MotherRhythms: A Prenatal Rhythm Workshop (events » live music) Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 10:00 AM Prenatal Rhythm Workshop

"MotherRhythms"

Class size: 5-10 women
Workshop date: Sat., July 12, 2008
Workshop time: 10am-12pm
Cost: $15 per person
Location: Santa Barbara, address provided upon registration

Recommended for women who are 15 weeks pregnant and beyond.

Pregnancy is a time of change, celebration and profound bonding between mother and child.

After 20 years of drumming experience as well as research in music therapy and prenatal development, I developed a regular bonding and play session with my own baby using a native American style hand drum held over my belly. Saraphina--my little one--will move toward the sound of the drum and then will become still and quiet as I play each rhythm for about 5 minutes. The rhythm I start with mimics the heartbeat, a sound unborn children know intimately. My personal sessions last between 20-30 minutes and I usually do one session per day, or more if time permits. After playing each rhythm, I stroke and massage my belly, which is soothing to Saraphina, and breathe deeply. Sometimes I get definite impressions of how Saraphina is feeling that day.

My workshops follow a similar structure with time set aside for meditation, journaling, and sharing feelings or intuitive impressions about yours and your baby's experience after playing each rhythm.

I will present 3-4 rhythms and 2 songs in the workshops that you can use at home for your personal MotherRhythms sessions.

Through my own pregnancy experience (I'm due this August) I've found that the rhythm techniques I teach in MotherRhythms:

- facilitate bonding and a profound connection between mother and baby,
- stimulate baby's healthy interactivity and play,
- promote deep relaxation of both mother and child,
- builds community and support among mothers (and unborn babies),
- serves as a safe way and place to express emotions and creativity.

All drums will be provided. Workshop drums will be available for purchase if you wish to continue to practice at home.

Please RSVP so that I have plenty of drums on hand. Email me at kris@mythicrhythm.com or call 805-624-4361.

Bring the following items:
1. Pillow & blanket
2. Journal and writing utencil - writing materials will also be available at the workshop if you forget
3. Yoga mat - optional
4. Tape recorder - optional, but will help you remember the rhythms after you get home.

MotherRhythms: A Prenatal Rhythm Workshop (events » community) Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 10:00 AM Prenatal Rhythm Workshop

"MotherRhythms"

Class size: 5-10 women
Workshop date: Sat., July 12, 2008
Workshop time: 10am-12pm
Cost: $15 per person
Location: Santa Barbara, address provided upon registration

Recommended for women who are 15 weeks pregnant and beyond.

Pregnancy is a time of change, celebration and profound bonding between mother and child.

After 20 years of drumming experience as well as research in music therapy and prenatal development, I developed a regular bonding and play session with my own baby using a native American style hand drum held over my belly. Saraphina--my little one--will move toward the sound of the drum and then will become still and quiet as I play each rhythm for about 5 minutes. The rhythm I start with mimics the heartbeat, a sound unborn children know intimately. My personal sessions last between 20-30 minutes and I usually do one session per day, or more if time permits. After playing each rhythm, I stroke and massage my belly, which is soothing to Saraphina, and breathe deeply. Sometimes I get definite impressions of how Saraphina is feeling that day.

My workshops follow a similar structure with time set aside for meditation, journaling, and sharing feelings or intuitive impressions about yours and your baby's experience after playing each rhythm.

I will present 3-4 rhythms and 2 songs in the workshops that you can use at home for your personal MotherRhythms sessions.

Through my own pregnancy experience (I'm due this August) I've found that the rhythm techniques I teach in MotherRhythms:

- facilitate bonding and a profound connection between mother and baby,
- stimulate baby's healthy interactivity and play,
- promote deep relaxation of both mother and child,
- builds community and support among mothers (and unborn babies),
- serves as a safe way and place to express emotions and creativity.

All drums will be provided. Workshop drums will be available for purchase if you wish to continue to practice at home.

Please RSVP so that I have plenty of drums on hand. Email me at kris@mythicrhythm.com or call 805-624-4361.

Bring the following items:
1. Pillow & blanket
2. Journal and writing utencil - writing materials will also be available at the workshop if you forget
3. Yoga mat - optional
4. Tape recorder - optional, but will help you remember the rhythms after you get home.

Gaia Festival - New Dates & Early Bird Registration (events » community) Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 11:00 AM 8 RSVPs Gaia Fest Early Bird Sign Up: By Invitation Only
Sign up at the discount prices - Expires June 1st

Online Form:
gaiafestival.wufoo.com/forms/...ign-up/

Feel free to forward to your friends and colleagues.

Gaia Fest West 2008: Mother Mysteries

October 11-12, 2008,
Pacific Palisades, CA
Temescal Gateway Park

Featuring:
Margaret Starbird, Author of "The Woman With the Alabaster Jar"
Joan Norton, Author of "Mary Magdalene Within"
Karen Tate, Author of "Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations"
Aparecida, Dancer/Healer

October 11, Starting at 11am.

Order of Events:
- Opening Circle and Altar Blessing
- Lunch
- Workshop with Margaret Starbird - Magdalen Circles with Joan Norton
- Open Time for Mini-Healing Sessions, Socialing and Vendors
- Dinner
- Workshop with Karen Tate
- Evening Labyrinth Walk (painted by Tyr Jung)
- Drum Circle at the Fire Pit
- More to be annouced

October 12, Starting at 8:30am.

Order of Events:
- Breakfast
- Fringe Workshops (to be announced May 2008)
- Open Time for Mini-Healing Sessions, Socialing and Vendors
- Sacred Sunday Closing Ceremony, facilitated by Karen Tate, Shelli English and Marsha Lange

Location:
Temescal Gateway Park, Pacific Palisades, CA

This year's theme for Gaia Fest is Mother Mysteries and will focus on connecting with our inner mother through meditation, journaling, drumming and ritual.

What mysteries does She have to share with you? How has Goddess revealed Herself, or perhaps concealed Herself?

Featured Presenter for 2008: Margaret Starbird
Author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar; The Goddess in the Gospels; Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile; The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail; The Feminine Face of Christianity; and Magdalene's Lost Legacy

Come explore legends and myths of Mary Magdalene and the Sacred Union

Margaret Starbird is a scholar whose work establishes the preeminence of Mary Magdalene and helps us to identify the archetypal Bride and Bridegroom of Christian mythology. By reclaiming Mary Magdalene as "Bride," we can restore the balance that was at the heart of Christianity. The lecture and workshop retreat include slide presentations of sacred imagery, symbology, art and artifacts associated with Mary Magdalene.

After Margaret's presentation we will gather in Magdalene Circles, facilitated by Joan Norton, author of The Mary Magdalene Within and Mary Magdalene: Way of the Heart.

Magdalene Circles will allow for workshop participants to learn from the stories of Mary Magdalene while each shares their personal "journey of faith."

If you have questions, feel free to email me at kris@gaiafestival.com.

We will be accepting proposals until April 25th for fringe workshops. Please fill out our form if you are interested in presenting a topic fit for this year's theme:
gaiafestival.wufoo.com/forms/...posals/

Alessandra Belloni Performance & Workshop, Pacific Palisades, CA (events » arts) Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 11:00 AM Gaia Festival
October 11-12, 2008,
Temescal Gateway Park
Pacific Palisades, CA
www.gaiafestival.com

**Free performance on 10/11/08, 11:00am**
Alessandra will dedicate song, dance and music to Mary Magdalene along with her longtime friend Brazilian dancer and healer Aparecida on the opening day of Gaia Festival. Both Alessandra and Aparecida were born on the feast day of Mary Magdalene, July 22nd!

"Rhythm is the Cure" Workshop
Date & Time: 10/12/08, 10:15am -12:15 pm
Facilitator: Alessandra Belloni
Location: Woodland Hall

Pre-registration suggested - Space is limited
Cost - $50 / Drums provided by Remo

Online Registration For Alessandra's workshop only:
gaiafestival.wufoo.com/forms/...ration/

Online Registration for rest of Gaia Festival Events & Workshops:
gaiafestival.wufoo.com/forms/...teries/

Workshop Description:

The workshop features Southern Italian ritual folk dances used as music and dance therapy that are combined with the unique style of Frame drums and tambourines. Participants in this workshop should be barefoot, and women should preferably wear skirts, and if possible everyone should wear white clothes. The sessions are held giving the students the feeling of being part of the "ritual." Videos are also available, showing some of these rituals, which take place at night outside the churches, and where many drummers play in a circle, with singers and dancers in the center.

The drumming and dance workshop will start with Alessandra Belloni leading the ancient Nepolitan chant “JESCE SOLE” used as invocation to the Sun to ask for his healing energy (symbolizing male energy) and the processional chant performed in honor of the Black Madonna (ancient Earth Goddess - female energy) - Canto della Madonna di Montevergine

Students will learn these ancient ritual dances:

TAMMORRIATA - a beautiful, sensual dance from Naples, performed by couples playing castanets to the rhythm of the large drum, called the Tammorra, which has a strong African influence in the movement and rhythm. The Tammorriata is an improvisation of drumming and singing, and it is danced during the rituals held in the summer in honor of the Black Madonna (originally ancient rites for the Earth Goddess Cybele)

THE PIZZICA TARANTATA, which originated as music therapy to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula. This wild rhythm, played mainly by women on medium size tambourines and the dance were performed as an exorcism ritual to cure a mental disease called tarantismo, which afflicted mainly women (tarantate), who fell into a hypnotic state of mind, and in a trance they frantically danced for days during the Summer Solstice. The woman, tarantata, dances as solo inside a circle of tambourine players.

Alessandra will lead the circle with the tambourines and the singing. Taking turns, one at the time inside the circle, each student will learn the steps of the Pizzica, which are very fast and energetic. Part of the ritual takes place on the floor, on a white sheet, surrounded by red ribbons, and the dance is actually a "spider" like type of movement on the ground. This part has the most amazing healing effect, releasing stress, blockage of sexual energy, as well as opening the heart and throat chakra according to the movements, as if coming out of an imaginary "SPIDERWEB".

RITMO E DANZA DI SAN ROCCO - SPINNING DANCE - Most of the times people go in a trance or ecstasy , and the session ends with everyone spinning together in a circle, a dance very similar to the Whirling Darvish, to the sound of drums, which originated in Calabria, (Italy) during the Middle Ages, time of the plague, to heal people form the plague and as exorcism against the fear of death. This connects to today's time and the fear of contagious deseas such as AIDS.

The workshop ends with the group lying on the ground in a circle chanting again to the SUN (Jesce Sole), going back to the beginning of the workshop, thus completing the magic circle. Alessandra will use the ocean drum combined with the calming effect of the Lydian scale of the chant guiding the students into complete relaxation using yoga breathing and listening to the waves of the ocean created by the ocean drum. This ritual invokes the healing power of the primordial waters. The participants slowly wake up and usually join in the chant, with a great feeling of lightness and joy.

Gaia Festival October '08 (events » community) Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 10:00 AM 15 RSVPs Gaia Festival Changed to a One Day Event - due to the difficult economic climate, we decided to cut the second day of the festival. The one-day festival will be on Oct. 11th beginning at 10:00am and ending at approximately 8:00pm.

We haven't put together an exact schedule yet, but will do so in the next week. Please check the website then for the updated schedule. In the meantime see the listing below for events that will take place on Saturday, October 11th:

Confirmed Events:

- Opening Circle and Altar Blessing: Invoking the Goddess and Grounding our Intentions
- "Revealing the Sacred Union" Workshop with Magdalene scholar Margaret Starbird
- Interactive and integrative Magdalene Circles with Joan Norton
- "Pagan Paris" Lecture with Karen Tate
- "The Goddess with A Thousand Faces" Talk with Stephen Gerringer of the Jospeh Campbell Foundation
- Labyrinth Walk (created by Tyr Jung)
- Drum Circle
- Open Time for Free Mini-Healing Sessions, Socialing and Shopping
- Closing Spiral Dance led by Stephanie Hamberger
- More to be announced!

Register Online:
gaiafestival.wufoo.com/forms/...teries/

New Fee structure:

Day Pass (inclusive of all activities and Margaret Starbird's workshop) - $65

Day Pass (inclusive of all activities except Margaret Starbird's workshop) - $35

Healer Pass (inclusive of all activities and Margaret Starbird's workshop) - $45

Volunteer Pass (inclusive of all activities and Margaret Starbird's workshop) - $45

Vendor Pass - $65 (Vending or Exhibits only)

Lodging options:

You can reserve overnight lodging for the following rates:
- $45 for shared cabin or bungalow
- $200 for private cabin

Other info:

- Please pay by check, money order or PayPal (credit card).

- All pre-registered attendees will be given a complimentary parking pass upon arrival at the festival. Walk-ups will have to pay the park rate of $5.

- Please bring a sack lunch or cooler with enough food to keep you nourished, especially if you plan to stay the whole day. Gaia Fest will provide water, juices, tea and light snacks only.

More Volunteers and Healers Wanted- If you want to help out a little and save some money, sign up as a volunteer or healer. Volunteers are asked to donate 1 hour of their time to help us with set up or break down at the festival. Healers/Readers are asked to donate an hour of their time giving mini-healing or mini-reading sessions to festival attendees (please limit each session to 10 minutes).

Our online registration form now gives you the option to pay online via PayPal or to mail in a check or money order. Register today!
gaiafestival.wufoo.com/forms/...teries/

And, to clarify, "Healer" passes apply to reiki, massage therapists and bodywork in general. It also includes tarot card readers and any sort of mini-readings. If you're unsure, send me an email. If you want to charge fees for your services, then please register for a Vendor Pass.

In case you weren't able to join us last year, I posted photos of Temescal Gateway Park as well as bungalow and cabin accommodations. I hope this helps some of you in your planning. Click below to view.
www.gaiafestival.com/Gallery/index.html