S a c r e d A r t o f G e o m e t r y
Weaving the Cosmos:
Sacred Geometry and the Art of Hexagonal Weave Basketry
with Daniel Docherty
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30 September, 1 October 2023
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10:00-17:00 Cost: £185 Book today
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SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
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Learn the art of hexagonal-weave basketry while discovering pattern and unity in nature and many of the world’s traditional cultures. Deepen your understanding of fundamental design principles such as the Golden Ratio.
Inks and Ochres:
An introduction to foraged colour
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Just wonderful ! Clarissa Grandi - Autumn 2021
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with Daniel Docherty and Vija Docherty
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10:00-17:00 Cost: £245 Book Today​​
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SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
A practical and participatory three-day introductory course for anyone wanting to develop a deeper relationship to ink and ochre. We will walk in the beautiful surrounds of Emerson College and the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; we will reverently forage minerals and materials which we will transform - through various alchemical processes - into pigment, paint and ink. These endeavours will be accompanied by exercises in contemplative pattern making and nature inspired studies in various mediums including traditional watercolour and egg tempera.
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This course has been utter joy.
Connecting Mother Earth's gifts - to heavenly precision and motion ...
The facilitators a constant source of support and inspiration.
I can thoroughly recommend this course.
Jo - Spring 2023
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A sanctuary of inspiration ...
it's been a revelation. Thank you so much for this rich, heartfelt and generous time.
Such a meaningful three days.
Ruby Taylor - Spring 2023
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Thanks so much for these wonderful days. Another outstanding course with exceptional teachers!
It was relaxing and full of precious information and doing at the same time.
Monika - Spring 2023
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The Inks and Ochres course has been a wonderfully nourishing, joyful and dynamic learning experience for me.
I absolutely enjoyed the experiential interactive and nature-oriented elements of the course.
Thank you so much.
Niloufar - Autumn 2022
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Thank you both for a weekend of gentle yet industrious interaction with many important soul feeding forces, exploration and wonder, relationships and contribution, creation and contemplation ... Sarah Francis - Autumn 2021
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a HUGE THANK YOU for the weekend Ink and Ochres course at SAOG Studios ...
I LOVED everything about it! It felt a real privilege to have both Daniel and Vija teaching at the same time! ... The foraging walk was fab! Making the inks and Ochres brilliant, and my favourite bit ... playing with the paint and especially the egg as the medium was absolutely wonderful.
Sara Hall - Autumn 2021
Sacred Art of Geometry
an introductory course
with Daniel Docherty
14, 15 October 2023
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
10:00-17:00 Cost: £140 Bookings​
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Delve into the deep mysteries of Sacred Geometry - 'Art of the Ever-True', under the gentle guidance of SAOG Studios' senior tutor Daniel Docherty. You will learn how to draw the primary four, five and six fold 'Creation' Diagrams with the traditional geometer's tools of compass and straightedge. You will be introduced to the inherent symbolism of these symmetries and how they may be developed into a myriad of pattern possibilities. The pace of this weekend course will be set with beginners in mind and there will be time to enjoy conversation and colour ... and of course tea, coffee and cake!!!
So grateful to be able to share some time in the workshop this weekend. It was a real pleasure and so inspiring to be in your incredible studio, which is such an incredible space oozing with such amazing creative energy.
Andrew Cohan - March 2022
The Dance of Earth and Venus
with Daniel Docherty
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20 - 22 October 2023 ​
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10:00-17:00 Cost: £225 (Fully Booked)
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SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
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The Dance of Earth and Venus results in one of the most beautiful and breathtaking rhythms and patterns of the solar system. Every eight Earth years (13 Venus years) they dance a pentagonal form in space akin to the pip-star inside your apple or the petals of a primrose flower! During this course we will learn how to draw this incredible pattern using the traditional tools of compass and straight-edge; we will explore the key aspects of Earth and Venus' cycles that determine such extraordinary heavenly harmony.
And time allowing ... with copper leaf and watercolour paint made from malachite and azurite - which in the Hermetic/Alchemical tradition have forever been associated with the planet Venus - we will create stunning mandalas embodying the Earth/Venus dance ...
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'The dance of venus course was a mind-blowing, heart-opening experience!'
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'Thank you for a magical course where time and space merged and disappeared!
Thank you for your kindness, poetry, patience, gift of sharing the spheres, planets and other joys ... I travelled out of my comfort zone and into magical realms of remembering and letting go. I have been transported way beyond any expectations ...'
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(extr. from 2019 course participants feedback)
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Patterns of the Alhambra
with Daniel Docherty
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10:00-17:00 Cost: £140 Book Today​​
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SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Some of the greatest expressions of Islamic Geometric Pattern are to be found in the Nasrid Palace of the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain ... During this two-day course we will learn how to construct a number of these beautiful patterns - ranging from the simple to highly sophisticated - using the traditional geometer's tools of compass and straightedge.
The course is led in a gentle, easy to follow, step-by-step manner, suitable for
both beginner and more experienced geometers alike.
Art and Craft of Labyrinth
with Daniel Docherty
6 - 10 November 2023
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK​​
10:00-17:00 Cost: £385
Details/bookings
Labyrinths have intrigued and inspired people the world over for several millennia.
During this week-long course we will undertake a deep dive into the mysteries of the labyrinth ... Our exploration will be philosophical and practical and by the end of the course participants will have drawn, using compasses and straightedge (and freehand!) several labyrinth designs both ancient and modern.
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Persian Pattern
Exploring the geometric genius of the Persian master-craftsmen
with Daniel Docherty
18, 19 November 2023 Book today
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SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Explore the geometric genius of the Persian master-craftsmen.
Learn the art of compass and straight-edge construction and create a dazzling portfolio of geometric patterns from the Persian tradition.
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"A brilliant course so clearly and patiently taught. Such a lovely few days and plenty to work
with after the course. Totally inspiring!"
Patricia Gidney (UK) January 2017 Persian Patterns course participant
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My words are truly inadequate to express the way I feel about the Course, your work, your studio ... within seconds of walking through the door my eyes welled up with tears of utter heartfelt Joy so struck by the beauty, grace & feeling contained within the images that adorned the walls.
It felt like a coming home, something in me recognised something in them & it felt like coming home.
It’s been a mind blowing & momentous 3 days of discovery, initiation & finding my way back into a world so expansive yet containing filled with love, grace, spiritual connection & beauty ... I cannot believe how much I’ve discovered not only about myself but about the universe all contained within these works each one a portal of information within which one can choose to enter or observe while constructing. Extraordinary, inspiring ...
I truly cannot wait until I return.
Sara Hall (UK) June 2019 SAOG Studios Persian Patterns course participant​
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The Alchemical Art of Astrology
with John Wadsworth and Daniel Docherty
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22 - 26 November 2023
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK​​
10:00-17:00 Cost: £385
Details/Bookings
An experiential introduction to the twelve signs of the zodiac wheel, the sun, moon and planets, and the twelve houses or mansions of the sky. Astrologer John Wadsworth will guide us soulfully and poetically into the world of astrology, revealing the harmonic patterns between the twelve signs and the seven traditional planets that create the cosmic wholensss that has been known from antiquity as the Ptolemaic Order. We will explore the nested layers of myth and perennial wisdom within the astrological tradition that reveal the symbolic resonances of the signs, planets, houses and aspects of a birth chart. We will explore the different levels of the zodiac, its form and function as ceremonial calendar, developmental journey through life, map of the psyche, mandala of the soul. And we will explore the alchemical properties of the planets, and experience their animated presence through colour and sound, mask, movement and gesture.
Throughout the week Daniel Docherty will guide us through the various geometric constructions that structure and inform the astrological patterns. We will approach this work in a gently guided and contemplative way where the inherent symbolism of the forms will be elucidated as we go. One of the many patterns that we will explore and work with during the week will be a labyrinth imbued with planetary and zodiac significance. We will also have the opportunity during the course to create a sacred artwork of our own astrological chart.
Folk Ikons - Painting Angels
with Vija Docherty
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4 - 6 December 2023
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK​​
(10:00 - 13:00) Cost: £140
Bookings
Join us at SAOG Studios for these three mornings this December where you will draw and paint your own individual Folk Ikon Angels under the gentle guidance of artist/illustrator Vija Docherty. We will work with our own Studio gathered and hand-processed pigments and inks, and, as well as designing and painting angel ikons for your altar, tree or/and as special cards for loved ones, you will become deeply acquainted with the processes of egg tempera painting.
Alchemy of Pigment and Pattern
with David Cranswick PhD and Daniel Docherty
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New course dates: 11 - 15 December 2023
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Cost: £385 Details/bookings​
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I’m so grateful for this week. I’m leaving feeling alive, centred, and present. It’s incredibly inspiring;
the amount of opportunities to expand my awareness that this course provides and encourages.
I have learned so much and my confidence in working with pigments has developed beyond any expectation;
and my love affair with geometry has been kindled … Rebecca Gilling Dec. 2022
Learn the alchemy and processes involved in making your own set of watercolour and gouache paints.
The roots, berries and minerals that we will be precipitating, grinding and binding, all have
layered correspondences that link to the planetary archetypes.
Using compasses and straight-edge we will create mandalas that also resonate with the planetary patterns.
The symbolism and character of colour in different traditions will be explored as we apply our paints to patterns to reveal works of dazzling beauty to adorn the home and nourish the soul.​
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'I leaned more in five days than in three years of Art at university' June 2018 course participant
Feedback past course
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'... beyond expectations ...'
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'What a wonderful couple of days!
Thanks so much. You hit the "beginners" note perfectly.
So much fascinating information. I really hope to be back for more ...'
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'Heartfelt philosophy that resonates with our deepest wish expressed through design, colour and skilled instruction.
Who could not feel gratitude at this sharing.'
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'Absolutely amazing and fantastic. I had a great weekend. I’ve been exploring geometry for just over a year now and this was a wonderful weekend of getting my foundation stones in a better order, sorted and a little more settled. I think it’s always good to revisit the fundamentals. I learnt so much and was reminded of a lot I had forgotten. I feel much more confident in my skills after the weekend. I’ll definitely be back to do another, it helped me put some of the pieces of the puzzle together. For me, it’s essential to remember the sacredness of these images every time I draw a pattern. It’s an adventure and an initiation into something magical and this weekend really brought that home to me. As ever Daniel, I’m truly grateful to you ... thank you so much for remaining open ... for holding the light and offering a portal to the divine for those who wish to step through it ...
It’s heaven on Earth! '
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"I was astounded at how wonderful the sacred geometry weekend was! I had a feeling it would be magical, but we explored far more than I had expected we would, and feel so much more excited and confident in my ability to play with elegantly simple and intricately complex shapes and patterns.
Daniel is a fantastic teacher, with whimsical humour, simple instructions for all levels, excellent baking and coffee-making skills, and so much generosity of spirit and wisdom.
The SAOG studio is warmly inviting, and exquisite with its mix of timeless beauty in the form of books, art and natural art materials, tea and snack selection and large windows with natural light streaming in throughout the day. I would be content to live in such a space.
Who knew numbers and geometry could be so much fun? This weekend has opened my eyes to the awe-inspiring designs of Life and expressions of Love in ways that I didn't know existed!"
Click for further details and to view images from previous
Alchemy of Pigment and Pattern courses
'I feel on the Alchemy of Pigment and Pattern course that I was really entering into a deep organic process that was steeped in tradition and spiritually. I found it tremendously inspiring, nurturing and a deeply powerful experience - amazingly good!' Dec. 2017 course participant
The Dance of Earth and Mercury
- Meeting the Sage;
Befriending the trickster -
with Daniel Docherty
21, 22 December 2023
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SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
10:00-17:00 Cost: £140 Bookings
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Mercury, winged-sandalled messenger god, mediator between heaven and earth, and patron of the alchemical arts, healers, practitioners of sacred number, geometry and cosmology!
Smallest and swiftest of heavenly wanderers, Mercury's merry dance is a wonder to behold; where the patterns of Earth and Venus often resound in beautiful fivefold (phi) form, Earth and Mercury appear to manifest many threefold patterns and pi ratios. The legendary Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice-greatest Hermes), reputed author of the Corpus Hermetica, is akin to Mercurius.
Each and every one of us has been thrice-blessed by Hermes Trismegistus whilst in our mother's womb (nine mo{o}nths equates to three turns of Mercury around the sun!!!).
Through two-days of contemplative pattern exploration at SAOG Studios, we hope to begin a journey of re-membrance and friendship with our most esteemed of fleet-footed heavenly neighbours ...
The Golden Ratio:
Jewel of Geometry and Cosmos
26 - 28 January 2024
with Daniel Docherty
10:00-17:00 Cost: £225
Details/bookings
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Kite of Life with Golden squiggles - SAOG Studios March 2020
‘I was very lucky to attend a weekend workshop facilitated by Daniel Docherty on the Golden Ratio. It wasn’t just a workshop, but a coming together of hearts and minds in a friendly and fun weekend, where, through a journey of curated discovery we explored the ancient magical principles of the structure and form of The Golden Ratio and other Sacred Geometric principles.
Daniel taught us how to create a range of incredibly beautiful designs using just a compass and ruler. Despite most of the group being at either a beginners or intermediate level, Daniel skilfully took us step by step through to some relatively complex structures.
Daniel has a very special way of never making any one feel that they ‘can not’ do anything and with the most jovial warm and friendly manner he supported all of us seamlessly. Daniel wove in many fascinating points of knowledge and philosophy both ancient and modern, and throughout reminded us of the humanity of this important study and its universal, binding principles. I absolutely loved the 2 day course and I would have loved more! It was incredibly good value and I felt so blessed to be working as part of a small group with such a warm and learned professional who clearly has a true passion to skilfully connect all his students to the magical realm of such sacred principles and I recommend everyone to discover this joyful skill made simple.'
Rebecca (Oct. 2021 course participant)
The Dance of Earth and Venus
with Daniel Docherty
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2 - 4 February 2024​
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10:00-17:00 Cost: £225 Book today
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SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
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The Dance of Earth and Venus results in one of the most beautiful and breathtaking rhythms and patterns of the solar system. Every eight Earth years (13 Venus years) they dance a pentagonal form in space akin to the pip-star inside your apple or the petals of a primrose flower! During this course we will learn how to draw this incredible pattern using the traditional tools of compass and straight-edge; we will explore the key aspects of Earth and Venus' cycles that determine such extraordinary heavenly harmony.
And time allowing ... with copper leaf and watercolour paint made from malachite and azurite - which in the Hermetic/Alchemical tradition have forever been associated with the planet Venus - we will create stunning mandalas embodying the Earth/Venus dance ...
​
'The dance of venus course was a mind-blowing, heart-opening experience!'
​
'Thank you for a magical course where time and space merged and disappeared!
Thank you for your kindness, poetry, patience, gift of sharing the spheres, planets and other joys ... I travelled out of my comfort zone and into magical realms of remembering and letting go. I have been transported way beyond any expectations ...'
​
(extr. from 2019 course participants feedback)
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Planetary Yantras
​ with Sarah Tomlinson
19 - 21 April 2024
10:00-17:00 Cost: £265 Bookings
SAOG Studios, Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX,
Join Sarah for this three-day course drawing and exploring the planetary yantras ...
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Sarah Tomlinson is an internationally acclaimed Yantrika (Yantra teacher and practitioner), yoga teacher and artist, with renowned fans across the globe including Elena Brower and Sharon Gannon, co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga.
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Sarah worked extensively with her mentor Harish Johari in India, he initiated her into the spiritual practice of painting Yantras.
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Sarah is a Sri Vidya student, with the lineage of her Sri teacher: Sri Amritananda of Devipuram.
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Sarah is the author of Coloring Yantras, (Shambhala Publications, 2017), Nine Designs for Inner Peace, (Destiny Publishing, 2008) and creator of the Yantra Oracle Deck, (2017).
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Sarah leads retreats and Yantra workshops around the world and enjoys lots of time by the ocean with her husband and two young boys.
Sacred Avebury
Dowsing and Drawing amongst the Stones
with Daniel Docherty and Maria Wheatley
11, 12 May 2024
Avebury Social Centre​​
High Street, Avebury, Wiltshire, SN8 1RF
10:00-17:00 Cost: £185 Bookings
We are delighted to announce new dates for Spring 2024
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A participatory two-day course with Daniel Docherty (Sacred Geometry) and Maria Wheatley (Dowsing/Geomancy) amongst the ancient sacred stones of Avebury.
The morning sessions will be engaged in the drawing of significant sacred geometries relating to Avebury; the afternoons will be spent amongst the stones and surrounds of this most sacred of sanctuaries ....​
Mandalas of the World
with Daniel Docherty
31 May - 4 June 2024
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10:00-17:00 Cost: £385
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Details/Bookings
Mandalas, in essence, can be understood to be diagrams, patterns and pictures that are distillations
of cosmic wisdom and harmony; repositories of archetypal intelligence.
Mandalas offer a potentially powerful means of deepening one’s spiritual and contemplative practice.
This is especially true when they are constructed - using the traditional tools of compass and
straightedge - in a considered and contemplative manner.
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During this week-long course, Daniel Docherty will guide participants through the construction of a number of mandalas from different traditions including mandalas that embody significant planetary patterns. We will explore their inherent symbolism and cosmic correspondences. Participants will
also make their our own inks and paints from plant and mineral in
order to colour and ensoul their designs.
Courses awaiting scheduling.
To register your interest, email: sacredartofgeometry@gmail.com
Soul Gardening
with Daniel Docherty​ and guest tutors
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Further details forthcoming ...
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This exciting new course is in gestation and will most likely be featuring during our autumn 2024 programme:
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SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
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A week-long journey of re-attunement and resilience building through nature connection and creative soul craft, including: Art of Fermenting, Foraging, Wild Colour, Poetry, Paper Making, Book Binding, Basketry, Story, Sacred Geometry, Song and so much more ...
Finding the Still-Point
Polarity and Paradox through Sacred Geometry and Story
with Daniel Docherty​ and Roi Gal-Or
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New course dates tbc
(Friday 2.30pm - 6pm; Saturday 10am - 5.30pm; Sunday 10am - 4.30pm)
Cost: £225
Email: sacredartofgeometry@gmail.com to register your interest in our next Finding the Still Point course
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SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
During these times of intense turmoil, confusion and division, you are invited to step into a sacred space of poise and creative potential. We will seek to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of polarity and paradox through the contemplation of Traditional Stories and exercises in Sacred Geometry. Through this endeavour we hope to cultivate our understanding of, and relationship to, the 'Still Point’ ...
Art of Mughal Floral Illumination
Three-day art workshop led by Sharmina Haq
(https://www.instagram.com/sharmina.haq)
New dates tbc. Register your interest in our next Art of Mughal Floral Illumination course at sacredartofgeometry@gmail.com
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK​​
10:00-17:00 Cost: £195 incl. materials
Book today
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Images: Sharmina Haq
A unique three-day practical painting workshop where participants will explore and draw inspiration from the stunning floral art of Shah Jahan’s Mughal courts.
Suitable for beginners or intermediate level with an interest in pattern, art and traditional methods and materials.
Copyright: Sacred Art of Geometry/SAOG Studios © 2015 - 2023