During this workshop participants will be in complete darkness for the duration of the course. Using ceremonial darkness as a shamanic tool is a classical method of shamans the world over for stalking the self, accessing invisible landscapes and embracing deeper aspects of both unconscious and super-conscious states. The procedure of being in darkness over several days brings about a remarkable stilling of the mind and from this pool of quietude the oft hidden gifts of intuition and creativity arise.
The workshop will be made up of a number of exercises and encounters with the self and with nature, bringing in their wake unusual phenomena including remarkably lucid levels of dream consciousness – where the borders between dreaming and not dreaming diminish and then disappear altogether; the ceasing of mind-chatter, the exploration of our own luminosity – and one of the primary aims of the shaman; to experience the world as a sea of energy. As well as our work with nature we shall also be using movement, sound, writing and healing practices which will assist us in our journey towards becoming the seer – the ‘see-er’ – one who truly sees in the dark and witnesses the world not with the eyes, but with the entire body. Darkness Visible is an adventure into the unknown, and Simon Buxton and Naomi Lewis call to those ready to undertake what will be – literally – a leap into the dark.

DATES:    The next two opportunities to undertake the Darkness Visible workshop are:    (1) Sat. 1st – Wed. 5th May, 2010     Please note: This workshop is fully subscribed. To be placed on a  waiting list please email The Sacred Trust.    (2) Fri. 26th – Tues. 30th November, 2010  Please note: This workshop is fully subscribed. To be placed on a  waiting list please email The Sacred Trust.

The Journey to the Midnight Sun is a two-week darkness retreat that is offered annually to those who have previously undertaken the Darkness Visible workshop. It is a unique opportunity to undertake fourteen days and nights of withdrawal into total black-out, undertaking a pilgrimage to what has been described classically as the Midnight Sun, being a metaphor for the encounter with our own greater luminosity. This retreat will be led and guided by Simon Buxton and Professor Stuart Harrop and assisted by other initiates of darkness work. It is attended by invitation only and those who wish to receive more information regarding this retreat, including logistical details, dates and other matters should contact The Sacred Trust: mail@sacredtrust.co.uk