Greet Life with a Welcoming Heart

In the Dances of Universal Peace we cultivate the strength and ease of an open heart so that we can greet life and all of the people we meet with a welcoming heart. Perhaps all that is necessary to begin this journey is the intention and the permission to allow you to listen more closely to the rhythm of the Divine Dance and to feel more fully its spiritual power and beauty. You can simply let the energy of the dances flow through your being and connect you to the deep wellspring of spiritual experience. To paraphrase the biblical phrase, In joy we live and move and have our being.

What exactly are Dances of Universal Peace? Essentially they are an instrument for the transmission of blessing. Mystics speak of universal peace, of cosmic consciousness, the peace which is beyond understanding. This kind of spiritual experience however is not the preserve of a few. Samuel Lewis the originator of these dances offered them as a means for all people to experience such states in a relatively accessible way. In their outer form they are simple circle dances. The integration of these movements which accompany the chanting of a divine name or a sacred phrase can attract a very high and noble form of magnetism from the space and at the same time can impregnate the immediate and not so immediate atmosphere with these magnetic qualities. As we sing and move with others in a circle there is an uplifting feeling and we can experience for ourselves such states as joy, peace, connectedness and unity. Watching people do these dances is like watching someone read a book. One cannot know what is going on inside the hearts and minds of the dancers, the depth of their experience. They are based on experience and to get it, so to speak, one has to dance oneself.

What is in it for me you might ask? Those who have experienced the Dances of Universal Peace know how wonderful they feel when they sing and dance and move together in the circle. There is clearly fullness and openness of heart in ways that are simply not so easily accessible in other group practices or social gatherings; the harmony is tangible; the peace can be deeply felt; most of all perhaps there is the strength of connectedness and the feeling of being part of something greater than oneself; the limited self is transcended.

Philip is a master of spiritual dance and is a leading international exponent of the Dance of Universal Peace to which he has devoted the last 20 years spreading the dances around the world. He is a senior mentor for the Dances and trains others to lead. A significant focus of his work is using dance as a spiritual tool to increase people’s capacity for living life heartfully and successfully.

Time: Saturday arrivals at 10am to start promptly at 10.30am; finish at 9.00pm. Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Venue: Traquair Village Hall, Traquair, Scottish Borders EH44 6PL.
Price: £80. A £20 deposit secures your place. Saturday Supper included in the price. Please bring food to share for the lunches on Saturday and Sunday.
Bookings: Cheques payable to P. O’Donohoe to Dominic Ashmole, at 2 Crosshouses, Kirkton Manor, Peebles EH45 9JH.
Further details: Email: dominic.ashmole@gmail.com Tel: 07789-476299 or 01721-740309