An uncivilised summer school

Solstice was a one- day immersive experience brought to you by The Trailblazery. We hosted this rewilding adventure on June 22 in the same tradition as our ancestors who celebrated this longest day of the year. Solstice was an experience for men and women set at Orlagh Estate in the heart of the Dublin Mountains with panoramic views across the Dublin City, and the Irish Sea. Amidst acres of wilderness, woodland and fields our intention was to slow down, recalibrate and attune to the rhythms of the natural world.

Solstice weaved human connection with nature, conversation, movement, music, crafting, food, meditation, ritual, ceremony and other creative experiences. The experience existed somewhere between a holistic retreat in the great outdoors and an uncivilised summer school. We invited people together to share a sense of belonging and participation with our wild selves and the wild world that nourishes us. 

We gathered some of Ireland’s leading blazers of trails to guide us through Solstice. As ancestors-in-training will honour some of the ancient practices in our Celtic tradition. We learned from the land through hedge schools, foraging and wildcrafting. There was live music performance from Margie Jean Lewis who is known for her ethereal soundscapes and lush songs of emotional depth and a beautiful surprise offering from Markéta Irglová.

We met with some of of our own wisdom keepers for experiential pop up hedge schools and hosted talks that explored the next stage of our conscious evolution include recent cutting edge developments in the fields of epigenetics, quantum physics and neuroscience. Other adventures included experiential practices like yoga and movement sessions, meditation, sound baths, labyrinth walks, fire ceremony, ritual and a communal sit down supper with delicious food from our friends at The Fumbally Café and The Pepperpot Café

Our informal faculty included Mary Reynolds (Reformed Landscape Gardner and Founder of We Are the Ark, Mari Kennedy {Yoga Teacher, Leadership Coach and Celtic Wisdom Holder}, Diarmuid Lyng {Father, Hurler,Campaigner), Michael Ryan {Yoga, Wellness and Meditation Teacher}, Carol McInerney {Movement therapist and Dance Teacher}, Susie Q {Meditation Teacher, Singer/ Songwriter and Social Entrepreneur}, Siobhan de Paor {Poet, Activist and Performance Artist}, Fiona Cribben {Mother, Artist, Wellness Advocate}, Victoria McCormack {Performance Artist & Ritual} and Chloe McHugh {Sonas Sound Therapy}.

Sometimes we forget that the universe is alive and that we are an integral part of that aliveness. Joanna Macy captures the crisis and possibility of our times in her film The Great Turning stating “We can come home again -- and participate in our world in a richer, more responsible and poignantly beautiful way than before”. SOLSTICE was a homecoming designed to celebrate the Celtic midsummer festival in the same tradition as our ancestors have throughout the ages.  We are gathering together to share a sense of belonging and participation with our wild selves and the wild world that nourishes us.

Rewilding Experiences

·      Yoga and Movement Sessions

·      WildCrafting Workshops

·      Earth Medicine Practices

·      Conversation + Storysharing

·      Sound Baths

·      Labyrinth Walks

·      Live Music Performance

·      Fire Ceremony Ritual

·      Acoustic Meditation

·      Communal Supper with delicious food from our friends at The Fumbally.