8/8 Heart & Spirit Renewal at Bethel Farms Yoga & Living Arts Center
Bethel Farm Yoga, Hillsborough, NH
Heart & Spirit Renewal Retreat
August 7 - 8 - 9
Arrive Friday: 2 pm Depart Sunday: 2 pm
Imagine it’s Friday, August 7th, the air is electric, and you are driving up to Bethel Farm’s Art & Yoga Sanctuary. The scent is sweet, the forests are thick with evergreens, and plants are in full bloom. You are two minutes from the barn when you discovery there's a wildly epic and refreshing waterfall at the foot of the hill, the air around you is buzzing with the magic of nature (and literal butterflies), and you are finally about to indulge in a weekend that is 100% for you. Your heart dances with delight! This is what dreams are made of!!
All responsibilities are left for another day as you have chosen to give yourself the gift of 3 full days to nourish your heart and connect to your Soul so you can return home feeling refreshed, renewed, and in total bliss.
This is what you can expect at Bethel Farm.
What Is Coming Your Way
On the day you arrive, the Sun (our star of vitality and personal power) will be in Leo, and the focus will turn towards co-creation, creativity, Self-expression, and heart-actions.
Once you settle into your space and meet new friends, it will be time to gather, ceremoniously sip cacao, harmonize with your heart, and set intentions for the upcoming weekend.
The day will conclude with a delectable farm to table organic home cooked meal, made by chef Tracy, followed by an unwinding and deeply healing crystal sound bath played by Shira.
And that is just day 1! Saturday, 8/8, will bless us with the main numerological and astrological event of the year, the Lions Gate Portal. The date 8/8 is a potent powerhouse of numerological significance. The number 8, when turned on its side, is the infinity symbol (∞). It represents infinite abundance, power, potential, and flow. On August 8th, this energy doubles, creating a potent moment for Lion’s Gate portal manifestation rituals. More on the Lion’s Gate below!
The 8/8 Lions Gate Portal is truly one of the strongest vibrational frequencies of the year for setting intentions and aligning with your highest self! Paired with the current astrological significance of the activation of the fixed star, Sirius, otherwise known as the spiritual Sun (which you will learn all about), the Sun aligning with Saturn, and you have a knock-out combination of grounding your big visions into practical steps for true culmination.
This is our day for creativity, vision boards, and an ecstatic dance party!
After a special 8/8 Abundance dinner, a pre-bedtime sound bath and mantra practice will send you off into a blissful sleep.
Btw, don’t be surprised if a tarot circle, dance party, or additional cacao ceremony gets added to the agenda, I have a thing for music, archetypes and chocolate.
Sunday morning will seal our journey with a final closing ceremony and movement practice, so you can take all the magic that was conjured and float your way back home! Our weekend of bliss will conclude with an extra special Sunday Brunch and tons of hugs *happy tears* before stepping into this brand new chapter and season of our lives.
The vibes will be inclusive, the people will be inspiring, the spiritual practices will be just what you need. We will swim and dance, romp through the babbling brooks and springs, bathe in the warm sun’s rays, eat organic farm to table nourishing meals, chat fireside, and dance our heart’s out.
HERE IS JUST A TASTE OF WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE
Shared room at Bethel Farm (featured in Yoga Journal!) for 3 days and 2 nights
Delicious chef curated organic Farm to Table Meals for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner each day
Morning Kundalini, Mantra, & Meditations
Cacao Ceremony
8/8 intention crafting & embodiment practices
Tarot & Oracle circles
Astrological guidance through the weekend
Somatic Movement & Healing
Nightly Pre-bedtime sound baths & Mantra circle
Swimming in the Pond
Waterfall & river swimming
Self-Guided Hiking
Lemon water, tea, and coffee
Social and free time
Free wi-fi but you will be too bust having fun to even notice
What is the Lion’s Gate Portal?
What It Actually Is
The Lion’s Gate Portal refers to the annual period when the Sun, transiting through Leo, forms a specific alignment with the star Sirius. The peak occurs on August 8th, when the Sun reaches approximately 16° Leo, creating what traditional astrology considers a conjunction with Sirius from Earth’s perspective.
This isn’t a visible alignment to the naked eye – Sirius is technically located at 14° Cancer in terms of ecliptic longitude. What generates the “portal” is the temporal synchronicity: the moment when the Sun in Leo reaches the same declination as Sirius, establishing what hermetic traditions interpret as a channel of cosmic communication.
The Ancients and Sirius
The Egyptians built their sacred calendar around the heliacal rising of Sirius – the moment when the star appears on the eastern horizon just before dawn, after a period of invisibility. This event coincided with the summer solstice and the annual flooding of the Nile, becoming the marker for the Egyptian New Year.
But the Egyptians saw in Sirius something more than an agricultural timekeeper. The star was Sopdet, associated with the goddess Isis, and its appearance signaled not only the renewal of the earth, but what they interpreted as a cosmic renewal of consciousness. The temples of Karnak and Dendera were built with specific alignments so that Sirius’s light would illuminate their inner chambers on precise dates.
The Numerology of 8/8
The date August 8th concentrates particular attention in numerological traditions. The number 8, when placed horizontally, forms the infinity symbol (∞), representing endless cycles and continuous flow of energy. In hermetic numerology, 8 is the number of material manifestation – the ability to translate ideas from the mental plane to the physical.
The 8 also represents regeneration: it’s the number that follows 7 (considered spiritual completeness) and initiates a new octave at a higher level. The doubling in 8/8 is interpreted by these schools as a doubly powerful frequency for materializing intentions.
Mathematically, 8 is the first cubic number (2³), symbolizing three-dimensional manifestation. In Eastern traditions, especially in China, 8 is considered the luckiest number because its pronunciation sounds similar to the word “prosperity.”
The Astrological Mechanics
In astrological terms, the Lion’s Gate Portal operates through Leo, the fixed fire sign ruled by the Sun. Leo represents the individualization of solar energy – the process by which consciousness recognizes and expresses its unique nature.
The Portal doesn’t activate uniformly for everyone. Its specific influence depends on the natal house where 14-16° Leo falls in each individual chart. If these degrees touch the 1st House, the Portal would work with themes of identity and personal presence. In the 7th House, with relationships and partnerships. In the 10th House, with vocation and public recognition.
This specificity is what distinguishes hermetic interpretation from popular astrology. It’s not about a generic influence on “creativity” or “self-expression,” but a directed activation of the life area that house represents.
Article by Paula Stemburg
DATES:
August 7th - 9th
Arrive Friday: 2 pm
Depart Sunday: 2 pm
ABOUT BETHEL FARMS YOGA & LIVING ARTS CENTER
Bethel Farm is a beautiful yoga and living arts center nestled in the woods of Hillsborough, NH. For over 20 years, Bethel Farms has hosted retreats from around the world. Internationally known and touted for their nurturing Vegetarian farm to table cuisine, gorgeous and spacious property and serene atmosphere, this retreat center is a total gem.
Check out Bethel Farms simple, bright, accommodations HERE
Please fill out the application below once you reserve your spot and Shira will get back to you asap with details.
The Details
2 nights, 3 days
Shared room with 2 double beds (bathroom in shared space)
4 person sleep over throwback bunk bed (bathroom in shared space)
5+ refurbished attic. twin beds, overlooking the entire property, bathroom and shower attached
🔥 Claim Your Spot – Limited Spaces Available!
📍 Location: Bethel Farm, New Hampshire 📅 Dates: August 7 - 8 - 9, 2026
💰 Investment: $888 plus tax & processing fees (+$60)
✨ Reserve Your Space Today with the link below!
Save your spot with $222
OR
Pay half now and half by July 1st $444
Fill out the form below to inquire and reserve your spot!
deposits are non-refundable
$60 for tax & fees to be collected on the last payment
Pay $444 now and $444 by July 1st
Pay $222 now, then each month (or week) leading up the retreat. A total of 4 payments.
A bit about Shira!
1.000 Hours RYT. Trauma Informed Kundalini, Vinyasa, & Astrology Embodiment Coach. From the music that orchestrates the movement, to the postures that align with the moon, sun, and stars, to the season and time of day, it is all connected and intertwined to be a catalyst for body, mind, and energy healing.
Yoga or Union (in its MANY hidden forms) is just another form of dance, where you move to the rhythm of your breath and tap into the medicine of your essence. I believe yoga is one of the greatest healing resources we have and a consistent practice has saved me during the darkest of days. Come in with an open mind and a willingness to meet yourself where you are at.
