AVEBURY WALKING RETREAT
12 June 2021, 10am-4pm
Journey to a place of ancient spiritual significance for a walking and drawing retreat - an opportunity to reflect and receive in a deeply sacred landscape in the company of fellow pilgrims, led by Spiritual Director Fiona Koefoed-Jespersen and artist Alice Walker.
RELEASE RECEIVE RETURN
Are you depleted, worn down and untethered in this season?
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Do you long for a day to escape to a quiet, nurturing space and reconnect with your self and with God?
Come away to a place of ancient spiritual significance for a walking and drawing retreat.
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Together, we will use the labyrinth phases of release-receive-return to experience this sacred landscape and allow it and the Spirit to restore our souls.
Hosted by spiritual director Fiona Koefoed-Jespersen and artist Alice Walker, you will spend the day walking amongst the ancient stones, seeing with new eyes with simple drawing exercises, and in guided reflections. There will be space to talk, space to be alone in the quiet, and space to reconnect with God and your truest self.
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Travel to Avebury, and discover the largest stone circle in Europe, a magnificent stone avenue, an ancient burial mound and the source of the River Kennet.
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We will meet at Avebury village, spending the morning walking a 4-5 mile loop of some of the stunning sites, and then return to spend the afternoon in the Great Stone Circle.
YOUR PILGRIM GUIDES
AVEBURY
The Avebury complex is one of the principal ceremonial sites of Neolithic Britain that we can visit today. It was built and altered over many centuries from about 2850 BC until about 2200 BC and is one of the largest, and undoubtedly the most complex, of Britain's surviving Neolithic henge monuments.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF...
You are longing for some time and space to retreat and find new strength and hope for the coming season.
You love to be surrounded by the sacred power of nature and ancient thin spaces.
You are seeking an embodied practice to help you reflect on your life and connect with God.
You would love a day to walk, talk and draw with experienced guides!
YOURÂ QUESTIONS ANSWERED
WHAT DOES THE DAY INCLUDE?
We gather at 10am to set our pilgrim intentions and orient ourselves to the landscape. We will spend the morning walking to some of the ancient landmarks in the area, and after lunch, we will spend time in the Great Stone Circle itself.
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You'll be guided along the paths and in reflective writing and drawing exercises by your guides, Fiona and Alice.
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We offer a three-tier payment scheme to make it accessible for as many as possible - pick the tier you feel able to pay; all pilgrims take part in the same way.
HOW FIT DO I NEED TO BE?
The distance of the initial walk is around 4 miles, but there will also be time to wander around the stones, so expect to be on your feet around 5-6 miles in total. The landscape is rolling hillsides, so there will be some moderate hills to walk up; there are stiles and kissing gates to navigate. We will be walking on grass, country dirt paths and a few paved paths. We will be taking frequent pauses to reflect together.
If you have average to good levels of fitness you should be able to participate. Please make a reasonable judgement of your own fitness and capabilities before signing up.
HOW DO I GET THERE?
Avebury is in Wiltshire. The easiest way to get there is by car. If you are coming by public transport, the nearest train stations are at Swindon or Chippenham, from where you'd need to get a bus or arrange a taxi.
WHAT COVID PRECAUTIONS ARE YOU TAKING?
We are following all current government guidelines in relation what what we are allowed to do and what we are recommended to do. In particular, we will ask you to remain socially distanced as much as possible, and bring everything you need for the day, including simple art supplies, as we cannot share anything. A full kit list will be sent to you when you register.
SCHEDULE
12 June 2021
GATHER
10:00Â AM
We meet at Avebury village and set our intentions together.
WALK
10:30-13:00
We spend the morning walking to some of the ancient sites, pausing often to reflect, draw and pray.
LUNCH
13:00-14:00
Time to eat lunch - either the packed lunch you brought or you can buy lunch from one of the cafes in the village.
REFLECT
14:30-16:00
We spend the afternoon in the Great Stone Circle, getting to know the stones through drawing exercises, and taking inspiration from them for our own spiritual journeys.
DEPART
16:00
The retreat ends, but you are welcome to leave Avebury when you are ready.