Mandala Nature Workshop 2014 - Lissard West Cork

The first workshop of 2014 took place in the most amazing location imaginable. Liss Ard estate in West Cork. It was a 2 day event with most people arriving on the friday evening about 7.30pm. There was a group of 17 amazing people attending. I make a lot of mandalas solo but I am always taken by the profound power that is generated when a group of like minded people show up to engage in their own inner work.

It is certainly the case in my opinion that a group 'field' is generated and is more than the sum of any of it's parts. On first meeting everybody arrived at the Lake Lodge snuggled away in a beautiful fold of evergreen trees overlooking a lake of extraordinary beauty.

On the first evening we opened with a lovely intro circle and a simple meditation. The idea was to 'unite the tribe', meet up and connect before quickly walking through the forest to the main house where our beautiful food was being prepared for us. (Thank-You Michael).

After this I was quite fixated on bringing everybody to the marvelous structure that is the Crater located in the Sky Garden.



Despite my motivation to share the sensation of 'spaciousness' by inviting everybody to gaze upward into the infinity of space I had to curtail my plans as all the stars were obscured by clouds on what had turned out to be quite a nasty night weather-wise.
However it was still a fabulous place to find yourself with such a group and it was in fact a powerful precursor for what was to come.

 Sky Garden Crater - By Day






The following morning the workshop took is own shape and built momentum in the wonderful and strange way they always do. I began with sharing some of the insights about sacred geometry I have discovered but also a new presentation on the actual specifics about 'how-to' when working with these shapes. I was really pleased with the response. After lunch the mandala creation phase ensued and as always this becomes a very sacred 3 hours both for the participants and to witness. There was a palpable sense of people really breaking through to the insights their inner healer was bringing up for them.

The highlight of the whole weekend for me personally was the 'deconstruction and letting go ritual'. Not only was there a strong sense of collective clearing in the air but when we walked out into the dark evening the sky was over abundant in its display of stars. They were so bright against such a black sky, made even more potent by virtue of us being inside all day. As we walked down to the little platform beside the lake I got filled with a wonderful realisation. I really felt that the time we had all spent together was particularly significant. There was a certain sense of authenticity between people. People opened to who they really were a little deeper down and they shared that side of themselves with each other. As everybody dropped their sand back to mother nature, gathered by the side of the lake with the stars piercing electric holes in the black sky, a thought came to me.

I thought; This is really what it is all about, this is what is real about being here on planet earth. Something special happens when you gather in a group and all let the outside world float away like clouds in the sky (which actually happened). Simply by giving yourself the time, space and permission to allow your true self become visible to you insights appear and truth emerges. 

I felt blessed to be in the company of each of those people and send a heart felt thank you to each and every one of you.