Registration link: https://simondevoil.com/event/5182367/645579252/workshop-sacred-earth-sacred-song
An afternoon spiritual retreat into the voice of the land and Heart. According to Greek mystic Pythagoras, “The highest goal of music is to connect one’s soul to their divine nature.” More than mere entertainment, music is a powerful agent for transformation, both personal and collective; song can call us into opening, attune our hearts to a shared rhythm, and stir us to deepen our connection with self, other, and the divine. In this retreat, Rev. Simon will explore the power of breath and voice to awaken the soul and foster deep connection with the sacred in a variation on the ancient monastic practice lectio divina. The afternoon will include listening and singing together, storytelling, and an orchard bathing walk with time outdoors creating presence and withnessing the land -- finding our place in the web of creation and depth of connection with one another.
Reverend Simon Ruth de Voil is an ordained interfaith/interspiritual minister, trained to be a sacred presence outside the conventions of traditional religion. As a sacred musician, spiritual mentor and worship leader he incorporates chant, ritual, storytelling and mindful practice to create a space for profound connection and sacred witness. Simon provides music for worship, ceremony, and prayer in a wide variety of churches and non-religious spiritual communities. He particularly loves to create music for meditation, healing services, and rites of passage.
Simon is also an experienced workshop and retreat leader, drawing on 15 years of study, training, and practice that grew from his time living and working in Iona Abbey. Although influenced by many traditions, Simon's spiritual path and teaching is deeply rooted in Celtic Christianity, the wisdom of the earth, and in the Scottish land where he's spent most of his life.