Valarie and Lars ran a deeply informed and well paced week exploring Gotland culture, history, places, labyrinths, art, religion, family life, stories, and how all of thes inspire and support a compassionate way in the world. The week (and their example) was beautifully specific to this place, and though I do not have any Swedish heritage that I'm aware of, its specificity was actually so helpful in showing how to bring it home to my community, my heritage, my cultures. The St. Clemens Hotel was a lovely, central accommodation with a marvelous breakfast and helpful staff. My fellow participants were a fantastic combination of perspectives and wisdom, as you can expect from compassion paired with creativity and interest in labyrinths, and the week fostered new ideas and collaborations going forward. So many thanks to Valarie and Lars for such thoughtful work!

This trip met my expectations, the content was great. The only complaint I have is about the bus travel - there was no bathroom on the bus and this made for some anxiety and a couple of additional bathroom stops at public bathrooms where there was only one or two so we had to wait a bit. Also getting on and off the bus in some of the areas was a bit challenging (that last step is a doozy kind of thing) which probably should be called out in the trip information that is received prior. The hotel we stayed in was top notch with a great breakfast every morning. Lars and Valarie did a great job with balancing story telling, singing, down time, and activities. I would recommend the trip for labyrinth enthusiasts, those who are interested in Viking culture and the island of Gotland, as well as those interested in medieval churches! There is something for everyone.

This was a lovely retreat. Great location, good accommodation and food, variety of interesting tours and lectures. I particularly enjoyed learning about the mandalas and visiting the labyrinths. Would highly recommend.

Creative Compassion through the Labyrinth: A Swedish Midsummer Retreat was the best, most inspiring retreat I’ve ever experienced. Valarie is a wonderful storyteller, a generous soul with a joyful heart. I learned, played, and went deep. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. It was informative and fun. We chase Labyrinth, the with an interesting group of people and felt the magic of Gotland