Over the last several years, the Bones of Ritual short course has explored some of the core principals of ritual practice as a way of restoring our intimacy and our fluency of relationship with the ecology of nature and the cosmos. Due to the success of last years short course, we are running this course in its second year. We iinvite you to join us for working with complimentary teachers, and bring together two areas of practice; nature vigil, and breathwork techniques for opening relational interaction.
While modern civilisation may be rich in conveniences and inventions, we modern folks are generally rather out of practice with 'other ways of knowing' that constitutes some of the shared language that sews us back into accord with the greater fabric of existence, and thus out of contact with aspects of our greater selves. Within our work, we have been humbled to experience and witness the paradox of simple renunciation and surrender (for example through the ancient core practice of 'radical presence' through nature vigil) leading to the gaining of profound nourishment and wisdom. Our hope and intent is that work of this nature may continue to contribute to the regeneration of people, and the 'other-than-human' kin who speak a language that is both strange and achingly familiar.
We aim to support the interweaving of a number of strands that together constitute far more than the sum of their parts:
• Vigil (solo fast in nature) as a core practice among preindustrial cultures.
• Breath and breathing techniques* as a way of opening relational perviousness and accessing transpersonal states of interaction.
• Breath, chanting, and the precinct of soul.
• Invoking profound connection between nature and the primal ‘nature’ of the psyche both individual and collective.
• Exploring the role of divination as a way of communicating with the ‘other than human’ and revealing that which lies just out of everyday sight.
• Developing and honing ritual practice and tools as a method for invoking connection.
• Immersive exploration of cognitive systems characteristic of pre-industrial collective cultures.
• Poetry as invocation and as a way of being: Languaging the sacred and the ineffable. Beauty and the soul.
*Breathwork is not recommended for people with a history of aneurisms, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, vision problems, osteoporosis, or any recent physical injuries or surgeries. It is also not recommended for people who experience severe psychiatric symptoms or seizures or who take heavy medication. We ask that participants have understood the contraindications for breathwork and consulted a doctor, if necessary.
Hiraeth: a Welsh concept of longing for home, which can be loosely translated as 'nostalgia', or, more commonly, 'homesickness'. Many Welsh people claim 'hiraeth' is a word which cannot be translated, meaning more than solely "missing something" or "missing home."
Join Colin Campbell, Lucy Hinton, Andrew McAulay, Wewo Kotakoy and Satish Kumar for a process of deep ritual. All four facilitators have experienced potent near-death forays into the borderlands of mortality, and returned to tell the tale. All of us share an intimate relationship with the terrains and motifs of initiation, and with the oft-unseen currents of beauty that offer meaning and value to our actions in the world.
"...It seems that we are in the midst of a huge crisis of belonging. When the outer cultural shelters are in ruins, we need to explore and reawaken the depths of belonging in the human mind and soul; perhaps, the recognition of the depth of our hunger to belong may gradually assist us in awakening new and unexpected possibilities of community and friendship.”
― John O'Donohue, Eternal Echoes
*The Booking Deadline gives us an accurate idea of course participant numbers at approximately 6 weeks before the course is due to run, at which point we confirm the course, add additional time for people to book on or cancel the course. We encourage people to register early for courses as places are limited.
Colin Campbell grew up in rural southeastern Botswana, the son of a renowned anthropologist and a creative healing mother. He is currently a practitioner of traditional African medicine, based in Cape Town, South Africa and the UK. He receives clients from all over the world, and facilitates international group processes relating to natural law, transformation, healing & personal power, sacred sites, and cross-cultural cosmology.
His work bridges major world cities with ancestral homelands and forgotten wilderness, taking him from the Amazon Basin to Los Angeles, the sacred sites of Venda to the urban grit of Johannesburg, and remote Ethiopia to the City of London. Colin co-founded and co-runs a training school in Botswana for traditional doctors and sangomas with his brother Niall Campbell. He is also a lifelong artist and musician, his style once again bridging the traditional with the contemporary, the timeless with the timely, and the sounds of the sacred with the lyricism of electric rocking funk.
Lucy Hinton is a wilderness quest guide, earth educator, sustainability consultant, creative activist, lover of soul. A natural communicator, Lucy is amongst other things a bridge-maker, and applies her skills in various contexts. Lucy has a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, taught earth education from a young age, co-pioneered creative projects for social change and has traveled and worked widely, from Death Valley to Honduras, Sumatra to Outer Mongolia. Over time she gravitated toward the place where the needs of the world converge with the needs of the Self. This trajectory led to training and apprenticeship in the field known as contemporary wilderness rites of passage, largely in the system taught by the School of Lost Borders, and Lucy has been co-guiding in this capacity for almost ten years, continuing to learn from fellow humans, books, rocks, creatures, stories & stars. Significant & prolonged trials of illness & physical disability have also offered their own lessons in patience, initiatory terrain and appreciation of the simple things. She has a deep love of both people and land.
Andrew McAulay was born and raised in Hong Kong, where he chairs the Boards of KFBG and Partnerships for Community Development. He is passionate about nature, has written two books of poetry and has been teaching meditation since 2004. He began exploring breathwork as part of a journey of healing from cancer and graduated from the Breath of Bliss Level 2 facilitator training in Nov 2017.
Satish is a former monk and long-term peace and environment activist. He has been quietly setting the Global Agenda for change for over 50 years. He was just nine when he left his family home to join the wandering Jains and 18 when he decided he could achieve more back in the world, campaigning for land reform in India and working to turn Gandhi’s vision of a renewed India and a peaceful world into reality.
In 1973 Satish settled in the United Kingdom taking up the post of editor of Resurgence magazine, a position he has held ever since, making him the UK’s longest-serving editor of the same magazine. During this time, he has been the guiding spirit behind a number of now internationally respected ecological and educational ventures including Schumacher College. Satish has authored numerous books including No Destination: Autobiography of a Pilgrim, Soul, Soil, Society: a new trinity for our time and most recently Elegant Simplicity: The Art Of Living Well.
Wewo Kotokay is an elder from the Lani tribe in the highlands of New Guinea, the largest island in Melanesia and one of the most bio-culturally diverse places on Earth. He is from the last generation of his people to receive traditional initiation and was identified from birth for the traditional role of Messenger -- sharing the message of his tribe with outsiders and reporting back what he has seen. Wewo's people still live to a large extent the way their ancestors have for thousands of years.
If you would like to book onto one of our short courses, you will need to create an account. This is a simple process of choosing a username, email address and password. Once you have created an account you will receive a verification email. Please click on the verification link within to have full access to the site and to make your booking. (You may need to check your spam folder if you do not see this email.) We will email you confirmation of your payment and any further communication about your course application.
Residential accommodation for "Changing the Frame" is at Higher Close, a 20 minute walk from Schumacher College. All meals will be provided at the college.
A place can not be guaranteed unless we receive your deposit or payment on your chosen course. If you would like to apply for a bursary, please do this before making your course application.
Short Course Bursaries create an opportunity for an individual to experience the powerful transformative learning by joining a course that assists the participant to inspire their wider community and benefits from the participant’s own unique contribution. It is our hope that our bursaries support a wide cross section of participation on our short course programme. The number of bursaries available is limited, competition is strong and funding is not always available for every short course. Please be aware that most bursaries are in the region of 10% – 20% of the course fee so please be prepared to raise funding from other sources. A bursary award is not intended to cover travel or incidental expenses.
Applications are viewed on a case-by-case basis and we are unable to enter into discussions on any decisions. We generally have many more applications for bursaries than we have funding available. We can only offer one bursary per person per year and priority is given to those who have not attended the college or received a bursary before. To help us support as many people as possible, please only apply if you would be unable to attend the course without a bursary.
How to apply for a bursary
NB: Please do not pay your deposit for the course yet. Any applications received where a deposit has been paid will be rejected and the deposit refunded.
Six weeks before the course is due to start all bursary applications will be considered and responded to. If successful you will be required to accept our Bursary Terms and Conditions.
Please answer the following:
Please be prepared to supply an appropriate reference in support of your application.
We follow ecological cycles as much as possible. Much of the food is grown in the five and half acre agroforestry field – in a system of alley cropping and in the developing forest garden. The field also has fruit trees and bushes; young nut trees; a flock of pasture fed poultry; two wild life ponds, a craft and pollinator garden and a hazel and willow coppice.
Other areas include two herb gardens; four polytunnels; a perennial no dig vegetable garden and several fruit areas. We compost our garden and kitchen waste for use on site, and use green manures for fertility building.
Our students find their time engaging with food growing, and all it entails, a truly transformative time. Our gardens are as much about nurturing people as plants, and hundreds of students have found the contact with the land and soil to be a rich learning journey.
Integral to the College’s international learning community, you will get to know students, staff and volunteers through daily meetings and shared activities. There is also a diverse programme of events and evening talks, offered by college residents, visiting teachers and local experts.
Admission Enquiries
email us
+ 44 (0) 1803 847212