In traditions around the world, stretching back in time, ceremony has allowed us to step out of the mundane elements of our lives and into a deeper conversation with each other and the world around us. Felt on all levels of our being, it provides us an opportunity to sink into other realms of being and understanding, to call and respond to the ‘larger than ourselves’, to interface with and directly experience ‘the mystery’.

Ceremony can gives us meaning and it can unify us. It is the way we come together to trust, to share, to celebrate … to experience and to experiment with what it is to be human.

So what does ceremony mean for a culture in which it has largely been lost? How do we conduct ceremony with integrity, whether we belong to or believe in a particular tradition or not.

In this residential course, we take a look at what we mean by ceremony as individuals and as a collective at this moment in time, and how we might bring it back into our homes and public spaces.

We consider questions such as

• How can prayer and ceremony change the world, for ourselves, our communities and for the rest of nature?
• What do we mean by ceremony?
• How can we make ceremony that allows us to be in relationship with something larger than ourselves?
• How much do we need to keep to the traditions of ceremony and how much can we create ourselves?
• Is ceremony something we can do at home?

We will be held by ceremonialists from four different traditions as we ponder these questions , explore what is common between our different understandings and practices of ceremony, and consider for each of us, what can we apply to our own lives.

 What To Expect 

Teaching, discussion and participating in ceremony within each tradition brought by the holders, sharing of our individual experiences and stories around the fire, and time to spend integrating in the wilding valley of Embercombe.

 Is It For You 

This is a course for all who would like to explore and cultivate their own ceremonial practice, whether privately at home, singing and dancing with trees and the rest of nature, or out in public leading others in ceremony.

Dates and Times: 12pm Monday, March 9 – 2pm Friday, March 13 2020 

Fee: £625 includes shared accommodation, food, field trip and teaching.

THIS EVENT IS BEING MANAGED BY EMBERCOMBE. For full details and to book, click here: https://embercombe.org/creating-ceremony/

Limited bursary places are available at £400

Embercombe is fundraising to allow more people to join our courses and we offer as many bursaries as we are able. Please be aware that there is stiff competition for places.