Cancer now affects 1 in 2.6 people in South Africa, and the normally recommended route of chemo, radiation and surgery have a dismal overall success rate of less than 2%.

One hundred years ago we had only a 1 in 8000 chance of getting cancer, so no, the ‘war on cancer’ by the usual accepted means is not the answer. We, each one of us, need to be better informed and to make better lifestyle choices, and this includes all areas of life. Diet as well the stress we live under are two major contributing ingredients to this modern epidemic.

This powerful workshop looks at healing on four levels, and incorporates a special focus on dealing with cancer: Body (mechanistic, diet and supplements); Mind (mind-body connection); Soul (energy);and Spirit (transpersonal healing). It includes the seven vital steps to healing disease in the body naturally, and will show how to bring balance to the mind and emotions to allow life to flow freely again. While so much focus is placed on changing the physical cells in the quest to heal, it should be understood that we are, first and foremost, spiritual beings on a soul journey. As Einstein observed, “The Field is the sole determinant of the particle”, meaning that all physical reality is predicated on a field of non-visible, non-physical energy, which physicist Max Planck called ‘the Matrix’. This Field of Energy should be the starting place of all healing, and not left until the end after all else has failed. There is a huge gift of soul growth and cleansing in the journey towards healing, and this understanding needs to be incorporated into any healing regimen. In finding yourself or a loved one with serious illness, there is a window of opportunity for immense transformation. John will provide insights and guidance on optimising healing at the physical cellular level and in addition will include profound insights into the energetic aspect of the journey towards wellness and healing.

Yoga asanas (postures) massage the internal organs, nerves and glands, improving their performance. They enhance energy levels and stamina, flexibility and agility of the body and mind, enabling you to lead a more active and creative life. Sleep and digestion are improved.  Yoga’s focus on the body and correct breathing improves energy levels and the immune system.  As you let go of resistance and allow the muscles and tendons to release into the postures, you also learn to let go of resistance in other areas of life, accepting what is and what cannot be changed, helping you to make better choices. Wear comfortable clothes and bring a yoga mat.

Drumming and music-making are ancient ways of transcending our routine lifestyle, opening ourselves to spiritual realms of healing and creativity, which is experienced as liberating and rejuvenating. The whole universe is a continuous flux of pulsating rhythms. Drumming connects us to these rhythms, facilitating a change in consciousness that leads to a sense of unity and well-being, which promotes deep relaxation and healing. In this retreat we will be learning basic drumming techniques and exploring rhythmic creativity which will be combined with meditation practice and contemplation.

Here I am once again, disguised as myself – from About Death and Other Things   Alexander Ristovic

Life writing is not only about developing technical skills. It is also a way to reflect and grow awareness. The tools we need to write about what we know best are tools we need to live more creatively, less anxiously. Whether you are writing fiction or poetry, life writing skills can help to deepen observation. We each have life motifs or themes that are more or less unconscious. Yet an evolving pattern binds our journey from birth to death into a whole coherent piece. Getting to know more about the story we are living helps us to ride our stories, rather than our stories riding us. We will reclaim memory and imagination as means to release ourselves into awe and creativity, connectedness and purpose, awareness and pleasure. Through identifying and engaging with the images that shape our time on earth, we will find refreshing approaches to put our personal stories down on the page. Bring a notebook and pen, two objects from the period you want to write about - one that represents something you loved about it, and one that represents something you disliked about that time. Beginners are welcome.

Imagine yourself in a colourless world - no warm reds, oranges or yellows, nor cool blues, greens or turquoises or any of the infinite colour combinations. Colour healing comes from, and is an important part of, the entire realm of energy. Colour is an intimate part of our being. The introduction of colour into our surroundings and clothing is an energetic statement. Light and colour are more revealing than form. Colour is life! During this workshop we will discover the powerful story that colour can reveal. We will play with an array of coloured glass pebbles, dyes, water, clear glass, and light which is a fascinating introduction into the realm of holistic healing and creative expression. This experience will open up a more profound sense of self-awareness and intuition and help us to understand what can block the creative process and how to overcome it. Profoundly simple, but simply profound.

SoulCollage® is a fun, easy, and creative way to express your inner world. Using intuition, imagination, and your willingness to explore, you will learn to create a deeply personal deck of wisdom cards. These collaged cards represent the varied and uniquely personalised aspects of who you are. They will lead you on a journey of self-discovery. By re-connecting to your innate creativity and accessing and enhancing your intuition, you open up the channel to your soul’s wisdom and access the potential which resides within you. SoulCollage® taps into the transformative power of images, intuition and synchronicity where you gravitate to images that have meaning for you - even though you may not know why. SoulCollage® works directly with the language of symbols, images and archetypes. The weekend workshop is about resting your left brain and using your right brain to connect with your soul as you play with images, shapes and colours.  No previous experience is required.

Wesak is celebrated by Buddhists worldwide during the full moon of May. It recalls the Enlightenment of the Buddha, as well as his birth and death. We will explore the trajectory of the way the Buddha’s philosophy adapted itself so readily to many different cultures, as it travelled across the globe. We will do this in readings and traditional teachings, fireside chats, sitting and walking meditation. As will be done in all Buddhist countries at this time, we will hold a Wesak ceremony with traditional chanting and a candle-lit circumambulation. The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of contemplative silence for the most part.

In a world where many traditional beliefs and superstitions have disappeared, we have become rudderless and cynical. Life is often not much more than a meaningless journey from birth to certain death. Whilst it lasts, we try to acquire some happiness and avoid suffering.  Is that all there is to it? Or does life happen “when we are busy making other plans”, as John Lennon so memorably said? Buddhism maintains that we are not living realistically: we are missing some fundamental truths about ourselves and the world we live in that distort and obscure what is really going on in our lives. Shouldn’t we try and find out what life is about before we die?

Our search for meaning is the most prominent quest of our time. More and more people today are on a personal quest for meaning and a deeper sense of purpose, in the hope of enjoying a happier life. Logotherapy, as an existentialist analysis, was developed by Dr. Viktor Frankl - more famous for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl was practising as a neurologist and psychiatrist in Vienna when, as a Jew, he was sent to the concentration camps. There he refined his therapy on how to discover meaning in life despite suffering. This secular approach offers many parallels with that of Buddhist philosophy. The weekend workshop will include activities and worksheets to assist participants to discover their own unique path to meaning. It will also be infused with case studies from Tibetans who escaped from the Chinese occupation of their country, as living examples of how it is possible to live life powerfully despite severe challenges.