Ritual Landscapes
A series of seasonal retreat days marking the four annual Quarter Points:
Midsummer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox
Are you...
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Curious about the power of ritual and its ancient history of practice in the British Isles?
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Looking to deepen your connection with nature, the land and the turning of the seasons?
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Interested in an opportunity to slow down, step into the present moment, and deepen your reflective and integrative practices - with nature as a gateway and guide?
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Interested in learning more about the Wheel of the Year, the Celtic calendar of solar and seasonal festivals, and coming together in community to celebrate and honour the ritual year?
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Curious about rediscovering and reviving ancestral connections, by working with the land, archaeology and ancient ritual practice?
If you answered yes to any of the above, then please read on. We'd love you to join us on the land here at New Coghurst for Ritual Landscapes, to celebrate the annual Quarter Points in the Celtic Wheel of the Year.
What is Ritual Landscapes?
'Ritual Landscapes' presents a unique opportunity to experience the full spectrum of what we offer at New Coghurst. These special days meld together an exploration of local Bronze Age history and archaeology, Intuitive Horse work, nature connection and ritual practice. All of these offerings can be experienced as ‘gateways of connection’ to the natural world and our ancestral past, and can bring us into deeper unity with our own internal landscapes and rhythms.
For our ancestors, whose lives were so closely interwoven with the natural world and its seasonal rhythms, observing and honouring nature and its cycles would have been instinctual. Ritual and ceremony was a natural expression of this intimate and reciprocal relationship with nature and the land. In recent centuries, we have become increasingly distanced from the natural world, easily forgetting how much we rely on the earth and the sun for our survival and wellbeing.
In these worrying and chronically disconnected times, reclaiming and reviving the ancient practice of celebrating seasonal festivals can offer us a way of renewing our sense of the interconnectedness of all life. Ritual grounds us in awareness of the present moment and creates a sacred container in which to reflect on the passing of time, the cycles of life, death and renewal, and to give thanks for nature’s generous gifts. We will be coming together at Midsummer Solstice (Litha), Autumn Equinox (Mabon), Winter Solstice (Yule) and Spring Equinox (Ostara). Click here for booking and event details.
What to expect from the day
jOutlined here is an example structure of a Ritual Landscapes event at New Coghurst. We will host a rich and diverse schedule of activities throughout the day, each a different exploration of how we can come into a place of connectivity: with nature, seasonal cycles, our ancestors, each other and ourselves.
Please bear in mind that each Ritual Landscapes event will be unique, as the day will be structured around the physical experience and symbolism of each seasonal moment. For specific event details, see upcoming event listings here.
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A guided immersion into the Bronze Age archaeological landscape at New Coghurst Farm, led by Cam Ross
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An Intuitive Horse session (minimum 2hrs) with Emma Ross. Meeting the semi-wild herd and discovering what the horses can teach us about slowing down and inhabiting the present moment
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A seasonal crafting session. E.g. Wild pottery, weaving, wreath or garland making
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Time to relax and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings of the High Sussex Weald.
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A ritual and ceremony to honour nature and the turning of the seasons.
What are the Quarter Points?
Summer Solstice
LITHA
Autumn Equinox
MABON
Winter Solstice
YULE
Spring Equinox
OSTARA
The Quarter Points mark four significant moments in the solar calendar. They represent the North, South, East and West of the 'Wheel of the Year'. The solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year and the equinoxes mark the moments when the days and nights are of equal length. We know that these dates were of ritual importance to our ancestors, largely because a great number of ancient moments such as stone circles and burial chambers were carefully aligned to the rising or setting of the sun on the solstices.
Sadly, little knowledge about indigenous spirituality in Britain before the arrival of Early Christianity has survived. What we do know has been pieced together from archaeological clues and the elements of ancient ritual practices that were integrated and incorporated into the Christian calendar. Neopaganism or Modern Paganism has taken a reconstructive approach, working to reclaim and revive these ancient spiritual practices native to the British Isles. The Wheel of the Year marks eight seasonal and solar festivals and represents nature's eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Why Ritual?
Ritual and ceremony have been enacted for thousands of years to honour and give thanks to the land, to help us make sense of our place in the world and recognise the ways in which the external natural world reflects our internal landscapes and rhythms.
Our vision for Ritual Landscapes is to create a space and framework in which people can come into a place of connectivity. We will come together to experience nature with intentionality, connect with our ancestral history and hold ritual and ceremony. In the process, what we believe will arise naturally is a deeper connection to self, rooted in a felt sense of the interconnectedness of all life.
