April 13th – 17th 2010 Venue: Friends Meeting House, Brighton
Fee: £325
A rites of passage workshop led by Sue Gill and Gilly Adams
Most of us have a profound need to mark the important events in our lives with some kind of ceremony. Often these are the occasions that our culture finds easiest to celebrate – for example, births, marriages and deaths, but there are many other significant life experiences that demand attention. Sometimes a personal or private ceremony is the answer; sometimes a more public event where friends and family can bear witness. In a changing social and cultural environment where confidence in traditional religion has often diminished the challenge is to create appropriate, new rites of passage.
This challenge is the starting point for an intensive workshop which will examine the Hows and Whys of ceremony and celebration in a practical and experiential way. Beginning with an exploration of the way that rites of passage have featured in our own lives already, we will look at what else might call out for special attention: - beginnings and endings; gains and losses; transitions. We will examine how both positive and negative life events can be distilled into myth and poetry and create meaningful rituals to contain them.
One full day will be spent in the company of independent celebrant, Belinda Chapman of Light on Life (www.lightonlife.co.uk), who will take us on a site visit to the crematorium and green burial site in Brighton and talk about her own practice with particular reference to funerals. Belinda also works with Arka Original Funerals (www.eco-funerals.co.uk).
The intention is to provide a balance between inward and outward work, between mental and physical activity. There will be opportunities for listening, participating, pooling ideas, writing, singing and whatever else arises. Gilly Adams and Sue Gill will provide theory, information, and – they hope – inspiration, but most importantly the week will be shaped to fulfil the needs and aspirations of participants so there will be plenty of opportunities to create ceremony and to experiment and play with new practice in a safe environment. Our working day will be 10 – 6pm, finishing 2pm on the last day.
Gilly and Sue have been working together in this field for more than 20 years, first as part of Welfare State International and latterly under the banner of Dead Good Guides. Gilly is a director and workshop leader who specialises in the development of text for performance as well as in ceremonies and storytelling. Sue was a founder director of WSI, co-author with John Fpx of the Dead Good Funerals Book and also the Guide to Namings and Baby Welcoming Ceremonies. Gilly and Sue both work as independent, secular celebrants, guiding families and individuals who wish to create their own distinctive ceremonies.
