Offering the chance to slow down, unwind, and reconnect through sound healing, rewilding, crafts, ceremonies, stargazing, wild swimming, and so much more, The Dreaming is a full body, mind, and soul experience. We spoke to Founder Charlotte Church to find out more about the magic of The Dreaming in the heart of the Elan Valley, Powys.
“The Dreaming is a place for healing through experiencing beauty and wonder. It is a place for everyone: affordable and inclusive, where anyone can learn to heal and even become the healer that their community needs.” – Charlotte Church, Founder of The Dreaming
The Dreaming’s journey started in November 2020 when singer-songwriter Charlotte Church first visited Rhydoldog House in mid-Wales. As the former home of designer Laura Ashley, Rhydoldog House is a breath-taking place to unwind and enjoy the natural surroundings while feeling held by the beauty of the building itself.
2021 came around and Charlotte decided to take the plunge and purchase the house to truly transform lives through her offering of a hub for peace, relaxation, and self-exploration. Charlotte embarked on a renovation journey to create the most perfect spaces to suit The Dreaming’s guests. Working with a plethora of collaborators, Charlotte carefully crafted each room, and the house’s surroundings, to be a place of rest deep in the natural world.
With a different rooms to choose from, and a selection of diverse retreats, guests can select the environment they would like to experience throughout their stay. From ‘The Womb’, a celebration of womanhood to ‘The Dawn’, a south-facing room offering gorgeous views and plenty of sun, ‘The Moon’, a way to honour the moon goddess herself, and more, Rhydoldog House provides a sacred space for all of its guests. Every retreat offers a chance to be enveloped by nature, whether you’re looking at the Signature Retreat, Song of the Soul, Samhain retreat, Belonging Family retreat, or others.
Leading her tribe, who also aid others on their journey with The Dreaming, Charlotte is dedicated to being a “faithful steward and guardian of the land” who brings people together and gifts them a deeper connection with themselves.
Charlotte told us, “I have been instructed by the land, which holds an incredibly powerful energy that is so abundant. This is where the elements come together. Within my own life and history there is a lot of trauma, and I’m deeply involved in the world. I really care about humans and recognise the trauma in humans with mental health, separation, loneliness, or disconnection from nature and themselves.”
She continues, “I’m invested in helping and doing my small part to help to change that paradigm which causes havoc in our society, I can feel in my bones that there is a way through. I believe in coming back into a symbiotic relationship with nature, coming back into the sacred feminine ideas around nurture and gentleness, but also fierceness, as this is desperately important.”
Providing a minimum of three nights – fully catered for – at Rhydoldog House, The Dreaming’s retreats guarantee a step back from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives – especially as our minds, bodies, and souls crave a myriad of experiences not limited to instant gratification, rushing around, the pressure of deadlines, and responsibilities of all kinds.
We’re invited to slow down, experience true awe and wonder, nourish our bodies, and connect with other humans who have their own lives, traumas, and dreams. The Dreaming’s retreats aid us in recognising the strengths, beauty, and struggles of others, helping us to connect, empathise, and relate – and fully eradicate any feelings of the ‘other’. Charlotte shared, “This is about the depth of connections that people make witnessing other people’s pain, creativity, and connection. They become awe-struck by each other and this is deeply healing for everyone within the group. What I’ve learnt is how quickly and deeply people can connect and inspire each other.”
Gently encouraging people to connect with nature, themselves, and others through sound, play, music, crafts, and open communication, the team at The Dreaming show us a way to experience pure human delight, joy, and beauty. Charlotte believes that relaxation shouldn’t be on a to-do list, and that it is an “endlessly patient area of life and existence.” Inspired by Dacher Keltner’s book, Awe, Charlotte added, “We shouldn’t be trying to cultivate happiness we should be trying to cultivate moments of awe, which nature does. Other humans give us this too.”
With regards to what you’ll leave the retreat with, Charlotte commented, “Everybody is different but we’re very similar in our wants and in our pain. We aren’t that different and I’ve seen people come away with what they needed. Sometimes people come from high pressure environments for rest, relaxation, and nurturing, and other people are lonely in their context and they benefit from the deep connection and communality of being with other people.”
As an example, the deeper retreats such as the Dreams of Ananda invite individuals to really delve into themselves to find what they need and what they want to accept or let go of. Although The Dreaming is not a mental health facility, many people have experienced incredible breakthroughs when it comes to the trauma they carry. Zaffire, a retreat guest in 2023, enthused, “I embraced being solitary in nature and felt completely held by the land. I wondered through the forests and sang to the trees, cried, laughed, and came home to myself after what felt like a long time of feeling out of balance.” The rewilding, reconnection with the self and others, and nourishment provided at The Dreaming has made an astonishing positive impact on its guests, and we’re excited to share its magic with you.
Charlotte and her team are dedicated to giving joy and connecting their guests with playfulness, to help others to reconnect with their inner child – ultimately healing and loving themselves from within. “My personal philosophy is about full feeling, being able to delve into areas of ourselves such as anger, grief, and pain but on the same day being able to laugh, play, reconnect, and have fun. Healing work doesn’t have to be all serious or still or peaceful, we are dynamic as human beings and the measure of wellness is being able to transition between the states,” Charlotte adds.
No matter what you’re looking for, when trying to reconnect with yourself, The Dreaming presents a variety of activities and offerings that are not compulsory but invitations to try something that may resonate with you. There is no expectation for you to do everything on the offering list, and no demand for your attention or time – if you wish to rest, The Dreaming facilitates respite which will transform and truly feed you. On the other hand, if you wish to dive into every activity, connect with others, and reconnect with yourself in a more active way, The Dreaming has carefully cultivated an environment where you can feel safe to do so.
Charlotte is pleased to invite you to The Dreaming, where anyone can feel sacred, precious, and loved. She is happy to see so many women visiting the retreat – which was a vital part of her vision for The Dreaming – however, she would like to extend the invitation to more men and other genders, including non-binary individuals, who feel they could benefit from being immersed in the natural world. No matter a person’s gender, sexuality, nationality, or religion, The Dreaming welcomes them with open arms.
The Dreaming is a place where you can truly come home to yourself. It’s a place that holds its guests with tender care, to encourage them to remember just how valuable they are to this world. If you’re interested in gifting the experience of a retreat, or joining one yourself, now is always the perfect time to explore The Dreaming’s spectacular offerings.
For further information on stays, view more here
For business enquiries, contact Charlotte Church from The Dreaming on their website – https://www.thedreaming.co.uk/
