PLEASE PASS THE WORD...
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From: Rhonda H.
Date: Friday, January 16, 2009, 10:51 AM
Subject: Please pass the word...
ID: 266779

Dear Wonderful Women,

PLEASE PASS THE WORD!!!

Our dear sister and associate of Circle Connections, Donna Roberts is setting foot on a new adventure that is certain to be memorable and worth the investment of your time and money, if you feel called to join her. She will be guiding a trip to the heart of Brazil. Abundant information for you and those you love is below.

Woman to woman is the most effective form of marketing and promotion, and so I request your help. I want to step forward in support of Donna to make this trip incredibly successful as the first of many. Please help Donna spread the word in the way women do. We share out enthusiasm with those we truly feel might find value, and the news travels from one woman to another. This is the power of trusted connection.

To actively live the spirit of Circle Connections, we can use our community as a place that we can promote and support one another's dreams by being willing to spread the word to sisters needing an adventure to boost their passion quotient, jump at the opportunity to join Donna yourself, or climb aboard this extraordinary adventure in spirit.

Please do whatever you can to support Donna in making this cross cultural experience of deep connection a huge success. Post it on your websites, include mention in your newsletters, offer Donna any suggestions for connections she can make to call in the most amazing women to have this be a meaningful trip for all involved.

Thanks as always for anyway you can endorse this offering!

Rhonda Hull http://www.circleconnections.com

BASIC FEE AND CONTACT INFO: http://www.projectzula.com/ http://www.circleconnections.com/ Join our inaugural journey April 5-12, 2009.

Our package is created for an intimate group of a maximum of 14 guests (single or double accommodations, as space allows)

Investment: $1500. per guest* (plus taxes and tips) Airfare and cost of travel Visa are not included. (Please visit your nearest Brazilian consulate website for instructions, or the Brazilian Embassy) at www.brasilemb.org/

For more information and reservations, please contact

Donna Roberts of Project Zula, roberts.donna@mac.com or call (239)936-0415/(239)810-0241

ALL ABOUT THE ADVENTURE...

What happens when a Brazilian family falls in love with an American environmentalist who has fallen in love with Brazil and they connect with the shared dream of collaboration for personal and planetary wellness?

Don't miss this incredible opportunity. Be one of a select handful of women to travel with Donna Roberts of Circle Connections on this intimate and inspiring adventure into the heart of Brazil. Gift yourself with this adventure of a lifetime.

Join Donna to experience a glorious taste of this vibrant culture. You will be welcomed by and stay with a dear Brazilian family.

Anchored at a Bahian countryside estate, Donna Roberts will offer "Connect to Care in the Heart of Brazil", a week-long blend of personal, social and cultural experiences balanced with daily yoga, meditation, and tasty typical cuisine. Spread the word! The first trip unfolds in early April 2009. Early Bird rates apply through January 31st, 2009.

For more details or to reserve your spot, visit: http://www.projectzula.com - or - http://www.circleconnections.com - or contact Donna at donna@circleconnections.com

(More details on the journey follow...)

When businessman and ethnobotanist Mario Gordilho opened his family's countryside retreat near Cachoeira, Bahia to Donna Roberts to write her masters thesis, the two never imagined they'd soon be partners in a community-based tourism project.

"Connect to Care in the Heart of Brazil" is the culmination of their collective dream to divulge the special cultural, social, and natural environments of a part of Brazil relatively unknown to Brazilians. This special place is globally renowned as the home of intact African-based traditions and the celebrated Sisters of the Good Death.

Timed to coincide with Easter and an annual pottery festival, the first small group journey will host up to 14 travelers to be accommodated in authentic Bahian hospitality, with five nights at the Gordilho's home - Casa do Morro/House on the Hill - and two nights in the thriving coastal capital of Salvador.

The first week-long journey/retreat takes place April 5-12, 2009. The April journey incorporates a strong focus on connections - connecting to one's sense of purpose, connecting to other cultures and communities, with opportunities to give back to meaningful social projects. Daily yoga courses will be taught by Roberts' yoga instructor, Kandy Love (her real name!) who will also offer massage to guests. All meals are included during the five days at Casa, prepared by Chef Val whose "tempero" (way of blending spices and ingredients) rivals any professional chef, as well as several regional excursions. The final two nights will be spent in the vibrant city of Salvador, arriving on Good Friday and including Easter Sunday.

In a stroke of serendipity, Roberts' first traveled to Bahia on Easter weekend of 1997, following participation in the international Rio + 5 Forum on sustainability. Leaving Salvador after that fateful weekend, Roberts recalls, "I knew on the first visit that there was something very special, even magical, about Bahia; my heart felt at home. Something about the women, the Bahianas, and their Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions, touched a very deep chord. But I would never have imagined this destiny!" in how the journey came to be.

Having traveled to Brazil on several prior occasions, Roberts' research focused on Brazilian women's socio-environmental work. She needed a quiet place to write, and long-time friend and Bahian tourism operator Conor O'Sullivan (Tatur Touism) introduced her to Gordilho, whom he had recently met at a community-based tourism conference. Roberts spent three weeks at Casa do Morro in July 2007, befriending the family and staff, and falling in love with the historic and verdant Reconcavo region.

The Gordilhos and Roberts kept in touch in the months that followed, and in April 2008, shared their joint dream of creating a retreat experience for small groups at Casa. Gordilho called it, "synchronicity!" He had been developing a plan to transform their family retreat when Roberts sent him an email with the proposal to initiate small group journeys focusing on care for self, community, and Earth. Gordilho's larger vision not only includes small group hospitality and artists' residencies, but also the expansion of his small scale handcrafting of essential oils (which he produces at Casa on weekends) to intentions of partnering with "quilombolas", former slave communities.

Roberts is one of many researchers to find Bahia fascinating. American anthropologist Ruth Landes, who studied the African-based "candomble" religion called Salvador "The City of Women", also the title of her well-known book, for these very reasons. Roberts and Gordilho trust that travelers participating in their new project will be similarly inspired by Bahia's abundant cultural and natural beauty.

There are a few spaces left on the inaugural April journey. Their second trip is being offered in August of 2009 to coincide with the famous Festa de Boa Morte, the Sisters of the Good Death's three-day festival in the town of Cachoeira.