Talks and Presentations

The PRC Presents...

...A Series of Talks and Presentations

Every 4th Thursday in the month

Venue: Small Town Hall, Magdalene St, Glastonbury, BA6 9EL

Admission £5 (includes refreshments)

Please note as of February 2012, we have moved venue and to the 4th Thursday in the month

Programme:

7.00pm. Doors open
7.30pm. Welcome, introduction and lighting of the Glastonbury Candle
7.40pm. Speaker of the evening
9.00pm.Social and refreshments
9.30pm. Doors close

23rd February 2012

'Inanna - with us from the beginning, with us now'

With Idris Charles

In the earliest ever written tales, in Sumer, The Goddess Inanna was pre-eminent. In recent years, in the wake of archaeological discovery & the work of dedicated scholars, Her stories are again being read & a new generation is finding deep meaning within them.

Knowledge of Her never, however, disappeared & worship continued throughout the intervening millennia & has deeply affected the course of our religious history.

In this talk, Idris will trace some of the details of Her journey, including Her prehistoric origin & will explore briefly Her relevance today with particular regard to Glastonbury/Avalon.

Idris Charles is a Priest of Avalon and co-founder of the Glastonbury Goddess Temple. For over a decade, following a dream in which Inanna appeared to him, he has been following Her path and is currently engaged in disentangling it through history, in order to present it in his ever-expanding book - 'Hitching to Inanna'.

22nd March 2012

'A Creature of Many Moods: Glastonbury and the Spirit of Place'

With Penny Billington

(This talk was first scheduled for November 8th 2011 but postponed due to illness)

Glastonbury and its Tor is widely acknowledged as a powerful presence - and not just by any one particular section of the local or national population. But current nature-centred spirituality holds the whole world sacred; so what is the enduring appeal of 'the Holieste Erthe in England'? This talk takes a look at Glastonbury in the context of Celtic sacred landscape, as a pilgrimage centre and attractor of myth and hope.

Penny Billington is editor of Touchstone, the magazine of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. She is the author of the ‘Gwion Dubh, Druid detective’ series and has appeared at Literary Festivals and the Dion Fortune Conference in Glastonbury. As a Druid celebrant she speaks regularly andleads workshops on all aspects of Druidry. Her latest book,‘The Path of Druidry: walking the Ancient Green Way’, was published by Llewellyn in July 2011.

26th April 2012

'Christian Contemplation. The spiritual practice that was at the heart of Glastonbury Abbey. Where is this practice today?'

With Simon Small

The Christian contemplative tradition is little known or understood in the modern world. Yet when Glastonbury Abbey was in its prime, this way of life would have been widely recognised. It seeks to nurture an ever-deepening consciousness of the present moment, the only reality there has ever been and so the only place where God may be encountered. It acknowledges and celebrates the mystery of existence, rather than being obsessed with a lust for certainty. It shares much common ground with the enlightenment teachings of the East.

Simon will explore the nature of contemplation and the practices that support it. He will also discuss its relevance to the contemporary spiritual search.

Simon Small is a priest in the Church of England and is chaplain at the Abbey House Retreat Centre in Glastonbury. Before ordination he explored many different spiritual paths, including the great Eastern traditions. He is the author of From the Bottom of the Pond: The forgotten art of experiencing God in the depths of the present moment (Circle Books) - a reflection on living the contemplative life in the midst of the modern world. He is also the author of Star Pilgrim (O Books/ Roundfire Books): a futuristic novel exploring deep ideas about the nature of existence. Simon and his wife, Jane, seek to live a contemplative life.

24th May 2012

'The Dance of Venus & Her Transit of the Sun in June 2012

With John Wadsworth

On Tuesday 5th June this year, the planet Venus will pass directly in front of the Sun, a potentially visible phenomena that no-one alive today will ever be able to witness again in their lifetime. In this illustrated talk, astrologer John Wadsworth will discuss the profound mystery of this planetary goddess and speculate upon the astrological significance of her "transit" across the Sun this year. John will demonstrate how her mythology and five-fold symbolism are woven harmonically into her synodic cycle as she traces out a perfect five-petalled rose pattern every eight years, and how the beautiful, rhythmic dance of Venus provides a key to Nature's own creative process.

John Wadsworth has been practising as a professional astrologer since 1992 and has lived in Glastonbury since 2009. He is an accomplished teacher and workshop facilitator, and is a passionate advocate of the experiential approach to the subject. He runs two year-long astrology courses and is founder of The Alchemical Journey, a contemporary zodiac mystery school held each month in the different landscape signs of the Glastonbury Zodiac. John holds an MA in Cultural Astronomy & Astrology from Bath Spa University. His website is www.kairosastrology.co.uk

you're not logged in..

• Login & Register