Men's Intensive XI · Winter Gathering
11 Intensives. Three brothers.The Call of the Ancestors
25–29 November 2026 · Monte Velho Retreat Centre, Carrapateira, southwest Algarve, Costa Vicentina
25–29 November 2026
Monte Velho Retreat Centre
Check-in
14:00 Wednesday 25 November
Check-out
from 12:00 Sunday 29 November
Held in English. Portuguese and German translation available.
Ancestral Roots & Liberation
Healing for the line.
Explore ancestral patterns and inherited beliefs in the body and in behaviour. Bring awareness to destructive cycles in the family line. Honour the ancestors for what they gave, and consciously release what no longer serves. Step into a freer, more grounded version of yourself to pass on. This is healing for the line, not only for the individual.
If this is you
Six places men get stuck.
You do not need the perfect name for it. If one of these is true, the intensive is the first step. Not the whole life. The door.
- 01
You say you are fine. The people closest to you feel the distance.
- 02
What you cannot name comes out as anger, shutdown, drink, or more work.
- 03
The same fight. The same silence. A pattern you swore you would not repeat.
- 04
You are carrying what your father could not put down, and you do not want to hand it on.
- 05
Life looks solid from the outside. Inside, you are tired of doing it alone.
- 06
You feel alone in the world. People are around. Nobody is with you.
The first step is to sit with other men. Book the call for this intensive.
Book a callWho this is for
- The man who can feel he is repeating unchosen patterns.
- The man who wants to understand his responses and break free.
- The man tired of carrying what was never his.
- The man who wants to become someone his children, or his inner child, can be proud of.
- Welcome whether this is your first time in men's work or you have sat for years. No prerequisites. Willingness matters more than vocabulary.
Who this is not for
- The man looking for a wellness holiday with a circle attached.
- The man who wants a guru to tell him who he is.
- The man who will not keep what is spoken in the room.
- The man in acute crisis who needs a clinic, not a field.
- The man collecting peak experiences without the weeks after.
- The man who needs the room to stay comfortable.
Themes we return to
Sacred masculine · Embodiment · Archetypes: King, Magician, Lover, Warrior · Shamanism & ancestral medicine · Sacred union of masculine and feminine · Four directions · four elements · Body awareness & activation
The facilitators follow what the field is asking. Some hours are precise. Some hours are raw. Both are held.
- Men's sharing circles
- Shadow work
- Shamanic journey & practices
- Archetype embodiment
- Nature exploration
- Osho Dynamic Meditation
- Ancestral ceremony & liberation rituals
- Sunrise gathering
- Ice bath
- Vision-quest breathwork & trauma release
- Body awareness
- Temazcal
- Sound journeys
- Animal Flow
- Sacred combat
A typical day
Held. Not a mystery tour.
If you have never sat in men's work, you are welcome. You do not need the vocabulary, a special body, or a story ready. The days are held, meals, rest, and sessions in a rhythm a nervous system can follow. We do not publish the programme. What happens inside each session follows the field. The shape of a day looks like this.
Times move with the light and with the group. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are part of the container, not an afterthought.
- 01
Morning
First session / workshop
- 02
Then
Breakfast
- 03
Late morning
Second session
- 04
Midday
Lunch and a real break
- 05
Afternoon
Afternoon session
- 06
Evening
Dinner and a break
- 07
Night
Evening session
The gathering
Watch the work.
Fire, land, brothers. The Gathering of Tribes trailer, this is the feeling of the house.
The land
Monte Velho, the old mountain.
Monte Velho means "old mountain." The name is not decoration. The Call of the Ancestors is held on land that already carries the theme in its name.
You will be at Monte Velho Retreat Centre, above the Atlantic at Carrapateira, southwest Algarve, inside the Costa Vicentina Natural Park. This stretch of Portugal is famous for this kind of work: raw cliffs, Atlantic weather, trails through aromatic scrub, a sky that does not hurry. The land meets the ocean. You sleep, eat and sit in an eco-retreat that has held transformation for two decades, ocean-view shalas, forest paths, vegetarian food cooked with care. Carrapateira is remote on purpose. Faro and Lisbon are the airports. The last kilometres are the arrival.
Carrapateira · Southwest Algarve · Costa Vicentina, Portugal
Monte Velho Retreat Centre
Investment
Sliding-scale facilitation.
Sliding scale by abundance. Every man chooses what feels right. Early bird from 26 August 2026.
| Who | Early bird | Later |
|---|---|---|
| Locals | €950 (€950–1,200) | €1,050 (€1,050–1,200) |
| Non-locals | €1,250 (€1,250–1,500) | €1,350 (€1,350–1,600) |
| Veterans (3+ Intensives) | €750 (€750–1,000) | €850 (€850–1,100) |
Accommodation & meals · 4 nights full board
- Dormitory (max. 6)€500
- Triple room, per person€550
- Quadruple room, per person€575
- Double room, per person€650
- Forest house · 4 people, per person€675
- Forest house · 3 people, per person€725
- Forest house · 2 people, per person€775
- Single room€850
€500 non-refundable deposit after the call, to hold seat and room.
Included
- All practices in the programme
- Accommodation in the room you choose on the call
- Full board from dinner on 25 November to brunch on 29 November
- Equipment for the practices
- Organic, seasonal vegetarian meals (full vegetarian option available)
How to arrive
- 01
Book a short call. Every man speaks with us before registering.
- 02
We check fit both ways, and help you choose a room.
- 03
You receive the link to pay the €500 deposit.
- 04
Once the deposit is in, your spot and room are reserved. Remaining balance later, by email.
Not included: Flights, Transfers to and from the airport, Travel and liability insurance.
Cancellation
- Cancellation for personal reasons: the deposit is non-refundable.
- Cancellation less than one month before: the remaining balance is due.
- Force majeure (serious illness, accident, family emergency): the deposit is transferable to a future retreat.
Special guest
Two of three.
Lume
Portuguese singer and songwriter
Em Volta do Lume
Some journeys are not walked in silence. They are carried by song.
Lume is the artistic name of a Portuguese singer and songwriter. He uses song as a place of encounter, listening, and transformation, a bridge between people, their stories, and the quiet places we all carry.
His music is born from silence, from the earth, and from the inner voice. Devoted to the regeneration of people and nature, he makes songs that warm like an old fire, and rooms where the soul can rest. Em Volta do Lume, around the fire, is the old gesture: gather, sing, listen, share. Sung word, silence, and listening held as equals.
He is one of three special guests at The Call of the Ancestors. Two have joined the fire. One has not been named yet. We do not put a man on a stage and call it the work. Lume sits in the field with us.
Special guest
Two of three.
Yves
Guide, medicine man and elder
Men's circles and gatherings · Belgium and Holland
I feel called each day to guide men into grounded heart warriors.
Yves is 61. Guide, medicine man, and elder. Over the decades he has built a grounded practice from life experience, journeys, and a real dedication to personal transformation.
For more than 30 years he has kept the fire and facilitated sweatlodge and temazcal ceremonies. He is a Huachuma and Kambo practitioner. He co-created men's circles, festivals, and gatherings in Belgium and Holland.
He combines ancient wisdom traditions with modern men's work, and holds spaces where a man can change and grow. His work is to help men become rooted, follow the heart, and live with integrity and inner strength. Authentic strength. Heart-centered leadership.
He is one of three special guests at The Call of the Ancestors, 25–29 November 2026 at Monte Velho. He sits in the field with us.
Questions
Questions men actually ask.
Ready to answer the call?
The roots go deep. Come as you are.
Book the call. We will not sell you a seat you should not take.