If you are a perceptive, curious person, with a thirst for knowledge, who is ready to embark on an ancient and Universal, hidden-in-plain-sight pathway to purpose, then join Peter Levenda and Marco Visconti in the breathtaking Joshua Tree Desert, AND BE INITIATED INTO THE most enduring of all mysteries, finally understanding how you belong in Cosmos!

Stairway to heaven is a TRANSFORMATIVE ADVENTURE, BEYOND TRADITIONAL RETREATS in a setting of breathtaking scenic beauty, touching the Tall night sky.

are you ready to look up to the heavens and ascend to the stars?

You are not alone!

Picture the magic

You are relaxing in a Warm Pool, feeling the water flow around you, as the Sunset explodes with colour and you feel you belong inside that orange, red and purple somehow. The fresh and pure Fragrance of the Desert is brought to you by a refreshing breeze, It fills your nostrils as you contemplate Peter Levenda’s mind expanding lecture from earlier. You know there is a spark of Recognition and Understanding inside you. You have felt it before, and you felt it today. Soon you are ready for tonight’s adventure, about to be guided through the Night-Sky by Experienced Guides who are about to arrive with Powerful Telescopes, so you can be one with the Night and let the Stars envelope you, while Peter tells of the most Ancient of all Universal Myths about the very Star systems you are admiring close up! The Big Dipper is already visible through the purple sunset, and you will soon belong amongst the 2,5% of the world’s population who have seen the Milky Way with their naked eye. The Silence around you feels absolute. You can almost hear your own pulse. Your senses are getting ready for tomorrow’s Sound Bath, before a Secret Ritual inside Joshua Tree National Park with it’s pre-historic looking vast landscapes awakens all your senses, and makes the hair stand up on your arms. Looking out over the endless and quirky landscape surrounding you, a Sense of Eternity is very real.

That’s something to share later around the Fire Pit!

What to expect

Through lectures and pathworking, you will gain insights into how the stairway to the heavens seamlessly wove itself into the fabric of modern mysticism, influencing the seekers of enlightenment and unveiling a cosmic narrative that transcends both time and space.

 Explore the Hidden Threads connecting Ancient Civilisations, Mystical Traditions, and Secret Societies worldwide. From Egyptian Mysteries to Qabalistic revelations, Chinese Daoism to Hindu Tantra, - we will unveil a Universal Method echoing through time. 

Dive into the Symbolism of the number Seven, the Celestial Chariot called Merkavah, the Divine Throne, Temple and Being. Together, we will unearth surprising revelations in the Rituals of Egypt, Sumer, and Babylon, discovering the roots of a global shared narrative of Divine Ascent.

Delve into the Clandestine World of Western Secret Societies in the 19th and 20th centuries as we unravel the enigmatic influence of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor and other Esoteric Groups that encoded and perpetuated this Ancient Wisdom, shaping the very foundations of new-age Occultism.

Finally, we explore the intriguing connections between rituals and the contemporary interest in UFO and Ultraterrestrial contact—the true disclosure.

Join us on this riveting exploration that bridges ancient wisdom with modern revelations, unlocking the secrets of the universe

Where the magic Happens

The Joshua Tree Retreat Center, home of the Institute of Mentalphysics has received the National Register of Historic Places designation.

This architectual gem of a Retreat Center is the Oldest and Largest Retreat Center in the Western United States.

Their Mission is to be a “retreat center for individuals and groups to create and experience new ways to approach spiritual living and personal well-being”.

The property features works by a variety of notable post World War II architects and builders, especially Lloyd Wright. The Retreat Center includes the largest collection of Lloyd Wright’s works. Each of his 11 buildings on the land, is a significant example of Organic Architecture. Lloyd Wright also undertook the hexagonal site plan for the district, and elements of its stunning and otherworldly landscape design.

This Venue, in all it’s breathtaking beauty, is a unique setting that enhances the Learning Experience and offers:

• Connection with Nature, which is integral to understanding celestial themes.

• Opportunity to directly engage with the Energy of a Significant Celestial Alignment.

• An ideal environment for Meditation and Pathworking.

• Beauty and tranquillity of a renowned spiritual and natural site.

• A delicious daily lunch in it’s vegan/vegetarian café with panoramic windows overlooking beautiful grounds

• A Land Art Site.

• A warm Pool.

• Labyrinths, Medicine Wheels, Vortexes and Walking Paths.

• A Café and a Shop stocked with awesome spiritual gifts and objects.

• Ample Parking.

• Mind blowing Mid-Century Architecture throughout.

• There’s even a Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays.

Joshua Tree:

PURE Magic under the Stars

With a stunning, stark, bewitching beauty, expansive views and the tallest, starriest skies in the American West, it’s easy to fall under Joshua Tree’s spell. This is a place that calls you!

Whether you’re looking for Insight and Spirit, unique Scenic Sights, expansive, wide open Views, world renowned Stargazing Opportunities, deep Silence, Centering and Recharging, an Old West–inspired adventure or the best Music and Art this side of Los Angeles, Joshua Tree Delivers! The temperature is nice in February too!

Joshua Tree is the perfect place to embark with PETER LEVENDA and MARCO VISCONTI on a Mind-Bending Journey through the Ages.

The Scenery seems Pre-Historic. The Night Skies are mostly Clear. The Darkness makes you feel enveloped in black velvet, and the Land itself calls for a Connection to Source. It’s the perfect place to Disconnect from the daily grind and endeavor to Understand:

Why did all spiritual cultures invest so much time in studying the stars and their connections with humanity? 

Stargazing, Sound baths and Joshua Tree National Park

As a part of our adventure, we will touch the stars in person. Experienced star guides with powerful telescopes take us on a literal Stairway to Heaven, so we can establish a direct physical link with the celestial mysteries and the pathway to ascension we are learning to approach.

We visit the Integratron, a historic building, allegedly with blueprints handed down from extra-terrestials (yes really). The Integratron embodies the Fusion of Art, Science, and Magic, and will host a Relaxing and Mind-Expanding Sound Bath for all attendees.

Joshua Tree National Park, with it’s serene air of the Weighty and Eternal, offers sand dunes, dry lakes, flat valleys, extraordinarily rugged mountains, granitic monoliths, and oases within its nearly 800,000 acres. We will Practice Meditations and Pathworking inside this fit-for-the-purpose Landmark in all it’s sanctity - the grounding effect of the Timeless Scenery and Deafening Silence enhancing the purpose and the result of our Immersion into the Mysteries.

Your Hosts

Peter Levenda

Levenda is a native of the Bronx, New York. He has lived and traveled all over the world in the course of his life, work and research. He has an MA in Religious Studies and Asian Studies from FIU, and speaks a variety of languages (some of them dead). He was briefly detained at the notorious Nazi sanctuary and interrogation center Colonia Dignidad in Chile, in 1979 during the course of research for Unholy Alliance. He has appeared in numerous television programs for the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic His published work has been praised by Norman Mailer, Jim Hougan, Dick Russell, Whitley Strieber, Katherine Neville, and many others. He is or was a member of MENSA, of the American Academy of Religion, of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, of the Norman Mailer Society, and the T. E. Lawrence Society.

Peter Levenda is the author of The Secret Temple: Masons, Mysteries and the Founding of America (Continuum, 2009) and Unholy Alliance: A History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult (Continuum, 2002), which has appeared in 6 foreign-language editions, and Stairway to Heaven: Chinese Alchemists, Jewish Kabbalists and the Art of Spiritual Transformation.

Levenda is an authority on esoterica, and an accomplished teacher and scholar of ancient and current spiritual systems, Ufology and the occult.

Marco Visconti

Marco Visconti is a lifelong student and practitioner of Magick and the Western Esoteric Tradition. His main focus is to teach the basis of Thelema - an important esoteric ideology, and Esoteric Freemasonry to a wider public, outside the bonds of Secret Societies, gate-keeping and hush hush.
From this endeavour came Magick Without Tears, a "Virtual Lodge" of like-minded individuals and honest seekers, with weekly livestreams and over 500 articles written during the lockdown year. This has since evolved into its own network with courses and classes available on-demand.

Visconti propelled into his current employment as an author, writer and teacher of spirituality. Last year, Watkins Publishing released his debut book, "The Aleister Crowley Manual: Thelemic Magick for Modern Times", which explores the principles and practises of Thelema and Magick. The book sold well, has received positive reviews and has been well-received by readers.

Visconti is currently engaged in the writing of his second book, while teaching magick and the art of the mysteries through online platforms, at retreats and at the esteemed College of Psychic Studies in Kensington, London.

Tonelise Rugaas:

Your Retreat Facilitator is a storyteller and Joshua Tree Resident, very much in the know about the area, and the intrepid souls who merge with the desert.

Tonelise is looking forward to facilitate your adventure, so you can elevate your Spirit, look up towards the Stars, admire the vast, expansive Scenery of Joshua Tree, quench your thirst for Knowledge, practice Ritual, discover the Universal Myth, unplug from Stress, and come home with your head amongst the Stars, embodying the Heavens.

Tonelise is a consecrated Ceremonial Magician, Desert Enthusiast, Transplanted Norwegian, A Master Mason, A certified NLP Master Practitioner, Tarot Reader, Artist and committed Fan of both Loud Music and Deep Silence.

The Lasting Impact

These aren’t just 5 days that will make life shine while you’re here. Oh no! The tools and expertise you will come away with, will equip you with a template for how to walk in the world of chaos without becoming a part of it.

You’ll gain new perspectives on ancient wisdom and its relevance today, clarity on complex esoteric concepts and a deeper appreciation of historic and modern mysticism, so you can follow a universal method supporting personal and spiritual reflection.

Through dynamic experiential pathworking and interaction with others, you’ll learn how to ascend upwards through the 7 rungs on the ladder. Get ready to nurture deep self-realization and profound insights about your place in the Universe, so you can learn to become you own self-healer releasing past wounds and discarding limiting behavioural patterns, finally reframing them to your benefit.

You will learn different practices to engage with the Energies of the Big Dipper, and have a direct experience with the initiatory techniques encoded in them, so you can ascend, belong and find your place in Cosmos.

You will know that we are not alone, so you can take home with you an increased sense of understanding with like-minded individuals.

Ad Astra! - To the Stars!

What’s Included:

• All Lectures and Talks

• Meditations and Pathworking

• Group Ritual and Magickal Practice

• Stargazing Event

• Soundbath at the Integratron

• Entrance fee to Joshua Tree National Park

• Daily Vegan or Vegetarian Lunch at Joshua Tree Retreat Center.

• Coffee/Tea/Water

• Use of warm pool at Joshua Tree Retreat Center

• Parking

What’s Not Included:

• Flights

• Transport from airport to/from Joshua Tree Retreat Center

• Accommodation (Contact us if you’d like us to help you book with our accommodation partners)

• Breakfast and Dinner

• Notebook and pens

• Uber or taxi trips for excursions

• Personal, travel and medical insurance

• Any souvenirs/shopping done outside retreat or while on excursions

Feel fully Alive – Experience A New Connection To cosmos. What is that worth to you?

Your Investment*

Spaces are limited

$950,- per person.

We are flexible! A 50% deposit of 475,- is required at time of registration to hold your spot. Deposits are non refundable. 

The retreat needs to be paid in full 30 days after deposit is paid.

We accept Paypal and Venmo payable to onemagicalretreat@gmail.com

You will receive an invoice for your records/against your taxes.

Cancellation Policy 

• A $450.- non-refundable deposit is required at time of registration. 

• A 50% refund (beyond the nonrefundable deposit) will be provided on cancellations between date of reservation and 89-60 days prior to the start date of the booked retreat.

• No refund will be provided on cancellations 59 days or less prior to the start date of the booked retreat.

• No refund/credit will be provided for premature leaving of the retreat or failure to arrive at the retreat for any reason.

• Trip cancellation insurance is always recommended whenever making travel plans. You can use our suggested Travelex Insurance online to get a quote and choose policy options.

• If we find that the trip is not a good fit for you, we reserve the right to cancel your reservation, in which case your payments will be fully refunded.

• We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum. (If we do so, you will be refunded in full.)

Accommodation partners

Feel free to book your own accomodation.

Joshua Tree is popular and has many opportunities, either you prefer a Hotel, Motel or an Airbnb.

If you’d like us to help you find the best accomodation nearby, walking distance to Joshua Tree town with all its little cute shops, restaurants, deli, galleries and farmer’s market, e-mail Tonelise on onemagicalretreat@gmail.com and she’ll happily help you enhance your overall experience beyond the stars, assisting with your booking, so you can enjoy a 10% discount of your accommodation.:

AUTOCAMP JOSHUA TREE, Ca

The Airstream is the enduring icon of exploration in American culture, and the perfect place to stay for an experience that smacks of Desert life.

AutoCamp continues that legacy of honoring nature in the 21st century. From the outset, it was always believed that guests should be able to immerse themselves in nature and world-class design, blending the outdoor experience with the comfort, service and design-forward thinking of a boutique hotel. Guests can cook over a campfire, walk to town with all it’s amenities, skip rocks, relax by the pool and enjoy a complementary breakfast. A dollar from every stay at Autocamp goes back to local nature preservation. Over the last decade, Autocamp have earned media coverage from Oprah Magazine, Vogue, the Travel Channel, Sunset Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Bloomberg etc

We an also connect you with the best Airbnbs in town.

alternatively, We can help you book at a clean, local, affordable, no frills motel with a pool if you prefer.

There is something for every budget.

Learn the Technology of consciousness and ascend.

you are not alone. we are not alone