INCARNATION

 

This is a unique opportunity to explore being in community with a strong circle of brothers and to experience the medicine of nature-based spirituality, various somatic-embodiment practices, singing, dancing, working, playing, eating and praying together. Over 4 days in the heart of summer we will explore the shamanic circles, cycles and spirals of ‘soul-centricity' and discover ways in which the ego can be a delivery system for soulful living. We will spend deep imaginal time together in community and dream life affirming visions into being and hopefully have a lot of fun in meeting ourselves, each other and the other than human beings of nature.

 

The ground will be Belonging,  Encouragement, Love, Respect and Gratitude

 

The intention will be Healing, Wholeness and Creativity

 

The medicine will be Nature, Embodiment, Shamanism and Community.

 

This will be a profoundly nourishing immersion into nature, nurture and ultimately our own true natures. It will invite a maturing evolution, a love revolution, in which we gather the tools and resources to embrace our wholeness and retrieve and alchemise our golden gifts that are hidden in the shadows and the wounds of our life stories. It will be an opportunity to disconnect from technology and the business of our lives and to reconnect with our own somatic, soul-centric beings.

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As a circle of sons, brothers, fathers we choose to shine the light of our wisdom and presence with loving kindness and fierce compassion, with the intention of being by one another's sides as we each walk our own path with dignity, integrity and authentic expression. Ultimately we see all of life as sacred and we choose to make choices in our thoughts, words and actions that honour children, our elders, our ancestors and all of life.

 

Let’s dive deep into embodied brotherhood. Let’s gather together around the sacred fire, rooted in soul and inspired by the wild elemental beauty of The Brecon Beacons in South Wales. Let’s commune with the medicines of movement, collaboration, ceremony and sharing.

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NATURE WANDERS & IMAGINAL JOURNEYS  

 

The land that will hold us in Llaneglwys, near Brecon in Wales is absolutely stunning, with acres

of woodland, a river flowing through, rolling hills and breath taking views of the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains in the surrounding areas. The elements are alive and vital here and there will be plenty of time to immerse in them and to listen and learn from these primal ancestors.

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CABANA SWEAT LODGE

Keef Wesolowski-Miles

 

The ​Purification Lodge is a sacred place where we clean our bodies, emotional, spiritual, mental, physical and release anything that is ready to be released that is no longer serving us. It is a place for  dreaming new visions and re-programming ourselves, reclaiming original imprints of ourselves, blessing and healing hearts, bodies and minds. This is an ancient ritual that taps into the  ancestral wisdom of our grandparents, the human ones and the elements: fire, earth, water, air. We enter the womb of the Great Mother to be re-born again. In that sense it is both womb and tomb, and symbolises the cycles of life, death and rebirth.

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The Cabana is also referred to as Grandmother Spider, who works on the web of healing, weaving the threads of our destiny. She is very generous to those who are open to receiving and going through the portal of possibilities that she opens for us in our bodies, hearts, minds and souls.

 

Keef is an  initiate of the Brazilian shaman and psychologist XamAM - Alba Maria  from Terra Mirim, Brazil. The cabana is therefore deeply aligned with this lineage and is part of the path of the Mother Goddess and the 4 Elements.​

 

CHAMBERS OF THE HEART 

-MOVEMENT & COUNCIL/SHARING CIRCLES 

Keef Wesolowski Miles 

 

Throughout our time together we will work with the Movement Medicine ‘Animal Intelligence and the Chambers of the Heart’ map. We will engage with this as a model for our sharing circles to feel what needs to be felt and express what needs to be expressed in a safe, non-judgemental space, where we can witness and be witnessed in the emergent emotional landscapes of our heart. We will dive deeper into these contemplations in our wanderings on the land, in the Cabana -sweat lodge and ritualised movement practices. 

 

Chamber of Awakening / Fear 

Chamber of Surrender / Sorrow

Chamber of Integrity / Anger

Chamber of Gratitude / Joy

Chamber of Grace / Compassion

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SHARING CIRCLES

Keef Wesolowski Miles

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Through heart centred sharing and embodied listening we will build bridges between the fragmented parts of ourselves, between the ‘world’ of ‘me’ and the ‘worlds’ of other men, between the masculine world and feminine world, between the rational and the mystical, between inner and outer worlds, physical and spiritual worlds, between our personal and professional worlds and between our courage and vulnerability.

 

BREATH

A BREATH WORK JOURNEY - Jez Grattan-Kane

RECONNECT TO DIVINE SOURCE - Josh Swords

 

Breath is essential for life, it is absolutely fundamental to our health and well being. It is a  golden key to living a happy and fulfilled life. Over our time together we are blessed to have two fantastic breathwork facilitators who will be sharing their wisdom, skills and heart centred guidance.

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“​ The Breath is an animating thread at the heart of our experience. It is a bridge between the unconscious and conscious. It can be both listened to, deepening into our experience, enlivening the senses or softening the mind and it can be shaped to support our response-ability. Whether forging resilience to stress or cultivating states of rest. We’ll be orienting to the Breath as an everyday resource, present in the ground of our body. Then preparing for the deeper journey - Conscious Connected Breathing and Breath-holds. The breath can be simple in the complexity of life, potentially profound, or gently nourishing. It’s a relationship you already have ready to animate.” Jez

 

“Journey deep into your subconscious through a weaving of somatic trauma practice, breathwork and ceremony. Releasing energies that are blocking you from your power and truth you will be guided back to the core of your being” Josh

 

YOGA FLOW & MOVE, PLAY and BREATHE

Jamie Davies

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Connecting with the emotions & energy of the body we will move through a modified version of the ashtanga sequence, adapted to all abilities. Focusing on the alignment of the body & the rhythm of the breath we will seek authentic embodied empowerment in the present moment. We will illuminate our strengths & weaknesses with this session of self discovery. In the Move, Play, Breathe segment we will dive a little deeper with a variety of techniques to playfully move with awareness of the breath.

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PLAYFUL SACRED COMBAT

Ross Walton and Josh Swords

Dive deep into an embodied journey designed to illuminate what mental, emotional and physical conflict can teach you. Whether conflict is showing up internally or externally on our journey, learning to navigate these energies brings a greater depth of presence and strength into our lives, allowing us to be grounded in our heart's truth. Experience an interweaving of heart sharing circles, playful practice and fundamental striking and grappling teachings culminating with the ancient dance of ritual combat. Through the mirror of a fellow brother, face the essence of what conflict brings up for you. 

 

This journey will be guided by Ross and Josh, both coming from experienced backgrounds in martial arts and combat sports. They have a dedication to deep spiritual practice and personal growth, allowing them to hold a safe, strong and direct container.

 

MOVEMENT MEDICINE 

Keef Wesolowski-Miles

 

‘Movement Medicine is a shamanic medicine for our times. It gives us direct, embodied experience of the dance of life that’s going on inside us and all around us. As a species, we face enormous challenges right now that we see as arising from the story of separation; separation between body and spirit, between individuals and nations, between the human world and the web of life we are part of and depend upon. Simply put, Movement Medicine reconnects us, deepening our capacity for empathy and compassionate being and action. Since prehistory, dance, song and ritual-making have played an important role in the human community. Movement Medicine is a contemporary expression of this inheritance. It marries ancient and modern wisdom, and supports you to experience the transformative power of your own potential in a co-creative community.'  Susannah & Ya'acov Darling Kahn - Co-Founders of The School of Movement Medicine

 

Keef is a senior Movement Medicine Teacher.

 

COMMUNITY DRUM CIRCLE

Alex Miles 

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"In the moment" musical journeys created in collaboration with all participants to achieve the highest potential of the group.  Express your rhythmic self whilst learning about tonality, technique and orchestration.  Benefits include a deepening connection with self and community, relaxation, energisation and a chance to shake off stress and anxiety. Physiological benefits include: left/right hemisphere alignment, improved hand/eye coordination and exercise.  It may also be possible to engage with brainwave states more associated with dreaming and altered consciousness.

 

With decades of experience Alex is  well equipped to guide and empower an alchemical celebration of life and community. His circles are always wild and playful adventures through the universe of rhythm and interactive play.

 

ICE BATH

Jamie Davies

 

When coming face to face with cold water exposure you will be met with resistance & self doubt. Your ego will want you to pull away & protect you but we want to control our monkey mind, we want to push pass this self limitation & take control. By stepping in we build resilience & self belief as well as a whole host of physiological benefits. You will once again be connected to your body & your breath in the present moment. There is no set time in this discipline, it's a completely individual experience even though we will enter as a group. You & you alone will have to commit to enter & stay, if you do I guarantee you will have a sense a self accomplishment & elevated mood from entering. 

 

MEDICINE SONGS & SACRED PLANTS 

- Rapé and Sananga Ceremony

Ross Walton and Keef Wesolowski-Miles

 

Rapé is a sacred shamanic medicine snuff. It has been used by tribes of the Amazon basin for thousands of years and is an essential part of their tribal culture and history.

It is administered (blown) into the nostrils with a special blowpipe called a "Tepi". 

 

It is traditionally prepared by ceremonial pounding of Tabaco (N. rustica) with tree ashes. South American shamans use tobacco as a sacred, wholesome medicine and there exists a very close connection between tobacco use and shamanism that has little in common with our western way of tobacco use. The intense blow immediately focuses the mind, stops the chattering, and opens the entire freed mindspace for your intentions. Furthermore, this helps release emotional, physical, and spiritual illnesses and eases negativity and confusion, enabling a thorough grounding of the mind. Moreover, Rapé stimulates the mind with its nicotinic content that in turn releases a.o. epinephrine, acetylcholine, and dopamine, supporting an increased focus, presence, and intuition.

 

Sananga is an intense and powerful medicine which is applied to the eye in the form of eye drops. It comes from the bark and root of a shrub from the family Apocynaceae in the Amazon rainforests and is used as a sacred eye medicine to relieve the energetic system of ‘Panema’ - negative energy/cellular laziness - especially around the head area. It is said to improve sight, colour and sense perception for hunting, as well as clearing energetic mucous around the head which can cause colds, flu, headaches and migraines. It can loosen and dissolve energetic mucus all around the body and its use can help with all kinds of energetic stagnation related to a lack of concentration or insight, or neuroses. 

 

Both Ross and Keef have journey deeply over many years with sacred plant medicines and have been initiated through various lineages including the Yawanawa and Huni Kuin of the Brazilian Amazon.

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