Ancient Earth

Women’s Ceramic & Music Retreats

The Ancient Earth Women’s Retreat offers a deep journey into the creation of ceramic instruments and the art of musical expression.

Upcoming Retreats in 2026:

May 31st - June 5th 2026

Rhinebeck, NY

Workshops

This retreat offers a unique opportunity to shape and sculpt your own ceramic instruments, guided by ancestral techniques rooted in the Mesoamerican tradition. You’ll explore the deep connection between craftsmanship and music through hands-on learning and personal expression. Participants will gain an understanding of ceramic instrument anatomy, create personalized tools and instruments, and be encouraged to bring their pieces home for firing at a local pottery studio.

At the heart of this experience is a sacred invitation to reconnect with the body — anchoring into our heart and womb as pillars of creation, healing, and ancestral memory. Through the grounding practices of pottery and the expressive freedom of music, we soften into our inner landscapes, allowing space for restoration, clarity, and expansion. Each instrument becomes not only a work of art but a reflection of personal transformation and the integration of earth wisdom.

In the evenings, we’ll gather for immersive music jams and workshops—exploring different instruments, expanding into voice activation, and creating personal prayers through sound. These sessions are designed to deepen your relationship with music, creativity, and community.

To honor depth, presence, and connection, each retreat is limited to 15-20 participants — allowing space for more one-on-one guidance and the cultivation of a strong, supportive creative community.

Join us for a transformative journey of artistic expression and musical discovery, held in reverence for the ancestral wisdom of the lands from which these traditions arise.

The Guide of the Retreat

Vianney Lopez

Vianney is a skilled ceramicist, musician, and multidisciplinary artist whose work flows across many creative mediums. Her artistic journey is deeply rooted in her ancestral traditions of the Indigenous Americas & Carribean, with her creations carrying the wisdom of her cultures.

A vital part of Vianney’s path of instrument making has been her apprenticeship with maestro Guillermo Martinez, a traditional Native instrument maker who has shared teachings rooted in respect, lineage, and intention. With his blessing she continues to walk this path and share the ancestral craft of creating traditional instruments. Guillermo’s former teacher, Xavier Quijas Yxayotl, was part of the lineage of artists who contributed to the revival and continuation of Mesoamerican instruments—carrying forward knowledge that now lives through the hands of many.

For our Ceramic Instrument Workshop, Vianney will lead participants through the hands-on journey of sculpting sound, fostering a deeper connection to clay, creativity, and ancestral memory.

What is Included

TRANSPORTATION FROM & TO AIRPORT

CERAMIC WORKSHOPS & WORKSHOP MATERIALS

+ CREATING A SCULPTURED OCARINA

+ CREATING A FLUTE

+ CREATING A SMUDGE BOWL

EVENING MUSIC WORKSHOPS/JAMS

+ FRAME DRUM & VOCALS

+ THE WAY OF THE NATIVE FLUTE

+ OPEN MUSIC JAMS

+ ECSTATIC DANCE

VEGETARIAN WHOLE FOOD MEALS

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER

(CATERS TO GLUTEN, DAIRY, SOY & NUT ALLERGIES)

AMENITIES:

NATURE WALKS

DAILY CLASSES OF YOGA, MEDITATION & TAI CHI

KAYAKS | CANOES AT THE LAKE

TENNIS, PICKLEBALL & BASKETBALL COURTS

MORE INFORMATION WILL BE SHARED AFTER SUBMITTING A RETREAT APPLICATION BELOW & RECEIVING AN ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION.

FAQs

Q – Can someone who has never done Pottery before attend it?
A – The retreat is open to women of all skill levels who are interested in exploring ceramics, music, and creative expression. No prior experience is required.

Q – What materials will be provided?
A – All materials for the ceramic workshops will be provided, including clay and tools. Participants will also create their own tools during the retreat.

Q – Can I take my ceramic creations home?
A – Yes! You are encouraged to take your creations home to fire them at your local pottery studio. I can also take them with me for a Firing & Shipping Fee.

Q – What instruments will we be creating?
A – Sculptured Instruments of Ocarinas, Flutes & other Ceramic Creations ( Copalera’s, Cups, Small Sculptures)


Q – Do I need to bring anything with me for the pottery workshop?
A – Yes, once you book your spot, an email will be shared later in the year on the details of what to bring.


Cancellation Policy

60 days out - 50% of Total Refunded

30 day before: Non-Refundable

Tuition Payment can be transferred to a future retreat.

A Note on Lineage, Land, and Community

These retreats are rooted in the ancestral teachings of the Mesoamerican tradition. As a woman of Indigenous descent from the lands of the Americas, I carry a deep connection to these ways—ways that have been lovingly passed on to me by my teacher, and which I now carry forward with permission and great care.

This offering is open to all women who feel a sincere call to create, remember, and connect with reverence. Whether you come from a Native lineage or another Ancestry, you are welcome here — so long as your heart moves with respect and a openness to understand one another.

The land where we gather is sacred. It echoes the memories of the interconnected Americas of those who came before—Native peoples whose presence still lives in the stones, the soil, and the breath of the wind. For many of us, especially those returning to ancestral ways, this connection can awaken something profound: remembrance, grief, clarity, and empowerment.

In the circles we’ve formed, I’ve witnessed the beauty that unfolds when women from different backgrounds come together—the way of understanding one another and ancestral healing. These retreats are not spaces of bypassing or erasing difference—they are spaces where difference is acknowledged with care, and where common ground is built through creativity, intention, and deep listening.

Each woman carries her own story, her own medicine, her own thread. And when we come together to shape clay, to create music, and to be in presence, we are weaving something greater than ourselves.

This is not about perfection or knowing the right thing to say. It’s about showing up with honesty, curiosity, and humility. It’s about making space for the complexities that live within and between us — and allowing that space to hold both tenderness and truth.

My vision is not to guide from above, but to walk beside. To offer what I can, and to create a space where we can all remember something meaningful together.

Thank you for being a part of this weaving.

Retreat Application