This year on Dartmoor we are offering a series of three Proto-Celtic Journey days which are open to any women who would like to come and work with a women’s circle here. At the end of August, our River Stone Gathering will include a special day for women to weave and anchor prayers into the sacred land. This autumn Carolyn will be hosting another residential workshop week for women travelling from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. She is also working with two Russian sisters (both of whom were on the translation team for the Weavers’ Oracle Russian edition) to arrange a visit this autumn, to enable them to rest in the arms of this wild sanctuary and restore strength for their valuable healing work with women in Russia. We will be linking into a network of Russian and Ukrainian sisters while they are here. To complete the sister journeys on this land this year, a group of Soitlâ women from the Weavers’ Trail programme will be gathering to share a deep initiation within the Bone Dreaming House. Please scroll down for more information about the Proto-Celtic Journeys and the River Stone Gathering – all bookings on our events page.
Proto-Celtic Journey Days on Dartmoor
We are offering a series of three days for women on Dartmoor this summer created and guided by Carolyn Hillyer and Gabrielle O’Connell
This summer Carolyn and Gabrielle will be sharing three individual women’s workshop days on Dartmoor that offer a deep journey of creative and sacred exploration into the Bronze Age ancestral language of these islands. There is a choice of three Proto-Celtic Journey dates, each carrying a different theme through which to explore the language and the land. These gatherings will be located in the heart of the moors among wild shrines, marshes, woods and streams, in our deer camp tent and around the ceremonial roundhouse fire. Each workshop day will braid together Carolyn’s source book about this mother tongue (Her Bone Bundle); Gabrielle’s work with creative writing inspired by untamed nature; ritual landscape, collective song, sacred drum, prayer spoken with rhythm, ancient hearth, quiet solitude and joyous sisterhood. Each workshop offers two options: full day (including the evening sessions) or evening only.
YAKSTÎ ANATLÂ with Gabrielle O’Connell
Weaving words of the soul is a journey of threading song, poetry and lyrical expression into sacred ground, deepening relationship to Proto-Celtic words, finding the roots of this language in our bones and seeding it into the voice, exploring their use in ritual, creating collaboratively and alone. These sessions take place in the deer camp tent and outside among the wild shrines and nature, with a lot of spaciousness in the day for individual solitude and rest within the flow of connection to the sisterhood. 10am-5pm, 12 full day places available (which includes the evening session with Carolyn)
KRUTTÂ KURO with Carolyn Hillyer
Council of our singing drums is a sacred circle of voice, ritual and rhythm inside the ceremonial roundhouse, around the ancient hearth and within the arms of our ancestral mothers. We will immerse ourselves into Proto-Celtic wild song and drum prayer, spinning new songs from ancient words and old songs from our own wise bones. We will tend the fires of our primordial memories. 6.30pm-9.30pm, 12 full day places & 24 evening only places available
WORKSHOP DATES
JUNE 1 Sunday Proto-Celtic Journey: THE DREAM
The ancient word sîrasto describes the yearning, the dream of the soul, the opening buds of possibility, profound and hidden connections to the bone language.
JUNE 29 Sunday Proto-Celtic Journey: THE WING
The ancient word kuli describes wings as they open into flight, reaching out into the wide expanse, stretching into full potential, the vibrancy of our ancient words.
JULY 27 Sunday Proto-Celtic Journey: THE ARROW
The ancient word arkweto describes the arrow of intent, focusing the eye, letting loose the prayer, planting new seeds and visions into the ancestral ground.
WORKSHOP INFORMATION
Full Day Ticket: Arrival 10am, morning session 10.30 – 1pm, afternoon session 2.30 – 5pm, evening session 6.30 – 9.30pm. Hot/cold drinks, vegan soup supper and evening cake provided. Bring own packed lunch and additional snacks. 12 places available for each date, £90, please go to our events page to make your booking.
Evening Only Ticket: 6.30pm – 9.30pm. Hot/cold drinks and cake provided. Bring your own drum if you have one, there are spare drums to share. 24 places available for each date, £30, please go to our events page to make your booking.
There are concessions available for both tickets – please email info@thebraidedriver.co.uk to ask.
Because there is a limited number of places for the full day workshops, we invite you to start by only booking one. You are welcome to email us with your second or third booking requests. We will release any available tickets for multiple booking from May 1st. You are welcome to book whatever evening sessions you wish to attend. Thank you sisters!
River Stone Gathering on Dartmoor
As part of our River Stone Gathering this year, our theme for the third day (August 31) will The Prayer Seed. This will feature a special event for women, a weave of song, drum, ritual, wild water, hearth fire, ancient prayer and heron trails through marsh and meadow.
This gathering of sisters begins at midday, then joins with the other pilgrims on the land (who will have spent the day carving ancestor poles and sharing flute circles) at 6pm. We will all share an evening of sacred music, planting our prayer seeds for the future.
We have 50 places available to book. For more information about the weekend event and to make a booking please go to the River Stone Gathering page.