Aerial Witchcraft Retreat
Merging Movement, Magick, & Manifestation through Aerial Arts & Witchcraft
October 27-Nov 3, 2026
Casa Chango Mexico, Puerto Escondido
Instructor: Sovay Bontempi
One Scholarship for a Mexican or BIPOC student available.
Apply here by July 1.
Take a Flight Down the Crooked Path and spend a week learning what it means to live life as a modern aerial witch.
This retreat is for aerialist practitioners who have heard the calls of the wind, earth and sea and want to spend a week diving deep into modern paganism and incorporating ritual, intention and manifestation into their aerial practice. In this retreat you will spend your mornings learning the fundamentals of modern witchcraft and developing your own unique practices. In the afternoons you will be taught aerial sequences on hoop and hammock that connect to the theme and intention of the day, with options to accommodate different bodies and challenge a variety of skill levels. In the evenings you will put your practices together and learn how to incorporate your aerial work into sacred space with rituals and magickal workings.
The goal of this retreat is for each participant to leave with an understanding of the key practices that make up modern witchcraft and the knowledge of how to continue growing in their own power as this next iteration of the wheel turns. We will also emphasize the healing power of movement and dance, working through the lense of aerial arts and finding ways to bring intention and power into your physical practice.
This retreat will occur as the world is moving away from summer/fall and stepping into the darkest time of the year. It is a time when many cultures across the world believed the dead were closer to the living, and have developed practices to connect with their ancestors. We will explore several of these practices, honoring the old ways and the new as we learn about the intersections and history of the pagan cross quarter day Samhain, the traditional Mexican celebration of Dia De Los Muertos, and American Halloween.
On Halloween, a US holiday, you will have the option to go out in the evening to a local event celebrating in a multi-cultural way. For Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday, we will be guided by a local Mexican community member to build a collective traditional ancestor ofrenda (altar) and try traditional foods eaten during this time of year. You will have the opportunity to do Catrina style make-up and go out to a local event celebrating the holiday. On the last night of the retreat we will celebrate Samhain by stepping into the veil and doing a magickal working on behalf of those who have come before us.
What is Day of the Dead?
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is an ancestral celebration on Nov 1 and 2 that long pre-dates the Spanish Conquest. Dia de los Muertos is a time to remember loved ones lost and honor the pathways of life end death. We are invited to view death as a welcomed part of life, not as an ending, but the beginning of a journey to ultimate peace. In the local markets, cemeteries, and homes, you will see brightly colored skeletons, skulls, marigolds, food, music, and ofrendas (altars) everywhere during the holiday. It can be a refreshing, new way to view death, life, and the spaces in between.
What is Samhain?
Samhain (pronounced Sow-un or Saa-wn) is the first cross quarter day on the Pagan wheel of the year. In paganism, holidays follow the natural flow of the seasons and are celebrated on solstices, equinoxes, and cross quarter days. Samhain is the midpoint between the fall equinox (Mabon) and the Winter Solstice (Yule) and marks the start of the pagan calendar. Samhain is believed to be the time where the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest and journeys between worlds are possible. It is traditionally a time to honor and connect with our ancestors. As this is entering into the more contemplative season of the year, Samhain is also a good time to practice Shadow Work, learning to face the darker parts of ourselves and the world we live in.
The rest of our time will be spent eating amazing, healthy food, swimming in the pool, hot tub, and warm ocean, reading in hammocks, and breathing the tropical air. There will be time to explore local markets and beaches as well as the local night life.
Prerequisites
We recommend you to have at least one year of consistent (weekly) aerial practice and familiarity with aerial hoop and/or hammock/sling. Advanced practitioners are also welcome. Beginner aerialists may be welcome if you already have a physical practice that translates well to aerial arts. Here are some of the skills that you should be able to execute.
- Hoop – ablity to hold a 30sec double knee hang on the top bar of the hoop
- Hoop – ability to hook a knee and enter the apparatus when the hoop is mounted at chin level
- Hoop – comfortable in a front hip hang
- Hammock – ability to get to goddess wrap/diaper
- Hammock – familiar with hip key
- Hammock – one entrance to a hip hang – examples: pullover to hip hang or rotating to hip hang from seated
Please email us at SweetRetreatsMexico@gmail.com if you are unsure if you meet the prerequisites.
Daily Schedule Sample
- 7:30-9:30 am: Coffee, Tea and Breakfast
- 10-10:30am: Meditation
- 10:30-11am: Gentle Movement
- 11-1pm: Fundamentals of Witchcraft
- 1pm: Lunch
- 2-5pm: Pool-time, siesta, relaxing
- 3:30pm: Afternoon Treat
- 4:30-6:30pm: Aerial Hoop & Hammock Class
- 7pm Dinner
- 8:30-11:30pm Evening Rituals (rituals include aerial) & Activities
We will take you to our favorite beaches for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and releasing baby turtles into the sea. There will be evening adventures to a bioluminescent lagoon and local night market.
About your Instructor
Sovay Bontempi is a Virginia Beach based aerialist specializing in sequencing and movement quality. She believes in the power of movement to heal the body and soul. She fell in love with the unique beauty and freedom of Aerial Arts around 2019 and it has been her main physical and creative practice ever since. Sovay trains on lyra and hammock as her primary apparatuses (apparati?) but also dabbles in silks, rope, double loops, straps, tiny hoop, and aerial moon. She has been teaching aerial hoop and sling/hammock since 2021 at Virginia Beach Aerial Arts Collective, where she is also the creative director of the twice yearly student showcases. She specializes in sequencing, movement quality, and spin technique; she loves exploring new ways of approaching fundamental skills.
A lifelong spiritual seeker, Sovay has an enduring love for shiny rocks, tiny jars, handmade wooden spoons, black teapots and little cauldrons. She enjoys hugging trees, making friends with beetles, buying more books than she will ever read, and lighting little pieces of paper on fire. Sovay has been a practicing witch since about 2018 and has a wide range of interests in the pagan arts. Her practice includes tarot, spellcraft, candle magick, moon magick, breathwork, herbology, lucid dreaming, shamanic journeying and spirit/ancestral guide work. Sovay specializes in leading meaningful rituals and creating impactful magickal workings for her beautiful local community. She has found great healing in herself and others through her spiritual work as a witch, and is so grateful to the pagan/metaphysical community for providing a safe and open spiritual space where everyone is welcome to come exactly as they are.
What’s included:
- Ground transportation from the Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM) to Casa Chango if participants arrive to PXM on the specific arrival/departure dates listed.
- Arrive on Oct 31. Depart on Nov 7, 2026.
- Private or shared accommodations at Casa Chango eco-chic resort. Click here to take a look at your options.
- Daily cleaning service.
- 3 nourishing meals a day in our beautiful open-air kitchen. Click here to learn more about meals.
- Breakfast: 7:30-9:30am
- Lunch: 1-1:45pm
- Afternoon treat & ice coffee: 3:30pm
- Dinner & Dessert: 7-7:45pm
- Communal space for personal food storage in our kitchen.
- Use of all community areas:
- Swimming pool & hot tub
- Lounge with couches, books & a movie projector
- Kitchen & dining area
- Amazing 2000 square foot open-air Circus Gym
- Dance studio
- Hammocks for lounging
- Private hiking trail down to the Colotepec River
- 2 Daily Classes:
- Aerial photo shoot (w access to up to 15 photos)
- High Speed Starlink Internet
- Access to our network of Spanish teachers who provide private or group classes on-site.
- Access to our on-site massage space and network of body-work practitioners for hire who come on-site.
- Recommendations and guidance to enjoy all that Puerto Escondido has to offer. Beaches, nature excursions, tours, surf lessons, networking events, dance classes, and so much more. Click here for an idea of what you have to look forward to.
Retreat Pricing in USD
| Room | Early Bird Price | Full Price |
| Shared Dorm (mixed gender) | $2000 | $2300 |
| Shared Private Room (2 friends sharing a room) 1 king size bed or 2 individual beds | $2200 | $2500 |
| Private Room w Shared Bathroom | $2500 | $2800 |
| Private Room w Private Bathroom | $2800 | $3100 |
| Private Room w Private Bathroom & Air Conditioner | $3100 | $3400 |
$500 Deposit is required to secure your spot.
Early bird prices end 3 months before arrival date.
Full tuition is due by one month before the first day of the retreat.
Rates refer to cost of one person’s tuition.
Couples must sign up together.
Significant others and friends who are not taking classes are welcome at a special price.
Dorms are mixed gender.
Click here for room descriptions.
inks for more information:
- Accommodations – room descriptions
- Meals and Food
- How to get here. Info and advice on booking your travel
- Weather in Puerto Escondido
- Testimonials
- Excursions
Discounts
- Sign up early to get the Early Bird Discount
- Sign up with a friend and get a $100 referral discount. (You get $100 discount for each person you refer to any of our focused retreats.)
- Sign up on our mailing list to find out about more discounts.
ECO RETREAT CENTER
Casa Chango is an Eco Retreat Center. We do our best to live in harmony with the natural world. We are off grid, and use 100% solar power. We have dry composting toilets and use the humanure and food waste to create soil to feed the amazing plants and trees all around the property. We ask all of our staff and guests to come with the mindset of learning about and respecting nature. The gray water from our sinks and showers filter out to water the plants. Therefore we ask you to bring natural shampoos, conditioners, and toothpaste to your retreat. All of our buildings were designed and built to be cool and comfortable, and we hope you enjoy your stay with us.
Casa Chango is an animal friendly place. There are several friendly animals on site including dogs and cats. They will not enter your rooms, but they will be on property and in common areas during your retreat. Animal lovers will be in their happy place.
Native insects live in this area of Mexico. We fumigate regularly to keep insects away and out of your rooms. We also acknowledge that the insects are an important part of keeping nature in balance. Most of the community spaces at Casa Chango, including the gym, dining area, pool, lounge are open air which means there are no walls. You can expect to see a variety of native insects, birds, and lizards during your visit. We hope you enjoy the experience of living more connected to nature.
Note about Mental Health
This retreat will include energy work, guided meditations, exploration of altered states and Shadow work. We will do our very best to maintain and foster a safe environment during our retreat, but we will be covering topics and including practices that can bring up difficult past experiences and trigger uncomfortable emotions. The intent and nature of this work is to heal us and help us to grow into stronger versions of ourselves. However, for individuals who are carrying trauma or who suffer from significant mental illness, these practices can occasionally be destabilizing. We are not medical professionals, so if you are currently working through any significant mental health challenges, we recommend that you consult with a professional before signing up. Please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us if you have any questions/concerns and we will do our best to help clarify.
Questions? Email us at SweetRetreatsMexico@gmail.com
*Food service begins with a snack and dinner on arrival day, and ends with breakfast on departure day. All meals are provided. The food is amazing! ** Your taxi to/from the PXM airport is included if you arrive/depart on designated days. Click here for info about getting to Puerto Escondido.