Springbrook Mountain, QLD - October 2012
Where - Koonjewarre, Springbrook, Queensland
When - 4pm Monday October 15 – 3pm Monday 22 October, 2012
Cost - $2200.00 - a non refundable deposit of $250 is required to secure your space
Summer is cleansing, energetic, sexual and forceful in nature and is represented by fire spirits such as Salamanders and Fire Dragons. Summer is the Lion, the Chestnut Horse, the Snake, the Bee, Scorpion, and the Phoenix, Coyote, Dingo, Red Wolf and the Fox. Summer is symbolized by cinnamon, juniper and garlic, the Koori ‘fighting stick’, burning incenses, lamps, candles, wands and torches, lightning, volcanoes, red jasper, lava and gold, as well as the zodiac signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Summer is the time to learn the guitar and other stringed instruments, and to study the lessons of power that are offered there – the lessons of innocence and passion. It is a time to go within and to confront our inner child face to face, to remember the dreams of youth and to bring them to the forefront so that they may be remembered, realized and finally brought to fruition.
When the sun is at its fullest, it is representative of the element Fire. Fire is the element of great change. It is the element that represents will and passion and it is the most primal of the all the elements – and an element not unknown to the Australian landscape. It governs the realms of sexuality and innocence, growing within all at a great pace. According to the teachings of the Wheel of Life, we find ourselves working with the element of fire when we are standing symbolically at the peak of summer in our youth, when we think we know everything when in fact we know nothing, but the potential to learn is ripe and we are more than willing to try everything that life offers. Summer represents not only the ‘sacred fire’ of sex, but also the spark of divinity that shines within all living things. It is both the most physical and spiritual of all the seasons, as it represents growth and maturity, connection and wisdom.
Summer symbolically invokes the projective energies within each of us, the energies which promote the masculine powers of spirit in its physical forms: the heat of the naked flame and of blood and sap, the God Vulcan and the Goddess Pele, deserts, hot springs, volcanoes and fire places. It is indicative of one’s primal life-force, one’s pure intent and will in its rawest form, the ability to heal and destruct, the act of purification, of bonfires, hearth fires, candle flames, Grandfather Sun, the colours orange, crimson and red, the colour of golden flames, and of eruptions and explosions.
Fire is the element of change, will and passion. It is projective and masculine and contains within it all forms of magick, since magick embodies the process of change. Fire can be frightening. The changes that result from it can manifest quickly and spectacularly. It is not an element for the faint-hearted. It governs the realms of sexuality and passion, the spark of divinity that shines within all living things. It is the most physical and spiritual of the elements as well as the most primal.
Salamanders are the spirits of fire. Without these beings fire would not exist. It is impossible to light a match without a salamander being present. Salamanders differ in size, appearance and grandeur. Physically, salamanders look like lizards, about 30 cm or more in length. Vibrationally salamanders are typically seen as small balls of animated light.
Salamanders are considered the strongest and most powerful of all the elementals. Their ruler is a magnificent flaming being called Djin. Those who have seen him say that he is terrible and awe-inspiring in appearance. They have the ability to extend their size or diminish it as needed. If you ever need to light a campfire in the wilderness, call upon the Salamanders and they will help you.
‘Again, what’s in it for me, though?’ I hear you ask. Why should you attend yet another retreat with Scott? Well ... not only will you continue on one of the most powerful journeys of self-discovery you’ve probably ever been on before, but like Scott, you will also discover and develop:
• A deeper sense of adventure
• A richer sense of knowing
• The ability to take calculated risks, dare yourself and ‘create’
• Inner drive
• A true sense of passion
• Your inherent ability to create
• Undeniable psychic ability and how to trust it
• Your innate bond with the elements, in particular, the FIRE element
• A sense of spiritual adventure and personal direction
• A greater appreciation for your Life Purpose / Spiritual Purpose (I know why I’m here ... so what am I going to do to achieve it?)
• Healing – on a deeper, practical, noticeable, meaningful, tangible level
• How to harness your inner passion, determination and self-worth to bring your dreams and ideas to fruition
• Your ability to see obstacles as challenges and challenges as adventures
• A deeper connection to magick and spirit and an affiliation with the ‘other realms’; the realm of Fire and Nature
Now that 2012 is well and truly upon us, it is more important than ever before that we stand in our power, drop all our excuses and stop blaming others for our life circumstances. It’s time to stop pointing the finger, to stop blaming outside ourselves and to see ourselves as being anything but broken.
Few would argue that today’s children are different. It is safe to say they are more aware, outspoken and defiant – completely different to what we were like when we were kids. The kids we see today appear rebellious, angry and resentful … but when their behaviour or attitude is questioned, the kids themselves are not really sure why they feel or behave as they do. They just do. And this is the problem. Today’s kids are frustrated with something larger than their conscious mind can put into words. It is right there, on the tip of their tongue, but they cannot find the words; there is nothing for them to compare their emotions with and nothing to weigh it against. They just are. And with every probing question and trip to the psychologist, our kids are getting angrier and more frustrated. They don’t know what the problem is – no one does, but they know what it isn’t. They know it isn’t them. They initially take the challenging questions, suggestions and the disapproving looks in their stride, until one day they snap. Their shadow side, often fed by years of confused emotion and suppressed feelings of inadequacy (feelings reinforced by those who are supposed to inspire and guide them: teachers, doctors and - sadly – sometimes even parents), eventually bursts out and runs rampant, and with a sigh of relief we label them ‘A.D.D.’ (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ‘A.D.H.D.’ (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and drug them out to make them ‘normal’. At least then we have something to blame.
The point I am trying to make is there is nothing to blame. Honest. There is nothing ‘wrong’ with our kids. Sure, there will always be the occasional kid who is different in a negative way. There have always been individuals who stand out as being a little out of the nine dots, but these cases were (and still are) rare. Today’s kids are different. But their difference is special. There is nothing wrong with today’s kids. In fact, today’s kids are very much ‘okay’. They are here for a reason and, if we were completely honest with ourselves, we would admit that it is actually us who are experiencing the resentment and the anger. We are the ones creating the communication blocks, the disruption and the defiance we see in our children. We spend so much time trying to put our kids into boxes that we so desperately wanted to escape from when we were young, that we have forgotten to ask ourselves why. We try so hard to find labels for our kids and reasons for their behaviour that we have forgotten to look at ourselves. We become angry with our children for speaking up, having opinions and for pointing out the inadequacies in our society because we see it as criticism of our ability to parent well, and in turn disloyal to the effort witnessed in our parents. We see it as a slap in the face, a sign that we have not loved deeply enough or participated effectively enough in their lives. We see it as a spotlight that insinuates our role as being defective or lacking in some way. We become defensive because society says that children should be seen and not heard and we superficially believe them. What we fail to feel is pride and excitement. We fail to feel these emotions because we are afraid; afraid to remember our own desire to make a difference, bring about change and to scream from the bottom of our very soul ‘What about me?’ A plea that echoes back over countless generations, I assure you.
Our communities are like volcanoes about to erupt, threatening to burst apart unless we take responsibility and start listening to and communicating with our kids instead of talking at them and telling them how they should be acting. I am sure the riots that spewed through Sydney in early 2005 did not go unnoticed by most Australians and I am also confident that many watching these outbursts on television were asking why? Why are our kids acting like this? The answer: frustration … mixed with relief. The kids involved took the first excuse as the final straw and ran with it. They aimed their frustration at the most prominent representation of authority (the police) and vented their anger and resentment on them with force and passion. The kids involved probably early on lost sight of the trigger, the single incident that ignited this wildfire of emotion: the accident that killed their friend, and were, near the end, reacting purely on adrenalin and the misguided sense of power afforded them by the realisation that they were finally being heard. What parents need to be made aware of is that many of today’s children, although sitting silently watching the outbursts on television, were subconsciously right there beside their peers, cheering them on.
Today’s children are special. They are sacred and they are the balancing force we have been calling to for years. And now that they are here, we don’t know how to handle them. Today’s children are the ‘Fire Warrior’ Children, destined to initiate great change for our planet so long as we create the forum for them to do their work. Warrior Children hate being lied to. They know immediately when someone is not telling the truth, and it angers them beyond description. Today’s children cannot abide hypocrisy, arrogance or ignorance, but, unlike most of us, they are inherently forgiving, accepting and loving. Sure, they fire up quickly, speak their mind and sometimes act out violently, but they only do so in response to our being unforgiving, judgemental or selfish. The kids we see today are like walking highlighter pens, indicating society’s weak spots, pitfalls and sore areas, but as with all healing, they are aware that nothing global can take place until we clean up our own back yard and so they target their elders and immediate ‘superiors’ – their teachers, principals, parents and other figures of authority. If the truth were told, today’s children are not suffering from A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. … We are. We are the one’s not paying attention. We are the one’s bucking the (new) system. We are the one’s defying change. We are the one’s resisting our very evolution. The angry children we see today are the result of our struggle to comply with the greater scheme of things and their desire to see us wake up.
I heard many people at the time say, disapprovingly, that the kids who rioted in Sydney back in February, 2004 (and in Perth a little while later) were probably high on drugs, most likely bought with money stolen from their parents or paid for with pilfered goods. The truth is many of these kids probably were ‘high’ on drugs, but not the sort bought in seedy back streets or nightclubs. No, many of the kids probably had the residual influence of drugs given to them by their parents, doctors and teachers running through their veins. Drugs prescribed in response to the diagnosis of A.D.D and A.D.H.D. Ask yourself this question: Would you give your child a line of cocaine each morning before sending him or her off to school? No, seriously, would you? Well, Ritalin, the drug most commonly used to ‘treat’ A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. is a powerful, mind altering drug that effectively anaesthetises our children, rendering them unable to productively interact with their peers and their environment by numbing them to emotion, imaginative thought and natural creativity. Otherwise known as methylphenidate, Ritalin is a stimulant with properties similar to other amphetamine drugs. Ritalin is a CNS (Central Nervous System) stimulant that affords its users a ‘high’ similar to that of a slow-release cocaine hit. Ritalin, or ‘Vitamin R’ or ‘R-Ball’ (as it is known on the streets) is recognised as a possible stepping stone to harder drugs: drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin and is listed among the 'Top 10' controlled drugs most likely to be stolen from doctor’s surgeries and pharmacies (according to the U.S. FDA, the Food and Drug Administration.) What are we thinking, then, allowing this to continue? Why are we trying to silence our children? What does this say about us?
Warrior Children innately know they are here on a mission. They know they have a Purpose. The Warrior Children are here to bring integrity back to humanity. Warriors know it is up to them to bring legitimacy back to our governments, balance back to our relationships and equality back to our communities. They are here to instruct us in the ways of truth and honesty. They are here to coach us in clear communication, impeccability and unconditional love. Today’s children say things as they are. They do not mince words, pull punches or tell you what they think you want to hear. They cut to the chase and call a spade a spade. They do so to get to the core of the issue. They do not believe in beating around the bush, compromising, or selling themselves short. Their Purpose is to help us realise that we have been living a lie for years, with each generation erroneously verifying the false beliefs and values of those prior, thus effectively creating an unbroken cycle of ineptitude, and they are frustrated by our inability to see it. They are even more frustrated by our determination to deny possibility, thus preventing them from realising their Purpose. The more we resist them and their mission the more they will taunt us and flaunt our obvious lack of accountability like dirty laundry, hanging it out for all to see.
So, how do we reverse the conditioning we have all fallen prey to? How do we say ‘no’ to the desire to believe in the diagnosis of A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. – letters that, in a twisted way, seem to spell ‘rescuer’ to our exhausted, stressed ears? Well, try talking to your kids. Try asking them to share their dreams, their fears and their view of the world and share yours with them. Take time off from work so that you might spend some time with your kids. Set aside your weekends for them. Ask them for their suggestions and act upon them by integrating them into your daily routine. Make your kids a productive part of your life instead of expecting them to comply with pointless rules and empty promises that you wouldn’t (and don’t) comply with yourself. Do not say one thing and then promptly do the opposite, and don’t expect your kids to fall for the obsolete ‘do as I say and not as I do’ rule of thumb. And how do I know this to be true … because I am a Warrior myself and I am confident enough to say that if you have read this introduction, and it has resonated well with you, then you are probably one yourself or you have one living in your home right now. If that is the case, though, I want it made perfectly clear that by identifying you or yours as a Warrior does not afford you the excuse to act up or to allow yours to intentionally make the lives of those around them miserable. With the title of Warrior comes responsibility – to the self and to one’s Purpose. You must see yourself as the next sacred step in the evolution of humanity, a role that affords you a position of authority and wisdom to be espoused in a gentle way that invites others to follow suit, and with this realisation comes a humbling relief that is sure to bring you to tears. Am I right?
During this intensive seven day retreat:
• You will experience first-hand the teachings of the north: passion, creativity, daring, energy, power, motivation and realisation
• You will learn the lessons associated with working with the energies of the north
• You will explore the element fire through hands-on, interactive exercises and journey work
• You will become familiar with the masculine, passionate, projective, changeable, spectacularly unpredictable energy of the north
• You will embark on a journey of the divine spirit where you will explore stringed instruments and musical tools that resonate to the element of fire: guitars, harps and pianos
• You will become familiar with the traditional colours of the north, and why it’s so important to acknowledge and introduce them into your everyday life
• You will ‘meet’ the sacred spirits and deity of the north through meditation and vision quest, including fire dragons, the basilisk, the phoenix and the elementals of the fire, the salamanders
• You will ignite a personal relationship of Personal Power and discovery with the sacred animals of the north: the lizard, the snake, dingo, the lion, the red fox, the emu and the chestnut horse with sparking hooves.
• You will gather together a medicine bundle of medicine items sacred to the energy of the north
• You will learn to appreciate the esoteric healing and divinatory powers of the plants dedicated to the fire element and the north
• You will also realise the importance of working with the minerals and crystals that correspond with the energies of the north
• You will participate in an array of exciting and insightful activities that will see you better understand the wisdom of the north and enlightening opportunities afforded by the fire element: you will explore the base chakra – the energy centre that governs passion and creation within all living things; dance, drama and free-form movement, exercise, physical communication, sensuality and love, body awareness, philosophy and spirit vibration and working with your spirit guides and totems, fire Angels (Archangel Michael) and much more
• You will also learn some powerful affirmations that will help instil and maintain the energies of the fire once the retreat is over
During our annual retreats, we ALWAYS take pleasure in:
• A bonfire on the last night (a Surrender Fire) in to which we will throw prayers of gratitude, surrender and acceptance
• Morning Prayers of Smoke and Dream Sharing
• Readings and Energetic Healings using heat, light, rhythm and the sound of stringed instruments, etc
• Drum Healing and Journey Work
Apart from the daily program that will include smudging, drumming and activities that explore different forms of divination (fire reading, charcoal and smoke scrying, psychometry, oracle cards and runes, etc), developing intuition, following signs, meditation, shamanic and energetic healing techniques, spiritual protection and other exciting things like crystal awareness, totemism and animal symbolism ... during this exciting retreat, attendees will also participate in three tailor-made 'micro-workshops' that will include:
• Making a Shamanic Medicine Staff that’s decorated with red feathers (for courage) and stones and other materials corresponding to the element FIRE
• Making a Shamanic Crystal Healing Wand imbued with Snake Energy
• Making your own Raw Hide Totemic Medicine Shield (this activity will be split over two days)
We will also enjoy a ‘ROUND ROBIN’ day of fire-influenced Master Classes that will include:
1. A DRAMATIC Master Class with the owner and creator of BRIGHT LIGHTS PERFORMANCE SCHOOL, Brian Dale. Brian will teach us the basics of getting into character by allowing us to break through limiting beliefs and self-conscious mind sets that would otherwise hold us back and hinder our ability to express ourselves, create and communicate.
2. A FIREY Master Class in the ancient art of FIRE TWIRLING, with Fire Dancer Yasemin Sabuncu. Yasemin will reveal the techniques involved in fire twirling, as well as offer ‘how to’ opportunities to anyone wanting to give fire twirling a go for themselves.
3. A hands-on EXPRESSIVE ART Master Class with INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST, Sharon Mcleod. Sharon was born an artist and, despite what everyone else wanted her to do with her life, decided to stay one! Sharon will teach us to ‘find the artist within’ and to set ourselves free using nothing more than paint, a brush and a clean canvas!
And as if that’s not enough, we will also be calling in the TEACHINGS OF THE FIRE ELEMENT to help us TEST OUR WILL and SENSE OF RESOLVE, learn how to find the courage to TAKE CALCULATED RISKS while DARING OURSELVES to break free of limitation and fear. And how will we achieve all this?
By SKY DIVING (tandem) of course!
Sky Diving is an activity that will surely help us:
• regain a sense of faith, trust and innocence
• overcome physical and personal vulnerability
• find strength and passion
• realise just how protected we are
• empower our relationships with others, with our self and with nature
• rekindle a sense of renewal and promise
• ignite and anchor the desire for self-healing
• release stress
• find love within our very being strong enough to carry our desires out into the world
• build on our innate sense of courage
All that was once elusive and hard to find within our self will suddenly become visible and achievable. Nothing will ever hold us back again! I promise.
Cancellation and Booking Policy
We understand that things come up last minute and can be out of your control, so when you register for any Animal Dreaming Workshop or Retreat, the following applies:
• All deposits and payments are non-refundable.
• The specified deposit is required to secure your space and the full amount to be paid two weeks prior to the commencement date.
• Cancellations are requested in writing.
• Where the Event is cancelled, the registrant will be reimbursed their monies.
We reserve the right to cancel or postpone an event in case the number of attendees is too low for the event to be meaningful.