Arts of Embodied Devotion
Ceremony, Song & the Sea
September 20-25, 2026 | Essaouira, Moroccoo
Arts of Embodied Devotion | Ceremony, Song & the Sea is a retreat in the the ancient medina of Essaouira, beginning on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Attunement | Yom Kippur and extending into four spacious days of ritual and renewal.
Immediately following the Decolonial Devotion retreat held in the rural countryside, Arts of Embodied Devotion is an optional extension guided by Taya Mâ in the vibrant town that has long been her spiritual home.
We’ll pray in ancient synagogues, make hillula / ziyara / pilgrimage to the resting place of a holy saint, experience sacred music guided by a m3allema / master teacher, and steep in sunsets over the stunning sea.
We gather in a riad on a quiet street along the sea wall, with expansive views and lushly designed lounge spaces.
Our programming is emergent, crafted in deep relationship with longtime teachers in Essaouira. Spaces are limited - contact Taya Mâ directly here to express interest.
Our five-night retreat, including accommodations, food and programming is offered on a sliding scale of 750-1250 Euros. Admission is rolling, with limited spaces.
Taya Mâ Shere is a ceremonialist embracing embodied, earth-honoring devotion as liberatory spiritual practice. She serves as a professor of Organic Multi-Religious Ritual at Starr King School for the Ministry and as Associate Director of the Center for Multi-Religious Studies, where she co-convenes The House of Dates. Taya Mâ is founder of from the deep, an emergent mystery school of earth, sea and soma and currently offers online courses and individual sessions in ancestral exuberance. She created & hosted the acclaimed Jewish Ancestral Healing podcast and The Sarah & Hajar Series: Sacred Practice and Possibility at the Intersections of Judaism and Islam. She co-founded the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess movement as well as Makam Shekhina multi-religious Jewish and Sufi Muslim community committed to counter-oppressive devotion. Taya Mâ’s albums of sacred chant have been heralded as "cutting-edge mystic medicine music" and "transmissions which tap into collective memory." @tayatransforms
If you wish to support this vision without attending, donations are welcome here.
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