Month: May 2013

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New Retreat Weekends available!

Mongolian smallSanctuary Retreat 27-29 September 2013 

What is the basis of this weekend retreat?

This weekend retreat will focus entirely on the idea of Sanctuary.  From Friday 27th September through to midday on Sunday 29th this retreat is set in some of the most beautiful Suffolk countryside; it is as peaceful and as tranquil as you could possibly imagine. There will be talks, workshops, great vegetarian and vegan food – as well as your “own time” for you to explore the surrounding countryside through walks or even borrowing one of the bikes to cycle down the country lanes!

Everyone needs Sanctuary every now and then – a safe place where they can simple “be”.  The aim of this weekend is to explore the many definitions of sanctuary, and how to create that in our everyday life.  We will look at our own personal “space”, as well as the other spaces that we create, such as our home space and sacred space.  We will learn to acknowledge all the times in our lives when we are given sanctuary, thus establishing a deeper relationship with the concept and furthermore being able to bring it to the forefront of our lives.

Sanctuary gives us that space where we are allowed to be ourselves, fully without fear.  It is a temple, a sacred space, both within and without.  A goddess, Nemetona, is known here in the British Isles as well as in Gaul for being the Lady of Sanctuary.  She was celebrated in forest groves, the classical sources tell us, but she is to be found everywhere.  Sinking deep into her temple, dancing freely in the twilight, letting go of notions of that self that we have created, we have time to simply BE.  We return to the selfless source, if we so desire.  And yet, we must come back and define our edges once more, but this time they are perhaps softened, allowing more in, allowing sanctuary and compassion to those that need it. Though we may discriminate, Nemetona doesn’t.  That is why she is a goddess.

Explore where your edges meet with another, whether it be human, cat or tree.  Let go into the embrace of this Lady, to find out who you truly are.  In her temple, we are all perfectly who we are at this given moment.  Dance with her, and know what it means to be truly free.

What is the accommodation like?

In a beautiful part of rural Suffolk, just outside of Halesworth is a little gem – five acres of land owned by two wonderful people who are committed to sharing their passion for enjoying the outdoors in comfort, style and with full green credentials.

We will be sleeping in yurts; gorgeous and lush Mongolian tents.  Inside, there are real beds, futons, tables, chairs, dresser drawers and vanity mirrors – pure luxury camping!  Each yurt has its own log burner and comes with tea and coffee making facilities, as well as everything you would need – plates, cutlery, cups, mugs and more.  You will be sharing your yurt with one or two other people.  If you are coming with a friend, and would like to stay in the same tent, then please let us know.  Otherwise, we will draw straws and let the fates decide – you could end up with a new lifelong friend!

The owners, Kim and Nick, have created a space where you will be catered for fully – all you have to bring is yourself, and your own bedsheet and towel.  Everything else is taken care of for you.

There is a Main Barn where, if the weather is uncooperative, we will meet for the workshops, talks, evening chats, meals and more.  Inside the Main Barn is also an indoor kitchen, showers and loos.  There is also an outdoor kitchen, as well as outdoor hot showers – these are pretty special, and a normal shower will never again be able to compare!

How much is it?

Booking for this retreat weekend is £150 per person, which includes all activities, accommodation and food.

What is the schedule like?

Arrival is from 3pm onwards on the Friday night.  We will give you time to settle into your yurts, and then have a communal meal around 5.30 – 6pm.  After that, we will gather together around the fire or inside the main barn and go through what Sanctuary means to us.  We will have a talk from the event organiser, Joanna van der Hoeven, on how as a Druid the idea of sanctuary and sacred space is integral to her way of life.  We will look at Nemetona, the goddess of Sanctuary, as well as how in Druid and pagan ritual we create sacred space.  We will also look at how we can carry that sacred space within us at all times, allowing us to be truly free in our own self-expression, with honour and integrity. We will then do a short vocal exercise, where we can share the same space and let our voices blend together to create a sacred space.  Afterwards, we can then chat, have some hot chocolate or other drinks and then retire for the evening.

The following Saturday morning we will again meet for a communal breakfast.  After that we will gather together for a guided meditation session on how to ground and centre yourself.  Then we will have a workshop on learning to find where our edges are, and how they meet and interact with other people’s edges.  We will discuss the ethics of how we interact with others, and how we can allow our true selves to shine through with empathy and compassion.

After a communal lunch, we will then look at how we can create our own sacred spaces, in our homes, at our work desk, in our bedrooms and bathrooms and in our own mind.  We will then build our own altar which will act as a focus for the rest of the weekend and for the ritual later that evening, with things that we feel represent our true selves and our ideas of sanctuary.  We will also come up with a ritual for that evening, using our ideas of sacred space and sanctuary and working together to develop something that will be meaningful and profound for all.

From 3.30pm onwards is “free time”, where you will have a couple of hours to explore the ideas you have come across in talks and workshops, or chat with a new friend, go for a walk, bike ride, meditate – the choice is yours!  We will gather again at around 5.30 – 6pm for our evening meal.

After the meal we will have our ritual that we have created.  There will most likely be singing, drumming and dancing as well!  We will then retire for the evening.

Sunday morning we will gather for our last communal meal at breakfast.  We will have a short discussion on how we can bring what we have learned and ideas that we have come across over the weekend into our everyday lives.  We will again perform a short vocal sharing, allowing our voices to blend together in celebration of sacred space and sanctuary.  Then, it’s time to go home and allow Sanctuary to permeate into your life.

How do I book?

Simply email Joanna van der Hoeven at autumnsong@hotmail.co.uk to receive your booking form.  A £50 deposit will be required to secure your booking.  This deposit is non-refundable if you cancel your booking within four weeks of the event. The remainder of the booking fee will be due four weeks prior to the event (however if you want to pay it all up front then please feel free).  We can set up a payment plan of three instalments if you would prefer – please enquire.  If we are fully booked, we will have a waiting list available for any last-minute cancellations.

How can I find out more?

Simply email autumnsong@hotmail.co.uk if you would like more information on this weekend retreat.  For more information about the organiser, Joanna van der Hoeven, please visit her website at www.autumnsong.org.  Places are limited, so book early to reserve your space.

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chalicwell1The Little Pagan Monastery, 11 – 13 April 2014 at Chalice Well Gardens, Glastonbury, is a weekend retreat that will follow and incorporate monastic traditions such as daily prayers, meditation, talks, lectures, chores and ritual for the Pagan.

Set in the beautiful and sacred Chalice Well Gardens, this three day, two night weekend will follow a strict routine and regime that hopes to inspire you to incorporate more spirituality in your daily practice at home.  Take what inspires you and run with it!

We have booked St Michael’s Lodge, which is a lovely guesthouse designed for peace and relaxation in mind.  Rooms are either single or shared, so be prepared to possibly share with a new friend!  There is a library where books may be borrowed, but please return them at the end of the weekend. There is also a lovely kitchen, and a meditation room for daily practice and connection.

The Meeting Room set right up against the gardens is where most of the weekend’s events will take place.  We also plan to do some work in the garden, as well as take trips out to Glastonbury Tor and the White Spring, weather permitting.  Come and experience the beauty of land, sea and sky atop the Tor, or take a healing plunge into the sacred pools of the White Spring, or simply come to enjoy the beauty of the Red Spring and the serenity of Chalice Well. The weekend will end with a ritual (if possible) by Chalice Well.

All food, drink and accommodation are included in the weekend retreat price.  A £50 deposit must be made up front to guarantee your booking, and will be non-refundable if you cancel within four weeks of the booking date.

If you desire to taste the monastic life, to pray, meditate, work and enjoy the silence in a special holy site with like-minded people, then this is the weekend for you!

£180 per person, cheque or paypal payment only. Please email autumnsong@hotmail.co.uk to book your place. If you are booking for more than one person please let me know and we will allocate you the double rooms first.

Many blessings!

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Here we go A’Maying…

kentwell hall may day

This weekend at Kentwell Hall the Tudor Re-enactment team were in full swing.  Celebrating May Day, they brought to life old customs and traditions for all to enjoy.

First of all, we had to go A’Maying, which is where the tree is felled for the May Tree.  (The maypole with ribbon dancing is a Victorian invention).  With drummers drumming and pipers piping we followed the procession into the woods to where our chosen tree stood.  As we neared the spot, the music stopped and voices were hushed.  The Woodsman and several other men went forward to fell the tree in silence, for they did not want to awaken the Forest Spirit, Jack in the Green.  It was all to no avail, for as soon as axe touched wood out sprang Jack, with green cloak billowing and mossy hair and beard bristling beneath his hood.  He attacked viciously the Woodsman, but the men managed to pull Jack away, and finally subdued him enough to send him back into the heart of the wood.  The tree fell slowly, and I whispered a prayer of thanks to it for its sacrifice.

All the men then gathered around the fallen tree, picking it up and heaving it onto their shoulders to take back to the village.  The music started again, and we followed in procession through the fields to our destination.  Once there, we were invited to tie ribbons onto the May tree, with the intention of making a wish that would come true in a year and a day.  The men then attached ropes to the May tree and hoisted it into a hole they had made into the ground, and wedged it tight.  The May Tree now stood proud in the centre of the village.

Later that day the main procession went from the village to the Hall – and what a sight it was.  The May Queen, a young girl of about 9 or 10 years of age sat bareback upon a beautiful Suffolk Punch horse, that had daffodils plaited into mane and tail.  The young girl was dressed in a simple white gown, and her golden hair shone in the sunlight – indeed, her whole being shone with pride and excitement as she lead the procession.  Behind her in a wagon were her maidens, more young girls dressed in white, waving to the crowd.  The musicians followed, singing their traditional May songs, and the banner bearers with their colourful standards brought up the rear.  It was truly spectacular, with the flags waving in the wind, the music lifting hearts and souls.

Once in the courtyard of the Hall, the May Queen dismounted, and followed the Lady of the Hall into the wagon with the handmaidens.  The Lady of the Hall the crowned the May Queen with a wreath of flowers, to much applause. As the May Queen descended, a fury in green swept through the crowd, and Jack O’ the Green came flying in, grabbing the May Queen and hoisting her over his shoulder. The men ran after him, finally capturing him once again and rescuing the May Queen.  They forced Jack to kneel before her and asked the May Queen if she forgave him.  The young maiden went forward and placed her hand upon Jack’s head, and forgave him, sending him back into the deep woods where he belonged.  “Hail Jack,” I whispered.  “Know that you are honoured”.

The mummers then performed a hilarious play about St George and the Dragon, and then the procession moved back to the village.  There, the music kicked up again in full tilt, and we began the spiral and circle dances around the May tree.  I could feel the energy humming through the crowd, into the ground, making my feet want to move.  A handsome young lad grabbed my hand, asking if I wanted to dance – I said yes, and we swept into the circle, laughing.  I was later joined by my husband, and we performed a traditional tudor dance with many others, where the men and women each have their turns to run, jump, clap and turn.

After the dancing I sat upon the green sward, listening to the musicians and feeling the energy that was created in that spot.  It was joyous, and marked a very important time when winter was bid farewell, and summer was welcomed.  I’m sure the Tudor Re-enactors will have a splendid evening to themselves tonight once the crowds have gone home and the gates are closed.

I wish we had more of these celebrations where I live – I have danced a Victorian Maypole but once, and love the energy that these rituals create.  If you have a chance, go to Kentwell Hall this weekend, and join in the festivities.

For more information on Kentwell Hall activities throughout this summer, please see www.kentwell.co.uk.

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Beltane – welcoming the summer

Beltane – the fire festival celebrating the arrival of summer. All throughout the UK, last night and today Pagans and non-Pagans alike are joining in the festivities of this special time of the year, with Morris dancing and bonfires, Maypoles and feasting.  A long weekend awaits us with a bank holiday Monday, where many pubs will host barbeques and hog roasts, entertainment and more.

After a very long winter, this festival is most welcome.  At Imbolc and the Spring Equionox, we quietly ushered in the lengthening days, the gradual shift towards the summer solstice, noticing the ever changing cycles around us.  Now it is a time for the first of what I deem the “louder” festivals of summer, where drumming and dancing and cavorting are done with abandon.

Here where I live in Suffolk, it’s not quite time however.  I prefer to celebrate Beltane when the May is out; when the hawthorn flowers in the softest shades of pink-tinged white.  It will be another week or two yet before these blossoms begin the scent the hedgerows, and bring with them that sense of a definitive coming of summer.

For me, Beltane is also a time when it is finally warm enough to stay outside comfortably, to sit in meditation or to make love under the dappled light of the sun beneath the tender new canopy of leaves deep within the forest.  The Goddess is still waking up, slowly, soon to dance freely with the Lord of the Wildwood. It is not yet time to awaken her fully with shouts and drumming and the ecstatic pleasure of ritual love-making – not quite yet.

I can feel the anticipation growing inside me, as I long to reach out towards the sunlight and stretch my soul into the warm air, or to dance in the summer rain.  It is coming, it is coming…