Gurdjieff Sacred Dances Retreat
“Journey to Inaccessible places”
with Carol Squire
October 9 – 13, 2026
what are the dances about?
“It is only by grounding our awareness in the living sensation of our bodies that the ‘I Am,’ our real presence, can awaken.”- G. I. Gurdjieff
The Sacred Dances are part of the body of work of the Armenian mystic, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff. They are a form of active meditation, used as a vehicle for inner transformation. They demand an extraordinary amount of attention, divided simultaneously between the body, the heart, and the mind, and are practiced as a group. These dances are at once simple and complex, capable of eliciting the kind of beneficial tension, frustration, and joy that allow us to see our own reactions. The Movements are also ideal for developing a sense of deep presence in the body, for opening the heart, and increasing our ability to observe ourselves in all sorts of circumstances.
This work has come to be called the 4th Way. All of those who wish to become more self-aware, to become more authentically themselves, are welcome to participate. Gurdjieff believed that the Work should take place in the context of our daily lives, rather than in isolation or in a monastery. The way we relate to ourselves and one another in ‘normal’ circumstances contains the possibility for deep insights about the patterns that live within us. Investigating these daily patterns becomes the ideal setting for the awakening process, in which the integrative work can be most effective.
The goal is not to “get the dances right”, but to observe our relationship to ourselves and others in the midst of challenge and movement. This process moves us towards lucidity and gives us understanding, so we may be liberated from our limitations, and choose to act from our Essence, with Conscience.
about carol squire (facilitator)
Carol is an Entrepreneur, Strategist, Mentor and Transformational leader. A Transactional Analysis (TA) facilitator, Fourth Way teacher and co-founder of the International Akhaldans Fourth Way School, she is a woman, a mother, and a student–like all of us. She has been leading groups globally for 35 years and brings a vast and rich experience of developing leadership environments, facilitating executive management and organizational change and working with high-profile corporate leaders, non-profit organizations, groups, and individuals. Her passion is to transform individuals, teams, and organizations so that they return to a more objective state in which they can experience themselves more authentically, and the world anew. By helping leaders shed layers of fear, control, and fractured selves and replacing those with more harmonious ways of leading and being, tapping deeper into their true potential, Carol prepares us to operate from a place of creativity, spontaneity, playfulness and love.You can find out more about her work here:
about nimrod tom oren (space holder)
Nimrod Tom Oren has been teaching movement, meditation, and experiential psychotherapy for 20 years. He has been part of Gurdjieff groups and the 4th way for over 15 years, and has been teaching the Dances and the Work in Portugal, Israel, Turkey, USA and other places. He has travelled the world looking for practices that have retained their essence and potency, collecting, refining, and adapting them to our current times.
He is the founder of a Mata House, a conscious, ecological and expressive community in central Portugal. He does not claim to know, only hopes to guide others towards their own knowing. For him, life, freedom and compassion are Humanity’s true teachers, and he tries to follow them as best he can.
He is the founder of a Mata House, a conscious, ecological and expressive community in central Portugal. He does not claim to know, only hopes to guide others towards their own knowing. For him, life, freedom and compassion are Humanity’s true teachers, and he tries to follow them as best he can.
about mata house
Mata House is a center for Being, community, healing and art. A place where you can transform yourself. It is located in central Portugal and founded by Nimrod Tom Oren in 2023, its values are freedom, compassion, connection, expression and awareness.
Mata House aims to serve the community of Seekers, people who wish to understand themselves, and to help direct the world towards a better future. It wishes to establish a community around it, in its home village of Mata, and in the surrounding area.
The projet hosts retreats and courses, as well as volunteer programs, and possibilities to rent rooms, or the whole house for vacations or retreats.
Mata House aims to serve the community of Seekers, people who wish to understand themselves, and to help direct the world towards a better future. It wishes to establish a community around it, in its home village of Mata, and in the surrounding area.
The projet hosts retreats and courses, as well as volunteer programs, and possibilities to rent rooms, or the whole house for vacations or retreats.
Join the whatsapp group to receive updates:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/Cthe3kaTS44H71SdLcIc34
We will send a short message to make sure you’re a real person. Please reply if you’d like to join.
food & accommodation
The cost of the retreat includes meals and accommodations:
- 3 full meals per day, vegetarian with vegan options, made by a wonderful professional cook
- Stay in spacious shared rooms, with 2-4 people per room. For couples we might be able to provide a private room
- If you prefer, you can also sleep in your van or in a tent to in the land
Mata House is on the edge of a small quiet Portuguese village, facing the green valey and full of birdsong.
dates & location
We start on Friday, October 9th at 18:00
We end on Tuesday, October 13th at 15:00
Mata House is located in a small village 10 minutes north of Torres Novas, Portugal.
- By car – Mata House is about an hour and 15 minutes’ drive from Lisbon Airport, or 2 hours from Porto.
- By bus – There are many buses coming to the area every day, either to Torres Novas, Fátima or Tomar. From Lisbon Oriente station it takes about an hour. See https://www.omio.com or other websites.
- By train – There are many trains from Lisbon Oriente station to Entroncamento, taking between 50 and 90 minutes. See cp.pt (Lisbon appears as “Lisboa”)
From these stations you can take a taxi. Torres Novas 10 minutes away. Tomar, Fatima or Entroncamento are 20-25 minutes. You can use Bolt or Uber, and we can help you find a taxi driver.
We will create a whatsapp group closer to the retreat date where you can rides-hare with other participants.
costs & registration
Early bird until September 1st:
- 650 euros
Later registration:
- 750 euros
Registration is by sending a 300 euro deposit to reserve your spot, by bank transfer or credit card (3% extra fee for credit card payments).
If you are called to come but you cannot afford this, approach us. For those who are truly seeking, sometimes we can help.
For more details and registration::
whatsapp: 00351-913-994-868
email: mata.house.portugal@gmail.com
email: mata.house.portugal@gmail.com
This retreat is limited to 16 participation, so we propose to register as early as possible.
“Come, Come Whoever You Are”
– Jalaluddin Rumi
Come, come whoever you are,
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving,
It doesn’t matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times.
Come, yet again, come, come.
