Retreat Testimonials

Being at Meg's in Alcazar is absolutely wonderful, perfect, 'Just what the Doctor ordered'. A safe beautiful space with lots of gracious permission for process and feelings, supported by fantastic simple healthy food prepared with love by Meg, meal after meal. She is a visual artist, but also a writer; her second book is in the proofing process at the moment.

How to describe the wild beauty of this wee village of Alcázar (Moorish word meaning 'fort')? A cluster of white-washed houses perch Cezanne-like on the steep incline of the mountain. Colourful pots of geranium, bougainvillea and roses sprout from every rooftop terrace. Gay laundry lines snap in the breeze. Groves of gnarled olive trees dot the landscape in silvery geometric patterns. Almond trees are giving up the last of their harvest to the ground below them. Thirty foot tall Lombardy poplars, giant altar candles in this open-air cathedral, stand ablaze with autumn gold beneath a dome of Thalos blue. A motley choir of village dogs chime morning and evening prayers to mark the changing light. I already want to stay forever. My travelling self, bombarded by the relentless press of the unfamiliar, craves the comfort of Meg's hospitality.

Her home is pure delight. I felt, the first evening, what others have remarked upon entering our home in Nova Scotia: a deep peace born of a quiet aesthetic imbued by magic and the holy. Ancient symbolic objects, original works of art, spacious open concept, tiny touches of beauty and imagination in unexpected places, each nook and cranny alive with the pulsating heartbeat of the sacred. I feel profoundly at home and yet the surroundings and objects do not trigger a flood of grief-stricken memories. I feel safe in a way I have not since John was killed. As my body relaxes each day into the warmth of the afternoon sun, physical well-being and emotional healing seem to stream from its rays.

... Anna
Nova Scotia, Canada, December 2009.

I have returned with the best of souvenirs- a self awareness and an action plan to move forwards with my life. I think this is priceless.
Thank you.

... Colin
England, May 2010.

I really must tell you that to be able to enjoy food again is I think the best gift you could have given me. And to make the relationship between food and nourishment and my own preciousness, well, that's the thing. Words don't seem to say it. You know what I mean.

I just see things differently- so the 'wobbles' when they happen are NOTHING like before.

I was on the path before I met you but you gave me new batteries for my torch.

... Annie.
England, 2010

I am grateful for:

• Watching the four year old dancing flamenco at Jeni's pool party.
• The experimental menu.
• The pink glow in my bedroom.
• Having so much fun playing in my studio.
• The fact you told me the snake story only on the last night.
• The first track on the Alhambra CD
• The village of Alcázar
• Learning how to express myself in new ways.
• Feeling so supported, cared for and accepted.
• Having so many things new and exciting things placed at my fingertips, so I can keep exploring.
• Meg.
• And so much more....

... Krystyna
Australia, 2009

Thank you for a week of magic and transformation, release and rebirth. I marvel at the way in which I have been guided to your house, and the guidance I received within it. Thank you for looking after me in his special place with such gentle love and nurture.

... Sarah
London

In your home and in these mountains I not only found beauty and the perfect nest to spark my creativity, I found magic and the beginning of my healing journey, a journey I would not have discovered without coming here. My heart is so happy it found this place, and met you. I came here not knowing what to expect but open to finding out. I leave rejuvenated, with less baggage, more centered and on a new healing journey. I leave changed. Gracias. Mil gracias. I leave in peace.

... Denise
New York, 2009