Rise Retreat: The First Light Within

The time to rise is now.

📅 Sunday, March 29, 2026

⏰ 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM

📍 AND Creative @ 1851 McGuckian St, Suite B, Annapolis, MD 21401

🌿 Event Description

As the light returns to the earth, something ancient stirs within us, too.

The Spring Equinox is a moment of sacred balance — equal light and dark — a powerful threshold between who you have been and who you are becoming. It marks the beginning of a new energetic year in the natural world, a time when what has been quietly forming beneath the surface is ready to rise.

The First Light Within is a full-day immersive retreat for women who feel that quiet call to emerge — not through force, but through remembering.

Before the world sees you clearly, you must be willing to meet yourself in the light — the place of wholeness, truth, and presence.

Together in a sacred circle, we will gently awaken what has been resting beneath the surface through embodied practices that bring the body, heart, and soul back into alignment.

This is not about fixing yourself. It is about illuminating the self that has always been there.

This is not just a ceremony of becoming —it is an invitation to belonging.

🌞 How We’ll Journey Through the Day

This retreat is intentionally designed as a flowing arc — moving from clearing, to activation, to creation, to integration, and finally to reclaiming.

✨ Equinox Intention Ceremony: A guided ritual to cross the seasonal threshold with clarity, grounding, and purpose.

🌬 Mirror Work with Breathwork: A reflective, embodied practice to notice where your thoughts may be working against your intentions — and how breath can help you shift your internal state.

💃 Embodied Movement: Gentle, intuitive movement to reawaken life force energy and restore inner flow.

📖 Crafting Your Book of Mirrors + Moon Work: Begin creating your own personal Book of Mirrors — a meaningful keepsake blending intention-setting, moon wisdom, guided prompts, and visual expression.

🧘 Guided Meditation: A grounding inner journey to meet the woman you are becoming.

🔔 Sound Immersion & Integration: A deeply soothing sound journey to support nervous system regulation and allow the day’s work to fully land.

👑 Reclaim Ceremony – The Red Carpet Ritual: We close by stepping forward — literally — in a symbolic act of reclaiming the version of yourself ready to emerge into the coming year.

🌸 The Energy of This Day

This retreat is for the woman who:

• Feels something new trying to emerge

• Is tired of living dimmed down

• Knows she’s in a transition, even if she can’t name it

• Wants to move forward from alignment, not urgency

• Is ready to meet herself with honesty and compassion

• Longs for a supportive, like-hearted community

• Simply needs intentional time for herself

The Equinox reminds us: You do not become new by pushing. You become new by allowing the light to reach the places that were once in shadow.

This is where you stop bracing… and begin blooming.

🧺 What’s Included

✔ Full-day retreat experience

✔ Guided practices & ceremonies

✔ Book of Mirrors materials

✔ Lunch + light snacks

✔ Tea & water

✔ A supportive, sacred community container

🎒 What to Bring

We want you to be as comfortable as possible, especially during floor-based practices. Think layers, nesting, and coziness.

• Yoga mat or floor cushion

• Blanket(s), bolster, or pillow for comfort

• Eye mask (optional but encouraged)

• Journal + pen (optional — materials provided)

• Water bottle• Comfortable clothing for movement

• An open heart and gentle curiosity

Please note: We won't spend much time on the floor for this event, but it's hard. You can bring extra blankets or anything else that will make you comfortable.

💫 Closing Invitation

Step into the light — not the one outside you, but the one that’s been waiting within.

✨ Testimonials

Our retreats are designed to feel safe, embodied, and deeply supportive — and participants consistently tell us they leave feeling grounded, empowered, and connected.

What Women Are Saying:

Reflections from our most recent retreat experience

“From the moment of arriving, I felt seen and heard. The space was safe, supportive, and deeply welcoming.”

“The facilitators were calm, grounding, informative, and extremely supportive.”

“The breathwork was transformative. I was able to release shame, fear, and old patterns — and felt supported the entire time.”

“I left feeling calmer, more open, and energized. I gained tools I can use beyond the retreat.”

“This experience came at exactly the right time in my life. I feel more at peace and more connected to myself.”

“Honestly, everything was perfect. I would absolutely attend another retreat like this.”

— Lunar Lioness Retreat Participants

✨ Meet Your Guides

Empowerment Facilitator · Connection & Meditation Guide · Female Life Stage Transition Mentor · Literary & Visual Artist

Shannon Elizabeth is the founder of Once Upon a Connection and Fire Creative OUAC. Her work is grounded in lived experience, trauma-aware facilitation, and the belief that healing happens through meaningful connection — to self, to others, and to truth.

A PTSD survivor, mother of six (five adopted as teens), executive risk guide, and trusted presence through multiple life stages and transformations, Shannon brings steadiness, compassion, and deep respect for each participant’s journey.

She is currently pursuing a Foundations of Meditation Certification through My Vinyassa and Human Rights Certification Training through the U.S. Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights.

Website: https://www.onceuponaconnection.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/once_upon_a_connection/

Author · Somatic Breathwork Practitioner · Holistic Mental Health Coach

Donna S. Conley is a local bestselling author and holistic mental health practitioner specializing in somatic healing. She is a Usui Holy Fire® Reiki Master, breathwork practitioner, meditation teacher, sound healer, and Duke Health & Wellbeing Coach.

Donna’s work weaves lunar wisdom with nervous-system-informed practices, translating ancient cycles into a language the body understands. She helps people reconnect with themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and move through stored emotional patterns with compassion, clarity, and empowerment.

Website: https://www.wildmoonhealers.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildmoonhealers/

Certified Life, Transformation & Mindset Coach · Certified Personal Sound Meditation Facilitator · Reiki Master · Energy & Crystal Practitioner

Susan Richards is a certified Life, Transformation, and Mindset Coach with a deep passion for music and vibrational healing. As an energy and sound practitioner, she blends Reiki, crystal work, and sound meditation to support emotional balance, inner calm, and personal transformation.

Susan brings a grounded, nurturing presence and a commitment to ongoing growth — both her own and that of those she serves.

Website: https://www.ahamomentsofselflove.com/

Magick Alignment Practitioner · Spiritual Guide · Crystal Practitioner · Reiki II Certified · Technical Executive

Dahlia Moon is the founder of Modern Magickal Family, a sanctuary for those seeking deeper connection, meaning, and magick in everyday life. Her work bridges the fast-paced demands of the modern world with the sacred rhythms of nature and spirit.

With a unique blend of practical leadership and spiritual guidance, Dahlia supports individuals and families in living more intentionally — without needing to escape the lives they’ve built.

Website: https://modernmagickalfamily.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernmagickalwitch/

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

1851 McGuckian St suite b, 1851 McGuckian Street, Annapolis, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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