‘PLANETS ALIVE’: A DEEPER DIVE
EMBODIED ASTROLOGY & ASTRODRAMA RETREAT
3rd - 8th September 2026, Earth Spirit Centre, Glastonbury
Meet the planetary archetypes and experience how they come alive and animate your life!
Experience the healing theatre of your own astrological chart in a beautiful retreat centre in the heart of the Glastonbury Zodiac landscape. Five days of embodied, experiential astrology play, dance, song and ceremony.
“This is deep, sacred work that reaches every level of one’s being — physical, emotional, and spiritual. ” (Eileen, Oct 2025 Retreat)
Experience first-hand how the planetary archetypes animate your psyche, and inspire your life in ways that are unique to you
“A powerful insight into your own psyche.” (Shaun, Oct 2022 Retreat)
Astrodrama takes us beyond words, concepts and psychological analysis to evoke the archetypal dimension of astrology. The experience enables us to contact planetary energies through direct experience with the vital rhythms of soul and psyche.
“John and Melissa's Astrodrama Retreat was a life changing experience for me. It put me back in contact with all that is 'Me' which had been missing for so long.” (Vanessa, Oct 2025 retreat)
The Venue
Little Earth, Earth-Spirit Centre, Compton Dundon, Glastonbury
Just five miles from Glastonbury, on the edge of Compton Dundon village in Somerset, EarthSpirit lies within the 'temenos' (sacred enclosure) of Avalon.
The centre is situated in a beautiful landscape between two nature reserves; and just two minutes walk from St Andrew's church, which has within its cemetery a yew tree of 1,800 years old. The seventeenth century farm buildings have been restored and specially converted for use as a venue. They are set within seven acres of fields and gardens.
Course Fees
Fees include all tuition and full board accommodation (standard twin rooms; breakfast, lunch & dinner)
Full fee: £1225.00 (full board with standard twin room, and all meals - vegetarian)
Early Bird Price: £1100.00 (if paid in full by 30th April 2026)
Deposit: £375.00 (this secures your place, and is non-refundable / non-transferable)
Balance payment (full fee) is due by 15 Aug 2026
Scroll down for timings & supplementary accommodation / food options.
This course is suitable for those who have done astrodrama before, or those who have existing astrological understanding and/or have some experience of psychodrama, shadow work, family constellations and related modalities.
Bookings are by application only. Please click the button below to send us an email, stating why you would like to attend the retreat, whether you have done astrodrama before, and what your level of experience is of astrology / shadow work / psychodrama etc.
Supplementary Options:
Single Occupancy: £125.00
Ensuite room: £75.00
The Suite (twin/double + en suite, with sitting room and kitchenette): £170.00
Generic Special Diet supplement (e.g. gluten, wheat or dairy free meals): £25.00
Special Diet Supplement (prepared separately): £40.00
These options can be added at the time you make the payment balance.
What is Astrodrama?
Astrodrama is an exciting way to learn astrology and experience it in an embodied, experiential and profoundly transformational way, through a form of improvised ritual theatre. It operates in a way that is a little similar to family constellations, but instead of particpants playing family members, it is the archetypal figures of the planets that are brought to life.
Each session unfolds a uniquely personalised healing journey inspired by that person’s intention, with each planet character being dramatically embodied by the other members of the group, safely held within a sacred ritual space.
Astrodrama’s methodology is drawn primarily from psychodrama, a form of group healing therapy developed by Jacob Moreno in the 1940s and 1950s. Psychodrama involves therapeutic, improvised dramatic expressions that utilize and unleash the creative expression among members of a group. In astrodrama participants take on the characters of the planets, animated or personified through the embodiment of their mythological themes.
Pioneers of the experiential approach, such as Jeff Jawer, Barbara Schermer and Kelley Hunter, helped to establish the practice of astrodrama in the 1980s, taking astrology our of the abstract, and toward a more creative, participatory engagement with destiny. My own journey with astrodrama begain in 1993, and I have been developing my astrodrama methodology and pioneering differnt forms of embodied astrological education since then.
Being an unscipted, improvised ritual performance, there is a kind of temporary embodiment that occurs in an astrodrama enactment, where the actor who is embodying the archetype is not merely imitating, but is also creatively re-enacting a version of a deeply embedded pattern, theme or story, which can speak directly and specifically to a person’s life experience.
Listen to my podcast about embodied astrology and astrodrama...
Testimonials from Previous Participants
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“The weekend was such fun and we danced throughout, to an astonishing variety of music that almost magically reflected in the charts we were enacting in all their myriad of components. It was a healing journey; releasing pain and loss and bringing with it joy, laughter and friendship. “
Anne (October Retreat 2022)
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“This workshop is the gift that keeps on giving well after the event. Such a rare experience to find a workshop of this quality and depth of the psyche from an astrological perspective. Highly highly recommended.”
Carmel (October Retreat 2022)
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"This course has been an amazing experience. Getting to meet the planets in my chart as life sized entities made them far more real for me. I felt as if I was at a party with very close friends and by seeing them face to face it has enriched my relationship with them. The course tutors and the venue were perfect."
Jane Hastings (February Retreat 2023)
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Without doubt, this was one of the best courses I have ever done. Actually bringing the planets to life has given me a whole new view and understanding of the depth of the natal chart. There is so much that I'm still digesting but I know for sure that I experienced shifts during those four days that have changed me in ways that i am yet to understand. I am so grateful to the mastery of John and the divine space that he creates so that the planets are able to reach, expand and help us grow. Truly amazing.
Prue Nichols (February 2023 Retreat)
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“Astrodrama is a fresh, fun way to explore astrology and really get to feel the depth and power of the planets in their different aspects. I love the very experiential way of working, with a lot of dance and laughter, intensity and a great sense of play. It was very powerful dressing up as the planets, feeling the shifts as we followed where they led. John is masterful at leading the action through his intuitively spot-on music.”
Hermione Holmes (October 2022 Retreat)
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“Astrodrama is an extraodinary process and John is an extraodinary facilitator. With reverence, humility and integrity a sacred space is created whereupon the planets come alive and the God's descend to dance out a picture of our inner lives. Within this safe place we begin to see an objective picture of our deeper selves, and at the same time, we weave together as a group. The music is inspired and the process, involving masks and costumes, is hugely creative and fun.”
Helen (October Retreat 2022)
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The Astrodrama retreat breathed life into the two dimensional chart producing a chorus of three dimensional planetary archetypes ready to to jostle for position and voice. I have spent over 30 years studying astrology but this format brought a whole new meaning to the natal chart. It was an honour to play other's planets and such fun choosing costumes for planets in signs. The constellation of the charts brought a community of learning and knowledge to those gathered, enriching and nourishing soul
Beki Martin (February Retreat 2023)
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“A profoundly moving and insightful weekend. Starting from a point of having no knowledge of astrology, the astrodrama has opened up for me the depths and possibilities of connecting with archetypes revealed as aspects of my psyche through this path. John's introduction to each of the zodiac signs and the characteristics of each planet enabled me to engage immediately with their interactions and the impact that these have on myself and others. John's gentle, compassionate holding of the space throughout the weekend of this sacred work was extraordinary. My deepest gratitude for this experience.”
Melanie (October 2022 Retreat)
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“I loved the depth and the playfulness, the delight of getting to know new people and be known - very safe and profound…I loved the beauty of so many great spirits in bodies - embodied spirits - and how much I could learn from each one. For my own life it was revelatory. I also loved the play and the dressing up and it helped me understand more about the nature of Ceremony and inhabiting aspects of myself - or not myself - and how that can be truly authentic.”
Jocelyn Jones (October 2022 Retreat)
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"So much amazing insight from a totally imersive experience embodying the archetypes that the planets carry and how these inner gods talk to each other and how there might be challenging aspects but they genuinely just want us to shine out through our individual Suns with authenticity. The best self awareness tool there is. Friends said they would never do it because they couldn't 'perform' but there is absolutely no performance involved. Once you put those masks and costumes on you are not you any more and all you have to do is surrender to the gods which is unbelievably liberating. John and Melissa are very supportive and encouraging. John has a very insightful ability to select the perfect songs to support the embodiment of everyone's individual chart which adds so much to the experience."
Irene (October Retreat 2025)
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"This was my first Astrodrama retreat, and although I arrived with no knowledge of astrology, the experience was nothing short of transformative. This is deep, sacred work that reaches every level of one’s being—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Embodying the planets was entirely new to me, yet my body seemed to know how to do it, as if guided by something mysterious and wise within. John’s finally tuned mastery together with Melissa’s intuitive and graceful support, created a field of trust and depth where transformation could unfold. I encountered hidden aspects of myself that have longed to be seen. This work felt like a genuine soul retrieval—a remembering of who I am beneath the layers of conditioning. Since returning, I feel changed and more aligned with what is real, essential, and luminous within me. Thank you John and Melissa for this powerful body of work."
Eileen Murray (October Retreat, 2025)
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"Astrodrama is swirling fantasia of potent, Sacred play and a truly delicious way to experience astrology! Replete with tears and laughter this 5 day retreat is a healing, life-affirming journey to Mount Olympus and back again. John and Melissa create and hold a sacred space in which the possibility of merging with and being danced by the planetary archetypes becomes a potent, embodied reality. Even though each enactment is specific to a single participant's natal chart; it really felt like there were flecks of Alchemical Gold being offered to everyone. The opportunity to don mask and costume and invite the gods to work through me for the highest good of all involved was a truly unforgettable, transformative experience I will always treasure. Thank you!"
Elin (October Retreat, 2025)
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"John and Melissa's Astrodrama Retreat was a life changing experience for me. It put me back in contact with all that is 'Me' which had been missing for so long. It also gave me a fresh appreciation of others in my life. Bringing the Planets to life in such an immediate and dynamic way hugely deepened (and thoroughly embedded) my experience of planets in signs and of major aspects. The process continues to affect me long after the retreat. I can think of little else! John is a masterful practitioner who guides with understanding and wisdom. He makes everyone feel like a someone. I can't wait to go back!"
Vanessa (October Retreat 2025)
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"I have been living with astrology for many years, and this astrodrama retreat brought new insights into my own chart, as well as into other planetary placements. If you appreciate the benefit an experiential approach can bring to your astrological understanding, you will LOVE this course. John and Melissa are an awesome team - experienced, creative, and deeply supportive."
Maureen Mason (October Retreat 2025)
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"The Astro drama retreat yet again provided wonderful moments of insight into my own unconscious habit patterns, whether arising from witnessing my chart enactment or from talking to those who played my planets, as well as witnessing how other's planetary energies played out in ways I hadn't expected. It felt such a safe and sacred space to explore deeply how we experience the wholeness of our uniqueness of being human; due primarily to the skilful way John, and Melissa, set up the scene and maintain it throughout and also being with a group of kindred spirits."
Anne (October Retreat 2025)
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"John's Astrodrama retreat is fantastic. It gives one the opportunity to step into the temple with the heavenly bodies and experience them first hand. Whether its seeing your own chart enacted or taking part in someone else's chart. Highly recommend and accessible for non Astrologers and very enlightening for Astrologers with years of experience. Pure magic."
Linda (October Retreat 2025)
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"What a truly wonderful experience to be able to embody the planets and to see and feel your natal chart come to life. This was a roller coaster of emotions for me and the insightfulness provided by the amazing group that took part was incredible."
Gale Rudd (October Retreat 2025)
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"What an experience! I never even knew that astro drama existed. It was magical, deeply insightful, so much fun while still taking you into the most intimate depth. The power, joy and nourishment that emanated from me afterwards. Wow! John and Melissa held the space with such deep trust and respect for the magic of this process to unfold."
Lisa (October Retreat 2025)
Timings & Fees
Thurs 3rd September 2026 (6pm) - Tues 8th September 2026 (3.30pm)
Full fee: £1225.00 (full board with standard twin room, and all meals - vegetarian)
Early Bird Price: £1100.00 (must be paid in full by 30th April 2026)
Deposit: £375.00 (this secures your place, and is non-refundable / non-transferable)
Balance payment (full fee) is due by 15 Aug 2026
This course is suitable for those who have either done astrodrama before, those who have existing astrological understanding and/or have some experience of psychodrama, shadow, family constellations and related modalities.
Bookings are by application only. Please click the button below to send us an email, stating why you would like to attend the retreat, whether you have done astrodrama before, and what your level of experience is of astrology / shadow work / psychodrama etc.
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