JOURNEY THROUGH THE THREE WORLDS – RETREAT
A Quest for Shamanic Vision in Koli National Park
Thu–Sun 10–13 September 2026
Valokuva: Eero Peltonen
Facilitators: Helena Karhu & Eero Peltonen
Come and celebrate the autumn colors in Koli National Park, Northern Karelia, Finland.
The Upper World and Mount Ukko-Koli
During this long weekend retreat, we deepen into shamanic, animistic and visionary work in the Upper World (Ylinen), based at the sacred landscape of Mount Ukko-Koli. From the heights of Ukko-Koli, we reach toward the layers beyond the visible world – toward inspiration, wider vision, heightened awareness, and cosmic connection.
Koli is Finland’s most famous and beloved national landscape and among its most popular national parks. For Finns, Koli holds a symbolic status comparable to places such as Uluru, Machu Picchu or Mount Fuji in other cultures. It is also one of the very few landscapes mentioned in early Finnish mythological sources.
The strong energy of Koli and the luminous colors of ruska – the Finnish word for the autumn season of intense reds, golds and deep yellows – support our work and offer a natural sacred space for entering the realms of the Upper World. In Finland, ruska time traditionally draws people into the forests for berry- and mushroom-picking as well as long contemplative walks, making it a season deeply associated with listening to nature and following inner guidance.
Here you can keep your feet firmly on the ground while drawing strength from the stars, the Sun and the Moon. Ukko-Koli, the highest of Koli’s hills, is especially oriented toward Upper World work and visionary perception.
Nature acts as a living partner in the work: through the wisdom of rocks, trees, birds and forest creatures, the Upper World becomes tangible through images, sensations, encounters and inner knowing.
The Call of the Upper World
If you hear the call of the Upper World, it may mean that you are longing for a broader perspective on your life or seeking deeper insights into your life direction. Perhaps you wish to stand on a mountaintop and see your life as a whole – its directions, possibilities and your place in the world at this moment.
This retreat offers a space that deepens your experience and supports self-reflection. There is time to follow yourself, to follow nature, and to attune to the unseen layers of life. You will be guided through practical, sensory and grounded methods that help you explore the next steps on the path of your heart.
The Sampo and the Vision
In this retreat, we work with two deeply intertwined themes:
1. Forming a personal connection to the primordial energy of the Sampo (see below what it means)
2. Discovering and strengthening one’s personal vision
The Sampo is a central symbol in the Finnish national epic the Kalevala. It is a mythical source of abundance, vitality and well-being that sustains life and prosperity and forms the living heart of the epic’s narrative.
In this retreat, the Sampo is explored as a source of life force, joy, renewal and creative power. It may also be experienced as something rooted in the earth – a pillar or axis that carries, connects and regenerates life. The Sampo can be a dream waiting to be realized, a story waiting to be told, or a vision that calls one into action. It may take form as art, music, poetry, movement, a project, or a new way of relating to life.
When the Sampo begins to turn, visions, dreams and signs rise from below toward light and the Sun. During the retreat, we seek our own Sampo and personal vision and explore ways for that vision to take root in everyday life. The process unfolds cyclically: Sampo and vision call one another forth, deepening and clarifying through dialogue.
The Golden Wheel Oak – Ancient Rune-Singing Tradition
An ancient rune song about the Golden Wheel Oak (Kultapyörätammi) helps us understand this process. In the song, an apple is sung onto each branch of the oak, and upon each apple a golden wheel is placed – a wheel that turns and produces gold and copper.
These rune songs are traditionally sung in Kalevala meter, a poetic and musical form that is at least 2,000 years old. The singing style is call-and-response: a lead singer sings a verse, which the others repeat. Kalevala meters were traditionally used not only to preserve myths and legends, but also in folk healing and incantations.
Finland is home to the world’s largest archive of traditional folk poetry, preserving hundreds of thousands of verses of these ancient songs.
During the retreat, we will learn this ancient rune-singing style and sing the Golden Wheel Oak together as part of the ritual work.
Through this song and through the landscape of Koli, we search for our own Sampo symbol among hilltops, trees, birds, waters and forest beings. Through this symbol – material or immaterial – we shape and strengthen a vision that illuminates our path and clarifies our life purpose.
Who Is This Retreat For?
This retreat is open to anyone interested in animism, shamanism and ancestral worldviews. It is for you if you are seeking clarity, stability, courage and creativity in your life.
If your life direction already feels clear, yet you wish to walk the mythic path of not-knowing, this retreat can help you deepen and strengthen your journey.
No prior experience in shamanism is required. A curious and creative mind, and an open heart, are more than enoug
Some participants will also be attending from the Journey Through the Three Worlds shamanic online program guided by Helena and Eero.
PROGRAM
Thursday – Entering the Circle
17:00 Arrival at Kolin Mattila, settling in
17:30 Dinner
18:30
– Opening the circle and setting personal intention
– Preparing an offering (gift) for the guides of the Upper World
– Incantations and chants reaching toward the Upper World
Friday – The Sampo and the Golden Wheel Oak
08:00 Breakfast
09:00
– Morning meditation
– The Sampo and the mythic Golden Wheel Oak
– Ascent to the mountain – Ukko-Koli calls
– Searching for one’s personal Sampo symbol
12:00 Lunch
Break
– Joining the movement of the Sampo – a shamanic drumming journey to the Upper World
17:00 Dinner
18:00 Sauna
– Rest and reflection on the day’s experiences
Saturday – The Sun, Visionary Seeing and Vision Creation
08:00 Breakfast
09:00
– Inner Sun: morning songs and greeting the Sun
– Shamanic visionary seeing and shaping a sustaining vision
12:00 Lunch
Break
15:00
– Incantations of the Upper World
– Guided work on anchoring one’s vision into everyday life
17:00 Dinner
18:00
– Evening gathering with healing animals, archetypal figures, drums and incantations
– Sauna
Sunday – The Upper World
08:00 Breakfast
09:00
– Musical journey into the Upper World
– Ceremony and drumming in honour of the Upper World
– Gratitude and closing circle
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Departure
Facilitators
Eero Peltonen – tradition educator, rune singer
Helena Karhu – teacher of shamanism, cultural researcher
Retreat Venue – Kolin Mattila Guest House
Kolin Mattila is located in the heart of Koli National Park, within walking distance of the hilltops and the harbour. The farm is one of the five oldest homesteads in Koli, originally established in the mid-1700s, at a time when the area was still widely regarded as a wilderness inhabited by elves and forest spirits.
Over the centuries, Mattila has served as a crown farm, an educational centre, a cultural meeting place, a guesthouse for early travellers, and a gathering place for artists and thinkers. Today, carefully restored, it offers a peaceful and historically rich setting for retreat work.
Nearby lies Lake Pielinen, Finland’s fourth-largest lake, surrounded by mythic stories and songs, long associated with journeys, crossings and liminal states between worlds.
More information: https://www.kolinmattila.com/
How to get here? Koli National Park is about 1 hour drive from Joensuu, which is the closest town. You can arrive to Joensuu via Helsinki either by train (about 4-5 hours, www.vr.fi) or by flight (about 50 min, www.finnair.com) We help to arrange shared car transfers between Joensuu and Koli, if necessary.
Practical Information & Registration
Accommodation:
Shared rooms (2-4 persons per room) at Kolin Mattila.
Normal mobility is required. The venue is not fully accessible.
The retreat is alcohol- and substance-free.
Fees
Retreat fee: 330 € (incl. 25.5% VAT) per person
In addition, accommodation with full board (Thursday dinner to Sunday lunch) 360 € per person
The retreat fee does not include travel to/from the retreat venue or personal accident or travel insurance.
Registration
Registration by email: info@karhuntalo.com
Please include your contact details (address and phone number) and inform us of any dietary requirements.
Booking & Cancellation Policy
All participants are required to read and accept the booking and cancellation policy before registering:https://www.karhuntalo.com/booking-and-cancellation-conditions
Contact
Helena Karhu – info@karhuntalo.com
Eero Peltonen – eerope@gmail.com