Join Astrologer Cor as she explores the Basics of the Ancient Art of Astrology, on the Buddhist Retreat Centre’s online platform from 24 August until 29 September 2020. We are part of the greater cycles of nature, bound to the ever-changing seasons of life. 

As within, so without. As above, so below.

This workshop will focus on celebrating and understanding the meaning of your birth chart. By learning the innate meaning and archetypal representation of the planets, you will explore your divine uniqueness and gain the gifts of self-compassion, self-tolerance, and inner equilibrium. Beginners are most welcome and encouraged.

1) Monday 24 August 5.30-7.30pm - Welcome Introduction Circle, History of Astrology Introduction to chart layout
2) Monday 31 August 5.30pm-7.30pm - 10 Planets and their astrological symbolism and meanings
3) Monday 7 September 5.30-7.30pm - 12 Zodiac Signs and their astrological symbols and meanings
4) Monday 14 September 5.30-7.30pm - 12 Houses and their astrological meanings
5) Monday 21 September 5.30-7.30pm - Polarity, Elements, Modalities, Hemispheres
6) Monday 5  October 5.30pm-7.30pm - Aspects
7) Monday 12 October 5.30pm-7.30pm

Participants will be working with their own charts. To receive a copy of your own birth chart, along with a copy of the workshop workbook, please send me your birth details (date, time, place) no later than the 22nd of August 2020. Please do not leave this to the last minute, as we will start working with your own charts right from the get-go. Should you not know your exact birth-time, a rectification is required before your correct chart can be emailed to you. Please What’s app me on 0827757423 after you have mailed your details to cor@corastology.co.za. I will confirm receipt by sending you the above-mentioned chart and workbook. 

24;31 August; 7;14;21 September; 5;12 October | 5:30-7:30pm

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Karma: What Is It?

This first talk explores the Buddhist understanding of why life happens to each person in the way it does and how the way we deal with our karma is all-important, for both the present moment and the long-term future. Ken will concentrate on the overview and a deeper understanding of being embodied in this world rather than lists and details of karma that can be found in books.

26 September | 9.30-10.30am
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Karma: What Can We Do About It?
The karma we inherit from our past forms the raw material of each moment, from which we can make either treasures or disasters. Words such as ‘acceptance’, ‘purification’ and ‘transformation’ are readily said but often misunderstood or poorly understood.  It is joyful to be able to live well-equipped to face whatever karma life brings. Dharma gives us the tools.

3 October | 9.30-10.30am
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Kindly register for each session. You will receive a registration confirmation email per session that you register for. The email will contain the link to join the session.

I believe that poetry is a primal impulse within us all. …we are all capable of it … a small, often ignored corner of us yearns to try it - Stephen Fry

Do you love reading poetry? Do you yearn to write poems? Poetry is a way of paying attention, listening, being in the moment and observing the world. We enter the world of images, rhythm, sound and subtle rhyme. We open to our creativity and imagination. As we cultivate a sense of belonging, our words offer us relationship, presence and healing. We can all live poetically and find the words that balance voice and silence. Together we can shine light into ignored corners and engage with the craft that calls us.

After these dormant months of lockdown, join Kugan for a weekend of gentle yoga to restore and rejuvenate the body and mind and for holistic health and well-being. There will be time for walking in the tranquil grounds of the Centre, for rest and meditation.

October 4;11;18 | 9:30-11:30am Register

“If you bring forth that which is within you, what you bring forth, will save you....If you do not bring forth that which is within you....What you do not bring forth, will destroy you.”

Are you feeling lost, blocked or stuck? For many people, this period has been a roller coaster of emotions and for some this has included unexpected changes in circumstance. Perhaps you sometimes feel that you are coping well, but at other times not so much. You may be feeling a bit shell-shocked, lost or in need of finding a new meaning in life? Maybe it's just an urge to re-centre and align with your core, or a need for a different perspective, or even a desire for an entirely new direction?

Transition Online is designed to support you in a way that resolves even age-old trauma and transforms not only your present, but your future. To have what you want but do not yet have, you have to go where you haven’t yet been. There is no other way!

With this in mind, Monique is offering Part 1 of her 3 Part Transition Online Programme.

Experience some serene “alone” time on a Self-Retreat in the beautiful, indigenous setting of the BRC with Marc who will lead daily sessions of hatha yoga and meditation. Enjoy the silence, communing with nature and relishing the delicious vegetarian food for which the BRC is justly renowned.

We have a choice in how we meet the difficulties that life presents us with: we can be defensive and erect barriers to pain, or we can choose to approach discomfort with an attitude of friendliness and curiosity. Being open to what is challenging requires courage and practice as it is not in the nature of the human brain to remain calm in the face of difficulty. In relaxing into what is painful we are making friends with ourselves and our world and developing maitri - the unconditional self-acceptance - that is the basis of compassion and well-being. In this retreat we will have the opportunity to say yes to life in all its forms, delightful and painful. We will draw on the writings of Pema Chodron to inspire us to live fearlessly by giving up control and waking up to everything we experience in and around us. Loving-kindness meditations will support us in our journey, as will the tranquil, containing environment of the BRC. The weekend will include sessions of sitting and moving mindfulness practice, as well as walking the labyrinth and group discussions. Silence will be observed throughout the weekend.

Qigong (chi kung) is an ancient Chinese practice that boosts one’s health and longevity. Through gentle, slow and flowing movements, it integrates and harmonises one’s bodily functions and states of mind by eliminating static and toxic energy patterns. Qigong (chi kung) strengthens the internal organs and skeletal structure and encourages good posture. In this retreat Paul will teach the Healing Sounds Short Form - a set of gentle exercises that also uses sounds to cleanse and heal our major organs, and which is a lot of fun to practise. He will also teach the ancient Taoist qigong meditation for inner tranquility.

Qigong can be loosely translated as the movement of energy. Qi is the energy derived from nature that is always around us. Using 6,000 year old movements, we can tap into this energy and thereby energise ourselves. Qigong exercises are slower than aerobics, but faster than tai chi. There will also be free time to relax and rest, and to take in the beauty of the BRC.

Yin yoga and meditation can be experienced as a practice of cultivating well-being. Combining the practices of Yin yoga and mindfulness meditation creates powerful possibilities for insight, transformation and healing on all layers of being - body, mind, and heart. Yin yoga combines aspects of Hatha yoga, the concept of the modern meridian theory in Chinese medicine, Taoism and mindfulness meditation practice. It is designed to improve the flow of chi/prana (the vital energy of the body) through the energetic channels (or meridians) to improve overall emotional well-being, joint mobility, immunity and organ health. Yin yoga supports a quiet, slow, nourishing and grounded practice. When we cultivate the skill of awareness during meditation with an attitude of kind curiosity and notice the experience for what it is, we can pause, acknowledge and respond in an appropriate way. Cultivating the skill of awareness opens us to possibility, conscious choice and space to create paths for growth, insight and joy.

24 October | 8:00-9:30am Register