Helen Fost/Temenos Theatre
At the centre of the circle
Helen Fost trained in shamanic healing and altered states of consciousness with traditional shamans in Peru and modern mystics in Europe. A hypnotherapist, life coach, interfaith minister and performing artist, she offers an unusual synthesis of ancient and contemporary approaches. Her experiential performance ‘Between the Worlds’ is at Diverse Attractions 6 – 25 August.
'The mind asks questions only the heart can answer' (the Fire Poet) By shifting perception from mind to heart, thinking to feeling, history to timelessness, fear to stillness, we journey into the dynamic dance of light and shadow, the unfolding of space, the centre of the circle of all our questioning.
Performances:
13th to 25th (not 19th) August
Price:
£5.00 (£4.00) »
Ways of Centring
I came to this workshop seeking some peace and escape from the chaotic energy of the Fringe, and I found it. However, as often happens, it was not in the way in that I had expected.
Reading that Helen had trained in shamanic work with traditional shamans of Peru, I had hoped for an experience of this kind of inner journeying. Instead – and possibly rightly for the occasion – she allowed the group to find its own way into inner stillness, using music and visualisation. The latter included, at one extreme, an imagined dance to South American harp music, and on the other, a settling into inner space where we allowed whatever was right for us to flow freely. One other participant compared it to a Quaker Meeting for Worship with music.
Helen has, possibly due to her training in hypnotherapy, a clear and gentle way of encouraging those present to allow their inner feelings and guidance to surface. She also encourages us to face whatever feelings may arise, and find the blessing that is hidden within them. I found myself thinking of the old hymn (which I hope I have quoted correctly);
Those dark clouds that ye so much dread
Shall break in blessing on your head.
This was the first workshop of the series, and although it did not contain all that I had expected, I found it a worthwhile experience. However, I feel that Helen has far more to offer, and future workshops will probably contain more of the shamanic experience. I hope so, and I came away with the clear feeling that, as the series develops, so will the spiritual experience offered.
Jim Pym (13/8/07)