June 1, 2025 - June 15, 2025

Tending the Muses Temple: Qigong, Writing, Astrology, Voice, Hand Work for Female Identifying Participants

Tending the Muses Temple: Qigong, Writing, Astrology, Voice, Hand Work for Female Identifying Participants

WORKSHOP COST:
4.250,0€
Workshop Dates:
June 1, 2025 - June 15, 2025
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About the Workshop

Tending the Muses' Temple: Qigong, Writing, Astrology, Voice, Hand Work for Female Identifying Participants is led by four skilled and seasoned teachers: Brea Fisher, Jodi Paloni, Andrea Goodman, Susan Bickford.

The workshop provides two spacious weeks of esoteric practices in an earthly paradise:  Monte Castello de Vibio, a mountain town in Umbria, Italy, at the International Center for the Arts. When we take time to practice, listen to inner knowings, and express that through bodies into form, it serves to strengthen our foundations. Just as one might sweep out the leaves and cobwebs from an ancient temple, exercising our creative practices tends the temple of ourselves as vessels for the muse.

Moving with utter presence through Qigong form, we meet the rising sun in simple surroundings, a former convent. Give gratitude, open your heart, settle your mind, and greet your guides, saying yes to the precise course of your path in this lifetime. Qigong is movement as medicine and in this tradition, under the guidance of the Goddess of Compassion Quan Yin, we offer it as a prayer and a blessing on all.

Open yourself to the Gateless Writing Method. Listen to the swallows of Umbria, keep your pens moving, and allow what wants to come to the wide open page. Gaze at the heavenly bodies with a daily astrological reading in a sharing circle, making a connection to the cosmic dimension. Sing in "Cosmic Harmony" an improvisational sound healing modality, liberating our voices together.  Make charts and maps in various media of our  experience. Cast local bee's wax into the ground to make sacred candles of this special place to light our way.  In addition to our daily practices we'll take a few day excursions to sacred sites such as: the Frasassi Caves, and the Gola dell'Infernaccio (Hell's Gorge) and listen for the magic while we are there.

Please note this residency includes physical complexities: moderate walking, cold-water wild swimming and a cave visit. Applicants are responsible for their own physical wellbeing.

Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio.  Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO), aboard our comfortable private bus; single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available); 3 meals* per day, when on campus, Monday-Thursday; Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (when on campus) No meals are served on Friday - our excursion day - unless previously arranged. Your workshop includes the excursions below, however,  many additional options are available for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bilingual support are provided. *Meal service is provided while in Monte Castello only, unless otherwise noted. Meals on excursions and admissions are not included in the cost, unless specifically noted in the itinerary.

 

Meet The Instructors

Susan Bickford
Susan Bickford Susan Bickford is an eco-somatic mid-career artist sharing her time between Maine, USA, and the Dordogne, France. Working in performance, video, installation and collaborative forms as a part of nature, Bickford brings groups together to intentionally slow down and listen. She is the founding artist of the stillness collective. www.stillnesscollective.com, and as well maintains a professional personal artistic practice. www.susanbickfordinteractive.com Bickford has been teaching at the college level since 2003. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts and a BID (Industrial Design) from Rhode Island School of Design and a MFA from Maine College of Art. She completed a two-year apprenticeship program in Shamanic Studies with Spirit Passages, and is certified as a Forest Therapy Guide. Susan is a student of indigenous mysticisms, qigong, astrology, voice and writing. Brea, Jodi and Andrea are among her many teachers. I am delighted to bring together this group of amazingly sensitive teachers, to this glorious place. Weaving together our gifts, for slowing, listening, making meaningful connections, and forms is what “Tending the Muses Temple” hopes to manifest. If this sounds enlivening to you, I trust that you are in the right place.
Brea Fisher
Brea Fisher Brea Fisher is the founder of Quan Yin Gongfu, a practice tradition of ceremonial Qigong, Taiji, and Gongfu. Under the guidance of Quan Yin, Goddess of compassion, and held by the Eagle Claw lineage, we cultivate presence, kindness, and discipline. Brea has dedicated her life to sharing the Chinese internal martial arts—powerful practices that cultivate sensitivity to the subtle as a method for deepening intimacy with Life.  The practices of the Quan Yin Gongfu temple bring practitioners together with the intention to dissolve emphasis on competition, hierarchy, and gender bias with which the martial and internal arts field is saturated. Most but not all of Brea’s offerings are for women, those who identify as female or feminine, or who are non-binary female bodied. As an artist, Brea’s work unites the visual arts and written word with the Chinese internal martial arts. Her daily dedication to these disciplines began in 2007, and she has devoted her life to the practice since then. Brea carries the lineage of Eagle Claw Turning Style (Ying Zhao Fan Zi Men), teaching Gongfu and Taiji forms handed down to her by Master Sing Chui. And as a student of and conduit for the energy of Quan Yin, the Qigong forms Brea teaches serve as transmission from Her. Residing on lands of Tewa, Ute, and Pueblo peoples in New Mexico, USA, Brea teaches online and in person, offering 1:1 mentorship, on-going courses, workshops, intensive study immersions, and retreats.
Jodi Paloni
Jodi Paloni is a place-based writer and writing/book coach specializing in the Gateless Writing Method, the Gestalt Cycle of Experience work out of the Gestalt International Study Center, and Sequencing: Making is Knowing originating from the River Gallery School in Vermont. She is also a student of Sounds True’s The Power of Awareness, a mindfulness approach to wellbeing. It’s the weaving of these methodologies and others that inspires her teachings on the magical seacoast of Maine, USA, and in other parts of the world. American author, Eudora Welty, said, “It is by knowing where you stand that you grow able to judge where you are.” Place-based centering and honoring the more-than human world is at the crux of Jodi’s facilitation. A descendent of Italian grandparents who immigrated to the US from the Marche region, just east of Umbria, she looks forward to immersing in creativity with others within the landscape of her ancestral roots. As well, Jodi is the author of the linked story collection, They Could Live with Themselves, runner-up for the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction, a finalist for the Maine Book Award, and an Indie Publishers Award Silver Medal. 
Andrea Goodman
Andrea Goodman is a Priestess, vocalist/composer, sound-healer, mythic astrologer, poet, spiritual teacher and counselor, she has been part of a groundswell of innovative women’s creative and spiritual emergence throughout her life. She was an original member of the Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble, performing, recording and touring worldwide, 1974-1991, singing without words in the universal, timeless language of sound. Andrea’s unique vocal skill combined with intuitive improvisation developed her original sound-healing practice, Cosmic Harmony, facilitating others to sing intuitively, freely, and with healing intention. She is a co-founder, with Ione and Pauline Oliveros, of the Ministry of Maåt in 1997. Andrea Goodman has been offering astrological insights as an integral part of the process of Bickford’s collaborative project “stillness” for the last eight years and reading charts professionally since 1985. She lives and works at Ruby Throated Spirit on Barter’s Island in Maine. www.rubythroatedspirit.com

Included Amenities

Click on the links below for detailed information about our included amenities.
View Amenities Page »
  • Airport transfer from and to the Leonardo da Vinci Rome/Fiumicino Airport (FCO) aboard our private bus (on scheduled dates only). Bus departs the airport promptly at 12PM.
  • Airport welcome service and assistance with baggage
  • 24/7 bi-lingual support with manager on site at all times
  • All ground transport aboard private buses or our ICA van, unless otherwise specified. Licensed and insured professional driver and ICA guide accompany all excursions. Orientation at each destination is provided as is departure coordination (guide service is available upon request — unless specified — for an additional fee)
  • Village orientation and complimentary drinks provided on arrival day
  • Private access to our 5-storey tower at our Palazzo Persiane (on sign-up basis) for spectacular morning and evening views
  • Access to our art materials shop (during posted hours)
  • Thorough orientation lecture and maps provided the evening before departure
  • Return transport to the Rome/Fiumicino Airport (departs 5:30AM) with rest stop
  • Departure service/airport assistance at airport
  • Unless otherwise specified, single occupancy accommodation is provided in rooms with a view of the Tiber Valley that includes sink and vanity. Rooms are with shared bath on each level (3 rooms per bath) in our 14th century convent building, The Asilo. Apartments, rooms with private bath and AC, double rooms, group or villa accommodations are available for couples, business associates/ friends, or groups for an additional fee
  • Linens and towels provided
  • Weekly housekeeping service with change of towels and linens
  • Free washing machine access
  • Good Wi-Fi connection and access to our library and film collection
  • 3 chef-catered, gourmet meals per day (buffet breakfast, 3-course lunch, 4-course dinner) — with wine at lunch and dinner (table wine provided at lunch and dinner. An excellent wine list is offered at additional cost), while in Monte Castello
  • Group dining service is as follows, with breakfast and lunch served in our dining room, etc, with dinner (weather permitting) served on our private terrace overlooking the Tiber Valley
  • Lunch and dinner are plated as follows: pasta course, main course, vegetable, fruit/salad, dessert
  • When requested at registration, vegetarian, vegan, and special dietary options are provided
  • After dinner drinks on our terrace overlooking the Tiber valley
  • Dining service is as follows: Breakfast: 8:00 AM; Lunch: 1:00PM; Dinner: 8:00 PM. No meals are served on Fridays (excursion day) unless otherwise specified
  • On Saturday and Sunday, a full buffet brunch with fresh pastry and Prosecco is served at 11:00 AM
  • On Saturday, homemade, wood-fired pizza is served at 7:00 PM (except on departure days, when a special farewell dinner is served)
  • Sunday dinner with antipasti is served at 7:00 PM
  • Farewell dinner on the evening prior to departure
  • 24/7 access to our primary building and library is provided, including access to workspaces, studios, and ceramics facility
  • Special access to certain cultural and art collections is available upon request
  • FOR VISUAL ARTISTS: private, or semi-private secure and monitored studio space is provided (24/7 access)
  • FOR WRITERS: private workspace is provided (24/7 access)
  • FOR GROUPS: Group workspace is provided (24/7 access)
  • FOR CERAMIC ARTISTS: 24/7 access to our ceramics facility
  • Free access to lectures and events at the Teatro Concordia
  • An end of the session exhibition with reception that includes hors d'oeuvres and Prosecco in our gallery. Posters are prepared to promote the event with copies provided to all participants
  • 1 excursion per week is included (unless otherwise specified in the itinerary) aboard our private bus. Additional trips can of course be scheduled and given our central location. (Day trips are possible to as far north as Siena or Florence and as far south as Rome.)
  • Advanced reservations and ticket purchases for groups and individuals
  • Concierge services provided upon request at an hourly rate
  • Restaurant reservations (provided under Concierge services)
  • Car rental
  • Critique series with visiting visual artists
  • Artist materials workshops
  • Drawing and painting sessions from the figure
  • Cooking classes
  • Cheesemaking workshop
  • Pizza-making workshop
  • Kids cooking classes
  • Wine appreciation and Sommelier Courses
  • Wine and olive oil tastings
  • Vineyard tours
  • Truffle hunting
  • Ballroom dance classes
  • Weekend excursions to flea markets and natural sites
  • Shopping excursions to cashmere and leather outlets, to Deruta famous for fine painted traditional ceramics, and antique stores
  • Overnight excursions to the sea and day-trips to Rome beaches
  • Hot air balloon tours
  • Hot springs excursions
  • Lake Trasimeno tours
  • Umbria abandoned castle and fortress tour
  • Sustainable farming tour 
  • Babysitting services
  • Soccer, archery, and horseback riding camps for kids
  • Motorized mountain bike rentals
  • Electric car rental 
  • Golf-cart tours of Rome and Florence
  • Hiking/naturalist guides to national/regional parks - mountain hiking available
  • Fishing/Hunting Excursions

Payment Options

Refund/Cancellation Policy

Payment in full must be made within 30 days of submission of € 500 (Euro) non-refundable deposit in order to hold the reservation.

Payment in full is required within 60 days of the start of the workshop- no participant will be admitted to our airport transfer with an outstanding balance.

All payments are non-refundable after payment in full has been made - however, under certain circumstances (see below) credit from one course may be utilized for another within a one-year period.

Session Cancellation by ICARTS

ICARTS only “cancels” retreats in the event of low enrollment or in circumstances in which providing the opportunity to re-schedule is not possible.

In circumstances in which travel is interrupted due to travel restrictions or health protocols, Force Majeure (such as a: strike, riot, acts of God) ICARTS WILL NOT CANCEL and will re-schedule programs to the soonest reasonable opportunity.

In case of death or illness. of instructor, a substitution will be made at the discretion of ICARTS

Each ICA Retreat requires a minimum number of participants in attendance - including the Residency Program. While the minimum enrollment number may vary according to the timing and duration of the session, the limit is typically, six (6), to nine (9)

If the minimum number of participants is not reached, we reserve the the right to cancel those programs.

If deemed necessary, notification of cancellation will be made as soon as possible following the close of Registration or typically, 30 days before the start of the session/course/tour/event.

When a condition arises that results in a cancellation, participants will be notified and the class will be rescheduled to a later date.

In event that ICA determines that enrollment for a particular session/Retreat is insufficient, ICA will typically offer you:

(a) an option to join an alternative session/course/tour/event, within a one-year period or

(b) to defer your participation until the rescheduled date of the intended workshop

Cancellation by the Participant

Cancellation by the participant is not possible however, in certain circumstances - such as illness of the participant or illness or death of a close relative or spouse - payment may be applied to another workshop within a one-year period.

Candidates seeking to cancel due to personal hardship, illness, or death should contact the ICA in writing, stating full personal and course details. In this case, fees paid  – excluding deposit - MAY BE applied to another workshop within a one-year period. However, this withdrawal and substitution may not cause the enrollment to fall below the minimum number, and this is the case substitutions cannot be made.

Up to 90 days before a session/course/tour/event starts a participant may also request a transfer to another session/tour/course/event, provided the original session/tour/course/event still has the minimum number of participants.

NOTE:

In cases of Force Majeure (such as a: strike, riot, acts of God, unforeseen illness or death, or death of a family member) we highly recommend that your travel insurance policy include coverage for any trip cancellation that may occur prior to or afterdeparture. Policy coverage varies. Often, it is advantageous to purchase your coverage prior to reservation payments with us and your flight provider. Check your specific policy carefully for more information. See the travel insurance section of the ParticipantHandbook for more information.

Required Forms

All ICA participants; whether coming independently, with a group or through a college / university, must provide the following completed forms and information to icarts.info@gmail.com at least 2 weeks prior to attending their program. 
Emergency Contact & Medical Information »Liability Waiver »
Proof of Insurance / Travel Insurance
Itinerary and Passport
For detailed information and to download the required forms, please visit our Guides and Forms page.

Itinerary

Day 1, Sunday June 1st

Arrive Rome/Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO)
Bus Departs FCO at 12:00 PM
2:30 PM Arrival at Monte Castello di Vibio
Lunch
4:00 - 6:00 Orientation/ Rest/ Tour of Village
6:00 - 8:00 Opening circle
8:00 - 9:00 Dinner
9:00 Rest

Day 2: Monday, June 2nd

7:00 - 8:00 Qigong: Brea
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
10:30 - 12:30 Writing: Jodi
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free for rest (napping is encouraged in this part of the world)
4:00 - 6:00 Hand Work: Susan: trip to Fabric store for materials
6:00 - 8:00 Astrology/Cosmic Harmony: Andrea
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 -  Rest

Day 3: Tuesday, June 3rd

7:00 - 8:00 Qigong: Brea
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
10:30 - 12:30 Writing: Jodi
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free
4:00 - 6:00 Hand Work: Susan (map making, stitching or candle making)
6:00 - 8:00 Free
8:00 - 9:30 dinner
9:30 - 10:30 Star Gazing, Mythology: Andrea

Day 4: Wednesday, June 4th

7:00 - 8:00 Free
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
10:30 - 12:30 Qigong: Brea
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free
4:00 - 6:00 Astrology/Cosmic Harmony: Andrea
6:00 - 8:00 Hand Work: Susan
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 - Rest

Day 5: Thursday, June 5th

7:00 - Departure Time: Excursion to Gola Infernaccio
7:30 - 8:30 Breakfast on the road
10:00 Arrive at the Gola Infernaccio (Gorge of Hell)
10:00 - 5:30 (hiking, writing, qigong, astrology, map making all happening in situ today, a clear schedule will emerge)
1:00 - 2:00 Bagged Lunch
5:30 leave for return trip to Monte Castello de Vibio
6:00 - 8:00
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 Rest

 

Day 6: Friday, June 6th

7:00 - 8:00 Qigong: Brea
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
10:30 - 12:30 Writing: Jodi
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free
4:00 - 6:00 Astrology/Cosmic Harmony: Andrea
6:00 - 8:00 Free
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 - Rest

Day 7: Saturday, June 7th

9:00 - 10:00 Qigong: Susan

11:30 - 1:00 Brunch

4:00 - 6:00 (possible) Bee Keepers Visit

8:00 - 9:00 dinner

10:00 Rest

 

 

Day 8: Sunday, June 8th

9:00 - 10:00 Qigong: Susan

11:00 - 1:00 Brunch

8:00 - 10:00 dinner

9:30 - 11:00 star gazing, mythology or free, evening trip to the Witches Mouth to see wild boar in moonlight.

Day 9: Monday, June 9th

7:00 - 8:00 Qigong: Brea
8:30 - 9:00 Breakfast
9:00 - 11:00 Departure time excursion to the Frasassi Caves
11:00 - 4:00 Cosmic Harmony happening in situ today, a clear schedule will emerge.
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
4:00 - 6:00 leave for Monte Castello de Vibio
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 - Rest

Day 10: Tuesday, June 10th

7:00 - 8:00 Free
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
10:30 - 12:30 Gateless Writing in the Library: Jodi
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free
4:00 - 6:00 Qigong: Brea
6:00 - 8:00 Hand work: Susan
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 Rest

 

Day 11 Wednesday, June 11th

7:00 - 8:00 Qigong: Brea
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 - 6:00 Excursion to the Nera River Writing happening in situ today.
1:00 - 2:00 Bag Lunch
6:00 - 8:00 leave for Monte Castello de Vibio
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 Rest full moon

 

Day 12: Thursday, June 12th

7:00 - 8:00 Qigong: Brea
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
10:00 - 12:30 Writing: Jodi
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free
4:00 - 6:00 Astrology/Cosmic Harmony: Andrea
6:00 - 8:00 Hand Work: Susan
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 Rest

Day 13: Friday, June 13th

7:00 - 8:00 Qigong: Brea
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 - 1:00 Free
11:00 - 1:00 Free
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free
4:00 - 6:00 Free
6:00 - 8:00 Share with the community: a possibility for: live readings, open studio share and or demonstration
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 Rest

Day 14: Saturday, June 14th

Day 14: Saturday, June 14th Prepare to depart
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 - 11:00 Free time to pack and integrate
11:00 - 1:00 Free
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
2:00 - 4:00 Free
4:00 - 8:00 Closing Circle
8:00 - 10:00 dinner
10:00 Rest

Day 15: Sunday June 15th (Departure day for two-week programs)

  • Rome/Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO); Bus Departs Monte Castello at 5:30 AM
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