In our tenth anniversary year, we offer you a fabulous choice of events “on the fringe” of The Goddess Conference 2005. Enrich your experience of the conference itself, or enjoy any of these events and workshops are a joyful Goddess experience in its own right.
LAMMAS PILGRIMAGE TO AVEBURY
with Kathy Jones
Monday 25th July
A day long pilgrimage to Avebury in Wiltshire, one of the largest and best remaining ancient Goddess sites in Brigit's Isles. On the way we will see White Horses carved in the chalk landscape and visit nearby Crop Circles. Arriving at Avebury we will open ourselves to the Maiden at the Sanctuary, and walk the processional Avenue to Avebury Henge, which celebrates the Goddess as Lover. In the afternoon we will go to Silbury Hill, the Lammas Mother's pregnant belly and to West Kennet Long Barrow, where we will meet the Crone. A glorious day out in the sacred landscape with Goddess-loving people.
Kathy Jones is a ceremonialist, healer, writer, teacher, sacred dramatist, sacred landscape guide and Priestess of Avalon, who loves and serves the Goddess. She teaches a three year training to become a Priestess of Avalon in Glastonbury and other Goddess trainings. She is cofounder of the Isle of Avalon Foundation - an esoteric teaching centre, of the Library of Avalon - a spiritual library, and of the Glastonbury Goddess Temple, the first of its kind in Europe for over a thousand years. She is co-organiser of the fabulous Glastonbury Goddess Conference.
Meet: At the Town Hall, Magdalene Street, Glastonbury
Time: 9.00am-6.30pm approx. Departure is prompt.
Fee: £35, including transport by coach
Bring refreshments and a packed lunch, or visit the cafe or pub at
Avebury.
WALKING THE LABYRINTH
with Brian Charles
Walking in: Sunday July 24th
Walking Out: Monday August 1st
When did human beings first walk the labyrinth? That we cannot say – yet we know its origins lie unimaginably far in our common past. To the Hopi, the labyrinth is a symbol of the Earth Goddess, and it has been found etched into rocks from Arizona to Australia. Here in Glastonbury, The Tor is the largest three-dimensional labyrinth yet known. As a coiled serpent, it winds round the Tor seven times, turning back on itself as it does so. It is Arianrhod’s spiral castle, the place of rebirth and transformation.
Take hold of your magic. To walk the labyrinth is to take a journey to your innermost self.
On a practical note: be prepared for rough ground and challenging weather. A sturdy stick or staff can come into its own. A bottle of water also comes in very handy. The walk itself is likely to take 3-4 hours.
This is a rare opportunity to walk the Tor Labyrinth. It is really important that if you undertake the journey into the labyrinth you take part in BOTH journeys – IN and OUT!
Brian Charles is a Priest of Avalon and has been an active Goddess Conference ceremonialist. He is a member of the Goddess Temple group and is co-trainer on the Priest/ess of Avalon training course. An experienced counsellor, he is skilled in facilitating transformational experiences.
Venue: Meet at the White Well, Wellhouse Lane, Glastonbury
Time: 10.00 am
Fee: £35 for both journeys: In and Out
YOU ARE INVITED TO
The First Open Evening of a new exhibition/installation from Carolyn Hillyer.
THE NORTHERN SISTERHOOD OF DRUMS:
An Experience of Ancient Ice.
Tuesday July 26th, from 6.30-9.30pm, at the Assembly Rooms, High St, Glastonbury. Arctic berry drinks will be served.
Everyone welcome.
Fringe Workshops 2005
Tuesday July 26th
INSIDE THE WINTER HOUSE (this workshop is now fully booked)
A journey through ice with the Northern Sisterhood of Drums, with Carolyn Hillyer
Set within the circle of her new exhibition of primordial grandmother paintings, Dartmoor artist and musician Carolyn Hillyer will guide a journey into deep archetypes, the power of the sacred drum voice and a women’s mystery that was born 25,000 years ago from ancient ice. The day will include working with our wise hands using materials gathered from the Arctic. This workshop will be the first viewing of these paintings as they sit in full council and is sourced from a body of work carried out over the last few years both on Dartmoor and in the frozen north.
Carolyn Hillyer is an internationally known, and much loved, artist, musician and writer from the wild moors of southwest England. She performs and exhibits her songs and paintings all over the world. For many years she has shared workshop journeys with women that aim to increase understanding of our ancient spiritual mysteries, to empower our creative lives and to give us the courage to step beyond our boundaries.
Please bring a light lunch with you so no one needs to leave the Assembly Rooms once the workshop has started.
Venue: The Assembly Rooms, High St, Glastonbury
Time: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Fee: £35 (including £5 for materials) Women Only
CELEBRATING YOUR WILD PASSIONATE GORGEOUS GODDESS SELF
with Clare Campbell
An invitation to glimpse just how stunning you are!
As women we can often internalise messages of guilt, body hatred and the endless search for a distorted perfection. Join this yummy women’s circle as we create a radical and affirming safe space to explore and challenge these issues within our selves and hold up a mirror to our true gorgeousness. For without acknowledging self love we are blocked from truly loving others and from creating pure love in the world.
So Wild Women, come as you are in all your unfinished imperfect glory and prepare to be totally loved up in this safe warm and wildly delicious day of self esteem boosting and sassy self celebration.
....expect magic, new friendships and as always glitter and chocolate in abundance!
All this and the opportunity to create your own Aphrodite Love Mirror to reflect your Gorgeous Goddess self.
Bring a small mirror tile and any special/sparkly creative bits to make your love mirror.
Clare Campbell is Founder of Wild Woman and a sassy soulful urban goddess artist. She is sparkly, warm and wild and an irreverent facilitator and therapist. She is grounded but passionate about her work with women.
Clare has regularly hosted Fringe Workshops for the Goddess Conference and is a hugely popular facilitator and unforgettable personality. Entirely loveable, hugely skilful, what you see is what you get!
Venue: St Benedicts Church Hall, Benedict Street, Glastonbury
Time: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Fee: £30 Women Only
BLOOD RITES
A Day of Exploration, Reclaiming, Ritual and Ceremony with Annie Spencer
A day to explore women’s blood rites – women are uniquely blessed with an initiation system which manifests through their bodies - menarche, motherhood and menopause, through their natural blood cycle. How does this much neglected initiatory cycle work? How can it be honoured and reclaimed to enrich our busy 21st century lives?
A fantastic opportunity to spend a day in Annie Spencer’s wisdom, and participate in blood rite ceremony and ritual. Annie’s first appearance at the Goddess Conference in 2004 brought a fantastic response and frankly we bring you much more of her in 2005 by popular demand!
Annie Spencer is a ceremonialist and workshop leader with over 20 years' experience. She has studied earth-based spiritual traditions around the world, been apprenticed to a North American tradition and in recent years has been following Guatemalan teachings. Annie has co-initiated many successful ventures including Openings, Arcania, The Sacred Trust programme, Shamanka and, most recently, the Hartwell Association and library.
Venue: The Georges Room, The Glastonbury Experience, High St, Glastonbury
Time: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Fee; £30 Women only
SACRED SELF
Renewal of our Sensual Self through Belly Dance with Anita-Cristina & Cathy Moore
Renewal of our sensual self is essential in our busy lives. The simple movements of belly dance renew our sensations of being wholly alive with a body that is perfect just the way it is. The circular, undulating, vibrating, spiraling movements of belly dance are easy to learn and fun to explore. In a creative, supportive environment you will learn movements to use in your daily life that will enhance your overall sense of pleasure and feeling of well-being. Then in a group dance, we will celebrate the sacred sensual in us all. Belly dance is a dance for ordinary people so this workshop is open to women of any fitness level or experience.
“for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.”
From The Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente.
The Goddess Dancing reclaims belly dance as an ancient art practiced by women to honor the Goddess. Their work shows an unprecedented understanding of the origins of belly dance, global belly dance technique, and belly dance as ritual performance. Their method of teaching incorporates meditation, guided visualization, affirmations, and imagery all for the purpose of empowering women. They have taught thousands of students and have run master belly dance classes for Boston University, the American College of Dance Festival and FleetBoston Celebrity Series: Dance Across the City.
A fantastic opportunity to work with teachers from The Goddess Dancing!
Venue: The Avalon Conservative Club, 50 High St, Glastonbury
Time: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Fee: £30 Women Only
SACRED LOVE, DIVINE UNION
Ceremonial Singing and Shamanic Drumming with Jana Runnalls.
“I am the Source, I dream the dreams, I am the spark, Creation lives in me, Creation lives in me”
In the hot summer sunshine, among the green-clad trees.. Imagine we are in an ancient oak grove, like a huge old cathedral of branches and leaves, celebrating the marriage of the Goddess with her lover and partner, the God. We will create a ceremonial circle with our drums and voices, to celebrate this divine union and the fruit of their love that dwells in our hearts and souls. Using dancing and drumming, chi gung, chanting and ceremonial singing, experience your energy growing stronger, brighter and more vibrant as you tune into the simplicity of aligning yourself with the power of both the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine, who journey together through life hand in hand in empowered partnership.
Finding inspiration from the ancient ceremonial practices of our Wiccan and Druidic ancestors, we will invoke the energies of the Celtic Wheel feeling the rising power of Gaia’s serpent kundalini energy through our chakras. Experience the balance and harmony deep within your soul as we unify our inner male and female energies: releasing and expressing our wild God energy whilst weaving his ecstatic union with the Goddess into every aspect of our lives. Celebrate in song, chant and drumming out into the world through the songlines…Please bring drums and percussion if you have them.
"May the circle be open and yet unbroken, may the love of God and Goddess be ever in our hearts, merry meet and merry part, and merry meet again”
Jana Runnalls is an extraordinarily talented professional singer, recording artist, voice teacher and vocal healer, well-known for her many recordings of ceremonial chanting: Sacred Home, Lady of the Lake, Speaking in Tongues, Return to the Goddess, Ancestral Dream, I Sing Her Praises. She lives and works in Glastonbury, regularly travels around the world running her Sacred Voice workshops, and is a long-standing conference favourite.
