Our 2026/27 Retreat programme is now available to book!
The cost for the midweek events will be £260 and for the Sanskrit weekend event £180. Charges are payable in advance and a place is only confirmed after payment.
A discounted rate is available for all places that are booked over two weeks prior to each retreat start date.
The programme is designed for those who are attending a retreat with the School for the first time, as well those who have enjoyed these events before.
All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure people’s health and wellbeing.
The weekday retreats begin at 9pm on Monday* and end at 9am on Thursdays, giving 2 full days
*unless otherwise advised by the retreat organiser
The Sanskrit weekend begins at 8.00pm on Friday 20 November and ends at 4.00pm on Sunday 22 November.
Please see Terms & Conditions for Residential Retreats
What to expect
The days will begin each morning at 6.30am with meditation/quiet time. There will be study and group discussions.
Meals provided at the retreats will be vegetarian. Participants will be asked to look after some catering and cleaning, although this will be kept to a minimum.
We offer single and twin bed room accommodation. Most of the twin rooms are en suite, but not the single rooms. We will provide the single rooms on request, on a first-come first-served basis.
Please bring a duvet cover, sheet, pillowcase and bath towel. If this is not possible, there will be a charge of £22 for these items. In the evening smart/casual wear is usual to give a sense of occasion.
People will be accepted onto retreats on a first come first served basis, so early booking is recommended. If unforeseen circumstances prevent your attendance, the fee is non-refundable within 2 weeks of the retreat, but may be transferred to another retreat (once). For cancellations more than two weeks before the retreat, an administration fee of £20 will be deducted.
Please see Terms & Conditions for Residential Retreats
If you have any questions please contact the office by email or phone 020 7034 4000.
Marsilio Ficino, considered by many to have been the ‘Father of the Renaissance’, called wisdom ‘the contemplation of God’ or ‘God’s contemplation’. We might therefore call it ‘divine wisdom’. So wisdom is a precious form of knowledge, perhaps only apprehended in moments of peace and quiet as the ‘still small voice of calm’.
Wisdom, then, will be the focus of the Ficino Retreat this year. Please note the slightly later starting date and also that the retreat will run from the Monday evening to the Thursday morning.
It will take place in the house and beautiful grounds of Waterperry, near Oxford. We study in the mornings, leaving the afternoons to enjoy the setting before evenings of presentations and entertainment.
‘I will take away the feeling of being at one with others and not inferior, and the warmth and friendship given from an unknown person.’ said one guest last year after the retreat.
Retreat Leader: Nicholas de Mattos
Nicholas has taught Latin and Greek for 41 years and has found reading, translating, and presenting Ficino to be a continual inspiration in his own wider esoteric search.
‘O Divine forces! May our ears hear the good. May our eyes see the good…’
This is a key mantra from the Sanskrit tradition. It is full of spiritual significance and is a doorway to the divine. This weekend with retreat leaders Warwick and Elena Jessup is offered as an introduction to Sanskrit with study of this most sacred mantra. Expect chanting and calligraphy, profound study and contemplation, mythology, good food and great company. Those having no prior experience of Sanskrit are very welcome, as well as those with some experience.
Feedback from previous attendees:
It was suggested to us that we ‘take the mantra with us’ in our activities. Some of us helped with the catering and necessary cleaning, having the mantra as our companion. All agreed how good the vegetarian food was.
New contacts were made and friendships developed over the weekend. Many said how they would like to continue the study and even perhaps come to the same event next year!
I loved the chanting, I feel it has taken me to new depths of understanding.
Warwick and Elena were excellent teachers.
I enjoyed the study, the chanting, the congenial company, the warmth of the house, and the restful atmosphere.
There was an increasing inner quietness and an inclusive atmosphere. The food was good too!
Good company in every sense of the word plus the opportunity for quiet study.
'Geometry is the art of visual philosophy'
coined by Tom Bree
Our approach to the study of Sacred Geometry seeks to reveal the interconnectedness of life and spirit; the physical and the spiritual, the inner and the outer, the individual and the universal. We will undertake the practical drawing of a variety of geometric patterns and perhaps discover something unexpected.
Galileo wrote that the language of the Universe was written in the characters of mathematics, shapes and other geometrical figures. In order to comprehend the Universe, one needs to understand the language of mathematics and shapes. Leonardo Da Vinci came to understand that geometry was the language which nature used to write her laws.
The practical side of drawing patterns with compass and straightedge will also allow participants to engage in a unique creative activity. H. E. Huntley, a British physicist, described creative activity as one of the most intense joys that the soul can experience.
The Retreat Leader, Barbara Ryan, has been completely inspired by the study of Sacred Geometry. She has taught both children and adults for many years, online and in person.
Materials and equipment will be provided. Beginners are welcome.
Comments from previous students:
Interesting subject
Clear instruction & relaxing atmosphere
Enjoyed the step-by-step geometrical drawings and the beauty which emerged
Opens your eyes to harmony in the Universe
Fun, challenging, and keeps you awake!
NATURAL LAW AND THE JUST SOCIETY
Join with Dr Joseph Milne to explore and discuss key ideas from his new book, Natural Law and the Just Society, due for publication in September 2026. What is Natural Law? How does it relate to Justice, and how can it help to shape a more just economics and society for the future? Key extracts will be supplied for study and discussion.
Retreat Leader: Ian Mason.
One Way, Three Ways or Multiple Ways
It is said that there is only one top of the mountain and it doesn’t matter what path you take to get there. In the Bhagavad Gītā, three, possibly four, traditional ‘ways’ are described. But each of us starts from a different place. On this retreat we will explore how these different views are supported and ultimately reconciled.
Attendees have said:
The three of us can't stop expressing how special all of the retreat was including the good company of everyone in the group.
It was good to be with others, all working together
Thank you for a useful retreat - as usual!
Words fail me in expressing how special this retreat was.
It is important to me to let you know that I have valued your input and that of all the wonderful people I met on this journey.
Back by popular demand, the Treasures of Waterperry Retreat welcomes anyone wanting to appreciate a deeper understanding of its marvels.
The retreat offers a journey through the hidden riches of Waterperry, its tranquil gardens, the ancient manor house, the art everywhere, inviting participants to slow down and engage deeply with the beauty and meaning embedded in the place.
This year we shall focus on specific elements through active learning to gain a fuller appreciation of the skills involved.
It is an invitation to experience Waterperry not just as a historic estate, but as a living space for reflection, awareness and renewal as it meets the economic and social challenges of today.
Plato’s dialogue “Meno” is one of the most read by university students. The dialogue opens with a challenging question: “can excellence be taught?” A good question for us to discuss among ourselves. Throughout, we will the follow the persons of the dialogue pursuing the very same question until finally they arrive at another more urgent question “What is excellence?”
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