We are so excited to explore tarot, as a source of ancient universal wisdom, with you!

Buying a deck for the retreat:

We require you to bring a tarot deck with you to the retreat. If you don’t have one, we recommend doing some research and choosing a deck that resonates and speaks to you. The aesthetics, imagery, shape, size, texture and artistry will all be important for your learning. Take your time until you find the deck that feels like a new friend that you can hardly wait to get to play with and know better! 

If you would like recommendations, email jennifer@jenniferluceroearle.com 

Judaism has an ancient tradition of exploring hidden meanings in sacred texts and creating mystical practices to commune with the divine. During the Golden Age of 13th century Spain, this body of wisdom developed into Kabbalah—a Hebrew word whose root means "to receive." 

Kabbalah expanded in the 16th century in the magical city of Safed, Israel. From the leading Safed Kabbalist, Isaac Luria, came the concept of the shattered vessels and tikkun olam: When the world was born, the light of creation poured into vessels, but the light was so pure, the vessels couldn't hold it. They shattered, and sparks of light dispersed through the universe. Our sacred task is to gather the sparks and lift them up, in order to repair the world—tikkun olam.

Another key concept from Lurianic Kabbalah is the sefirot—emanations that represent "the flow of energy from the Mind of the Creator into the universe" (Rabbi Yonassan Gershom). The sefirot are qualities such as lovingkindness and humility. They're often mapped onto the Tree of Life and also on the human body. So, for instance, the left shoulder is associated with strength and discernment.

The ten sefirot are:

* Keter / crown: pure energy, similar to the crown chakra

* Hokhmah / wisdom, oceanic consciousness

* Binah / understanding, egoless awareness

* Chesed / lovingkindness, expansiveness, boundless giving
* Gevurah / strength, justice, setting boundaries, discernment
* Tiferet / compassionate heart, beauty, balance of lovingkindness and justice
* Netzach / eternity, endurance, victory—what carries us forward
* Hod / splendor, humility, gratitude
* Yesod / foundation, sexuality, a channel for bringing blessing into the world
* Malchut / physical reality, groundedness; also called Shekinah, the divine feminine

During the seven weeks after Passover (April 22 this year), there's a tradition of focusing on the seven lower qualities in a process of spiritual refinement. Why not all ten? Rabbi Gershom says it's because the upper three sefirot are in the realm of pure spirit. "On the soul level, we are all pure." We'll be in this seven-week period during our time at Terzo and will be dancing with the seven lower sefirot in our practice there.