Mini workshops, displays and demonstrations, talks, a play, music and brochure and publicity opportunities for everyone in Transitus. This will be a not-for-profit-making venture, as a service to the public, in line with the ethos of Transitus.

Annual Transitus Gathering at Bowden House, Totnes

Willows have been around long before humans - thousands of years ago willow was used in the construction of trackways across the Somerset Levels. "To wear the willow" was a phrase applied to the wearing of mourning, especially for a sweetheart or bride - as in Maddy Prior's song All Around My Hat I Will Wear The Green Willow .

We will be using willow, which has been grown on the Somerset Levels where basketmakers have been weaving baskets for thousands of years. It is even used to make artists' charcoal and to reinforce riverbanks. We will construct the coffin around a wooden base and weave the sides and lid in different colours of willow using age-old techniques and learning some interesting jargon

As our body ages, we naturally become much more aware of our own mortality. Hence, confronting death arises as a major initiation on our journey towards eldership. However, because the culture finds the subject of dying taboo, we often shrink from examining our own fears and expectations. Yet, life and death are inextricably intertwined and, as Michael Grossi claims, the extent to which we confront death determines the extent to which we are fully alive.

This applies equally to confronting the ‘little deaths' of the ego which are required in order to inhabit more fully the many mansions of our soul. For as Jung says, “only that which can destroy itself is truly alive”. Surrendering to the dissolution of outmoded patterns which no longer serve the larger whole releases us more abundantly into life.

In this workshop we will explore:
•  our personal and cultural attitudes towards death and how they affect our vitality
•  the dysfunctional complexes which may be preventing us from fully embracing our wholeness
•  the role the “inferior” function plays in our journey towards individuated eldership and what anima mundi (the world soul) may be asking of us in our capacity as elder.

Venue: Sedlescombe Village Hall, Sdelscombe, TN33 0PF, E Sussex
Cost: £85
Contact: By emailing sundialcentre@talktalk.net or tel: 01424 870031

Friday evening registration begins at 6.30pm with a prompt 7.00pm start, ending at 9.30pm & Saturday begins at 9.30am ending at 5.00pm

Death is an unavoidable aspect of human existence, though mystery and fear often surround it. To those dedicated to living a spiritual life, death is understood as a beginning, not an end. At the time of death, the soul begins its liberation from its encasement in form. Death therefore frees the soul from the limitations of incarnated existence. Yet there are few who know death as a great adventure, and who truly understand the transformational processes that occur at the time of death. In this workshop, we shall consider the nature of death as understood in the ancient Perennial Philosophy, how physical death is always followed by a "second death", the experience of Devachan after the death process is complete, how the soul evolves as a result of the death experience, the role of the "permanent atoms" in the reincarnation process, and methods of living as a preparation for death.

For over 20 years, William Meader has been a student and teacher of Esoteric Psychology. Central to his teaching is an exploration of the many facets of spiritual psychology as conveyed within a theosophical framework, and an amalgamation of subjects central to a progressive spirituality. His passion is to teach people the deeper implications of modern spiritual development, and the means to express the soul more effectively in the outer world. William's work is international in scope, and has gained widespread recognition. In addition to his spiritual interests, William has an advanced degree in the behavioral sciences, and several years experience as a psychology professor in California. Much of this work is centered upon the transpersonal aspects of human consciousness. With a university degree in Business Management, he also has experience as a business educator, offering a variety of staff development seminars and workshops to the business community. William regularly teaches and lectures in the United States, Europe, Canada, and New Zealand. He currently lives in Oregon.
Cost: £30 Times: 1100 - 1630
Registration and coffee from 1045. Please bring lunch to share.
For further details and to reserve a place, please contact Carol Duncan tel: 01243 576634 or email: carol.duncan@dsl.pipex.com
William will also be offering Esoteric Astrological Consultations
Please contact Carol for further information
Hamblin Hall, Bosham House, Main Road, Bosham Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8PJ Tel. 01243 572109

• This workshop offers the unique opportunity to consider what it might take to prepare for dying, considering your own needs and those of people close to you. What can be done? How does one broach the subject when someone is very ill and dying? How can a person have a good death? The workshop day is aimed at professionals working in the field and other mortals.
  
  Topics covered include:
  
  How do elders teach the next generation the art of dying?
  Creative ways of preparing for dying
  The advantages of planning ahead, including making a Living Will, discussing funeral wishes and making, what we call, a death plan.
  How to talk about dying with adults and children
  The creative use of ritual and other ways of creating a sacred space for dying
  Deathbed visions, a natural phenomenon which can be talked about

Josefine Speyer is a psychotherapist, co-founder of the Natural Death Centre (1991) and of the Befriending Network, (1994) co-editor of The Natural Death Handbook (2003), Supervisor for Brent Bereavement Service. She offers talks and workshops on various aspects of dying, death and bereavement in London and elsewhere.

Susan Morris is a senior palliative care nurse who has worked with dying patients and their families for over twenty years. She has been a trustee of the Befriending Network in London, of The Natural Death Centre and is a contributor to the Natural Death Handbook.

"Thank you for the workshop. I really enjoyed it and feel I gained lots from the day with you. I think what the day highlighted for me is the need to sit in a circle and share our stories in this area as sometimes it feels quite a lonely path I walk." Wendy

Time: 10.30 - 17.00.
Venue: 20 Heber Road, London, NW2 6AA
Cost: £55 before 1 April 08, £60 thereafter

For more information and to book, please contact Josefine Speyer at: 020 8208 0670 or email: josefine@josefinespeyer.com
Advance booking only.