the inward flame: residential Imbolc workshop in Devon

THE WILD WAYS

Imbolc: the inward flame  

ecosoul residential writing weekend
Friday January 31^st (6pm) – Sunday 2^nd February (4pm)
Fletcherscombe, Harbertonford, Devon, UK
(lifts may be possible from Totnes mainline station)

In the deepest reaches flames flicker into life;
The earth is turning sunwards, and day displaces night.

Those who walked the Old Ways knew that our lives and our wellbeing are intimately tied up with that of the land. Everything is relationship, and our life is dependent on our connectedness with the land and the harmony and creativity of that relationship.

At this phase of the turning year – Imbolc, or Candlemas, is one of the Celtic fire festivals and perhaps the most feminine of them – the Great Goddess, as Brighid of the Land, patroness of fire, creativity and new life, is renewing herself, from Crone to Maiden, and the earth is cracking open with the first flowers of spring – the snowdrops, the green and white flames of them. Imbolc is the beginnings of the movement away from the ‘stillpoint of the turning world’.

This is a chance to take breath, be still, and re-imagine our lives. 

As well as what this season might mean for our reflective, creative and inspirational life, we’ll be looking too at the feminine principle and how it manifests in our lives through the feeling, instinctual and intuitive natures and our physical presence on the earth. As always we’ll spend time outdoors as well as in, so that the other-than-human may also teach us. This weekend is also about celebration, ceremony, renewal and deep companionship. Expect some laughter, too!

The workshop incorporates aspects of my Thresholds New Year workshop that I led annually for about 18 years, so we’ll also look back at what this last year brought us, and explore what we want to let go of and what to welcome in this year, both individually and as a species, and we’ll celebrate this with a fire ceremony.

Fees: all-inclusive single occupancy of a double room: £295.
Shared twin room: £255 per person.

Early-bird discount of 10% off the total if you book and pay your deposit by December 21^st.

Please bring a contribution towards a shared veggie lunch on the Saturday. All other meals will be included in the price but cooking and washing up will be shared activities.

NB: this is a residential weekend. However, once the rooms are filled, there may be availability on the Saturday to attend as a one-day workshop the THRESHOLDS component. (Sunday will be a closed group to work deeply on the core aspects of this weekend.) Day attendance with a contribution to a veggie shared lunch will be £45, to be booked and paid in advance.

The weekend will take place in a beautiful converted barn in a lush (though not so much in early February) Devon valley. We might be able to accommodate a well-behaved dog or two!

The maximum number of beds is 9, so early booking is advised.

I need a non-refundable deposit of £125, plus address and contact details and choice of room – contact me for ways to pay. The balance is due on arrival.