Sober Witchcraft Retreat Comes to New Orleans, Seeking Local Sponsors for Spiritual Recovery Event

The Awakening Hope Retreat calls on local businesses and organizations to partner in creating a public ritual focused on healing from addiction.

NEW ORLEANS, LA, UNITED STATES, May 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In March 2026, a unique and powerful event will take place in New Orleans, bringing together recovery and ritual in a way only this city could hold. The Awakening Hope Retreat, hosted by the creators of The Sober Witch Life and the Recovery Coven, is calling on local businesses, spiritual leaders, wellness advocates, and organizations to partner in creating a transformative public ritual focused on healing from addiction through witchcraft.

The retreat, part of a broader movement that integrates witchcraft and sobriety, will culminate in a free community ritual open to the public. Organizers are currently seeking sponsors for venue space, food, and giveaways, and partners to help promote the event locally and invite the community into this magickal and meaningful experience.

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, nearly 50 million Americans struggle with substance use disorders. In Louisiana alone, over 700,000 residents are impacted by addiction, with countless families and communities feeling the ripple effects. Traditional recovery approaches often leave out those whose healing is deeply spiritual or alternative in nature.

The Awakening Hope Retreat offers something different. By blending spiritual recovery programs with ancestral ritual, intuitive tools, and shadow work, it creates space for individuals who identify as witches, seekers, or healers to reclaim recovery on their own terms.

This event not only provides a pathway for personal transformation but also invites the larger New Orleans community to participate in a public act of healing. Partners and sponsors will be recognized in all promotional materials and honored with blessings of gratitude and abundance during the ritual itself.

WHAT THE EVENT INCLUDES

The public ritual will take place during the retreat weekend and is expected to draw attendees from both the local area and across the country. The event will feature a spiritually grounded, non-denominational community ritual that is open to the public. Local vendors and spiritual businesses will have opportunities to participate, and the experience will include live music, altar building, and a guided ceremony invoking healing from addiction. Witch’s recovery tools, such as spellwork, ancestral offerings, and sacred circle practices, will be integrated into the experience.

This event honors the spirit of New Orleans and aims to incorporate its rich cultural history of ritual, mysticism, and community healing. It is also designed to be inclusive, welcoming not just witches but anyone impacted by addiction who desires to witness or participate in a spiritually led path to hope and wholeness.

WHO IS SUNSHINE?

Sunshine is the founder of The Sober Witch Life, a global movement centered on addiction recovery for witches. She is a Reiki Master Teacher, psychic medium, and spiritual mentor with over 5.5 years of sobriety. Through her work in the Recovery Coven and the Sober Witch Mobile App, Sunshine has helped hundreds of witches in recovery access magickal recovery tools, find community, and reclaim their power.

She is also the author of Sober Witch Life: A Magickal Guide to Recovery, and has led dozens of workshops and rituals that blend witchcraft, spiritual education, and real recovery practices.

“New Orleans is my second favorite place to call home,” Sunshine shared. “My love for this city runs deep, and I hope to spend many days loving and honoring it. This retreat is only the beginning of a long relationship between my work and this incredible place.”

A PATH THAT FEELS LIKE HOME

Unlike traditional 12-step programs or clinical rehab, The Sober Witch Life framework integrates witchcraft practices like divination, full moon rituals, candle magick, energy healing, and spiritual shadow work. It meets people where they are, especially those who have felt excluded or misunderstood by mainstream recovery options.

Dani, a Recovery Coven member, shared her story: “It wasn’t until I lit a candle and called on my ancestors that I felt something real shift in me. I’d done therapy, tried AA, but I still felt lost. This path gave me my power back.”

The Awakening Hope Retreat channels this power into an in-person experience, allowing both participants and the local community to witness the sacred act of choosing recovery through spiritual connection.

WHAT PARTNERS AND SPONSORS WILL GAIN

Sunshine and her team are seeking support to ensure the event is as impactful and accessible as possible. Partnering organizations will receive recognition in all print and digital promotional materials. They will be acknowledged during the community ritual, receive a ritual blessing of gratitude and abundance on behalf of the Recovery Coven, and be included in a follow-up blog feature and social media campaign. Supporting this event also offers a unique opportunity to advocate for witchcraft and sobriety as a legitimate and effective path to healing.

Ideal partners include businesses or organizations with ties to New Orleans, a love for spiritual healing, or a history of supporting recovery initiatives. Potential supporters may include wellness centers, independent bookstores, food and drink vendors, spiritual shops, performance groups, and recovery-friendly organizations.

A CALL TO NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans is no stranger to ritual. Its reputation as a spiritual city—rooted in African diasporic traditions, Catholicism, voodoo, and folk magick—makes it the perfect setting for this new kind of recovery retreat. Sunshine’s team is committed to creating something that uplifts both the national sober witch community and the spirit of New Orleans itself.

They are particularly interested in working with venue partners who can provide space for the public ritual gathering, food and beverage sponsors who can help nourish the attendees, organizations or individuals who can donate items for giveaways or ritual use (such as crystals, incense, candles, or journals), and media or promotion partners who can help share the word within New Orleans.

“We know that healing happens faster and deeper when it happens in community,” Sunshine said. “This retreat is about more than just sobriety. It’s about awakening joy, reclaiming power, and weaving hope back into the fabric of our lives. And New Orleans is the perfect place to begin that work.”

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

The retreat is scheduled for March 2026, with the public ritual taking place during that weekend. Anyone interested in partnership, sponsorship, or participation is encouraged to reach out now while planning is still underway.

For details on how to support The Awakening Hope Retreat please email headmistress@illuminateunschool.com

ABOUT THE SOBER WITCH LIFE

The Sober Witch Life is a spiritual recovery movement offering sober witches and seekers an aligned path to healing. Through the Sober Witch Mobile App, the Recovery Coven, and guided tools for shadow work in recovery, Sunshine has empowered a growing global community of witches in recovery. Her work is redefining what sobriety can look and feel like—and proving that witch-friendly recovery programs can be both effective and joyful.

Sunshine Witchski
Illuminate: The Unschool of Sober Witchcraft
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