From the Founder
Dear Men,
We are honored that you will be joining us for Firekeepers 2026 in Chalma, Mexico. Firekeepers is more than a retreat. It is an invitation to step away from the demands of daily life and enter a deeper relationship with yourself, nature, community, and the mystery that calls us forward.
Chalma asks us to arrive differently: to slow down, listen, and attune to the land, its simplicity, its beauty, and its ancient rhythm. As we enter this place together, we are not asking the land to meet our expectations; we are practicing how to meet the land with humility, presence, and respect.
Please take time to carefully review the information below and make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.
Travel Information
Getting to Firekeepers
Firekeepers takes place in Chalma, Mexico, approximately 2½–3 hours from Mexico City International Airport (MEX). We've reserved rooms at a recommended airport hotel for the nights before & after the retreat, and arranged group transportation between that hotel and the retreat center.
Fly into Mexico City (MEX)
All participants are responsible for arranging their own airfare to and from Mexico City International Airport (MEX). We strongly recommend arriving on Wednesday, November 4, and spending the night at our recommended airport hotel — giving you time to settle in, connect with fellow participants, and travel to the retreat with the group the following day.
If you arrive on Thursday, November 5, please ensure your flight lands early enough to reach the hotel before the scheduled shuttle departure.
All international travelers are responsible for ensuring their passport remains valid through their travel dates. Check your expiration date well in advance of departure.
An Itinerary Most Participants Will Follow
- Nov 4 Arrive in Mexico City · Overnight at the Courtyard by Marriott MEX Airport
- Nov 5 Group shuttle to Firekeepers Retreat in Chalma, Mexico
- Nov 8 Group shuttle back to the Courtyard MEX Airport (optional overnight)
- Nov 9 Depart from Mexico City
Mexico City International Airport (MEX) to the Firekeepers Retreat in Chalma — approximately 2½–3 hours by car.
Recommended MEX Airport Group Hotel
Embodied Masculine has arranged discounted rates at:
Courtyard by Marriott Mexico City Airport
Sinaloa 31, Peñón de los BañosVenustiano Carranza
15520 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Connected directly to Terminal 1 by a covered pedestrian walkway (~5 min walk). Guests using Terminal 2 may use the hotel's complimentary shuttle.
Discounted rates available until Oct 31, 2026. Rooms with two beds are available — coordinate room sharing via the Travel Log below.
Book Online
Reserve your room using the group booking link. You may also reserve the night of November 8 at the same time.
Group Booking Link →Phone or Email
Contact the hotel's Reservations Department directly and request the Embodied Masculine Group rate.
+52 (55) 4631 4025
TFTP Participants Only: you may also reserve the Courtyard at the same discounted rate for the night of November 2 — adjust the arrival night when booking online (it defaults to Nov 4).
Transportation to Chalma
A private shuttle departs the Courtyard by Marriott Mexico City Airport on:
Thursday, November 5, 2026 · 12:00 PM
Please arrive in the hotel lobby no later than 11:30 AM for check-in, meeting fellow participants, and loading luggage. The drive to the retreat center is approximately 2½–3 hours, depending on traffic.
You'll be responsible for arranging your own transportation and must arrive no later than 4:00 PM to participate in the opening of the retreat.
Thursday, November 5, 2026 — approximately 4:30 PM. Please arrive rested, nourished, hydrated, and ready to enter the container.
Return Transportation & Optional Airport Hotel Overnight
On Sunday, November 8, all participants return together via private transportation to the Courtyard by Marriott Mexico City Airport. The return shuttle departs Chalma at approximately 1:00 PM and is expected to arrive between 4:00–5:00 PM, depending on traffic.
We strongly recommend booking your return flight for November 9th if at all possible.
Please Share Your Travel Plans
Complete the Firekeepers Travel Log so we can coordinate arrivals, departures, and shuttle transportation — and so you can connect with other men interested in sharing a pre- or post-retreat hotel room. Please update your info as plans become final.
Registration
What's Included
Included in Your Registration
- Lodging from November 5–8
- All retreat meals (vegetarian) — dinner Nov 5 through brunch Nov 8
- Transportation, Courtyard → Chalma (Nov 5)
- Transportation, Chalma → Courtyard (Nov 8)
Participants Are Responsible For
- Airfare
- Hotel accommodations before & after the retreat
- Transportation to the Courtyard MEX Airport
- Travel insurance
- Personal purchases & specialty snacks/beverages
- Any expenses outside retreat dates
Weather
November in Chalma
One of the most comfortable times of year in the region — cool mornings, warm afternoons, and occasional light rain. Layered clothing is highly recommended.
What to Expect
An Immersive Container
Firekeepers combines embodiment practices, nature immersion, ritual, community, reflection, and transformational group work.
- Morning embodiment practices
- Breathwork & somatic work
- Group process & Q&A with Amir Khalighi
- Time in nature
- Community meals
- Fire gatherings
- Ritual & ceremony
- Optional offerings from Facilitators in Training
- Personal reflection & integration time
Some experiences may challenge you physically, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually. We encourage you to meet the work with curiosity, courage, and self-responsibility.
Altar & Land Offerings
Please Bring Two Offerings
Personal Altar Offering
One meaningful item that will live on our collective altar throughout the retreat — infused through our collective practices and returned to you at its conclusion.
Sacred objects · Family photographs · Stones or crystals · Artwork · Symbols of personal significance · Heirlooms
Land Offering
One biodegradable offering intended for the land, given in gratitude to the land that hosts our work.
Flowers · Fruit · Seeds · Herbs · Tobacco · Nuts
From Seed to Intention
There Is a Reason You Said Yes
Before arriving, spend time reflecting on the deeper intention that is bringing you here. This is the moment to sit with the seed that wants to birth into your intention. Treat this with care. Water the seed during quiet times; give it space to reveal itself to you.
The clearer your intention, the more deeply you may engage with the experience.
Packing List
Please Bring
Clothing
- Comfortable movement clothing
- Shorts for sweat lodge participation
- Warm layers for mornings & evenings
- Light jacket or fleece
- Rain jacket or weather-resistant layer
- Comfortable sleepwear
- Hat for sun protection
Footwear
- Hiking boots or trail shoes
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Sandals or slip-on shoes
Personal Items
- Water bottle
- Journal and pens
- Yoga mat (or buy on-site for $35 — indicate in Travel Log)
- Headlamp or flashlight
- Sunglasses & sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- Daypack or small backpack
- Personal toiletries & medications
Retreat-Specific
- Personal altar item
- Land offering
- Blindfold
- Towel for sweat lodge
- Change of clothes after sweat lodge
Optional
- Musical instrument
- Blanket or prayer shawl
- Electrolyte packets
- Sacred items for personal practice
Sweat Lodge Preparation
Temazcal
We anticipate holding a traditional Temazcal sweat lodge ceremony during the retreat. Please bring loose-fitting shorts designated for sweat lodge participation, along with a towel and change of clothing for afterward.
Hydration is essential. We strongly encourage all participants to begin increasing their water intake several days before arriving, and to remain well hydrated throughout the retreat.
Advocacy for Self & Others
Throughout the retreat you may encounter physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual edges. Your responsibility is not to push beyond your capacity. Your responsibility is to remain in relationship with yourself.
Listen to your body. Honor your limits. Ask for support when needed.
We also ask that you remain attentive to your brothers throughout the retreat. Community is built through mutual care and awareness.
Medical Conditions & Nourishment
To support the clarity, presence, and depth of our shared practices, prayers, and ceremonies, all meals throughout Firekeepers are vegetarian. Eating clean keeps the body and mind light, focused, and receptive to the work we're doing together.
If you have any medical conditions, injuries, food allergies, mobility concerns, medications, recent surgeries, or other health considerations we should know, please notify us prior to arrival — and inform us of any changes as soon as possible.
firekeepers@embodiedmasculine.com
All information remains confidential and is only shared when necessary to support your safety and wellbeing.
Substances & Sexual Conduct
Firekeepers is designed to support clarity, presence, self-awareness, and authentic connection. We ask that participants refrain from alcohol, recreational drugs, and sexual activity — with other participants and privately — for the duration of the retreat.
Sacred tobacco and hápe are permitted. Questions regarding prescribed medications or unique circumstances should be directed to our leadership team prior to arrival.
Community Agreements
- Respect confidentiality
- Honor personal boundaries
- Participate at your own pace
- Speak from your experience
- Support a culture of presence & mutual respect
- Ask for support when needed
Tentative Schedule
Firekeepers, Day by Day
Thursday 11/5
- Bus to Chalma (Courtyard by Marriott Airport)
- Check-in
- Fireside Opening
- Dinner
- Hike to Art Boretum
- The Wild Unknown
- Fireside Circle
Friday 11/6
- Sunrise Meditation
- Fireside Coffee
- Morning Hike to Art Boretum
- Morning Practice
- Lunch
- Nature Excursion
- Dinner
- Temazcal Ceremony
- Fireside Circle
Saturday 11/7
- Sunrise Meditation
- Fireside Coffee
- Morning Hike to Art Boretum
- Morning Practice
- Lunch
- Free Time
- Evening Practice
- Dinner
- Fireside Circle
Sunday 11/8
- Clean Up & Break Down
- Closing Circle
- Checkout
- Bus Back to Mexico City (Courtyard by Marriott Airport)
Schedule is tentative and subject to change on-site.
The Sacred Fire
A Prayer For You, My Brother
You have chosen to step into this container, this sacred fire. Not a fire that destroys, but a fire that reveals, refines, and awakens you to the path that is yours alone.
Here, we turn toward the wounds we have long avoided. Here, we meet the shadows that quietly shape how we see ourselves, others, and the world. Here, we find the courage to release the conditioning, fear, and identities that keep us disconnected from our deepest power. And here, we remember the truth that has always lived within us.
This path is not for the faint of heart. It is for those willing to sit in the heat of transformation. To surrender what no longer belongs. To come into integrity with the soul's calling. To be forged into someone more whole, more awake, and more fully alive.
May you walk with courage. May you remember that you do not walk alone. May this fire reveal the gold hidden within you, the gifts waiting to be embodied, and the light that has always longed to be shared with those whose lives you touch.
In Devotion & Service,
Amir Khalighi
Pre-Arrival Checklist
Before Departing for Mexico
Check items off as you complete them — your progress is saved automatically on this device.