Gatekeeper Trust
Pilgrimage in Sacred Landscape
- This event has passed.
Annual Conference 2016 – “Threshold”
26/11/2016 - 27/11/2016
£40 – £70
"THRESHOLD"
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 Flyer here
Tickets still available:
Click on the orange buttons below to book online:
Weekend Ticket - £70
Alternatively please contact the secretary: 0300 123 7723 or email: secretary@gatekeeper.org.uk
Saturday 26 November 2016
MORNING PROGRAMME:
“The Gatekeeper” - Peter Dawkins
What or who is the Gatekeeper? Thresholds are the in between 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?
“Beyond the Threshold” - Marion Briggs
When we walk the earth, there are steps we can take to look beyond our visible world into the invisible. Marion will examine some of these possibilities and show how they can enrich our relationship to the natural world while on pilgrimage.
“Gods of Portals, Life Transitions and Liminal Spaces” - Imelda Almqvist
Liminal places are where ancient gods await and human beings are touched by the Divine. What is the function of such places in the landscape and how can we open sacred space intentionally to facilitate healing, rites of passage and to breathe new life into the teachings of the ancient mystery schools.
AFTERNOON PROGRAMME:
“Lost Kingdoms of the North” - Caroline Hoare and Gary Biltcliffe
An ancient and sacred route links the Holy Islands of Lindisfarne and Iona. Gary and Caroline’s exploration and research has revealed an alignment of prehistoric sites of goddess worship and ancient sacred sanctuaries of the earliest Celtic Christian saints. How did pilgrimage along this path inspire the spiritual warriors of the past? If reinstated as a modern pilgrimage route, how might it help those seeking spiritual guidance today?
“The Second Day of Creation” - Martin Palmer
In this world of extremes, the Daoist insights of yin and yang, fused with the ancient wisdom of The Bible and Jewish and Christian mystics can offer pathways forward. As both a Christian lay-preacher, a Daoist and as a student of The Bible from both a Jewish and Christian perspective, Martin brings a fusion of worlds that so often are seen as divisive, divided or in conflict. He suggests otherwise. From his working experience around the world, Martin Palmer brings stories, insights and hope.
Sunday 27 November 2016
MORNING PROGRAMME:
“Immortal Diamond” - Jay Ramsay
The role of the poet and poetry at this time of change. Poets have always been the antennae of their culture and through the poet in each one of us we can always understand more deeply where we are. Poetry holds a unique connection with the authentic self. Jay will be reading from his new anthology of contemporary poetry, ‘Diamond Cutters’, co-edited with Andrew Harvey.
“Enchanting the Fertile Landscape – Conversations with Dragons, Elementals and Nature Spirits” - Patrick MacManaway
All of our work to bring harmony, vibrancy and vitality to landscape is in service to fertility and productivity – the natural abundance and prosperity of a healthy Spirit of Place. Patrick will present results from working with agricultural geomancy in the UK, US and Australia.
AFTERNOON PROGRAMME:
“The Fade in Time” - Sam Lee
Sam will share how he came to collect folk songs, especially the songs of the Gypsy communities. Songs disappear and reappear. Many of the songs he gathers tell centuries-old lore of marginalisation and migration. ‘Re-wilding’ is how he describes his new arrangements of these ancient songs. Sam spends time in wild places, seeking a sense of sanctity in the land and finding it in song.
“The Song of British Pilgrimage” - Guy Hayward and William Parsons
As Pilgrimage in Britain re-awakens today, there is a great opportunity to help it become the best possible tradition imaginable - for the land and people of Britain and the world. How can pilgrimage be understood as an indigenous British ‘Song Line’ tradition? How does song guide one’s individual pilgrimage journey and the renaissance of British pilgrimage currently underfoot?
Conclusion - Peter Dawkins