À propos de cet événement
The Conscious Castle proudly hosts VOYAGE INTO PRESENCE™, a three-day immersive experience created and guided by Aaron Mandelbaum.
Held at our 13th-century retreat center in the Belgian countryside, this gathering explores presence through the body, the senses, personal boundaries, relational dynamics and embodied practice.
What changes when presence is no longer something you try to achieve, but something you learn to return to—through your body, your choices and the way you meet the world?
🌿 RECALIBRATE TO PRESENCE
It is easy to move through life while being somewhere else internally.
You may finish a task without remembering the process, agree to something you would rather decline, lose touch with what you truly want or spend more time thinking about life than experiencing it.
VOYAGE INTO PRESENCE™ is an invitation to pause that momentum.
Over three immersive days, you will investigate your energetic, physical and internal worlds while exploring how presence influences your boundaries, desires, relationships and capacity for authentic connection.
Rather than offering presence as an abstract concept, the experience approaches it as a practice: something you can notice, embody, lose and consciously return to.
🌀 ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE
The journey combines ritual, embodiment, sensory exploration, archetypal play and relational practice.
You will be invited to notice the stories, habits and protective patterns that shape the way you move through the world. Through grounded experiential exercises, you may explore what happens when you listen more closely to your body, communicate your boundaries and respond from awareness rather than automatic reaction.
The intention is not to force emotional release or promise a specific transformation.
It is to create a structured environment in which you can investigate your experience, experiment with new choices and develop practical ways of returning to the present moment.
✨ WHAT YOU MAY EXPLORE
During this experience, you may explore:
• How and when you disconnect from the present moment
• The relationship between your body, thoughts and energetic awareness
• Personal desires, boundaries and full-bodied choices
• Masculine and feminine, light and shadow, and other inner polarities
• Archetypes and the roles you may unconsciously inhabit
• Pleasure as a source of information and embodied awareness
• Power dynamics within yourself and your relationships
• More authentic and respectful ways of connecting with others
• Your capacity to remain present with uncertainty and the unknown
🔥 WHAT THE EXPERIENCE INCLUDES
The program includes:
• Archetype discovery and playful exploration
• Consent and boundary practices
• Energetic Tantra
• Sensory rituals and awareness exercises
• Embodiment and movement
• Breath and energetic awareness
• Exploration of personal and relational power dynamics
• Practices involving energetic “bubbles” and personal space
• Exercises centred on desires, choices and communication
• Individual, partnered and group experiences
• Reflection and integration circles
• Moving through uncertainty without needing to control the outcome
The exact journey may adapt according to the group and the unfolding process of the experience.
Some practices may include partnered interaction, sensual themes or conversations about pleasure and self-pleasure. Consent, personal boundaries and individual choice are central areas of exploration.
You remain responsible for communicating your needs and deciding how you participate. Contact the organizers before applying if you need more information about touch, clothing, partnered exercises or the level of intimacy involved.
🌙 THIS EXPERIENCE MAY RESONATE WITH YOU IF…
• You often feel distracted or disconnected from what you are doing
• You spend more time in your mind than in your body
• You find yourself agreeing to things you do not genuinely want
• You struggle to identify or express your desires and boundaries
• You want to respond to life with greater awareness and agency
• You feel curious about embodiment, energetic practices and authentic connection
• You want to build your capacity to stay present with yourself and others
• You notice repetitive habits that continue despite your intention to change
• You want to explore pleasure, power and intimacy in a conscious setting
• You are willing to approach yourself with honesty, responsibility and curiosity
This is an immersive and experiential program. It may include emotionally vulnerable, relational and body-based processes.
👤 MEET YOUR FACILITATOR
Aaron Mandelbaum is a facilitator, coach and experience designer whose work brings together philosophy, embodiment, transformation, ritual and shamanic approaches.
He holds a BA in Philosophy, with a focus on ontology, death and sexual ethics, as well as a master’s degree in business strategy. He has created programs, courses and training experiences for individuals, groups and organizations internationally.
Aaron is the founder of Darkstar Temple and a core pillar of Temple Nova. His facilitation is informed by training in conscious, shamanic and therapeutic kink, alongside many years of study and practice in transformation and relational work.
He has facilitated and spoken at international Tantra and embodiment gatherings, including Tantra festivals, Taboo Festival, Liberation, Interfusion Festival and other experiential events.
His style combines grounded presence, humour, directness and the ability to bring complex ideas into practical, embodied exploration.
🏰 HELD AT THE CONSCIOUS CASTLE
VOYAGE INTO PRESENCE™ takes place at The Conscious Castle, a 13th-century retreat center and conscious community near Liège, Belgium.
Surrounded by nature, water and old stone, the castle offers an intimate setting where participants can step away from daily distractions and enter a more intentional rhythm.
The Tower Temple provides a dedicated space for ritual, movement, sensory exploration and group practice. The castle and adjoining farm also offer shared meals, bedrooms, quiet corners and outdoor spaces for rest and integration.
The Conscious Castle is also the home of Joyce and Danny. Participants are welcomed as guests entering a living environment shaped by warmth, privacy, shared care and respect.
🕰 ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
Arrival and opening: September 3 at 18:00
Closing: September 6 at approximately 18:00
Please arrive with enough time to settle before the opening of the experience.
🛏 ACCOMMODATION & FOOD
The participation fee is €675 per person.
This includes:
• The complete three-day experience
• Three nights of accommodation
• A room in The Conscious Castle or Conscious Farm
• All meals and non-alcoholic drinks
Couples will receive a private room with a double bed.
Most rooms have ensuite bathrooms. Final room allocation depends on the available accommodation and will be communicated by the organizers.
🫶 PARTICIPATION & CARE
This is a substance-free experience. Alcohol and recreational drugs are not permitted.
Because the program may include breathwork, sensory work, partnered exercises and emotionally vulnerable exploration, please communicate honestly in your application about relevant physical, psychological or personal considerations.
Contact the organizers before registering if you have concerns related to:
• Physical or mental health
• Pregnancy
• Prescription medication
• Trauma history
• Touch or partnered exercises
• Breathwork or emotionally intense practices
• Your capacity to participate in an immersive group experience
VOYAGE INTO PRESENCE™ is an educational and experiential training. It is not a replacement for psychotherapy, medical treatment or professional mental-health support.
📋 APPLICATION & REGISTRATION
Participation follows an application process.
Complete the application form:
https://forms.gle/cmppAV7Lh4YHw5V98
Pay the €275 deposit to secure your place:
Account holder: D.L. Karijopawiro
IBAN: NL77 SNSB 0941 2552 47
The remaining balance is paid in cash at the venue.
Your registration is complete only after both the application form and deposit have been received.
Please confirm the payment details directly with the organizers before making the bank transfer.
↩️ CANCELLATION POLICY
For cancellations up to August 3:
• A €100 administration fee will be retained
• Payment-processing or banking fees may also be deducted
For cancellations from August 3 onwards:
• The €275 deposit is non-refundable
The final cancellation condition currently states that 50% of the total price will be retained from September 4 onwards. As this date falls after the experience has already begun, please confirm the complete cancellation policy with the organizers before registering.
✨ YOUR INVITATION
Presence is not a permanent state.
It is a relationship you practise—with your body, your desires, your boundaries, other people and the moment in front of you.
VOYAGE INTO PRESENCE™ invites you to step away from habitual momentum and become curious about how you are meeting your life.
If this experience speaks to where you are right now, you are invited to complete the application and begin the conversation.
Sauvegarder
