Casa Julfa Presents….
Earth Magic
Samhain / Toussaint - Thurs 29th - 3rd November 2026
Participation fees: €2495 per person - Trip is limited to 6 people .
Includes accommodation (private room & ensuite ) + half board
This special trip led by Blue Firth & Corinne Aivazian in collaboration with local artisans will support you to make your own magic makers tool kit.
If you work with magic or have been drawn to start a magical practice, this trip is for you.
Shrouded by the medieval town of Montmorillon we will explore how to implement magic into our lives though the objects we make.
For seasoned practitioners or beginners alike there is no creative experience required.
Whether you are an artist, writer, maker or thinker the objects made over the course will act as magical anchors to your practice or daily life.
To be able to make your own tools deepens your connection to the objects we use in our practices and increases their potency.
Over the four days we will learn a variety of skills from esteemed craftworkers, leaving with a tool kit of 5 objects to go forth and cast magic with.
Alongside this Blue will hold workshops on how to the use the items within a magic or ritual practice.
Together we will make:
-A cast iron knife in a local forge, this can serve as an Athame (a ritual knife) for witches, a rib/ multi tool for potters, for making magic in the kitchen or even a letter opener for your correspondence.
-A chalice or cup from local historic limoges clay
-An altar cloth using reclaimed local linen, dyed with local plants that we collect and brew ourselves
- a hand turned baton that can serve as a magic wand, or a spoon.
- a mirror or other sacred object that finds you at a local brocante
This trip includes
4 x days of workshops with artisans and specialists of their craft
2 x session on magical practices and how to use your tools
A guided visit to local flea markets and brocantes to find a mirror and other treasures as your heart desires.
A trip to St Savin as a place of pilgrimage
The best kind of french countryside dining: from luxurious picnics in cinematic locations comprised of local delicacies, to dinners in Michelin starred restaurants
Full translation and support with all logistics
A specially produced guide that expands on art history of the locale, witchcraft and inspirational characters of the region. Plus a workbook to inspire reflection and expansion long beyond the trip.
A reading and watching list themed around the region and its folklore to be sent out ahead of your arrival to get you in the mood.
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Arrivals from 12:00 - 18:00
Everyone will settle into their rooms/apartments and we will show you through all the spaces and places that you will call home for your stay. We will then take you for a walk around town to get to know everywhere before heading for a Welcome Dinner at our local Guinguette (riverside music bar)
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Today will be led by Corinne and Blue. After a leisurely breakfast around the pool we will leave to forage wild clay at the lake and make small candle holders with amulet sprigs on site. After a picnic lunch of local produce at our beautiful lake setting, we will head back to Casa Julfa. In the afternoon will continue making but this time with historic Limoges clay. Pieces will then be left to dry and will be fired. We will take a short drive to the sacred Abbey of Saint Savin to see in the early evening. Over an aperitif Blue will introduce ways to use the toolkit in a magical practice.
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After a hearty breakfast, we head to the forge to meet our first local artisan for a full day of learning and making. Lunch will be on site of local produce. Late afternoon will see us return to the Casa for an evening of rest.
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A morning at a local vide grenier looking for treasure will precede a buffet lunch at the Casa. After a leisurely walk along the river collecting natural materials, we will dye antique linen and hemp pieces as an altar mat.
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A morning woodworking with a local artisan. Hand turning a wand, spoon or other tool of your choice. Lunch will be leisurely at a local restaurant before we head home to the Casa to assemble the whole tool kit. A closing dinner sees the journey completed as we celebrate together at the Casa.
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Final Breakfast - Departures before Midday
“Casa Julfa is the perfect place to reflect, learn and transform. I could retreat and rest or participate whenever I needed. The setting is so beautiful, like going back in time… I learnt so much, I know i’ll always be very glad I got to experience the magic and pure peacefulness and ease of this stay ”
Alex Nowicki (Nottingham, UK) - Retreat Participant Autumn 2023
