NICKI DAVEY ~ THE POWER OF CREATIVE THINKING FOR PERSONAL GROWTH (02/09/09)

Do you ...

• struggle to find solutions to issues or problems?
• need help to make difficult decisions?
• need inspiration in order to have great ideas?
• want to break out of old ways of thinking?

If so, this participative session will give you a new lease of life by helping you to see things differently, find imaginative solutions to problems, and help you to spot opportunities that you might otherwise miss. You will find out how creative thinking can benefit you, and will try out a variety of easy to use creative thinking techniques for problem-solving, decision-making and idea-generating.

Creative thinking techniques are simple, non-threatening and enjoyable. Be prepared to have fun and to be inspired!

Nicki Davey is Director of Saltbox Training & Events. She has nearly 20 years' experience of promoting personal development and growth through training, coaching and mentoring. Nicki's imaginative approach opens people's minds to new ways of working and incorporates ideas and techniques from the arts, complementary therapies and the natural world.

An inspiring and energetic speaker, Nicki will ensure that you leave this highly practical session feeling motivated and ready to use the techniques you have learnt. Please visit www.salt-box.co.uk to find out more. 

CHRISSY HOLMES ~ IMAGERY FOR HEALTH (09/09/09)

"Wisdom first speaks in images", so WB Yates said.

For me, imagery should be as easy for you as imagining your front door. I like to nip any problems doing it in the bud, and build up, layer by layer, on firm foundations.

Some people still call imagery "visualisation". I find visualisation an old-fashioned term, and much prefer using imagery, as it implies incorporating the five senses, rather than just that of the visual. I use a very graphic exercise to impress this difference upon people.  

In my own practice, I use imagery with clients for a range of uses;- 

• To still anxiety
• To support treatments, medications etc
• To support their Immune systems
• To support holistic healing
• To maintain health

I will explain each of these categories further in my talk at Glastonbury on 9^th September.

If clients are ill, they ask when they should start using imagery. Well, pretty much any time, is the answer! From the point of diagnosis it can be used to still any anxieties and to imagine a good recovery. During treatment it can be directed at the area that needs to be healed and to reduce the infection, tumour etc. After treatment its function changes to one of maintaining health. I encourage clients to use imagery in their everyday lives, e.g. when walking through a door, hoovering, turning a tap on etc. Here, I usually take them through a guided imagery exercise.

Imagery works because your body believes what you tell it. Clients are sometimes at a loss as to what image might work for them, so I usually give a list of examples of what has worked for others. I'm very clear that I can't give you an image; because it has to come from your own body's wisdom -it has to be yours, not mine.

At this point, I often invite the client to do some soul led imagery. I recommend that clients put themselves in the picture; they're not looking at it, or watching it, they are part of it. If people are still having difficulties with imagery, then I suggest they imagine, pretend or remember instead; these words are interchangeable for the purposes of imagery.

The aim is to find an image of the thing you want to get rid of, get a healing image for it, & then work to transform it. It has to feel right for each person. I encourage clients to trust the first thing that comes into their heads, no matter how silly or strange it might seem. This too is an individual thing. At the end of a session, I encourage them to imagine themselves well and happy; doing the things they love doing.

They should not worry if their image changes over time; they are changing too, so it fits that their image follows suit.

I run a workshop on Imagery, which lasts for a day. It is accredited as suitable for CPD with the NFSH. For details of this, and other courses and workshops that I teach, please visit my website www.chrissyholmes.com

DIANA ROMRIG ~ FOOD, SEASONS AND CYCLES (16/09/09) During this interesting and informative talk, Diana will be connecting basic nutrition principles and ancient naturopathic wisdom, she will explain how all of us are affected by natural, earthly rhythyms and cycles and the powerful influences they have on our health and healing.

She will explain in simple and straightforward terms the importance of the detoxification process, by looking at how the body carries out daily cleaning and cleansing and how this can be maximised by understanding the role of the yearly seasonal influences and natural cycles. She will offer easy solutions enabling you to incorporate simple detoxification procedures into every day life.

Many people say that after a period of detoxification they feel:

• more balanced in life and body
• less stressed and more relaxed
• re-energized

Diana is a fully qualified natural nutrition practitioner; she currently runs a busy clinic at her home in Glastonbury. She delivers a variety of talks, seminars and workshops in and around the Somerset region as well as writing for her website and local publications.

She trained with one of the leading establishments in the UK and takes a friendly, holistic view to health; a breakdown in her own health led her to understand the dietary challenges many people face and consistently helps many of them find the answers that are right for them. www.diananaturalfoodcoach.co.uk  

RUTH MARIE ~ THE ART OF TEA LEAF READING (23/09/09) Tea Leaf reading is a form of divination and is strongly associated with Gypsies. Tea-Leaf reading is also known as Tasseomancy. It comes from the Arabic "tass", meaning "cup" and the Greek "mancy", meaning "prophecy"

During the sixth century in China, the custom of telling fortunes by examining tea-leaves began.Tea was unknown in the west until 1609, when the Dutch began importing it from the Orient. People in France began to drink the new beverage with suspicion. In 1650, tea arrived in the shops of England. Here in England it would become a much-loved staple of daily life. By the seventeenth century tea leaves left in the cup were being red by fortunetellers all across Europe. Tea leaf reading all started with the Romans. The ancient Romans told fortunes by the art of "Oinomancy", or interpretation of a leaf left at the bottom of a wineglass. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a booklet provided instructions of how to read a tea-leaf. As a result, the practice became common not only in the back of rooms of fortunetellers, but also in the parlors.

So tonight, what could be more inviting than a cup of tea and biscuits while learning about the enchanting art of reading the tea leaves, together with the old English folklore that goes with it?

Come and join Ruth Marie and share your memories of your Mother or Grandmother reading the tea leaves. Learn how to give tea leaf readings to your family and friends and at the same time help keep this tradition alive.

For a reading with Ruth Marie telephone 01458 833937

MARY TRENFIELD ~ AN INTRODUCTION TO PSYCH-K^®  (30/09/09)
Advanced Instructor Mary Trenfield presents an introduction to PSYCH-K^®- the process that allows you to align your subconscious beliefs with your conscious desires. As indorsed by Bruce Lipton the author of The Biology of Belief

Your life is a reflection of your beliefs. These beliefs - usually subconscious, are the cumulative effect of life-long "programming." As a result of past negative programming, we sometimes think and behave in self-defeating ways.

PSYCH-K^® provides a user-friendly way to rewrite the "software" of your mind by changing beliefs that sabotage you into beliefs that support you...quickly and easily.

Changing subconscious beliefs that may be sabotaging well-intentioned actions is similar to reprogramming a personal computer. Using PSYCH-K^® techniques, a kind of "mental keyboard" to your own brain, you can increase "cross talk" between the two brain hemispheres, thereby achieving a more "whole-brained" state, which is ideal for changing subconscious beliefs. In addition, when right and left hemispheres of the brain are in simultaneous communication, the qualities and characteristics of both hemispheres are available to maximize your full response potential to life's challenges.

PSYCH-K^® helps you communicate directly with both the conscious and the subconscious minds, so you can change old beliefs that sabotage you into new positive ones that support you! This unique process is a blend of various tools for change, some contemporary and some ancient. Like many innovations in the world, PSYCH-K^® was the result of a "blinding flash of the obvious" generated by years of research and thousands of sessions with individuals and groups.

This evening will introduce you to PSYCH-K and some of the processes that are used to re-programme the subconscious mind quickly and easily. Come along and discover how you can learn these processes for yourself and begin to enjoyably create the life you desire.

"If you believe you can or if you believe you can't...you're right!" Henry Ford 

www.joyofliving.org.uk  

JEAN RANKIN ~ 5 RHYTHMS DANCE (07/09/09) 5 Rhythms Dance is a method of movement meditation that was created by Gabrielle Roth. See www.gabrielleroth.com to read what she has to say about the practice, or better still, read any of her books: Maps to Ecstasy, Sweat Your Prayers and Connections. She is a fabulous writer as well as a wild dancing spirit.

Come along tonight to hear Jean talk about the benefits of ecstatic dance and the path of the dancing spiritual warrior. Experience the 5 Rhythms yourself and get a free ticket to her class on Monday October 12 in the Town Hall.

The 5 Rhythms of Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness together create a wave of energy. As we learn to move our own bodies to the beat of these rhythms we can experience ourselves at our most alive and vibrant.

We can get out of our heads and into our feet, get real, let go of limitation and wake up to our wild, uninhibited and free dancing self where we can feel and know ourselves to be part of the Big Dance …. Of Life!

Yes, we can connect with our breath and stop holding on, find the moves that are natural and nourishing to our own bodies, express our feelings through the body, let go of our narrow thinking selves to open up to our intuitive bodymind intelligence, dance freely and creatively through landscapes of our own imagination, and be swept away into ecstatic trance in the fullness and reality of the present moment.

There are no steps to learn. Every body has its own unique dance. We can come to the dance at any age, in every shape, size, level of fitness or physical ability. We can come along feeling happy or tired, joyful or irritated, celebratory or grief-stricken, playful or numb, victorious or defeated. Whatever our starting point, we allow our bodies to come into movement and as we dance through the wave we can witness ourselves and our energy transform. A common outcome at the end of a class is a sense of peace and fulfillment, no matter what your starting point was. 

MARK POGSON ~ THE QIGONG JOURNEY: 9 STEPS TO FEELING MORE ALIVE! (14/10/09) Do you want to keep fit but find the gym boring? Have you ever tried Tai Chi and lost your way in its complexity? Do you want to incorporate Taoist philosophy into your life? Do you ever feel ungrounded in your spiritual practice?

This talk will introduce you to the principles and practice of Qigong as a way to stay grounded, healthy, stress-free and open to higher consciousness or spirit.

Qigong means "energy cultivation" in Chinese and involves relaxing the body and mind, stretching, flowing movement and standing meditation, synchronised with gentle focused breath.

Mark will illustrate the principles of Qigong using nine basic steps which can help connect us to Heaven and Earth. Mark has been practicing Tai Chi & Qigong for over 20 years, and has taught in Somerset for the last 5 years. Mark is also an established Shiatsu practitioner running clinics in Bath, Glastonbury and Wells.

Mark is highly regarded for his extensive knowledge of oriental healing arts, his combination of innovation with a respect for tradition, and his calm, supportive approach. In 2005 he set up SSOHA (Somerset School of Oriental Healing Arts) to raise the profile and promote the use of Eastern energy-based practices for wellbeing and spiritual growth. www.ssoha.org.uk  

BEN RAYNER ~ EXPANDING AWARENESS (21/10/09) 'The Physical is the doorway to Awareness, Awareness is the doorway to Spirit' Lipan Apache Shaman and Scout, Stalking Wolf.               

JOHN WADSWORTH ~ THE IMAGINAL ZODIAC: AN EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION (28/10/09) The zodiac wheel of 12 totemic figures is one of the richest and most coherent imaginative frameworks we have available to us as human beings. It can be thought of as an ancient memory theatre of myths and images, an alchemical alembic for the soul, its symbols lying deeply embedded within the human psyche.  The Zodiac has formed the basis of mystery traditions, and initiatory journeys throughout the western world - the plethora of ancient sculptures, mosaics and bas reliefs from all over Europe and the middle-east is testimony to this.  The traditions have been carefully preserved in mythic memory, and through our own imaginative participation, we can still take that initiatory journey today.  

In this experiential presentation, John will re-animate our awareness of the Imaginal Zodiac as a transformational journey revealing 12 unique perspectives, or ways of seeing - each one rich in myth and symbolism.  John will offer us a taste of how, through exposure to the stories, images, songs and landscapes of the zodiac, we might re-connect to an imaginal realm of enchantment and wonder and re-access a profound wisdom that we each carry within us.   

John is the inspiration behind The Alchemical Journey, a 12-month programme of transformational self-development based on the astrological wheel of the year, which incorporates a journey around the Glastonbury Zodiac.  John became a professional astrologer in 1991, following a profound experience of communion with the night sky, which opened his mind to the poetry of the cosmos and radically altered his worldview.  John is known as a creative pioneer in the field of astrology, and works from the basis that we carry tacit astrological awareness within our own bodies.  Through facilitating a whole-body approach to the astrological wheel, through media such as music, movement and theatrical play, he takes people through an alchemical process capable of stimulating profound healing and transformation.  He holds an MA in Cultural Astronomy & Astrology and is currently writing his first book. www.thealchemicaljourney.com

LOUISE LANGLEY ~ WRITING FROM THE HEART (04/11/09) Louise Ahqulieah Langley had never harboured the desire to write until 3 short years ago a synchronistic event connected her deeply with her heart and the message she had come to share with the world.

DR ANN WEST ~ TRUTH FROM THE SOURCE (02/12/09) When Ann West awoke on the morning of her thirtieth birthday her life seemed perfect. She was a beautiful former model, living in an LA in a multi million dollar home with two gorgeous daughters. Growing up in working class Glasgow and Leicester was just a distant memory. Yet she woke up feeling depressed one morning for some unknown reason, she was empty as if she was living someone else's life, three words drumming on the inside of her skull like a mantra. "This isn't it… this isn't it."

That morning was the beginning of an extraordinary journey that has taken Ann from Malibu to India, the San Juan Islands, Kauai, Ibiza and Glastonbury.

Following was an amazing Spiritual awakening that Ann has written her book about called 'Truth From the source " where an omnipotent voice appeared in her life as a guide beckoning her to travel alone to India to reveal many of life's mysteries to her that changed her life forever and set her on a path of awakening and deep understanding of the ancient yogic life she had once lived in  times gone by.

Following her spiritual awakening she turned away from her cosmopolitan lifestyle to study and then to teach. She has hosted talk radio shows for 11 years, coerced the US Navy to cancel military exercises, become a Doctor of Metaphysical Science, received her PhD in spiritual Psychology, and written a book about her experiences in India.

Ann now teaches once secret and sought after spiritual practices on the road to enlightenment. www.DrAnnWest.net

SIG LONEGREN ~ THE STUDY OF SACRED SPACE - SO WHAT? (09/12/09)  Sig has been working with the notion of sacred space since the late sixties.  In the seventies, he received an M.A. in that field where he studied Archaeoastronomy, Sacred Geometry and the Earth Energies.  He moved to Glastonbury in the early eighties to further pursue this exploration.  This Autumn, at the British Society of Dowsers' Autumn Convention, he heard that their Earth Energies Group (EEG) is in need of "revitalisation."  While initially, there was an initial strong burst of interest by dowsers in the area of sacred space, in the past few years, many have been dropping out to focus on healing secular spaces and on dowsing for health. When Sig listened to the present activities of the group, it was essentially all research.