A week long camp on a beautiful site in the Chiltern Hills, Oxfordshire where people can connect with the rhythms of the earth, celebrate their creativity and honour the spiritual richness of our world.
Dances of Universal Peace are at the heart of the camp and there is a full programme of activities for all ages.
Dear Dance Leaders, Dancers, Friends!
I wrote this article for the July 2022 issue of my local North Wales ‘Network News’ magazine about my journey with the Dances over these last 2 years on the training programme with Jilani and Gulzar. I wrote the article partly to reflect on what the dances have given and do give me, and also to let more people in this area where I live know about the dances and what I am offering.
I hope you enjoy reading it!
Blessings,
Ruth Christine
Click here for Ruth Christine’s article
Come and join us (Sarah Bonner-Morgan and Jenny Williams) as we lead a day of Aramaic chant and simple devotional movement as part of the 2020 Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace (MESP).
Over Friday evening and Saturday all ten Beatitudes will be taught and ‘tasted’ combining the sounds of the original words as they were spoken with the refreshing and expanded translations from Saadi (Neil Douglas-Klotz abwoon.org).
Links to hear the words and melodies below.
Come for all or part of this journey to experience the essence of these Blessings; the life force that continues to bring healing. We will travel deeply into the sounds and vibrations of the original Aramaic language and there will be spaces for silence and reflection.
On our journey through the Beatitudes we are encouraged to reestablish our breath as central, give space for any confused or mourning parts of us to feel heard, soften our bodies and hearts back into natural rhythm, reunite our inner conflicted and warring parts and allow our natural compassion and joy to radiate back into the world. We come home to ourselves.
You are welcome whether you have experience of this work or you are brand new. We suggest if this Beatitude cycle is completely new to you, that you start with the first three Beatitudes on Friday evening – otherwise follow your heart and come when you can. Feel free to bring food to share for lunch if you are coming on Saturday and perhaps a blanket and/or cushion for quiet sitting.
Facilitators: Sarah Bonner-Morgan and Jenny Williams.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Dates: Friday 20 March and Saturday 21 March 2020.
Attend all sessions: £40/£32 (concessions)/£12 (students)
or
Friday Evening: 6pm-8.45pm (registration 5.30pm) £10/£8/£3
Saturday Day: 10am-4pm. (registration 9.30am) £25/£20/£10
Sat Evening: 4.45pm-7.30pm (registration 4.15pm) £10/£8/£3
Jenny Williams is a Church of Scotland minister currently working in Drylaw Parish Church in Edinburgh. “I have been involved with this Aramaic work for over 20 years and have found it inspiring; supporting my faith, and discovering new ways of expressing ancient truths. It links with my interest in healing, neuroscience and my childhood passion for dance.”
Sarah Bonner-Morgan teaches the Alexander Technique in Edinburgh. “I found my way to the Sufi path via a love of poetry, dance and music and deepened my connection to the Aramaic work of Neil Douglas-Klotz through his visionary Inter-Spiritual Leadership Training (AILP) which I completed in 2013.”
Here is a link to the EICSP booking page:
Or for a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, mesp2020@hotmail.com, 0131 331 4469.
Here is a youtube link to Saadi singing the Beatitudes as a taster or to get to know the melodies and sounds of the words before the workshop .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp2tDwBiroo
The Aramaic words of the Beatitudes (and the Lord’s Prayer) with the contemporary and multi-layered translations by Neil Douglas-Klotz can be found in his book Prayers of the Cosmos:
Dances of Universal Peace at the opening ceremony of the XR October Rebellion
(Climate Crisis – Tell the Truth)
Jilani has been invited to lead a Dance as part of the Extinction Rebellion opening ceremony in Parliament Square, London on the 6th October, from 4pm.
It would be wonderful to have as many Dancers as possible to support this. There are likely to be several hundred people at least at the ceremony, most of whom have never experienced the Dances before. Please come and be part of the circles to help hold the energy! We would be so grateful to have your support.
The theme of the ceremony is Beacons of Truth: how can we fearlessly speak our truth and find the trust, courage and willingness to be powerful in our truth telling.
Let’s come together as a Dance community in London at this crucial time, to demonstrate the power of peace!
In the words of Murshid Sam –
“I’d like to go to a peace demonstration where the demonstrators demonstrate peace.”
Dear Dancers,
It’s been 4 years since we organised a Regional Day to gather to Dance and also provide an opportunity to listen and talk together about your experience of the Dances of Universal Peace. To this end, we are offering a chance to meet, to listen to you and to dance together in 5 separate regions of the UK this Autumn. Ifyou would like to share a Dance or 2, please get in touch with those organising the Regional days below. Further venue details will be sent to you.
10.30 – 4.30 pm, Derwenlas Hall, near Machynlleth, Wales SY20 8TN
For more details please contact: sandrasunfire@aol.com
11.00 -4.00 pm, Friends Meeting House, 1, Paynes Park, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1EH
Leaders only 11-1. (Booking essential by 19th September) dancers welcome 2-4pm.
For more details please contact: sophia_nicholson@hotmail.com
10.30 – 4.30pm, The Heart Centre, Luddenden, Nr Hebden Bridge, HX2 6RF.
Booking essential, as numbers are restricted to 20.
For more details contact: jilanicordelia@gmail.com or 07966 451534
10.30am to 4.30pm, Bedminster Quaker House, Wedmore Vale, Bristol BS3 5HX.
For more details and to register your interest please contact Matthew, mheysemoore@gmail.com or 0117 214 0418.
Friday 27th 7.30-9pm, Saturday 28th 10 – 5pm, Sunshine Room, East Whines, The Park, Findhorn.
For more details please contact: mirabaisue@gmail.com
Let’s have a cup of tea, a chat and some precious dancing time together. Perhaps you would like to consider one or more of the following:
https://www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org.uk ~ would anything help your use of it?
And if you are sadly unable to join us, but have thoughts or feelings you would like to share, do please contact us either by email, through the DUPUK website, via Facebook or indeed by good old snail mail.
With love and blessings, Shamsia, Sophia, Shamsuddin and Jilani (Guidance Panel DUP UK)