workshops

workshop one

being centred

The four Directions

In ancient cosmologies the compass directions provided orientation for the Soul as well as for the body. The qualities associated with each direction give powerful insights into our nature and the cycle of development. There is almost universal agreement between diverse cultural traditions on the qualities associated with each direction, confirming that they are a repository of ancient intuitive wisdom.

Ancestral Wound

A family is a holistic system and within eco-systems, individuals are influenced towards behaviours that are congruent with, and serve the integrity of, the whole system. As a child, your personal identity was patterned by this dynamic, and it translated into feelings, attitudes, beliefs about you Self and others, as well as your personal goals and expectations from life.

The Forest of Illusion

You have a desire to ‘find yourself,’ but you’re not sure who that is or where to look. You are busy, too busy with life’s challenges to ease up and take a break. With no alternative but to keep it all locked down, you can feel overwhelmed, nervous, frustrated, but your mind just tells you to keep going, battle on, pull yourself together. There is a quiet voice calling out to you, in your dreams, and through the symptoms in your body. It tries to reach you with visions and synchronicities, but you are too focussed on the outside, and unaware of the wise Healer Within. You are lost in the Forest of Illusion.

being centred

When you stand in the centre of a medicine wheel, such as Stonehenge on the plains of Albion, you can connect with the four directions, the Earth beneath your feet, and the Great Above. You can also do this in everyday life with a simple practice. Being centred gives you access to all the qualities of your nature, and this will help you to keep your Self, and your world, in balance.

workshop two

the sanctuary

Inner Compass

The world is full of options, doors to open or leave closed. Your Inner Compass is your resource for making those choices. When you follow your own instinct, intuitions, dreams, visions, insights, inspirations and synchronicities, you are being guided by an inner wisdom, and when you cross the threshold into the inner world of dreams, visions and memories, your Inner Compass is your primary navigation tool.

The Call

Following your Inner Compass is an art you were born with, and you can recover this inner wisdom by trusting your Self, and giving attention to the cues and quiet voices that arise from your subconscious realm. The more you listen, the stronger the Call will become. It often speaks in the language of symbols and images, but if you can learn how to navigate in those realms, you will be guided to the Healer Within.

The Healer Within

The Healer Within is a beacon, a lighthouse in the tempest.  She guides you to listen to your own Body and Soul, to learn to trust your own being, and to be kind, compassionate and loving towards your Self. It is difficult to discern her voice at first, amid the din of contemporary life, but with every step you take towards her, her presence becomes stronger within you.

The Sanctuary

workshop three

BEHIND THE VEIL

The Underworld

The subconscious realm is your treasure trove of lost and broken pieces of your story, to be approached with an attitude of awe and wonder. It contains impressions and qualities that link you to your past, and secrets that will influence your future. It is your access to the hidden resources that lie within you. It is the source of all dreams and visions, and from this fertile realm, you can remember your story, release the past and transform the wound.

The veil of shame

To travel within the subconscious realm is an epic voyage. When you encounter your banished and forsaken shadow parts, hidden behind a veil of shame, greet them with gratitude, love and compassion. The source of all healing lies in learning to love your Self.

Remember the Story

With the support of the Healer, you can revisit the events from your past that generated emotional connections. To reconnect with these events, you can trace the threads to their origins. Each will lead you to a unique and specific memory, some joyful, and some painful. The memories, feelings and insights that you recover will create a rich mix, to be worked with like an artist’s palette, through writing, painting, drawing, movement or music. You can return to the playfulness that you once had, as a child, when play was a serious matter, and you were absorbed in the process rather than being concerned with the end result.

workshop four

transform the wound

Release the Past

With the support of the Healer, you will revisit the events from your past that generated emotional connections. To reconnect with these events, you can trace the threads to their origins. Each will lead you to a unique and specific memory, some joyful, and some painful. You will remember each memory in turn, including the emotions, and connect with a feeling of gratitude towards each event. The joyful memories, that are still nourishing you, can be acknowledged and remain intact, whilst the painful memories, that are draining your energy, can be uprooted, and transformed.

Transform the Wound

When you make peace with your past, the guilt, shame, and other dark feelings that you have harboured towards yourself, will be uprooted, as they are no longer part of your story, and in their place, you can plant acceptance, understanding, compassion, forgiveness and love. You will receive untold benefits from the practice of releasing the past. The removal of unwanted emotional ties will restore your vital energy, and your luminous body will become more expansive and radiant.

Receive the Gifts

As your radiance increases, you will gain more access to Vital Force, that flows throughout creation. This influx of energy results in you feeling happier and more at ease. As you transform the wound, you will become more aligned with the Healer Within, more connected with your Soul, more trusting of your Self, more centred and self-assured. In the place of shame and self-reproach, you will receive the gift of self-love, compassion and forgiveness. You will also recover the magical qualities that were granted to you at birth and are still part of who you are – your sense of wonderment and grace, your fertile imagination, your deep curiosity and your infinite potential for love. 

The breeze at dawn

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you

Don’t go back to sleep

You must ask for what you really want

Don’t go back to sleep

People are going back and forth

across the door sill where

the two worlds touch

The door is round and open

Don’t go back to sleep.

Rumi. 12th century