The Mabel Dodge Luhan House
Taos, New Mexico
April 19 – 24, 2026
Registration open
Spring Retreat in Taos:
Greening your Creative Spirit
Led by Carolyn Scarborough
With guest teachers Sharon Zeugin and Julie Wylie
A six-day creative sanctuary for women.
Step away from the noise of everyday life and into the vast, grounded rhythm of your creative self.
For six days in Taos, you are invited to rest, wander, and create in one of the Southwest’s most storied artistic sanctuaries — where vast skies, ancient adobe walls, and untamed landscape make space for what has been quietly stirring within you.
Here, time stretches. Shoulders soften. Creativity returns to its natural pace.
In the early 1900s, Mabel Dodge left the confines of her New York life and followed a deeper call to Taos — where the land awakened something within her.
That awakening became the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, a creative sanctuary that drew artists and writers such as Georgia O’Keeffe, D.H. Lawrence, and Willa Cather.
Today, that spirit still lives on.
Nestled between a Native pueblo and the village of Taos, this rambling adobe hacienda invites you to slow down and reawaken. Beneath cottonwood trees and wide horizons, presence deepens. Pens loosen. Paintbrushes move without pressure.
Slowly, naturally, creativity begins to flow again.
This six-day retreat offers guided creative exploration, meaningful connection, and generous space in one of the Southwest’s most storied artistic sanctuaries.
Who is this retreat for?
This retreat is for women who feel the pull to step away from daily demands and return to their creative center. Through guided writing, visual art, gentle movement, and time in nature, you’ll be supported in creating from presence rather than pressure.
No experience is necessary. All levels are welcome. If you are longing for renewal, creative companionship, and space to breathe, you belong here.
Each day holds gentle structure, and generous free time to wander, reflect, write, sketch, or simply sit beneath the vast New Mexico sky. The lodge is also known for its healthy, delicious cuisine prepared by top local chefs from the nearby pueblo and beyond. When possible, meals feature garden-grown or locally sourced ingredients.
Nourishment here is part of the creative experience, thoughtful, beautiful, and abundant.
What is included?
Accommodation & Meals
❋ 6 nights at the historic Mabel
Dodge Luhan House
❋ Daily breakfasts and lunches
❋ Private Facebook group
Movement & Wellness
❋ Visual journaling demonstrations
(no experience necessary)
❋ Demos, prompts, and individual attention
❋ Creative Awakening field trip
❋ Optional partner and small-group sharing
❋ Dietary restrictions accommodated
❋ Coffee, tea, fruit, and fresh-baked treats
throughout the day
Takeaways & Ongoing Support
❋ Evening Creative Wind-down Salons
❋ Opening Circle and Closing Ceremony
❋ Warm, integrating Closing Ceremony
❋ Hand-created take-home journal
❋ Guided writing and creative process exploration
❋ Individual attention and coaching
Community & Ceremony
❋ Gentle expressive movement sessions
Creative & Artistic Activities
❋ Community fireside gatherings
❋ Three special gourmet dinners
Memories from past retreats.
Is this retreat right for me?
This retreat is a good fit if you’re craving a blend of gentle structure and spacious freedom — with guidance, inspiration, and plenty of room to follow your own creative rhythm.
Creative Workshops
Writing sessions and creative process exploration
Visual journaling techniques
Gentle expressive movement
Nature walks with writing and sketching
Inspiration Sparking Extras
A field trip to inspire fresh perspectives
24-hour access to writing and art studios
Lots of choices, few directives
Personal Renewal
Reflective free time balanced with guided sessions
Time for your own creative projects
Space to simply be
Welcoming Community
Connect with kindred spirits who understand the creative life
Warm, supportive community
Plenty of laughter and meaningful conversation
AGENDA
Our Daily Rhythm
You may arrive any time after 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 19. We will gather for dinner at 6 p.m., followed by our welcome program. The retreat concludes after breakfast on Friday, April 24.
If you’d like to arrive a day early or stay a day later, rooms are available at the lodge with advance notice.
The closest airport is Albuquerque International Sunport. Airfare and transportation to Taos are not included. Detailed travel guidance will be provided after registration.
Breakfast8:00–9:00 am
Gentle Expressive Movement9:30–9:50 am
Morning Session10:00–12:00 pm
Lunch12:30–1:30 pm
Free Time1:30–3:30 pm
Afternoon Session3:30–5:30 pm
Mini breathing or body practice5:30–5:50 pm
Dinner6:00–7:00 pm
Creative Wind-Down Salon7:30–8:15 pm
Community Fire Gathering8:30 pm
A culinary repast.
The Mabel Dodge Luhan House is known for its healthy, delicious cuisine prepared by top local chefs from the nearby pueblo and beyond. When possible, meals feature garden-grown or locally sourced ingredients. (Dietary restrictions are accommodated too)
A typical lunch might include pissaladière (a yeasted crust topped with caramelized onions, cheeses, herbs, and olives from Provence), tomato bisque with croutons, mixed baby greens with Dijon vinaigrette, and carrot cake. Throughout the day, coffee, tea, water, fruit, and fresh-baked cookies are available to keep you nourished and energized.
BOOK
Ready to join us?
Included is 5 nights/6 days at the historic Mabel Dodge Luhan House, all retreat programming, daily breakfasts and lunches, and three gourmet dinners.
Rooms start at $2,200 for a Double Room and reach $2,450 for a Single Room.
A $395 deposit holds your space. All deposits and payments are non-refundable after January 22.
Holding a spot with a deposit is the first step in the registration process. If this is your first time to retreat with us, then please fill out the application below and your booking will be confirmed within the next day or so.
Meet your retreat leaders.
About Carolyn
Retreat Leader, Creative Exploration & Reflective Writing
Carolyn Scarborough is a creativity guide, writer, and founder of the Creative Soul Community, where women gather to reconnect with their creativity and create lives of greater purpose, vitality, and expression.
An award-winning author, creativity and writing coach, and retreat facilitator, Carolyn is known for creating grounded, welcoming spaces where women can slow down, soften what feels tight, and rediscover a more authentic and playful relationship with themselves and their creative lives.
She leads retreats, writing circles, and workshops both in person and online, and offers private coaching. Carolyn is the author of Backyard Pearls: Cultivating Wisdom and Joy in Everyday Life and has written more than 500 articles for national and international publications. She has studied a wide range of creative and spiritual practices for over 30 years and has presented at venues including Esalen Institute, the International Coach Federation, and the Story Circle Women’s Writing Conference.
At the heart of her work is a deep belief that creativity is not something we strive for, but something we return to.
About Sharon
Artistic Creativity
Sharon Zeugin makes art and teaches workshops in her Austin, Texas Studio, and throughout the USA, Canada and Italy. In addition to being a faculty member of numerous international calligraphy conferences, Sharon has been Program Coordinator for the Literally Letters Program at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, and is a faculty member of the Austin Contemporary Art School. Her award winning work appears in publications such as Letter Arts Review, The Calligrapher’s Engagement Calendar, Somerset Studio Magazine, the Lark Book,” The Art and Craft of Hand Lettering,” and most recently, the 24th edition of the classic Speedball Textbook. Teaching people to overcome fear of the blank page is her mission and all levels of art experience are welcome at her retreats.
About Julie
Movement Experience
Guest teacher Julie Wylie, a spirited, down to earth facilitator by nature, has over 35 years of movement experience. She has a passion for somatic story telling & fostering communities of ‘women lifting women higher,’ including volunteering with Truth Be Told (a creative program supporting women behind and beyond bars). She has also taught at Isadora Duncan International Symposiums, Gene Keys StarDreaming Retreats in New Mexico, Unity Church and Seton Cove in Austin, Texas. Although she has a Nia black belt, Julie loves gently guiding non-movers to move in simple ways that increase joy and body pleasure.
From the community.
Hear from women in the community about why they keep coming back.
I LOVED the retreat. It was everything I hoped it would be, and so much more. I went with the intention to clear my schedule and my mind so that I could focus on writing. What I found was a serendipitous occasion that fueled my creativity, joy, and appreciation. For the first time I experienced what is referred to as “flow” with my writing. I became prolific! I felt like the words came through me and my job was to write quickly enough to capture it. What an experience! It has stayed with me and given me the confidence to continue writing and creating.”
– Karen, Therapist
Fueled my writing
“Carolyn’s Taos Retreat was a magical combination of mind, body and spirit that freed me to discover my inner creativity! I loosened up enough to experience the child I once was. The women were smart, joyful and spiritual. Great camaraderie, smart conversation. Food was unbelievably healthy and delicious with gluten free options at every meal.”
– Bonnie, Fabric Artist
Freed my spirit
“This was such an awesome retreat in the Taos mountains. I learned to listen to my body and dance like the wind. Yes, even two left feet moved me around the wooden floor and awakened my inner muse. My mind slowed as I got in touch with my heart, discovering the hidden desires and hopes buried deep in my soul. I tossed negativity to the curb. And I met 19 of the most wonderful and talented women on the planet – true sisters of the soul. I left feeling rejuvenated and inspired to focus on my writing and creative goals.”
– Sallie, Writer
Discovered hidden hopes
“Carolyn’s retreats are the equivalent of stillness meditation for my six-decades aged ADD brain. Attending the thoughtfully curated six days in Taos feels like coming up for air from my usual long swim in obligations. I always receive a mindful reset that gets my year off to a creative and meaningful beginning. Also, Carolyn is such a magnet for magical women. The retreatants and other teachers all feel like sisters—that’s not a coincidence, it’s alchemy of the heart!”
– Anji, Artist and Gardener
Magnet for magical women
Questions?
If you have any questions, I’d be happy to connect with you. Just fill out this form and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.