Casa Julfa Presents….
Earth Magic: Wild clay, Magical objects and Ancestral fire
Samhain / Toussaint - October Thurs 29th - 3rd November 2026
Participation fees: €2495 per person - Trip is limited to 6 people .
Includes accommodation at Casa Julfa (private room & ensuite ) + half board
Led by Casa Julfa founder Corinne Aivazian and residency curator Blue Firth, we will spend five days making with clay and exploring magic, ritual and ancestral ceramic practices. There will be wild clay foraging, masterclasses in magic, ancient making techniques and a moon-lit wood firing.
Shrouded by the medieval town of Montmorillon, we will explore the relationship between objects, making and ritual— learning ancient ceramic techniques while creating objects that can bring a little magic into our everyday lives.
For seasoned practitioners or complete beginners alike, no previous experience with clay or magic is required.
If you are drawn to making with clay, curious about magic and ritual, or want to learn or deepen your understanding of ancestral pottery, this trip is for you…
What you will make:
Whatever your level of experience… you will spend the time making with different clays and techniques, leaving with a beautiful collection of objects that can act as magical anchors to your practice or daily routine, including:
Amulets created from clay dug with your own hands
A chalice or cup made from historic local Limoges porcelain clay
A portal (wall candle holder) in wild clay
A magic wand created using an ancient recipe
A magical plaque created through a collective weaving spell
Everyone joining us will make their own portal (pictured)
From earth to fire - On our final evening, Corinne will lead us in a magical moon-lit wood firing, completing the final transformation of everything we have made from earth, to clay, to ceramic.
Alongside all of our making, there will be additional workshops and support for exploring how magic and ritual might become part of your life long after your stay, including:
A Mirror Magic workshop by Blue
An introduction to amulet-making in the tradition of Corinne's Armenian ancestors
An exploration of Candle Magic, including divination techniques
Blue will also share some very special incantation and spell-creation methods
Corinne will give an individual coffee reading to each participant
Taking the magic home - You will also receive a workbook with suggestions for how to use the objects you have made within a magical or ritual practice long after the retreat has finished, alongside a reading and watching list exploring the region, its folklore and histories of witchcraft, sent ahead of your arrival to get you in the mood.
More about your hosts…
Though Corinne and Blue´s path´s seem to have been intertwined since forever, they finally first met in person when Blue came to do a residency at the Casa in 2021, it was the beginning of an ongoing collaboration and a life long sistership.
In a former lives they both made large scale site specific artworks, and moved in the same circles in the contemporary art world.
See more about their individual practices and interests below.
Blue Firth is a potter, designer and a witch. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy schools, and in a former life made large scale site specific artwork but now works on a much smaller scale from the pottery. She has Russian Ukrainian heritage and grew up playing stone circles in the Orkney islands. She has been Casa Julfa´s residency curator since 2020.
Her other outputs include Dohm ceramics, podcasts on witchcraft, tarot readings and bespoke rituals. Her work has been featured in publications including, World of Interiors, Homes & Garden, Country Living and Elle Decoration. She lectures part-time in Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University and writes about art and interiors for TAT London.
Corinne Aivazian is Founder of Casa Julfa & Terra Ancestral, she is an artist , writer and researcher who works with clay to investigate historical narratives that have the power to insight change in the present. Her work is heavily informed by her Armenian heritage and the pre-christian cultural and spiritual practices of her ancestors practised in their indigenous lands of the fertile crescent and SWANA region.
Her work has been commissioned by organisations including The British Ceramics Biennial (UK), Palazzo Grassi (Italy) and Inhotim (Brazil) and held in collections including The Tate Archive (UK). In recent years her practice has focussed more on reclaiming lost ceramic and magical practices/techniques and paving a way for others to do the same.
“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