THE SACRED MARRIAGE

Of Cosmic Forces: The Dance of the Inner Feminine and Inner Masculine

A Sacred Art Retreat in London

THE SACRED MARRIAGE

or HIEROS GAMOS

Our soul's craving for wholeness drives the unfoldment of all stories. A profound mystery teaching is found at the heart of a collection of myths from ancient Sumeria, such The Descent of Inanna and the sacred marriage of Ereshkigal and Nergal. The language may be archaic but the message is timeless: the sacred marriage between divine feminine and masculine principles is what animates and revitalizes. the cosmos This phenomenon needs to occur within our own psyche (on the level of soul and archetypes) as much as in the world around

Workshop Content

In this workshop we will essentially become “psychonauts” and travel to the very heart of the Creation and the Cosmos, which is also the mysterious seat of creation in our own psyche, or Great Within.

The sacred masculine and sacred feminine exist as cosmic forces within all of us, independent of our gender or sexuality. It is only through arriving at balance, a sacred marriage (or Hieros Gamos) deep within ourselves that we can bring our soul and our lives into balance. Not only that, we reach for a wider range of expressions that is our birth right.

In the 2-day introduction workshop we focused on medieval teachings (about working from a spirit-led as opposed to ego-led place) and we tasted the surface of this powerful process. In this 4-day retreat we will drop way deeper into the mysteries and magic of “what we know but often do not realise we know and are”: we forgot, mainstream education (with a focus on science) imposed a different dominant perception, we were told “to grow up and pull out of it” as dreamy teenagers…

The natural born shaman in us was not nourished or encouraged. However this process of conditioning may have unfolded for you, most people I work with have been “tamed” and lost touch with their Wild Selves.

Along the way we lose access to The Wild in ourselves, meaning that there are virgin territories awaiting us. Here we find larger manifestations (cosmic blueprints) of who we really are and what seeks expression through us.

Doing the much-needed work of balancing through ceremony and healing encounters with Spirit is ultimately life-changing. We step closer to our own soul and mission in life. We no longer apologise for being our authentic selves.

To reassure the people who have already asked this specific question: I will weave into this workshop the following material (which I first taught as an add-on course for my sacred art students in the US): exploring the sacred dimension of our own sexuality and how we can work with that vital inner force to arrive at full creative flow. For my students in Philadelphia this work unlocked powerful insights and techniques, it also helped them to access the healing power of art process in new and powerful ways. (Please note that description refers to the impersonal use of vital sexual life force – this workshop is not about sexual techniques or having sex! This work is about arriving at a different relationship with our own sexuality and understanding how life force moves through us and through our creative work so we can harness these forces and work with them in conscious and joyful ways.

Prerequisites and Requirements

Our evenings together will be used to perform powerful and deeply personal ceremonies. This course is for people who are ready to take the ancient alchemical art of doing deep inner work to a whole new level.

Working as a group with an experienced teacher means exploring this in safe ways, within a safe container and strong boundaries (of time, space, confidentiality, being witnessed, covering both the personal and the collective human dimension).

However, to do this work you need to have a high degree of spiritual maturity coupled with a high degree of emotional containment. It also requires a sincere willingness to engage in group ceremonial work and a profound respect for other people's process.

Please note that this course is not a psycho therapy group and it does not substitute for shamanic healing work either!!

All participants need to have completed the 2-day Introduction to Making Sacred Art workshop

Shamanic teacher, painter and author in the UK and the world

Practical details

Dates: 4 – 7 February 2019

Venue: London UK (5 mins from London Bridge or Canada Water Stations)

Hours: 10 am - 5 pm (with lunch break)

But feel free to arrive from 9.15 every morning and settle in or make art before class!

7 - 9 pm Evening work or Ceremony

(but 5 pm finish on closing day)

Fee: £595

A non-refundable deposit of £125 will secure your place