In six retreats over three years we will journey through the development of human consciousness here in Britain, aiming to gather, examine and piece together the fragments of spiritual practice and belief from each period. To these layers we will apply a range of practices and our shared insights and intuition to create a living indigenous spiritual tradition that is right for our time, rooted in this land and connected to that ancient, enduring spiritual thread. We'll journey together into the ‘dreaming’ of Britain to discover how best to meet the universe on this holy ground. We will make magic, take strides of soul and, in our final gathering, consider how to use our understanding to make a positive impact on our world.

 

Each of our six retreats will include these elements:

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• Teaching core skills and transmission of knowledge. Tutors will offer their experience, and add additional perspectives, knowledge and wisdom to our enquiry. 

• Creative improvisation through song, dance, making, writing, trusting to spontaneity and imagination.

• Pilgrimage along dream paths, across mythically and spiritually rich landscapes, developing intimacy with nature, exulting in wild adventure.

• Practices that aid Deep listening practices to help open the intuitive mind, ground the body and work with the subconscious, with spirit and ancestral guides as a source of guidance

• Experimentation around the subject matters of each retreat and feedback

• Sharing of myths, legends, poetry and song around a fire, celebrating the rich tapestry of lore and legend in this land

• Circle time to check in, share, support and deepen with each other

• Ceremony that arises from the matter of the retreat, the land and our combined creativity.

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Additionally, each of the six retreats will focus on a blend of the GATEWAYS of enquiry and learning outlined below:

 

BEDROCK - foundations, ways of working, philosophy and guidelines for practice. Historic and archaeological context from the stone people to now, getting to know each other, building trust, deepening into group mind. New, old ways of knowing and perceiving the world. How values around intuition v fact have changed.

   

LORE - an examination of lore contained in ancient texts and mythology of Britain, and the tradition of the Cyfarwydd, in which myth is medicine. A closer look at the deities that have been revered in this land, the archetypes they represent and the mark they have left in our landscape and lore. We’ll also undertake some deep work with native archetypes.

 

ANIMAL - totemic animals and the animal kingdom as guides and cohabiters on this earth. An exploration of our extraordinary human animal, leading to a re-wilding of ourselves. Becoming aware of our interconnections and potential, purpose and responsibility. An enquiry into consciousness, and what that means.

 

DIVINATION - an exploration of the word of symbol, meaning and the mythic imagination as well as a deep dive into the art of divination and what it might mean for us today.

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ANCESTORS - how we are who we are, working with ancestors and ancestral places. Working with guardians of place, encountering genius loci.

 

RITUAL – exploring the purpose of ritual, the rituals of life, death and rebirth. Creating clear intention for ritual work. Learning to co-create and hold ceremony in the landscape for our communities and our time now.

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OTHERWORLD - Traditions, superstitions, the Fair Folk and elementals. What is the otherworld? How does it relate to our day to day reality? How can we pierce the veil to learn its teachings and wisdom? We’ll also learn basic journeying and trance as part of this enquiry.

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KNOWING - an exploration of the ancient divinatory traditions of Britain and prophecy. An exploration of subtle earth energies and alignments.

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PLANT MEDICINE - spirit medicine plants, nourishing plants, native herbal traditions and how we can work with them. An exploration of native plant medicine, its properties, uses, teachings and ritual use.

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JOURNEY – an exploration of the eternal self. Life purpose, overcoming death by embracing life fully. Being present. What next, embedded practice, sharing knowledge, connecting to land, loving ourselves, each other and the earth.

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HEALING - working with intention, love and clear purpose. The ethics of healing

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FURTHER DETAILS:

Participants will gather for each retreat on a Wednesday afternoon. Each retreat will end on a Sunday afternoon. Dates of the first three retreats in the 2024-27 period are listed below. Please make sure that you are free to attend all three.

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Participants must commit to attend ALL SIX retreats over the three years. The first three retreats are in the main a taught programme providing a strong foundation and basis in the spiritual traditions of Britain. The final three retreats are by invitation and a deeper dive, exploration and experimentation to work with the learning and traditions and embed a living practice for today. The dates of the final three retreats will be confirmed towards the end of the first year.

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ABOUT THE DADENI RETREATS:

Each retreat offers a full programme of learning, enquiry, practical activity and pilgrimage. They can be intense and require a good degree of physical and mental health and stamina. We usually walk about 8-10 km one day per retreat, over mixed moorland terrain. We tend to work from about 9.30am in the morning, through until late in the evening most retreat days, and sometimes undertake all-night rituals and vigils.

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In between the physical retreats there will be an online session. Some of these will include taught sessions (which will be recorded in case you can't join), and others will be a chance to catch up and check in on progress with tasks and research set during the retreats.

 

Crossing initiatory thresholds brings up 'stuff,' and the very fabric of life can be impacted - and often is. We view this as part of the important process of transformation. Ceremony, deep processes etc are designed to shake things up and to help us to resolve and grow into the full flourishing of who we are. This journey therefore, can be a challenging as much as it is necessary. 

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Please take all this into consideration before completing and submitting an application form and make sure that you can agree wholeheartedly to the code of conduct outlined here.

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DATES:

DADENI 1 - Wednesday afternoon, 5 June - Sunday afternoon, 9 June 2024 at Trefacwn, Pembrokeshire

ONLINE TEACHING SESSION & CIRCLE: 16 July, 6pm - 8.30pm - taught session, catch up and feedback on tasks

DADENI 2 - Wednesday afternoon, 25 September - Sunday afternoon, 29 September 2024 at Trefacwn, Pembrokeshire

ONLINE CIRCLE SESSION: 21 November, 6.30pm - 8.30pm - catch up and feedback on tasks.

DADENI 3 - May 7 - 11, 2025

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Dates for the final three retreats will be released in September 2024.

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COST:

Each retreat costs £680.00. This includes accommodation, food, facilities, retreat tutoring and online sessions in between. The programme is split in two halves of three retreats.  Payment plans will be available to help spread the cost. 

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OUR BASE:

For the first Dadeni retreats in 2024 will be Trefacwn on the wild Pembrokeshire peninsula in west Wales. In addition to comfortable accommodation, stunning scenery, excellent home-cooked food, and proximity to ancient sites and mythic places, this glorious old farm offers us a range of sites to gather for ceremony and practice, including an amazing roundhouse called Tŷ Sanctaidd (sacred house).​