On the subject of the Artemis Gathering, now might be a good time to announce my topic. It was a tough one to come by- I went through several ideas, trying to incorporate information from my previous talks (for those who missed them) whilst also introducing a whole new topic.
My first thought was the use of the Circle in Dance. The idea came to me during one of my seminars at university, when it occurred to me that dance classes differ greatly from other classes in one respect: we never set ourselves up in rows in front of a teacher (except where barres are involved) when said teacher wishes to speak to us as a group. We form a circle.
Why do we do it? It's a form of security, it establishes equality, it ensures no one is left out. Not too different from our group rituals, right? So I begin to research... incidentally, not much on the subject. And, as a Solitary, I don't have much group ritual experience to draw on- perhaps in the future, I will interview those of you in covens to get your perspective.
So that research, for the moment, hit a brick wall... but then turned a corner. In conversation with author and friend, Kevin Groves (A Path Laid Bare- a must read!), we discussed the idea of dance being incorporated into his Healing Tent at the Gathering... and there was my topic. Using Dance in Healing Magick.
Currently, I am looking at self-healing (as that's what I get to work with as a Solitary), but we'll see if I can work up to creating a group dance ritual where we can send those energies out.
I am still looking at the Circle, which also now includes the Labyrinth and Spiral too. Absolutely fascinating topic- I hope my audience thinks so as well.
And I promise I will post the written versions of my previous talks in the near future.
Brightest Blessings,
Shanti
xxxx