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.