Archetypal Astrology & Grof Breathwork Workshop

Join us for a unique immersion bringing together Archetypal Astrology and Grof® Breathwork, two complementary approaches that open the doors to deep self-exploration, transformation, and meaning-making. This seven-day workshop offers participants the opportunity to engage powerful non-ordinary states of consciousness while also learning how archetypal patterns—reflected through planetary transits—can illuminate the deeper themes emerging in their inner process.

Why Archetypal Astrology & Grof Breathwork?

For decades, Stanislav Grof sought a reliable way to understand why individuals experienced such diverse, highly specific inner journeys during psychedelic and other holotropic states. Standard psychological tests failed to predict the nature of people’s experiences, and no conventional model explained the profound symbolic, emotional, or mythic content that regularly emerged.

Through his long collaboration with psychologist and philosopher Richard Tarnas, Grof found that archetypal astrology—particularly the study of planetary transits—offered a remarkably precise lens for understanding the qualities, themes, and timing of non-ordinary state experiences. What began as deep skepticism gradually transformed into recognition: astrology could meaningfully illuminate the archetypal energies constellated during psychedelic sessions, psychospiritual crises, meditation practices, and holotropic breathwork.

Grof later wrote that the “most promising strategy for the future development of psychiatry and depth psychology” lies in integrating experiential practices—such as Grof Breathwork—with archetypal psychology and transit astrology. The planetary transits don’t dictate experience, but they can help reveal the deep mythopoetic currents moving through a person’s psyche, supporting both preparation and integration of non-ordinary states.

What This Workshop Offers

Over the course of the week, participants will:

• Learn foundational principles of archetypal astrology, including chart dynamics and the major planetary archetypes and how they show up psychologically and experientially.

• Explore how current planetary transits may relate to personal themes emerging in breathwork sessions, emotional processes, or life transitions.

• Discover how archetypal astrology can enrich preparation, deepen inquiry, and support integration of material that arises in non-ordinary states.

  
  

Experiential Component

The workshop includes four full Grof Breathwork sessions, offering participants the opportunity to experience this method both as a breather (2 sessions) and as a sitter (2 sessions).

No previous breathwork or astrology experience required. This workshop is open to anyone curious about the intersection of the psyche, cosmos, and self-exploration.

Lead Facilitators

Renn Butler

Renn Butler grew up in a back-to-the-land commune in northern Alberta, an early environment that sparked his lifelong dedication to inner exploration. As a work-scholar at the Esalen Institute, he studied with Richard Tarnas and Stanislav and Christina Grof, eventually certifying as a Holotropic Breathwork® facilitator in 1989 (recertifying in Grof® Breathwork in 2023).

For more than thirty years, Renn has offered breathwork workshops and archetypal astrology consultations internationally. He is the author of Pathways to Wholeness, The Archetypal Universe, and The Astrology of Love and Relationships, and teaches a seven-month online course in Archetypal and Holotropic Astrology.

Renn holds a PhD from Ubiquity University, co-directs its graduate program in Archetypal and Holotropic Studies, and cofounded the Archetypal News Network (ANN). He lives in Victoria, B.C., with his partner Alison.

Jay Dufrechou

Jay Dufrechou, J.D., PhD is the Director of Grof Legacy Training USA, the United States branch of the international training organization founded in 2020 by Stanislav and Brigitte Grof. Along with Marianne Murray, Jay leads the teaching and facilitation team for Grof Breathwork training programs in the US.

In the mid-90s, while working as an attorney, experiences of “spiritual emergence” changed Jay’s understanding of the cosmos and led him to the doctoral program at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP), now Sofia University, to follow and integrate his experiences. Earning a Ph.D. in 2002 in Transpersonal Psychology, Jay has taught for various transpersonal-related schools and supervised dissertation research, often involving Stan Grof’s work.

Jay first experienced Stan Grof’s Breathwork in 1995, immediately realizing the power of the technique for personal growth and healing. He came back to breathwork in the mid-2000s and started the facilitator training path in 2009, receiving certification in 2015. He has worked as a holotropic breathwork and Grof Breathwork facilitator across the US, as well as in the UK, Europe, Canada, India and China.

When not traveling for work in Grof programs, Jay divides his time between Helena, Montana, and Panama City Beach, Florida, where he lives with his partner Rob Sharp. Jay is the proud father of three children and “papa” to three grandchildren.

Marianne Murray

Marianne is an eclectic and experiential practitioner in the field of learning. Her academic studies include master’s degrees in transpersonal psychology and mindfulness-based psychotherapy and a doctoral degree in transformative learning and change in human systems. Integral to her work has been her training with Stanislav Grof – she completed the Grof Transpersonal Training in 2001, is a certified GROF® Breathwork facilitator, and has facilitated holotropic breathwork in the US, UK and Europe, Kenya, and India. She is certified also as a facilitator of Bert Hellinger’s systemic constellation work and completed her training as a massage therapist, both of which inform her practice as a facilitator. Marianne had the good fortune to study with Stan during the mid-1990s, both in breathwork training and as a student at CIIS. Living into Stan’s insights on the nature of consciousness and his cartography of consciousness catalyzed not only deep personal healing, but also radically informed her work with group facilitation in the field of personal learning and change.

A faculty member at the Academy for the Love of Learning in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Marianne has been intimately involved with the development of their Leading by Being curriculum and helped to establish the Academy’s overall pedagogy. Topics that motivate her include: somatic awareness as an integral aspect of learning (and un-learning) as we explore unconscious, and semi-conscious, beliefs and biases. The role of facilitator presence in individual and group learning and healing. Now in her mid-70s she can’t help but ask, too, what is the conscious completion of a life’s journey?

Marianne is senior faculty/teacher for the GROF® Legacy Training USA, serves on the Board of Directors for GROF® Legacy Project, and is a Mind and Life Fellow.

Mari Castle

Mari Castle, PhD is a holistic health practitioner, Breathwork Facilitator, and Transformation Coach. Co-Director of GrofStudies.com, she blends Transpersonal Psychology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Jungian and archetypal perspectives to support deep healing. Her books explore the divine feminine and masculine through ancient Sumerian wisdom.

Mari’s path began after a 1997 car accident led her to natural medicine; Holotropic Breathwork helped her heal trauma and inspired her lifelong study of non-ordinary states. With over 300 sessions facilitated, she offers compassionate, intuitive guidance rooted in decades of practice.

Mari resides in Florida but expanded her holistic healing practice internationally after spending four years as an Acupuncturist traveling the world on a cruise ship.

Tentative Schedule

Sunday, May 10

3:30pm: Check-in begins

5:00pm: Dinner

6:00-9:00pm: Opening Circle

Monday, May 11-Friday May 15

7:30am - 7:30pm: Workshop content

Saturday, May 16

7:30am-5:00pm: Workshop closing

Accommodations and Meals

Please note this is a residential workshop. Cost includes lodging for 6-nights and 3-meals a day, with only dinner on arrival day and breakfast and lunch on departure day.

Contraindications

Grof® Breathwork is a transformative experience designed to facilitate deep self-exploration and healing. Due to the intense physical and emotional nature of the practice, certain health conditions may pose risks during breathwork sessions. To ensure the safety and well-being of all participants, please review our health considerations before registering for a workshop. You may also view our health questionnaire prior to registration.

We strive to create a welcome and inclusive community that engenders a sense of belonging, respect, openness, and safety in order to facilitate a personally meaningful process for each participant.  Our intent is to support all participants in their work of self-exploration and discovery. Thus, limited sliding scale opportunities are available. Please inquire directly with Gianna at gianna@grof-legacy-training-usa.com.