The Flight of the
Solstice Swallow
give your creativity wings
24th - 26th June 2022
The Yorkshire Dales
The Flight of the
Solstice Swallow
give your creativity wings
24th - 26th June 2022
The Yorkshire Dales
Humans are creative by nature:
we are creative beings.
We only have to watch children play to see how a love of creating comes naturally and is one of the first things we learn to do in life.
However, as we move into adulthood, the confidence to create slowly disappears for many of us.
Some people manage to hold on to it, and others don’t.
And those who do manage to keep a hold of their creative selves often find they run into blocks, such as making time and being afraid of judgement.
Do any of these phrases sound familiar?
If one or more of these phrases lands with you, then read on as we are holding a retreat to work with these things: to explore creativity and overcome blocks that get in the way.
Exploring your creativity will lead to a more spacious life, a deeper connection with your true self and a real sense of achievement.
It takes courage to be creative, as well as organisation and discipline. But when we do show up, we are rewarded. Our muse is there ready to work with us as soon as we step up.
There are all kinds of ways to express creativity. The most obvious ones are creative pursuits such as art, poetry, writing, crafting, singing and dance. Then there are the less obvious ones like cooking, gardening, and looking after children and grandchildren. And then there are even less obvious ones like problem-solving, decision-making, and organising gatherings with people that we love and want to spend time with.
A creative mind will enable us to cope with life’s challenges, help us carve out time for ourselves to do the things we love, and support us in developing our self-worth. Creativity is spiritual work, and creativity is sacred work. Creativity will help guide our soul a little bit closer to where it wants to be.
But to create, we need to have certain attributes:
Come and join us to unlock your true potential through your creativity
Held in the beautiful upper valley of the Yorkshire Dales, join us for this adventure into the unknown. We will be with you every step of the way through the weekend as you immerse yourself in a community of mutual support to:
We are holding this retreat around the Summer Solstice when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Fire energy is abundant at this time of year, as are the swallows who soar over the meadows where we deepening into our creativity together.
Over this weekend the first brood of chicks may be ready to fledge, which a powerful symbol for us as they prepare to take flight. This is the perfect time to tune into nature's energies and give your creativity wings.
This retreat is brought to you by Nicola and Jason at The Way of the Buzzard.
Between us, we have trodden this path for many decades. At times we have 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. We are excited and passionate about working with others to master their own creative potential.
However, we are not holding this weekend alone. We have called in the support of some fantastic facilitators to help add a deeper dimension to the weekend.
Let us introduce you to the team now.
The Team
Andy
Andy is a poet, performer, storyteller, songwriter and teacher. He believes passionately in the importance of play in leading a healthy life and sees creativity as a basic human need. He spent many years working in schools and colleges around the country advising teachers on ways to enable students to find and explore their creative selves. In 2010, Andy was diagnosed with Parkinson's - a degenerative, incurable, neurological disease. He strives to respond to this situation in ways that are realistic, playful and creative.
Gratitude from Previous Retreat Attendees:
"I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would say to someone if you are interested in this kind of thing then go for it."
"I loved the idea of the whole weekend - 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 best weekend ever!"
“Being in community with like-minded souls is so nurturing and empowering, I feel as though I finally belong somewhere. This was the best weekend ever!”
"I think the most important thing was the new friendships and the immense amount of love and positive energy that 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.”
What will the retreat involve?
We will spend the weekend together at the beautiful Lower Winskill Farm.
This is a working farm close to Settle in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. We will be camping, and so you will need to bring all of your camping equipment. Click here for some tips if this is your first time camping. You can arrive from 3pm to set up your tent, and you will be able to park close by in the field next to where your tent will be.
At 6pm on Friday evening, we will sit down for our evening meal together. We provide your evening meals and breakfasts and will meet all dietary requirements. Please bring along your lunch for both Saturday and Sunday. There is a small kitchen where you can wash up, and a small fridge you can use but please bring a coolbox if you have one as there is limited space to keep food cool.
At 7.30pm on Friday, we will kick off the weekend by gathering together in the large barn. This will be an opportunity to get to know each other, settle into the space and set the scene for the weekend.
We will explore the creative process during Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning. This will be achieved by taking part in short workshops focused on specialist areas of creativity. Through the weekend, you will touch into the senses of touch, sight, feeling and voice to explore your creativity.
Everyone will have the opportunity to participate in all of the running workshops, and we have a specialist team of facilitators to lead this. The sessions will encourage you to put aside any fears that might arise and explore how these present themselves in the creative process along with other blocks, identifying steps to overcome them.
After breaking for our evening meal on Saturday evening, we will gather around the campfire for a Solstice ceilidh. During this Solstice fireside celebration, there will be an opportunity to share stories, songs, poems and anything else that you would like to bring to the evening. There is no need to contribute anything other than coming along, but we will welcome it anything that you would like to bring.
There will be space to explore the immediate area during the weekend, which includes acres of wildflower meadows and a real gem of a waterfall where you can enjoy the thrill of wild swimming.
As we prepare to leave on Sunday afternoon, we will spend time reflecting on what has come up through the weekend: realisations, inspirations and revelations. There will be time to think about what you will take forward as you step back out into the world. We will round off our time together with a fire ceremony, where you will set your intentions and affirmations for going forward.
What will the retreat involve?
We will spend the weekend together at the beautiful Lower Winskill Farm.
This is a working farm close to Settle in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. We will be camping, and so you will need to bring all of your camping equipment. Click here for some tips if this is your first time camping. You can arrive from 3pm to set up your tent, and you will be able to park close by in the field next to where your tent will be.
At 6pm on Friday evening, we will sit down for our evening meal together. We provide your evening meals and breakfasts and will meet all dietary requirements. Please bring along your lunch for both Saturday and Sunday. There is a small kitchen where you can wash up, and a small fridge you can use but please bring a coolbox if you have one as there is limited space to keep food cool.
At 7.30pm on Friday, we will kick off the weekend by gathering together in the large barn. This will be an opportunity to get to know each other, settle into the space and set the scene for the weekend.
We will explore the creative process during Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning. This will be achieved by taking part in short workshops focused on specialist areas of creativity. Through the weekend, you will touch into the senses of touch, sight, feeling and voice to explore your creativity.
Everyone will have the opportunity to participate in all of the running workshops, and we have a specialist team of facilitators to lead this. The sessions will encourage you to put aside any fears that might arise and explore how these present themselves in the creative process along with other blocks, identifying steps to overcome them.
After breaking for our evening meal on Saturday evening, we will gather around the campfire for a Solstice ceilidh. During this Solstice fireside celebration, there will be an opportunity to share stories, songs, poems and anything else that you would like to bring to the evening. There is no need to contribute anything other than coming along, but we will welcome it anything that you would like to bring.
There will be space to explore the immediate area during the weekend, which includes acres of wildflower meadows and a real gem of a waterfall where you can enjoy the thrill of wild swimming.
As we prepare to leave on Sunday afternoon, we will spend time reflecting on what has come up through the weekend: realisations, inspirations and revelations. There will be time to think about what you will take forward as you step back out into the world. We will round off our time together with a fire ceremony, where you will set your intentions and affirmations for going forward.
Join us and unlock your true potential through your creativity
Exploring your creativity 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 taking yourself away from your day-to-day responsibilities. It may even feel overindulgent and raise a conflict inside you about whether you can justify the outlay. You may even be asking: ‘What is the point of creativity anyway? Why do I need more creativity in my life? What am I going to get out of it?’
But once you engage in your creativity, the momentum will drive you forward to make unprecedented changes in your life. This isn’t the easy path and it is the path less trodden, but it will pay you dividends in return for the time and effort you put in to it.
To make the retreat even more accessible we have a payment plan, so you can spread the cost over several months.
There are so many benefits to joining us.
Here are our top 5.
The Wisdom of the Land
Spending time connecting with nature is so powerful and gives us insights that can have a profound impact on our lives.
A Homecoming
Something happens deep within us when we are in nature. When we still ourselves amongst the beauty we can hear ourselves more clearly. We can come home.
A Regular Practice
Experience a regular creative practice that will lead you 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 we will lie in.
Setting Intentions
Without a clear intention we don’t know where we will be heading, so by deciding this and putting it out there in ceremony, we give ourselves the best chance of living a creative life.
Mystery School members get a 10% discount. If you are a Mystery School member, please visit this page within the school to find your coupon code.
If you aren't a Mystery School member and would like to find out more, please click here.
Is 'The Flight of the Solstice Swallow' retreat right for me?
Is 'The Flight of the Solstice Swallow' retreat right for me?
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 into 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.
The importance of working with our creative potential
We know that the more we do it, the better we become with anything we do. But with the distractions of modern-day living, it can be so hard to prioritise what is most important for our soul's growth.
We can tell ourselves time and time again, do this practice, 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.
By embracing your creativity, you will make a positive difference in 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to bring for the weekend?
What if I have never camped before and don’t have any camping equipment?
Do I need any experience in anything? I haven’t been to anything like this before.
What if it rains?
What are the facilities like?
How fit do I need to be to take part? Will there be much walking?
Is there any other onsite accommodation other than camping?
What if I need to arrive late on the Friday evening?
What provisions are made for people with disabilities?
What if the retreat is cancelled due to the pandemic?
What is your cancellation policy?
What happens if I catch Covid and am no longer able to attend as I have to self-isolate?
What Covid controls will you have in place?
Are dogs allowed?
Are campervans and motorhomes allowed?
How many people will be on the retreat?
What is the address?
How do I travel by public transport?
What are the start and finish times?
Is the retreat alcohol free?
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 nicola@thewayofthebuzzard.co.uk.
© 2020, The Way of The Buzzard