S a c r e d A r t o f G e o m e t r y
The Dance of Earth and Mercury
- Meeting the Sage;
Befriending the trickster -
with Daniel Docherty
7, 8 January 2023
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
10:00-17:00 Cost: £140 Bookings Fully Booked
This course is fully booked. Email: sacredartofgeometry@gmail.com to join the waiting list
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
11, 12 February 2023
with Daniel Docherty
10:00-17:00 Cost: £140
Details/bookings
Bookings are now open for an extended three-day Golden Ratio course this 17 - 19 March 2023
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)
Sacred Art of Geometry
an introductory course
with Daniel Docherty
18, 19 February 2023
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
10:00-17:00 Cost: £140 Bookings
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
Story and Sacred Geometry
with Ashley Ramsden and Daniel Docherty
24 - 26 February 2023
Friday/Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm; Sunday 9.30 am - 12.30 pm Cost: £225
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Book today
'Once upon a time, yesterday, today, tomorrow ...'
All sacred stories and patterns are born from mystery into the circle of the here and now.
Underpinning all great stories are archetypal rhythms and patterns.
Learning to read this spatial script is a key to understanding the magic of a story's picture language.
A story moves us, Why? it takes us on a journey at the end of which we are changed, perhaps troubled or simply reassured.
Through a focussed introduction to the practice of sacred geometry we will explore order in space and how eternal creative principles, such as the spatial dynamics of the six directions, sacred to so many traditions, inform and structure so many a good yarn!. We will ponder what this dressing up world of metaphors is all about and we will hopefully come to some playful insights of who we might be and why we're here at all.
"Only by the form, the pattern
Can words or music reach
The stillness" T.S.Eliot
The Dance of Earth and Venus
with Daniel Docherty
3 - 5 March 2023
10:00-17:00 Cost: £225 Book today
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
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)
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
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.
Mandalas of the World
with Daniel Docherty
27 - 31 March 2023
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.
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.
This course has been a total joy, and it has been full of spiritual and cosmic revelation. The way Daniel teaches perfectly fits the way that I learn best. He treats the material with such reverence and poetic beauty. I feel this week has opened up a path for me, and I feel it will play an important part in my life from now on. I always felt barred from the artistic world, not feeling in any way that I possessed artistic talent but this course has given me access to an artistic passion. I only wish I had been introduced to this way of understanding and practising sacred art earlier! Thank you so much.
John Wadsworth:
PhD research student at CCCU and author of Your Zodiac Soul: Working with the Twelve Zodiac Gateways to Create Balance, Happiness & Wholeness - May 2019
This has been a very inspiring week exploring the mandalas of the world. The special space of the studio has supported me feel into the sacredness of these forms and patterns of the cosmos. Thank you Daniel for pouring your wisdom, insight and loving energy and sharing that amazing knowledge with us. One of the highlights of the course was the natural paint and ink making ... This has made the process of constructing and painting complete. I’m very inspired to continue this wonderful work at home and I am looking forward to coming back to this special place and teacher.
Nadeshda (Art of Yantra teacher/co-founder) Feb. 2020
The Alchemical Art of Astrology
with John Wadsworth and Daniel Docherty
12 - 16 April 2023
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
10:00-17:00 Cost: £385
Book today
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.
Art and Craft of Labyrinth
with Daniel Docherty
21 - 23 April 2023
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
10:00-17:00 Cost: £225
Book today
Labyrinths have intrigued and inspired people the world over for several millennia.
During this three-day 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.
Please note:
We will be holding two further extended Labyrinth courses at SAOG Studios during 2023
17 - 21 July 2023 and 6 - 10 November 2023
Click here to book either of these five-day courses
Sacred Avebury
Dowsing and Drawing amongst the Stones
with Daniel Docherty and Maria Wheatley
29, 30 April 2023
Avebury Social Centre
High Street, Avebury, Wiltshire, SN8 1RF
10:00-17:00 Cost: £185 (limited conc. available)
Book today
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 ....
Patterns of the Planets
The Sacred Geometry of the Solar System
with a focus on the inner planets, Mercury and Venus.
with Daniel Docherty
2 - 4 May 2023
Glastonbury, UK Chalice Well, Meeting Room
Likely timings: 9:30 - 17:00 Cost: £265 (limited conc. available) Book today
Deepen your appreciation and understanding of the Harmony of the Spheres.
During this practical and contemplative three-day course with Daniel Docherty we will learn how to draw, using the traditional geometer's tools of compasses and straightedge, the extraordinary patterns of our two closest sun-circling heavenly neighbours, Mercury and Venus. Their cycles and rhythms result in the most exquisite and meaningful patterns ...
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I’ve been passionate about sacred geometry for over 20 years and my first visit to SAOG Studios exceeded all my expectations.
Daniel is amongst the greatest teachers of this ancient art that I have ever encountered.
More than learning how to draw the diagrams the thing I loved most were the deep philosophical, spiritual insights that link this work to the divine source. Daniel is as much a spiritual teacher as he is a sacred geometry ninja!
Geoff Fitzpatrick
Thank you so much running such a beautiful Venus workshop -
I am feeling so inspired and so full of awe and wonder.
I go happy now - full of a deeper connection to Sacred Geometry and the great mysterious beings dancing around in the Big Divine - I go home to play with my copper paper now and chant more planetary trails.
You are an exquisite teacher - thank you.
Sarah
Labyrinths and Lunar Geometry
with Daniel Docherty
Friday 5 May 2023
To book full course (X3 sessions) Click here;
see below for individual sessions
The Avalon Hall
First floor, The Courtyard, 2-4 High Street, Glastonbury BA6 9DU
A One-Day Labyrinth and Lunar Geometry course divided into three separate sessions ...
Session 1
9. 45 am - 12. 45 pm Cost: £45
Exploring the Classical Seven-Circuit 'Cretan' Labyrinth
Learn how to draw this most ancient and ubiquitous of Labyrinth forms in different mediums and methods.
As our relationship with the pattern develops so too will its significant symbolism and meaning be revealed.
Session 2
2 pm - 5 pm Cost: £45
Drawing the Marian Labyrinth
The focus of this afternoon session will be on the drawing of a beautiful labyrinth based on a design discovered in a 10th/11th century Consolation of Philosophy manuscript ...
The layers of meaning in the underlying geometry of this design are mind- blowing and heart-expanding.
Session 3
6 pm - 9 pm Cost: £45
Principles and Practice of Labyrinths (incorporating the Moon/Earth Labyrinth)
The focus of this evening session will revolved around the drawing of a fivefold labyrinth which incorporates within its design the dimensions of Earth and Moon
Full Day (all three sessions): £108
Drawing Mandalas:
Sacred Geometry and the Alchemical Art of Marrying Heaven and Earth
with Daniel Docherty
Monday 8 May 2023
9.45 am - 5 pm Cost: £95 Book Today
The Avalon Hall
First floor, The Courtyard, 2-4 High Street, Glastonbury BA6 9DU
Explore the principles and practice of mandala construction with Daniel Docherty.
Learn how to draw Sacred Patterns with the ancient tools of compasses and straightedge.
Learn about the inherent symbolism and significance of the underlying forms and proportions and what associated planetary correspondences are involved.
All materials provided.
No previous experience required.
Inks and Ochres:
An introduction to foraged colour
with Daniel Docherty and Vija Docherty
10:00-17:00 Cost: £245 Book Today
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 Ashdown Forest and 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.
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
Just wonderful !
Clarissa Grandi - Autumn 2021
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
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
The Art of Projective Geometry
Spirals, Buds and Vortex Forms
with Sophia Montefiore
15 - 19 May 2023 (tbc)
Cost: £385 (limited conc. available upon request)
Book today
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
We are eagerly looking forward to welcoming back Australian based Artist/Educator and Projective Geometry expert Sophia Montefiore to SAOG Studios at the earliest opportunity. Participants will be introduced to the fundamental and profound principles of this unique art form through drawing/construction and colour work focussing on Spirals, Buds and Vortex Forms.
Just back home from my travels after the UK. Thanks to Sophia, Vija, Daniel and all who attended the course for making it such an enjoyable and instructive learning experience. There was some really beautiful work done by everyone. For my part, I hope to be able to continue working on projective geometry and to build on what we have learnt in the two days at Emerson, it was magic ...
Keith Wiskin July 2019
... so grateful for all that I learnt and was blessed to receive over the two days ...
It is amazing how much you can learn and I gained so much inspiration from everyone.
Thank you Sophia, Daniel and Vija.
I hope that there will be a part 2!
Lucy Horswill July 2019
From Genesis to Revelation:
Chartres, Story and Sacred Geometry
with Daniel Docherty and Roi Gal-Or
7 - 18 June 2023
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East) and Chartres, France
Cost: £970
Details/Bookings
Join Daniel Docherty (SAOG Studios co-founder and senior tutor),
Roi Gal-Or (International School of Storytelling co-founder) and guests, for this inspirational course/pilgrimage. The initial six days of the course will be held at
Emerson College, UK. The culminating five/six days of the programme
will take place in and around the Cathedral of Chartres, France.
Mandala and the Art of Henna
with Daniel Docherty and Sheetle Shah
1, 2 July 2023 (tbc)
10:00-17:00 Cost: £140 Book Today
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Join Daniel Docherty and Sheetle Shah for this practical two-day course exploring sacred pattern and the art of henna.
On the first day of the course Daniel will give an overview of the practice and philosophy of Mandalas from various traditions.
Participants will be introduced to certain key characteristics and significant symbolism inherent within traditional Mandalas. We will learn how to construct some of these sacred patterns using the traditional tools of compass and straightedge.
Sheetle, a henna artist with 20 years of experience with this traditional art form, will guide participants through the processes of making and preparing henna paste 'from scratch'. You will learn how to apply intricate patterns to paper, hands or feet depending on your preference! Henna is a natural pigment with remarkable staining qualities. You will learn how it is traditionally applied to hands and feet during festivals and celebrations; today, henna is also applied for ‘belly blessings’, cosmetic tattoos, semi-permanent face painting, hair dye and has developed many other creative roles.
Alchemy of Pigment and Pattern
with David Cranswick PhD and Daniel Docherty
3 - 7 July 2023
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Cost: £385 Details/bookings
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.
'I leaned more in five days than in three years of Art at university' June 2018 course participant
Feedback past course
'... beyond expectations ...'
'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 ...'
'Heartfelt philosophy that resonates with our deepest wish expressed through design, colour and skilled instruction.
Who could not feel gratitude at this sharing.'
'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! '
"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
Flowers in Stone
Stone Carving inspired by the Beauty of Nature and Medieval Foliage Designs
with Nicholas G Durnan
14 - 16 July 2023
Cost: £285 bookings
SAOG Studios
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
Explore the hidden geometry of flowers through the medium of stone. Our inspiration will be drawn from the living rhythms, forms and numbers expressed within the flower realm. The beauty of nature and medieval foliage designs and the rose rhythms and forms of Venus' dance around earth will also serve as our guide ...
Art and Craft of Labyrinth
with Daniel Docherty
17 - 21 July 2023
SAOG Studios (Ruskin East)
Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX, UK
10:00-17:00 Cost: £385