SPRING SCHOOL 28-31 MAY 2015 Swarthmoor Hall
with visiting visual artist Hannah Fox and guest speaker John Fox.
As this year's Spring School unfolded the unique character of the particular constellation of participants was revealed in lively interrogations of the process and practice of ceremony and ritual, provoking much discussion. The work on storytelling and myth revealed a great deal of creativity that was also manifest in the making session led by artist, Hannah Fox.
She taught papercutting and block printing skills that were used to make artists’ books and imagery of journeying by land and sea - imagery that was later invoked to great effect. The beautiful grounds of Swarthmoor Hall gave us the opportunity to work in landscape.
We also chose to venture further afield to Morecambe Bay to make a ceremonial lament for the hundreds of refugees drowning in the seas off Lampedusa, a tragedy that resonates with that of the cockle pickers who were taken by the tide in the Bay some years ago. This quiet but powerful ceremony touched everyone who participated in it, becoming the still centre of the days we spent together. So, a time for sharing wisdom and experience, leavened by laughter, and with much food for reflection.
Many thanks again to you and Gilly for a beautifully “held” event. I thought your creativity, flexibility and skill to steer the fragile boat of our collective endeavours safely to shore was inspirational! Stella Hall
AUTUMN SCHOOL 29 Sept - 3 Oct 2014 Halsway Manor, Somerset
Thank you both for sharing your practice and hosting an extraordinary week and for reminding me of the importance of creating time for reflection and ritual in a session. It was joyous, passionate, at times painful but a totally wonderful week of sharing, journeying and being together. Sophie Layton
Writing and making were facilitated with such apparent ease. The experiential learning aspect was very effective; I loved all the creativity & spontaneity. Beautifully structured. Pauline Down
MIDSUMMER SCHOOL 20 - 23 June 2014 Swarthmoor Hall, Cumbria with visual artist Hannah Fox
I took away a feeling of greatly increased confidence and focus about the process of ceremony and some wonderful, inspiring practical aides ... I feel as if my eyes and ears have been opened to a new landscape and a new way of speaking, and I could see the transforming power of it ...... Annie Oulton
I have learnt from the subtlety and genius of your approach. It has been a transitional experience for me. Emma Hughes
AUTUMN SCHOOL 21 - 24 Oct 2013 East Woodlands, Frome, Somerset
MIDSUMMER SCHOOL 21 - 24 June 2013 Swarthmoor Hall, Cumbria
how heartening to find such different people all recognising the need to restore meaning and depth to private and public ceremony. Mary Napper-White
Space for thought, inspiration and ideas. Time to treasure. Luke Dixon
AUTUMN SCHOOL 22 - 25 Oct 2012 East Woodlands Frome, Somerset
Thank you so much for holding the space and inspiring us and enabling us to step into it in our own way such deep work and with such a light touch and with love and humour. Fern Smith
SPRING SCHOOL 12 - 15 June 2012 Swarthmoor Hall, Cumbria
FIELD of VISION May 2011 Centre for Stewardship, Falkland, Scotland
CEREMONY and CELEBRATION 2010 & 2009 Friends Meeting House, Brighton
2 Comments
I was a member of the Bread and Puppet theater in the early 70s here in the US and have done many ceremonies and rituals and just discovered your website thru reading John Lane’s book The Living Tree on Art and the Sacred where you are referenced ( as Welfare State Intl.) What a joy to discover this type of work continues on our much assaulted planet. I would love to come see what you do, participate in a workshop, etc.. if you are still doing them.Possibly one of your 4-day workshops would interest me most.
Great to hear from you Pamela and thank you for your interest in our work. It would be good to learn more about your work with ceremony.
Our next Rites of Passage 4 day workshop in the UK will be 8 – 11 May 2020 near Frome, Somerset in the SW
[not far from Bristol].
It is listed on the website here.
If you are available and interested do please get in touch.
Warmest wishes
Sue