View Related
With the Silent Eye’s launch weekend coming up in April, a point was made that these things can be daunting for anyone who has never attended an esoteric workshop and who may have absolutely no idea what to expect. So I thought it might be an idea to write about it from a more subjective viewpoint than the School presents in the brochure.
It is all very well knowing the type of subjects that will be covered, the fact that we will be using ritual drama and will run presentation and meditation sessions... but really, if you have never been to one of these workshops you are still none the wiser.
As a friend wrote in the forum: “Daunting beyond words, that first time. But after a couple of hours you realise that they're all mad (in the good way), and that nobody appears to know any more than you do (not really) and that if it weren't for the interruptions caused by the scheduled events, you'd all be sitting around drinking tea and chatting "interesting stuff" for the entire 3 days...”
The weekend begins on the Friday evening. You are greeted and allowed to settle into your room. There will be time to meet old friends perhaps and begin to make new ones in a relaxed atmosphere. An informal welcome and introduction to the weekend precedes a buffet dinner, after which we talk you through the first of a series of ritual dramas that will begin the thread that continually weaves through the weekend.
Everyone takes part in these ritual dramas. They are fully scripted...you don’t have to learn your lines, know how to act, what to do or where to be. Everyone begins together on an emotional journey that simply requires you to be part of it.
The ritual dramas are scripted down to the last detail… and mistakes still happen. Even experienced ritualists can be found snoring through their ‘cue’ after a long flight. It doesn’t matter. Someone will always either nudge or cover for them. One experienced ritualist of my all-too-intimate acquaintance has been known to sob and sniff her way through half a particularly moving ritual, using her robe sleeve as a handkerchief. (Makes note to self to take tissues this time….).
In the evenings half the companions retire to the village pub, the others chat in the comfortable lounge or walk in the beautiful landscape and grounds and the evenings pass in a relaxed and friendly manner.
The mornings begin with a guided meditation, where you are simply asked to relax and take an emotive jou
rney in the imagination. These are followed by Knowledge Lectures and group work… where you will be presented with a variety of subjects and invited to share your thoughts and participate in discussion. You are not expected to be familiar with the concepts presented and there is no expected degree of knowledge or learning required, just the openness to listen to new ideas and old, to think and feel and see what comes.
Mealtimes are wonderful for talk. The food is incredibly good at the Nightingale Centre and they cater for all diets beautifully. The rooms are comfortable, the staff impeccable and the centre itself beautifully presented, in glorious countryside.
We intend the weekend to be comfortable, fun, challenging and informative. We hope to have you laughing, thinking, moving and feeling... possibly shedding an odd tear. We want those who attend to leave their mark on the birth of our school and hope we can leave a gentle mark on their lives too.
You do not have to be a member of the School to attend. You do not even have to be thinking about joining. We just want to share this unique moment with a group of people who are there because they wish to be. All are warmly welcome.
There will be other workshops. We intend to run them regularly. We know there are few esoteric workshops of this calibre that are open to all in the UK at this time. The vast majority of the good ones are tied to Schools or particular groups and so are generally fully subscribed fairly rapidly.
It is worth stressing that we do not seek to make money from these workshops or from the School. It will operate on a strictly not for profit basis.
Full details of the workshop can be found on the Silent Eye website Events page. We still have places available and it would be wonderful to fill them.
An account of my nervousness at my very first esoteric ‘event’ can be found on our forum too. Like the workshop, you are welcome to join the forum without expectation of joining the school. It is an infant forum and would be glad of new members to help me build a community for discussion of spiritual and esoteric subjects from all viewpoints. And hopefully a little laughter too. All we need is a name and email address on the form to make sure you are a real person, we can then register you with the website and you can jump right in and join what I hope to build into a comfortable and interesting place to be.
In Light,
Sue Vincent
Post Article:
Submit Your Own Article