August 2 - 8, 2026
SUMMER
2026
ELEMENT
RETREAT
LAGO D'ORTA, ITALY
MAKE HEALING MAGIC WITH THE ELEMENTS
celebration.
ELEMENT RETREAT
Make healing magic with the elements.
®
August 2-8, 2026
Lago D’Orta, Italy
We are always in the process of remembering and becoming more of who we truly are.
Sometimes those of us with a natural desire to heal get lost in the idea that we need to be fixed. But, beloved, we are not broken. We are not blocked.
If you are ready to put down the illusion of perfection and the
attachment to overcomplicated ideas of what it means to be spiritual, and instead, make space for the natural ability within you to heal and be healed, I invite you to join me in the mountains of Italy.
community.
THE EXPERIENCE
Return to Your True Nature
Get outside of the daily duties of life and strip yourself down to your most fundamental and unobstructed nature as you immerse yourself in the elements. Each day you will explore an element - Wind, Fire, Water and Earth - through ceremony, movement, celebration, meditation, reflection, and community, to call yourself back to your essence.
Bring the Family
Element Retreat is the first of its kind to hold a Children’s Retreat. This retreat will teach children to connect with the elements, each other, and their own creative lights with supervision from our incredible Children's Retreat holders.
Celebrate & Commune
Whether through solitude or community, Element Retreat gives you the opportunity to intentionally commune with nature and celebrate the gift of life.
Take space away from the constant distraction of modern life, the cultural obsession with doing more and getting more, and the lie we are unworthy exactly as we are.
In this week long container dedicated to connecting to the elements to Be Your Own Healer, you will receive the space to feel your extraordinary presence and find within you a resplendent grace that revives your connection to all that exists.
ABOUT THE WORK
TESTIMONIALS
“It was an honor to share in the co-creation of healing discovered at the Mama Medicine 2022 Element Retreat in Italy. The event is unique in its ability to hold space and foster change while simultaneously creating a sacred container for transformation to occur. Deborah selflessly and freely offered her gifts with grace, dignity, and respect. The retreat is one I will not soon forget. An experience for which I hold immense gratitude to have experienced.”
ERIN“Every breath I take is infused by the deep happiness and calm I feel after experiencing those days in Italy.
I'll forever be grateful for what Element has implanted in my children's and my own heart. The love, the peace, the joy, the true sisterhood were simply magical. And having been on three Element Retreats already I can say that the positive change, the beauty, the benefit of the retreat lasts for months and years. It is a place, a time, an experience of LOVE.”
MINA“Element Retreat was truly a powerful healing journey that went well-above a beyond my expectations. Every exquisite detail of every ceremony, gathering, and outing was so thoughtfully prepared and radiated an essence of balance, wonder, and love. In these weeks after the retreat, I continue to feel a sustained sense of blissful transformation and know that I’ll be processing this experience for years to come. I’m so grateful to Mama Medicine and her team for facilitating this wonderful, life-changing retreat. ”
JO-ANNETHE INVITATION
Learn to make healing magic with the elements.
Receive the blessing of your inner child’s fire, the intuitive healing depth of your waters, the immense wisdom of the air element within you, and the incredible perseverance and magic woven into your beautiful earthen body.
Cry cleansing tears as you watch a baby fox among the lavender.
Laugh with wild abandon as you make new soul friends overlooking a crystal clear blue lake beneath the moon.
Allow your spirit to recover, restore, confront what holds you back, expand and evolve into a powerful bouquet of elemental magic.
Trust yourself, wild one.
Receive the nourishment of nature’s beauty, the power of silence, and the confidence that we so naturally embody when we give our soul the space it needs.
Dates: August 2-8, 2026
Location: Lago D’Orta Italy
ITINERARY
From August 2th - August 8th, we will be held by the beautiful land of Lago D’Orta as we experience the healing power of nature and connect with the elements through ceremony, movement, meditation, food, family, reflection, and community.
SAMPLE ITINERARY
*An updated itinerary will be sent to retreat participants closer to the date.
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15:00 - Check-In & Acclimate
16:00 - Opening Ceremony
19:00 - Dinner
20:00 - Beginning of Silence
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08:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Elemental Yoga Flow | Wind
13:00 - Lunch
14:00 - Silent Meditation Practice
19:00 - Dinner
20:00 - Sacred Wind
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08:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Elemental Yoga Flow | Fire
11:15 - Break Silence
13:00 - Lunch
14:00 - I Am Light
19:00 - Dinner
20:00 - Fire Song Ceremony
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08:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Ritual Baths Water Ceremony
13:00 - Lunch
14:00 - Optional Trip to Swim at the Lake
18:00 - Restorative Yoga & Energy Healing
19:00 - Dinner
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08:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Elemental Yoga Flow | Earth
13:00 - Lunch
14:00 - Medicine Reading Ceremony
19:00 - Dinner
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08:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Elemental Yoga Flow | Ether
13:00 - Lunch
14:00 - Sacred & Secret Closing Practices
19:00 - Dinner
20:00 - Closing Fire Ceremony -
08:00 - Breakfast & Departure
YOUR HOST
MAMA MEDICINE
Deborah Hanekamp
Deborah Hanekamp is a world-renowned writer, seer, and mystic with a career spanning over 25 years in the healing arts.
Deborah’s biggest gift is being able to see people for all that they are and holding a nurturing mirror up to the places where balance can create joy in life. She compassionately puts words to what sits in the shadows, introducing it to the light that resonates through her clients’ souls for years to come. Because she is dedicated to the highest good of those she sees, her guidance can be tough or gentle, the Mama, but she comes from a place of love, the Medicine. In her free time, Deborah can be found sipping tea with hands full of soil, paintbrushes, and family.
MAGIC FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Element Retreat is the first of its kind to hold a Children’s Retreat.
Our retreats teach children to connect with the elements, each other, and their own creative lights. Children are in supervised programming during all scheduled retreat activities (except our optional 7am meditation).
What to Expect
This year, we will host two separate retreats for children based on age.
Our tween/teen retreat (for children ages 10+) will include more in-depth classes on things like elemental healing, charting the stars, working with flowers, stone medicine, vibrational medicine, honoring creativity, a song circle and more.
Children 3-9 will also work with age-appropriate classes on creativity, weaving and strengthening their own light, elemental magic, and more.
Meet the Children’s Retreat Holders
Xenia Marie Ross Viray
Imagination Healer, Frequency Artist, and Emergence Facilitator.
Xenia works with sensitive and creative people to develop and share their unique gifts and transmute the patterns that hold them back from emanating their creative frequency. By blending storytelling, science, mysticism, and a gift for synthesizing an eclectic array of wisdom traditions, Xenia's work weaves thoughts, communities, and parts of ourselves that have been fragmented back together. Xenia's work focuses on the embracing of one's authentic nature to serve the collective, reimagining systems, and embracing multidimensional ways of knowing.
Alex Copp
Nurse, Artist and Creator of the Life Weaving Modality for Kids
Alex teaches kids how to feel their strength and shine through weaving the webs of light around them through movement, sound and art.
After a decade of nursing experience and seeing energy, Alex noticed that when we disconnect from our unique creative nature and imagination we can become sick. To prevent this, she has been working with kids to help them cultivate, strengthen and express their unique light in the world.
Last year, she opened her first space called The Rainbow Weavers, an artistic day camp and gallery for kids on Cape Cod. At camp, Alex guides kids to express their light through art and share it with the world.
LOCATION + LODGING
The Element Retreat will be held in Lago D’Orta, Italy — a stunning, lakeside gem in the North of Italy.
Lodging Options Include:
Private Rooms
Shared Rooms
At registration, you will be able to select which room type you would prefer.
TESTIMONIALS
Hear from past attendees…
“Magical. Grounding. Healing. Element Retreat was one of the most profound experiences of my life. You get to meet beautiful sisters who are walking this path with you and everyone is so loving and supportive. It's one of the most amazing ways to spend your summer!”
LOTEM“I went on the Element Retreat with no set expectations and it turned out to be beyond anything I could have imagined. Thinking back now I am brought to tears at how wonderful the whole week was. I learnt so much about myself, the elements, nature, about life! I have returned back home feeling more grounded and also more aware and trusting in the mystery and in myself.”
MELODY“This experience was deeply nourishing and inspiring. I was at my lowest mentally, emotionally and spiritually just before I attended. I now have a new appreciation for life and watch with amazement as it evolves with the magic made during this retreat. My husband and kids attended as well and everyone talks about returning with excitement and joy.”
STEPHANIE
JOIN USTAKE OFF THE ILLUSIONS THAT CAUSE YOU TO FORGET; YOU ARE NATURE, AND YOU BELONG HERE.
The elements are calling.
Will you answer?
August 2-8, 2026 | Lago D’Orta, Italy
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You will be asked to pay a $50 application processing fee to submit your application. Within the application, you’ll find information about the starting cost based on your accommodation preferences.
The cost will reflect the retreat fee ($3500) + accommodation for shared rooms (starts at $1000) and for single rooms (starts at $1800).
Your final invoice will be sent to you via email detailing the fees based on accommodation preference/availability and any add-ons you select. Upon acceptance, your application will be deducted from your final cost. -
Yes, we will have a Children’s Retreat taking place during all official retreat sessions (excluding our 7AM meditations) for kids from age 3-16.
Moms with children under 3 years old should plan to have a caretaker available to look after their child during retreat activities.
*At this time we only have capacity to accept fathers attending to help care for their children. Please note, male partners will not be able to join the retreat sessions. This is a women’s-only retreat. -
The closest airport is Malpensa (Milan). Mandali is about 1 hour north of Milan. When we get closer to the retreat, Mandali gathers all the guests flight information and groups them into private vans to drive to Mandali. This greatly reduces the fee of transportation to Mandali. Please note this is an out of pocket expense.
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Unfortunately, we cannot provide a payment plan. Please coordinate with your credit card provider or bank.
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Full retreat tuition is due upon acceptance of your application and 30% of that total is non-refundable and non-transferable once paid. From May 15, 2026, your full retreat tuition is non-refundable and non-transferable. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance in case unexpected incidents prevent your from attending.
If you have additional questions, please contact us and we will get back to you shortly!
