The Coracle of Grandmothers: a trail wisely followed – Dartmoor

THE CORACLE OF GRANDMOTHERS (kuruko nanî) are three individual summer workshop days, with sister circles and wild sanctuary in the heart of Dartmoor’s high hills, hosted and guided for women by CAROLYN HILLYER.

The Coracle of Grandmothers refers to small oiled-skin boats that ancient women used to travel through watery land on their hunt for the spirit birds that protect and guide the human questing soul. This summer Carolyn is offering a series of individual workshop days designed especially for women who are newly discovering, beginning to explore, or curious to step into the teachings she shares. These are rare opportunities in which to sit with her around the sacred roundhouse hearth, to share ritual in the wild shrines and beside the wild waters, to explore the ancient hill farm where she has lived, created her work and tended the land for over thirty years. Each day we will braid together ritual song and drum, mythic tale, Proto-Celtic words, Weavers’ Oracle images, intuitive magic, raw prayer, wild dream and wise hands, ending with an evening ceremony in the ancestor roundhouse. There will also be some time for restful solitude. The land here will be in its summer abundance: wood and meadow, pool and marsh, each threaded by the dance of deer, dragonfly, moth, lizard, heron and owl. Step with us into this sacred ancestral coracle…

June 29 Saturday
A SONG TENDERLY CARRIED (kantlo-keno)    
Meaning: a song that slowly comes into being, a yearning voice born into sacred land
Includes: ritual drum traditions, creating bone chants, singing the Bronze Age mother language, weaving wild song… To book this workshop please follow this link

JULY 27 Saturday
A PRAYER SOFTLY WHISPERED (wotlukeitĥ)       
Meaning: a prayer that is quietly held, a spell that is secretly offered, a shrine that is honoured
Includes: tending wild shrines, rituals with water and wind, working with salmon, wild horse & deer spirit traditions…To book this workshop please follow this link

AUGUST 17 Saturday
A TRAIL WISELY FOLLOWED (bitîtu-westû)     
Meaning: a path that is guided by intuitive wisdom, deep trust and courage
Includes: treading ancestral trails, bone bundles and heron paths, sacred hearth rituals, ice drums and marsh drums… Tickets for this workshop are available below

BOOKING INFORMATION

• Arrival from 9am for 9.30 start, morning session 9.30-12.30, afternoon session 2pm-5pm, evening ceremony 7pm-8.30, land closes at 9pm. Each Coracle day offers places for 28 women and is tended by Carolyn and two kindling sisters (helpers).
  
• Hot and cold drinks available all day, soup supper and cake are included (vg/gf). Bring own lunch and snacks. Bring clothing that can meet the weather. Compost toilet, fresh spring water on tap, parking on farm. All workshop materials are included. It is useful to bring cushion or rug, water bottle, torch and warm socks.
  
• Local accommodation or camping may be found online: Air B&B, YHA Bellever, Runnage Farm. The ground is uneven and very soft in places; most areas accessible with walking frame or all-terrain wheelchair except stream walk and marsh trail. Separate toilet for those with mobility limitations. No dogs or overnight stays, no children but women with babe-in-arms welcome. There is very little public transport into the centre of the moor. The nearest train stations are Exeter and Totnes (taxi transfer takes up to 55 minutes and is expensive). Please car share if possible.
  
• Each workshop place costs £88. Ticket option available for two instalments: £44 deposit with £48 balance (includes £4 admin charge) due by 4 weeks before workshop date in order to retain place. Some bursary places are offered for those with limited financial resource (low-income benefits, students, carers and women under 30 years). Please email with your details to apply: info@thebraidedriver.co.uk Please note that our usual workshop cancellation policy applies: the deposit amount (£44) is non-returnable and non-refundable. The balance amount may be refunded up to 4 weeks before the workshop date by written request.
  
• These workshops are created around sacred women’s symbols and terminology, including blood mysteries, womb mythologies, ancestral mother traditions, the wild feminine and sisterhood. Women are welcome who will honour the vessel of these teachings and comply with our code of sisterhood which may be found here: the sister blanket. Please contact Carolyn if you have any questions about booking, or information to share about your participation.
  
• To maximise the number of women who can attend the Coracle of Grandmother workshops this summer, please choose one date to book. If you wish to attend other dates in the series, email info@thebraidedriver.co.uk to place your name on the reserve list and we will let you know availability three weeks before workshop. With many thanks sisters!

BOOKING BELOW IS FOR THE AUGUST WORKSHOP DATE