Craft and Creativity Retreat
Yorkshire Dales
16th - 18th August
Does the pace of life sometimes run away with you?
Are you often left feeling there’s no time for nature or self-nurture?
Modern day life can sap our energy and leave us stressed and ill, with little or no opportunity for our creative selves or even self-care.
As life hurtles on by it’s so easy to think we have no option but to be swept along in the torrent of ‘stuff’ and ‘noise’.
We may even begin to think that this is the way life is and always has been and we can do nothing more than cope with it.
What if we told you there is another way? A way of living a connected life in tune with our wild self, our natural self, our ancestral self?
A way of being in this world but fully present with our body, our spirit and our creative life.
After all that’s how our ancestors lived. That’s what being human is all about.
On this workshop we’ll explore the paths our ancestors trod as they lived close to nature, embraced their creativity and had a much more fulfilling earthly existence.
Come join our clan in the Yorkshire Dales as we journey to our ancestors, handle and work shamanically with their tools from thousands of years ago and learn how to reclaim our creative selves.
Let the ancient landscape hold you in its gentle grasp as you connect with your muse and commune with those who went before.
Would you welcome an opportunity to unlock your true potential through your creativity?
Would you like the chance to immerse yourself in an iconic landscape and heartening community as you take steps to unleash your creativity, and discover the true nature of your soul?
Between us, Jason and Nicola, we have trodden this path for many decades and have at times denied our creative potential, worked through numerous blocks and have first hand experience of the difference unleashing our creativity can have on our lives.
We have moved from being in stagnant and unfulfilling work, to fully embracing our creativity and discovering the true depths of ourselves and the joy that this can bring us.
Because of this we are excited and passionate about working with others to master their own creative potential.
We are delighted to be able to bring to you this unique experience in the heart of one of our most iconic landscapes, working with the crafts of our ancient ancestors that are thousands of years old.
Linking into a time when creativity was not only celebrated, it was recognized as a key to survival.
What previous Craft & Creativity participants say:
"I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would say to someone if you are interested in this kind of thing then go for it."
"The opportunity to hold the stone-age artifacts and journey with them was what initially drew me to the weekend, along with the location. I loved the idea of the whole package - the option to camp out, the fire and the waterfall.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would say to someone if you are interested in this kind of thing then go for it.
It was really well organised, an opportunity to push boundaries, and it opened my eyes to new things and experiences.”
"The experience gave me a greater grounding in nature, a feeling of nurture and friendship”
"I think the most important thing was the new friendships and the immense amount of love and positive energy which is always abound at every event which you hold”
“The main thing that I took away was a renewed and stronger belief that things are changing and there are people out there who share similar visions of what life could be like for everyone.
I also took a lot of new information which gave me the initiative to try new things and investigate different areas which I could employ to improve my life.
I think the most important thing was the new friendships and the immense amount of love and positive energy which is always abound at every event which you hold”
What will the weekend involve?
You will spend the weekend immersed in nature in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, in one of the most beautiful landscapes
On the Friday evening, once you've arrived, there'll be time to settle in. Some people will choose to camp, and others to stay in the farmhouse. We will cook tea together and then relax by the camp fire, introduce ourselves and explain the programme for the weekend.
On Saturday we will spend time exploring the lifestyle of our distant ancestors, our prehistoric ancestors, looking at how they spent their time and how creativity was important to them.
You will find a place that is special to you in the wild flower meadows and woodland which you can visit throughout the weekend. This will be an opportunity to begin to acquaint yourself with the magic of the land, and begin to listen to the wisdom this place has for us.
You will handle ancient, stone-age tools painstakingly created by our ancestors which you can normally only view in a museum.
You will go on a shamanic journey to meet and commune with their maker, reaching inside their minds to see how their view of life on earth can help you now.
On Saturday evening we will share stories, poems, writings, songs and laughter around the campfire.
During the weekend you will take the first steps to developing a regular creative practice, and begin to envision what your creative life might look like.
You will explore working with your Muse and see what might happen in your life as a result.
There will be plenty of space to explore the immediate area, which includes acres of wild flower meadows and a real gem of a waterfall where you can enjoy the thrill of wild swimming.
You will learn or deepen further into ancient shamanic techniques of British shamanism, including journeying, ritual work and deep nature connection.
The weekend will be rounded off with a fire ceremony, where you will set you intentions and affirmations for going forward.
Why not join us and unlock your true potential through your creativity.
Experience a regular creative practice that will lead to a more spacious life, a deeper connection with your true self and a real sense of achievement.
Yes, it will mean investing a little of your time and money and take yourself away from your day-to-day responsibilities. It may even feel over indulgent, and raise a conflict inside you about whether you can justify the outlay.
But what is clear is that something needs to change, and there is no time like the present to reach out and get a little help to do so. Once you engage in your creativity, the momentum will drive you forward to make unprecedented changes in your life.
Maybe you are thinking that you don’t need more creativity in your life. Our ancestors recognized the benefit, and they were brilliant at surviving. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t be here now.
To make the retreat even more accessible we have a payment plan, so you can spread the cost over two months.
Lower Winskill Farm
our beautiful Craft and Creativity retreat venue.
There are so many benefits to joining us - here are our top five:
A Homecoming - something happens deep within us when we are in nature. When we still ourselves amongst beauty we can hear ourselves more clearly. We come home.
Listening to the wisdom of the land - spending time connecting with nature is so powerful and gives us insights which can have a profound impact on our lives.
Along with shamanic journeying these techniques have been used by humanity for at least 80,000 years. It is an incredible and easy way to access deep universal wisdom. Why leave it to your limited conscious mind to come up with all the answers!
Develop a regular practice - experience a regular creative practice that will lead to a more spacious life, a deep connection to your true self and a real sense of achievement.
An iconic location - the Yorkshire Dales is one of our national treasures and the landscape is quite mind blowing.
We are perched on a hill with views over Pen-y-Ghent and Tom the farmer has spent decades carefully nurturing the wildflower meadows which we will lie in.
The nearby waterfall we will walk to has been listed in the top ten most beautiful waterfalls in the UK.
Setting Intentions - without a clear intention we don't know where we are heading. So, by deciding this, and putting it out to the universe in ceremony we give ourselves the best chance of realising our dreams.
Book Your place here
Be a part of something special with us in the Yorkshire Dales
£
260
Spread the cost over 2 months
(2 x £130)
We currently have one bedroom available!
Now you might be asking "Is Craft and Creativity right for me?"
If any of these intentions fit with you we believe you are ready for this experience:
The importance of working with our creative potential
We know that with anything we do, the more we do it the better we become.
But with the distractions of modern day living, it can be so hard to prioritise what is most important for our souls growth.
We can tell ourselves time and time again, do this practice, and this, and this, and we will become better people. But try as we might, we let blocks come in our way, and this is where we stagnate, and begin to tread water.
Through embracing your creativity you will make a positive difference to your life. Your life will feel more spacious. Your creativity will help deepen your connection with your authentic selves. It will build a regular sense of achievement in your life.
Wouldn’t we all benefit from these qualities in our life? What is so exciting is that it is within each of us already, accessible to us right now, and is the key to us nurturing our soul, and unleashing our full potential.
So, a key emphasis of this weekend is to consider what a regular creative practice might look like, and take the first steps to experiencing this.
Learning from those who have come before
Our distant ancestors revered creativity, and it was an essential component to their survival. We know this from the myths and fairytales passed down from ancient times, and from their crafts work and art which still survives today, after thousands upon thousands of years.
In a society were creativity is not nurtured, where it is actively suppressed in fact, we will be wise to link back into a time when creativity was celebrated.
We get a rare opportunity to hold the very creations that our ancestors crafted all those eons ago.
Some tools date back to nearly ¼ million years.
This magical link back into a time held within our fingertips, and though shamanic journeying we can meet the creator themselves, and ask for guidance in how to unleash our creative potential in our lives, and the benefits this will bring us.
Learning in Community
We learn so much in community. It can be hard to find that community in a world where people who think and feel completely differently to us surround us every day.
The Way of the Buzzard is a place where we can gather.
Where those people who don’t fit in to a world they don’t understand congregate, because they were born to create a different one. And where better to do this than around the campfire.
In the evenings we will warm our bodies and our hearts next to the soft orange glow of hot embers and flickering flames.
We will share stories, poems, sorrows and joys, and awaken the deep bone memory of what community is really about.
Book Your place here
Be a part of something special with us in the Yorkshire Dales
£
260
Spread the cost over 2 months
(2 x £130)
We currently have one bedroom available!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the farmhouse accommodation like?
What facilities are available?
What about meals?
What do I need to bring with me for the weekend?
Do I need any shamanic experience?
What if it rains?
If you would like any point clarifying, or have any questions you'd like answered please don't hesitate to get in touch. Email us at jason@thewayofthebuzzard.co.uk