From Surviving to Sovereign: Why Merkaba Retreats is a Sanctuary for the Soul in Recovery

Christopher Shaw
Jun 19
2 min read

by Christopher Shaw, Founder Merkaba Church & Merkaba Retreats

Addiction is never just about the substance.

It’s a longing to return to wholeness.

A search for God in all the wrong places.

A cry for the sacred in a world that forgets the sacred.

recovery

At Merkaba Retreats, we remember.

We remember the ache.

We remember the spiral.

We remember what it feels like to hit the bottom and rise again.

Because we’ve walked that path too.

Here, we don’t just offer a vacation.

We offer remembrance.

A return to the truth that you were never broken—only buried.

What Makes Merkaba Retreats Different?

🌿 Sacred Plant & Animal Allies – Our ceremonies with earth medicine are guided with reverence, intention, and safety, offering those in recovery a non-addictive spiritual technology to meet their shadow, activate their light, and rewrite their story.

🌀 Trauma-Informed Healing – Facilitated by those who know the terrain of addiction, our retreats are held with deep compassion and sober-hearted strength. We create the space to release shame, unfreeze emotion, and reconnect with the body as a temple.

🌊 Somatic + Spiritual Integration – Through yoga, breathwork, sound healing, meditation, and ritual, we rewire the nervous system and awaken the soul. Recovery becomes more than abstinence—it becomes embodiment.

🔥 Devotional Brother/Sisterhood & Sacred Belonging – Isolation is one of the deepest wounds of addiction. Here, you are not alone. You are held in a field of love, respect, and remembrance. Many come as strangers. All leave as family.

✨ A New Definition of Prosperity – Recovery is just the beginning. You are here to thrive. To lead. To serve. Our retreats awaken your divine mission and reconnect you to your inherent abundance—spiritually, emotionally, and financially.

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This is not rehab. This is resurrection.

Whether you’re newly sober or walking the long road of recovery…

Whether you’ve done the steps or are just learning to trust again…

We invite you to come home.

Come sit by the fire.

Come dance with the stars.

Come remember the sacredness of your own breath.

Your story isn’t over.

It’s only just beginning.

Join us. Heal with us.

Rise with us.