Gatekeeper Trust
Pilgrimage in Sacred Landscape
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Annual Conference 2015 – Wisdom in the Land
28/11/2015 - 29/11/2015
£40 – £70
This year's Annual Conference will again take place in Pewsey, Wiltshire, and we are delighted to announce this year's speakers:
Download the Conference flier here
Tickets available to BOOK ONLINE at the bottom of the page.
Weekend Ticket: £70
One Day only (Saturday OR Sunday): £40
Alternatively please contact the secretary: 0300 123 7723 or email: secretary@gatekeeper.org.uk
Saturday 28 November 2015
10.00 - 10.15: Introduction
10:15 - 11:15: “Wisdom in the Land” - Peter Dawkins
The very earth we depend on is a great book of wisdom. Enshrined in its landscape, moulding its form and influencing our lives and consciousness, is the eternal universal truth, waiting for our discovery and cooperative manifestation. The Goddess, the loving intelligence of the land is pregnant with wisdom that she can reveal and to which she gives birth. Peter will share his understanding of the wisdom in the land that lives in nature, in ourselves and the British Isles. These islands are equated with Hyperborea, the land in the North from which the North Wind blows—the alta major chakra of the planet.
11.15 - 11.45: Break
11.45 - 12.45: “Mars and Venus in the Garden: Creating Heaven on Earth” - Fiona Hopes
In this light-hearted talk, Fiona will explain how electric motors relate to some earth energies, why slugs know how to find your lettuces, why copper is the best metal for garden tools to maintain a healthy soil, and why the moon, the planets and the stars affect everything you do in the garden. In this journey from outer space to the bottom of the compost heap, leaving a few stones unturned, Fiona's radical ideas will help you to get to the roots of your garden challenges, and help you create your little bit of Heaven on Earth. No gardening experience, knowledge or interest needed!
12.45 - 1.00: Discussion
1.00 - 2.15: Lunch
2.15 - 3.15: “Stolen Images - Pagan Symbolism and Christianity” - Peter Knight
Peter will talk about his new book which explores how most Christian icons can be traced back to an older origin. He has collected hundreds of spiritual symbols from world religions and shows how they have migrated from one wisdom tradition to the next, including objects, geometric shapes, body postures of deities, events - symbols one would expect and many surprises. He will show the importance of symbolic meanings and how the symbols live in our subconscious. The book is unifying in its treatment of different religions, showing how they all are very similar and how devotees are all nourished by similar symbols.
3.15 - 3.45: Break
3.45 - 4.45: “Walk in Newness of Life” - Peter Owen-Jones
We walk to know the present better than before. When we walk, we walk through an exterior landscape of trees, seas, cities, mountains and fields but we also follow the paths that lead into our own interior landscape. Peter will share some of his experiences of walking the same daily path that is each time different.
Sunday 29 November 2015
10.00 - 10.15: Introduction
10.15 - 11.15: “The Gatekeeper?” - Peter Dawkins
What or who is the Gatekeeper? Thresholds are the inbetween places connecting one space to another, one realm to another, one timespan to another. At the threshold we can find the Gatekeeper. How can we do this and why is it important when entering into pilgrimage and seeking to meet the spirit of place?
11.15 - 11.45: Break
11.45 - 12.45: “The Role of the Culdees in the Burren, West of Ireland” - Jackie Queally
An account of the places and pilgrimage routes of the early saints who were geomancers and spiritual idealists. In the Burren in the west of Ireland these saints were part of a movement known as the Culdees, and their sanctuaries bear testimony to the earth wisdom they attuned to. This talk will be layered with the sacred geometry formed by a couple of earth grids that exist over the Burren, one of Europe’s most mysterious and sacred landscapes.
12.45 - 1.00: Discussion
1.00 - 2.15: Lunch
2.15 - 3.15: “The Barefoot Pilgrim” - Philip Wells
From the ancient bards to Saint Francis of Assisi, barefoot walking has always been a direct way of reconnecting with cosmic wisdom and self-initiating into the shining landscapes of the soul. Philip relates this living, breathing metaphor to his record-breaking 1000 mile barefoot walk for charity last summer around England and Wales, via ancient pathways, schools, sacred sites, and spaces sanctified by poetry.
3.15 - 3.45: Break
3.45 - 4.45: “Think Global, Act Local - A Druid’s Perspective on the Land" - Penny Billington
Druids have no received wisdom; they ‘learn from the book of nature.’ But what exactly does that mean, and what is the reality and practice of making connection and imbibing wisdom from the earth? We will explore possible differences between personal and internationally recognized sacred space as we look at how Druids, in particular, view the land. What might we gain from adopting a mythopoetic view of landscape? And what gifts of understanding might result from practices that will be relevant, wherever we happen to be?
4.45 - 5.00: Concluding Discussion