Darkness and Transformation at the Schumacher College

I have just returned from four days at one of my favourite places on earth – the Schumacher College on the Dartington Estate near Totnes in Devon. Anyone who’s heard me giving my talk will remember that it was at this place that I had my epiphany back in 2003 at Samhain. I walked the labyrinth here, built by Tchenka, and knew then that I had to write Stonewylde. This experience alone would have made Schumacher a special place for me, but I then attended another course here in 2005, led by Roger Deakin. That too was incredible, spanning a full moon at the Summer Solstice.

So when I heard of this latest course, Darkness and Transformation, which would also include a full moon and was to be run by Tchenka – well, of course I had to sign up for it! I only returned from Kernowkopia on Sunday night and had to leave for Devon again on Tuesday morning, so it was all a bit fraught. I had one day to catch up with my e-mails from the previous five days (fat chance!) and also all the orders for books, T-shirts and greetings cards that had been piling in. When I arrived at the Dartington Estate at 1.55pm (for a 2.00pm start in the library) and drove into the car park of the Schumacher College, I felt the familiar peace of the place falling around me.

I’m not alone in finding this place immensely restorative and uplifting. The ethos here is second to none, staffed by people who really care – both about our planet and the course participants. I walked into the library and immediately felt at home – the circle of old wooden chairs full of smiling faces, the mullioned windows with lattice panes, cushions on the floor, thousands of books, the aroma of woodsmoke from the previous night’s fire. And from the kitchens, the waft of the delicious vegetarian, organic food cooking for the evening meal. Schumacher is a coccoon of caring. I wish I hadn’t left it so long.

I’ll write of the Darkness and Transformation course during the week. It was incredible – so very interesting, and did me the world of good. I’ve had such a hectic time recently, travelling all over the place to promote Stonewylde, and I’ve slightly lost sight of what it’s actually all about. Spending four days at Schumacher, mixing with wonderful people and getting to know them quite intimately during all our discussions, focussing on deep and spiritual matters, and WALKING THE LABYRINTH AGAIN have all put me back on track as the Winter Solstice approaches.