Penwythnos CHWEDL weekend
RETREAT IN NATURE/ENCIL YN NATUR
June/Mehefin
2nd/3rd/4th 2023
Many years Chwedl offers a very special opportunity, a residential retreat usually for a small group of women to come together, study, talk and share often with a facilitating performer.
In 2023 Pamela Gaunt invite us to the Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust for a weekend focus on Ceridwen.
(see www.dyfedpermaculturefarmtrust.org.uk)
Yn aml bydd Chwedl yn cynnig encil preswyl, cyfle arbennign i grwp bach o fenywod ymuno, astudio,siarad a rhannu gyda hyrwyddwraig.
Yn 2024 gwhoddodd Paumela Gaunt i Chwedl dod at Ymddiriedolaeth Permaculture Dyfed i chwilo am Ceridwen.
Mehefin 2il/3edd/4edd 2023
Chwedl’s weekend of inspiration and exploring the transformative power of the Ceridwen story took place 2-4 June at the Dyfed Permaculture Trust. Twelve women arrived to be led by Pamela Gaunt on a journey following Ceridwen’s own journey in the lovely countryside of Pembrokeshire.
On Friday Pamela took us through the story, telling the myth in a profound way that provoked us to find something of ourselves and the story in the places that we visited. In convoy (most ably driven), we found Henllys the iron age hill fort where Ceridwen may have chosen to transform from goddess in to women, marry and have her two children (Crearwy and Morfran (or because of his appearance Afagddu darker than dark); we visited the village of Nevern and the church of St Brynach under the mountain of Caer Inglis. The churchyard held in its walls the Bleeding Yew (bleeding until the world sees peace?) and a Celtic Cross and an even older Vitalianus Stone inscribed in Latin and a stone carved with the Irish Ogham script. We were serenaded by a church bell practice welcoming us into the quietness of the church where we again saw Ogam writing, and an ancient carving of a sword replaced on to the windowsill. From here we wound our way through flowery country lanes to Pentre Ifan (perhaps the ‘womb tomb’ of Ceridwen). Pamela introduced us to this Bronze age sacred site and we were left to enjoy or meditate in the stillness of the ancient.
After an enjoyable lunch we moved on to the coast and some of us chose to swim or follow the coast path to Ceridwen’s cauldron. Again, the landscape encapsulated the Ceridwen mythology with its black stones, waves and the cauldron wrapping the sea inside stone cliffs. Those who swam in the sea reminded me of mermaids!
And so back to the farm where we had a delicious curry and went into a workshop revisiting our day and the story each taking on a part of the story that resonated to us . Under a full moon we all left to sleep in house or tent.
Sunday a day of summing up and a joyful re enactment of the story. We were invited to follow Eve’s Way in the garden at Pamela’s house creating a sense of the final and fulfilling a need to come back to reality.
A beautiful weekend with good company, a fantastic and welcoming workshop leader, and a generous fund raiser for the Gwobr Es. Thank you Chwedl.