This an opportunity for you to answer the call of your own longing to invite the mystery.

 “Magic is what happens when you are fully embodied in nature”David Abram, author of Spell of the Sensuous 

What has become of the alchemists? – the rainmakers, the ancient oracles and voices of the wells, the medieval magicians?

They knew that by working with the force of nature, that which resides in the very matter of the universe, in the blades of grass, in the winds that blow, that they could change the world.

At this moment of great change for us, as we stand on the very edge of what is possible for the human species, perhaps there is something important we have forgotten.

What is it that we have lost that has allowed the great mystery of life on earth to flee from our lives. Where does magic now reside in the world and how can we possibly bring it back?

In this apprenticeship you will be standing on the shoulders of the old magical traditions as you connect back to the creative and intelligent force within nature itself – the same force that runs through all of us and is our birth-rite to know.

By being resonant with it, with all that is, by knowing the names of things, by offering libation to the ancestors and spirits of place, we aim to learn the old ways of working with the world, to make the changes it is asking of us.

If we are truly inside something bigger than ourselves, and everything around us is alive, then it is time to tune back in, because our very future as humans depends on it.

Animism is the belief that we are one small part of a greater intelligent whole and within this whole we all have a part to play. This is a belief shared by our ancestors for thousands of years and with indigenous traditions around the world.

What would it mean for us to believe again?

Times: February 2021 - July 20201

Fee: £1495

 Facilitators 

The lead facilitators for this apprenticeship are Colin Campbell and Angharad Wynne.

Their intention is to go deep, to explore, to exhume, to piece together the bones of a magical tradition that is fit for the 21st Century, that will lead us back into relationship with the natural world itself.

Colin works with the wisdom traditions of South Africa, specifically those that are based on our relationships with the ancestors and spirits of nature. He looks at where these ancient indigenous practices collide and coalesce with the knowledge and belief systems of the west.

Angharad teaches from the old Brethonic tradition of the British Isles, the spirit ways of the ancestors of this land, and how we can recover and remember them to help us restore balance in ourselves and with the world around us.

They will be joined along the way by special guests who will bring together old traditions and new insights to create ways of thinking and practising that will serve you regardless of your place and context. 

 Structure of the Programme 

This apprenticeship is a deep exploration of animistic magical practice that focuses on the context, the place and the needs of each individual.

By joining the group you will become a member of a small group of people who are pioneering this work in the world. The intention is to learn together, to create together, to challenge current knowledge and belief systems and come up with practices and understandings and beliefs that work for each of us and may even benefit the world at large.

It is a sharing of what is already known and an exploration of what might be possible.

It comprises of two residential retreats at Embercombe with the lead facilitators and their guests.

20 – 24th July 2020 22 – 26th February 2021

Between and around these retreats there will be regular online meetings and mentoring sessions.

On completion of this year, there is the possibility for further deepening of the apprenticeship.

This includes two residential components at Embercombe, which will be fully catered (plant based menu) in shared accommodation, plus all teaching, online and mentoring sessions.

We are able to offer a limited number of bursaries at £1120 to make this apprenticeship accessible for as many people as possible. 

THIS PROGRAMME IS BEING MANAGED BY EMBERCOMBE. FOR FULL DETAILS AND TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK HERE: https://embercombe.org/contemporary-animism/