Events List

 

MESP 2010 Main Events
Friday 5 March – Thursday 18 March 2010

Friday 5 March

Event: Two-Day Non-Residential Retreat: Always Coming Home:
Healing, Empowerment and Freedom Through the Christian and Sufi Spiritual Traditions.

Facilitators: Rev Prof Stephen G. Wright and Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz (Saadi Shakur Chishti).
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Retreat: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: Home means many things to many different people. For some of us, it has to do with place, Nature and culture. For others, "home is where heart is." For still others, we only know the feeling of home when we're already there. In this two-day "urban retreat," two experienced spiritual directors in the Christian and Sufi traditions will guide us in exploring our longing for the feeling of being at home - in our lives, communities and world. What prevents us from feeling as alive and free to express our purpose in life as we would wish? What healing could occur to dissolve these blocks and renew our sense of both individual empowerment and community? Using spiritual healing tools like deep listening, storytelling, chant, body prayer, breathing awareness and guided meditation, we will work with themes such as forgiveness, grief and bereavement, sense of purpose, past and present impressions of authority, the drag of popular culture and media, idealism and presence, patience, humour and a healthy toleration of paradox. Our aim is to leave feeling more empowered to live life to the fullest, as part of a larger community of creation.

This two-day non-residential retreat is designed as a single experience and we encourage participants to join us for both days. In absolute necessity, it is possible for someone to attend only the first day; however, for continuity and group experience, no one will be able to attend only the second day.

Rev Prof Stephen G. Wright. RN RCNT RNT DipN DANS RPTT MSc FRCN MBE, University of Cumbria, Carlisle.
Founding editor: “Spirituality and Health International”
Chairman: The Sacred Space Foundation.
Stephen has a long and distinguished history in nursing. He has published widely and made numerous conference and media appearances. Currently he works as journalist and editorial adviser to Nursing Standard in which he has a twice-monthly column on spirituality and health matters. He works also as a Trustee and Spiritual Counsellor for the Foundation (a charity dedicated to the support of those who are in spiritual crisis, are exhausted and burned out, and to the teaching of the healing arts). His books include “Therapeutic Touch” (Stephen is a registered practitioner of this therapy) and “Sacred Space – right relationship and spirituality in health care” (both co-written with Jean Sayre-Adams) and most recently (2005) “Reflections on spirituality and health” which has received outstanding reviews. He is involved in several research projects on “healing” and is an active Trustee and one of a team of Spiritual Directors at Penny Brohn Cancer Care (formerly of the Bristol Cancer Help Centre). He manages a consultancy company for the Foundation, carrying out a wide range of projects in recent years with health, social and business organisations. The projects (some of which are long-term and ongoing) include developing staff support schemes, best practice and policy development in spiritual care, training staff in spiritual counselling and spiritual care, providing leadership mentoring and conflict resolution for individuals and groups. He also works with clients on a one-to-one basis who are seeking healing and guidance on their illness or spiritual journey. He is an ordained interfaith minister and spiritual counsellor and brings a wide range of knowledge and deep experience of many faiths to his work. In both his academic and practice work he focuses on exploring and bringing together spirituality and health, and the journal which he founded nearly ten years ago is dedicated to this theme and is now published by Wiley. He lives in Cumbria in rather splendid isolation, where he can walk the hills, meditate, tai chi, take care of his organic garden and enjoy grandfatherhood. For more information see: www.sacredspace.org.uk

Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz follows in the footsteps of the Sufi-Buddhist teacher Samuel L. Lewis (1896-1971), who has been called the "first exponent of experiential comparative religion." Before his passing, Lewis studied and was recognized as a teacher in both the Sufi and Zen Buddhist traditions. His approach to meditation reflected this background, combining both deep heart as well as deep mind. Over the past twenty years, Neil has also developed a school of meditation and body prayer focused on the spiritual teaching of Jesus as viewed through his Aramaic language. Through his courses and books, particularly Prayers of the Cosmos, The Hidden Gospel and The Genesis Meditations, this approach to silence is shared in communities worldwide and is a major force in Christian contemplation, along with centering prayer and contemplative prayer. As a student and teacher in the Sufi path for the past 30 years, he has also authored the books The Sufi Book of Life, Desert Wisdom and The Tent of Abraham (with Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Sr Joan Chittister) and guides Sufi murids in many countries. He lives in Edinburgh and shares a weekly meditation and healing class dedicated to sending healing and blessing to the community here, and as far as possible, to all beings.
Cost: £40/£30 (Concessions) for both days, or £20/£15 for first day. For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: The 2010 Middle East Festival Forum on Spirituality, Mental Health and Well-being -
Dr Andrew Powell in conversation with Rev Prof Stephen G. Wright.

Forum on Spirituality, Mental Health and Well-being.
Chair: Rev Sandy Young, NHS Lothian's Head of Service for Spiritual Care.
Forum Panellists: Claudia Goncalves, Co-Founder of the Community Foundation for Planetary Healing and the Edinburgh Shamanic Centre; Muriel Kirton, member of the Scientific and Medical Network in UK, the Healing Tao Association of North America, and the World Universal Healing Tao Instructor Faculty, Thailand, and is on the faculty of the Wudang Taoist Health Preservation Association, Wudang, China; Dr Kenneth Mullen, Lecturer in Medical Sociology, Section of Psychological Medicine, Division of Community Based Sciences, the University of Glasgow.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Discussion/Forum: 7pm-9.15pm.
Event Description: Spirituality, Mental Health and Well-being - Dr Andrew Powell in conversation with Rev Prof Stephen G. Wright with contributions from panel members.

Biological psychiatry, coupled with advances in neuroscience, has increasingly come to dominate mental healthcare worldwide. But has the medical model of mental illness gone too far? Is the mind really nothing more than a product of the brain? And where do the big questions concerning the meaning of life and death, fit in? Is our consumerist society jeopardizing mental health in its neglect of the spiritual birthright of human beings.

In a wide-ranging conversation, the distinguished psychiatrist Dr Andrew Powell will explore with Rev Prof Stephen G. Wright some of the key issues. The discussion will draw both on Dr Powell's wide clinical experience and his personal journey through medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy. Themes will include: 1. cross-cultural aspects of mental health: the interface between Western and other approaches to mental illness and how this relates to concepts such as spirit release and past life regression; 2. how mental health and spirituality are interconnected: the blurred boundary between mental health problems and spiritual emergence or crisis; 3. the psychotic and the mystic - what is the difference?; 4. the importance of taking a spiritual history during the psychiatric consultation; 5. helping patients connect with their own spiritual resources.

There will be ample opportunity for dialogue with panel members, who will enrich the spiritual and cultural perspectives on offer, with participation from the audience in deepening a shared understanding.

Andrew Powell MA, MB, MRCP, FRCPsych, is Founding Chair of the Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK, which is now supported by over 2,000 psychiatrist members. Andrew graduated with distinction in medicine from the University of Cambridge. After postgraduate studies in general medicine, he specialised in psychiatry and psychotherapy at the Maudsley Hospital, London. Andrew went on to train in psychodrama, which in turn led him to explore soul-centred approaches such as past life regression, spirit release therapy and spiritual healing, as well as the emerging evidence base for the broad influence of spirituality on psychological well-being. Andrew has been a council member of the Scientific and Medical Network, is an associate of the College of Healing and a founder member of the Spirit Release Foundation.
Cost: £5/£3 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Saturday 6 March - Sunday 7 March

Event: Exploring the Flora of the Middle East.

Venue: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (John Hope Gateway).
Time: 1pm–4pm each day. Drop-in during those times.
Event Description: With over 120 years of experience in the region, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is one of world’s leading institutions for Middle Eastern botanical studies. The team at the RBGE’s new Centre for Middle Eastern Plants (CMEP) identify, document and conserve the plants found across the region. They work alongside local botanists, NGOs and governments in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan to implement conservation programmes, build capacity and develop alternative sources of income for local people through the use of native species. Join them to find out more about their work on the flora of the region as well as some of the links between botany and the culture of the Middle East.
Cost: Free.
Contact: 0131 248 2909.

Saturday 6 March

Event: Two-Day Non-Residential Retreat: Always Coming Home:
Healing, Empowerment and Freedom Through the Christian and Sufi Spiritual Traditions.

Facilitators: Rev Prof Stephen G. Wright and Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz (Saadi Shakur Chishti).
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Retreat: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: See above.
Cost: £40/£30 (Concessions) for both days, or £20/£15 for first day. For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: Love, Lover and Beloved: An Evening of Sufi Devotions and Ecstatic Music.

Facilitators: Diwan Ensemble, and Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti (Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz).
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Event: 7pm-9.15pm.
Event Description: The Sufi Way has been called the "Path of Love" and one of the most famous Sufi chants reminds the listener that "God is Love, Lover and Beloved." In many different ways, Sufi music and chant worldwide celebrates the sacred as an evolving relationship rather than a static set of concepts or theologies. The Sufi musicians and teachers assembled here will share music and chant that awakens the heart and revivifies the soul, from the Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Europe (including Scotland). Presenters will include:

1. The Diwan Ensemble: The Diwan Ensemble share songs (Diwan) from the North African Darqawi Sufi tradition. Comparable to the beauty of Psalm singing, the purpose of singing the Diwan is to absorb the meaning until you find that the song is singing in you. The singer and song unite, a process and prelude to the universal union with the Creator. Song sheets will be provided on the night. For more information and to listen to the Diwan please visit: http://www.myspace.com/thediwan;

2. Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti (Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz): Sufi Zikr has been called "the remembrance of perfection and the perfection of remembrance." This presentation will include zikr chants from the Chishtia and Mevlevi Sufi traditions, which recall the journey of the seeker: from the One, to the One, and with the One.

This is a participatory evening, during which the audience will have the opportunity to learn about and join in various Sufi chants and musical meditations for peace. All are welcome to participate in the Sufi devotional and ecstatic spiritual practice!
Cost: £8/£6 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Sunday 7 March

Event: Two Afternoon Workshops: Healing Words: Storytelling as a Pathway to Peace.

Facilitator: Michael Williams, Ph.D..
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 3pm-3.15pm. Workshop: 3.15pm-5.45pm.
Event Description: Two workshops, Sunday 7 March and Sunday 14 March 2010.
Based on his recent work in the Holy Land where he and his colleagues had been invited to use storytelling to facilitate dialogue and interaction between Arabs and Jews, Michael’s workshops invite you to explore and experience the therapeutic power of story and storytelling. Learn how storytelling can help bridge conflict and discord and promote healing and reconciliation.

These workshops will be of interest to anyone who works with people in conflict and who wants to learn more about how storytelling can help bridge the differences that divide people. Participants will learn some effective storytelling techniques and skills that can help facilitate dialogue, active listening and interaction between individuals and groups. While you are encouraged to attend both workshops to enjoy the full benefits of the work, you are welcome to join either. No experience of storytelling is necessary but a willingness to enjoy yourself is essential.

Workshop 1: (Sunday 7 March 2010): In this workshop, participants will experience how storytelling can kindle the fires of the heart and open up possibilities for dialogue, compassionate listening and interaction. There will also be time to reflect on the healing and therapeutic nature of storytelling in your life and work.

Workshop 2: (Sunday 14 March 2010): Similar to the above, but with an emphasis on using ‘Playback Theatre’ techniques to externalize the story and open it up for creative and curative expression.

Michael Williams, Ph.D., is a storyteller and education consultant based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has worked with adults, young people and children for more than 30 years as a qualified social worker, teacher and therapeutic storyteller and workshop facilitator. He has recently completed a tour of the Holy Land working with Arabs and Jews, Palestinians and Israelis as part of the international ‘Healing Words’ storytelling group from Emerson College.
Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions) per workshop. For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: Land-Song-Being: Sacred Chants with Fionntulach and Peter Govan.

Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 7pm-7.30pm. Event: 7.30pm-9.30pm.
Event Description: 1. Land-Song-Being: Sacred Chants of the Gael with Fionntulach.

The Fuinn - with Fionntulach, of the Order of Céili Dé. The Fuinn (singular - Fonn) are a part of the Céile Dé, or Culdee tradition, the oldest continuous expression of spirituality in Britain and Ireland.

Fonn is a Gaelic word that simultaneously means Song, State of Mind and the Land. The Fuinn work on many different levels, they harmonise the three parts of us that relate to each of the word’s three meanings - the Spiritual, the Psychic and the Physical. They are a powerful spiritual tool that is sometimes celebratory, sometimes heart-awakening or at other times will serve to deepen us towards a meditative state. Particularly in this time in our history, they seem to want to be sung! Within the tradition, the Fuinn are prescribed by a spiritual teacher, according to the spiritual need of the practitioner.
 
During this evening’s event, Fionntulach will sometimes sing solo and will at other times invite the audience to participate in some of the chanting, which can vary in style from a simple and serene plainchant style to ecstatic and wildly improvisational. For more information about the Céile Dé tradition, please visit www.ceilede.co.uk

2. Land-Song-Being: Sacred World Chants and Tuvan Two-Tone Throat Singing with Peter Govan.
 
Peter weaves Sacred World Chants, Tuvan Two-Tone Throat Singing and his own melodies on the harmonium to create music of soaring tones and melodies. Peter blends all of his influences of sacred Scottish and Indian music and soaring vocal tones and overtone harmonics to create a truly unique and dynamic genre of serene music.

During this evening’s event, Peter will combine two-tone harmonic overtone singing from Tuva (where two vocal tones soar high and long, simultaneously like swallows in flight), while singing his own original, gentle and expansive melodies of wordless depth and emotive purity. Peter’s playing of the harmonium will weave through the vocal melodies, sacred Chants from India and Scotland, including the Gayatri Mantra and Selki Seal People Songs from long ago, to name but a few.
Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Monday 8 March

Event: Day Workshop: Céile Dé - The Spouses of God.

Facilitator: Fionntulach, Order of Céili Dé.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: In Céile Dé spirituality, we say every rock, every hill, every loch glows with the Christ-light as much as the face of any Saint. Here, the edge of early Celtic Christianity dovetails into its Foster-Mother; Druidism … its history blurs into myth … its Saints shape-shift into Gods and Goddesses … its Heaven pours into Earth.
                                                                          
The path of the Céile Dé is a union between the best of Druidism and the earliest expression of Celtic Christianity. The wisdom of the Druids reminds us of the sanctity of the Mother - Earth - who ever-births the Incarnation, Christ (one of the many names by which the “living, awakened consciousness” is known) in the surrendered hearts of every awakening being. This earliest manifestation of Celtic Christianity, also greatly inspired in its development by contemporary wisdoms of the Middle East, takes us through Nature and the Celtic “Otherworld,” beyond what our imagination will ever conceive, into the realms of the Unknowable One, who wants to break our hearts, so that we might find the Beloved there - and dissolve into the No-thingness beyond all things at last.

This living Celtic spiritual tradition of the Gael is at once lyrical, mythopoeic, esoteric and deeply devotional in nature. Its approach seeks balance at all times between the necessary stages of psychological and mystical development. It has at times been coined "Celtic Sufism" … having, as it does, such an emphasis on the transformative power of Love.

This introductory workshop will explore some of the philosophy of the tradition and its application in "real life." There will also be some experiential work, such as sacred chants in Gaelic and other spiritual exercises.

Celtic Spirituality has been Fionntulach’s life for thirty years. For many years, under the name Fiona Davidson, she toured the world performing as a “Bard” – a teller of the sacred legends of the Gael, a singer, poet and harper. Today, Fionntulach is a professed Aonaran (monk; contemplative solitary) and also an Anam Chara (spiritual teacher, “soul friend”) within the Order of Céili Dé (The Companions/Spouses of God. Also anglicised into Culdee). The Order is based in Scotland and Ireland. She has taught the Living Celtic Spiritual Tradition for over twenty years and regularly gives lectures and workshops here in Britain, as well as on the Continent and in the USA.

Although she no longer works as a performer since taking vows, her teachings are frequently punctuated with sacred chant and song, which crosses all cultural boundaries and offers a unique glimpse into a world-view that has a lot to offer us today, whatever our spirituality or culture. Fionntulach is currently writing a long-awaited book about the Céile Dé tradition. For more information see: www.ceilede.co.uk
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

NB: Unfortunately, for health reasons, Dr Bill Manley is unavailable for the event planned for tonight, entitled: Songs for Coming Out in Daylight. Instead, Geo Trevarthen will present the following event:

Event: Adoration and Awareness:
Chant and Meditation from Sumer, Egypt and ancient Ireland.

Facilitators: Dr Geo Athena Trevarthen.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Event: 7pm-8.30pm.
Event Description: This event focuses on participatory meditation and chant from three ancient cultures. Similar spiritual themes appear in the traditions of Sumer, Egypt and Ireland. These traditions would have come into contact in ancient times and indeed, may have grown in part from the same roots. The Indo-Europeans, ancestors of the Celts, first appear in Sumerian records, and Old Irish has linguistic elements derived from either Egyptian or Hebrew, indicating a period of contact. Sumer and Egypt were, of course, in contact early on. All three cultures had the idea of the self as an essence separate from emotions and circumstances. This true self could be accessed by devotion and meditation. The true self was uncompelled by fear and desire, and the one aligned with it became ruler of their own life. Thus, the idea of sovereignty was also central to all three cultures. The sovereign aligned with cosmic truth, the ordering principal of the cosmos. (In Egypt this was maat, in Sumer, me, and in Ireland fír.) The concept is similar to Joseph Campbell’s idea of finding our bliss, our true mission in life. The idea of adoration, of finding personal and passionate engagement with the Sacred, is also central in all three traditions. The Egyptian word ‘duat,’ usually translated as ‘underworld,’ actually means ‘the state of adoration’: the afterlife is an ennobled state of spiritual being, that of the gods. This afterlife is accessible in the present through adoration. In Old Irish the word Síd means both ‘the spirit world’ and ‘peace’ and the burial mounds of the ancestors. The peace of the Otherworld, grounded in ancestral tradition and interaction with the Sacred, is the ground stable enough to stand on, the ground of being. Tonight we will explore these ideas and states of consciousness through discussion, meditation and chant in Egyptian, Sumerian and Old Irish.

Dr Geo Athena Trevarthen is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh. Raised in a hereditary Celtic Shamanic tradition by a mother and grandmother who shared a love for ancient Egypt, she bridges artistic, spiritual and academic worlds; most recently bringing scholars and practitioners together for Interactions with the Sacred, a Traditional Cosmology Society conference. The proceedings form an issue of Cosmos, the Society’s Journal. Her book, Seeing Celtic Shamanism, is to be published in the Hungarian Academy’s Bibliotheca Shamanistica series, and her Seeker’s Guide to Harry Potter explores myth, magic and alchemy in the popular series. Her passion is using ancient wisdom to explore the magic and meaning of our lives.
Cost: £8/£6 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Tuesday 9 March

Event: Day Workshop: Speak from the Heart -
How to Deepen Communication that Leads to Healing and Well-being.

Facilitator: Vérène Nicolas.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: This day workshop aims to explore the power of empathy and compassionate communication to lessen conflict, free up energy and increase our well-being. We will draw on Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication™ approach to reveal the prevalence of judgements and destructive patterns in our daily conversations and explore the impact this has on our emotions, health and ability to function in the world. We’ll learn how to turn this round, communicate from a place of honesty, power and compassion and acquire skills to resolve conflict effectively, improve relationships and live a more centred and peaceful life. Our intention for this day workshop is to create a safe and empowering space, draw on participants’ life experiences to bring about some healing and role model compassionate communication whilst working together.
 
Vérène Nicolas is a teacher and facilitator in the fields of transformative learning, human ecology, Biodanza and compassionate communication. She is a Fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology and coordinated its Master’s degree in Human Ecology for several years. Her work now focuses on facilitating processes of individual and collective transformation that contribute to a more peaceful and sustainable world. She encountered Nonviolent Communication five years ago, teaches it via workshops and practice groups and is a candidate to Certification with the Centre for Nonviolent Communication (www.cnvc.org).
Cost: £20. Places are limited to 15 participants. Please book early. For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: The 2010 Middle East Festival Forum on the Arts.

Speaker: David Greig: Since his first main stage production Europe at The Traverse in 1996, his plays have been produced by most of the major theatre companies in the UK. His plays have also been translated and produced throughout Europe, USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia and Japan. From 2005 to 2007 he was the first dramaturg of the National Theatre of Scotland.
Title: Theatre and the Middle East.
Forum on the role of theatre in addressing issues of peacemaking, conflict resolution, community building, loss, grief, health and well-being, healing, identity, inclusion, etc.
Chair: Joyce McMillan, writes a commentary column on political and social issues for the Scotsman newspaper and she is also their chief theatre critic. She broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio Scotland and Radio Four and became a Visiting Professor of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in 2006.
Forum Panellists: Jo Clifford, writer, and performer; Donald Smith, storyteller, novelist, playwright and performance poet. He has been Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre since 2001 and of its predecessor, the Netherbow Arts Centre, from 1983; and Simon Sharkey (currently Associate Director (Learn) for the National Theatre of Scotland).
Venue: St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Talk/Forum: 7pm-9.15pm.
Event Description: David Greig will discuss his experience of his play Damascus touring to Damascus, Beirut, Amman, Cairo, Ramallah and Tunis in the Spring of 2009. He will also discuss the work he has done with young writers in the region and the experience of staging that work here in the UK.

Following the talk by David Greig, there will be questions and discussion with the panel and with the audience. The panel members will then each give short presentations on the Forum subject, following by further questions and discussion.
Cost: £5/£3 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Wednesday 10 March

Event: Day Workshop: Contemplation and Social Action -
finding balance in our lives.

Facilitator: Jane Ozanne.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: In the hearts and minds of many people today there is a longing to live a life that goes beyond the superficial, to live at a deeper level of connection and service in the world. It is through transformed consciousness, awareness and ‘being’ that we can be the most effective agents for change in the world. In the words of author and poet John O’Donohue, ‘the world is not decided by action alone. It is decided more by consciousness and spirit: they are the secret sources of all action and behaviour.’ How can we develop a way of living and spiritual tools that:

1. enable us to draw deeply from the wellsprings of life; 2. nourish our spirit and transform our consciousness and awareness; 3. attune us to work creatively, non-violently, harmoniously and effectively; 4. empower us to become co-creators of a world of well-being for all?

In this workshop we will explore together how we can develop a ‘rhythm of life’ which brings balance to our everyday lives, enables us to open to wholeness, develop our ‘being’ in the world and drink deeply from the wellsprings of creative action.

Drawing on Jane’s many years of experience with Peacemakers in the Middle East, whose work is underpinned by a holistic spiritual practice, we shall experience together sources which can transform and sustain our work both individually and collectively. However, the nature of this day will be that of ‘individuals in company’ and participants will be encouraged to share what has been helpful and inspiring in their own practice, so that the collective wisdom of the group can enhance our individual reflection and experience.

Jane’s qualifications and early professional life were in sociology, research and social work. When faced by the pressing concerns of human life in extreme circumstances she engaged with the question, ‘what difference does spirituality make?’ She also developed her interest in ‘community’ and subsequently worked in a community setting where she began to explore the ideal of community life.

In the last 10 years Jane has trained, and developed her work, in the areas of spiritual accompaniment and spirituality, peace and reconciliation. This includes: working in retreat houses, facilitating workshops and retreats, working with an organisation known as Jerusalem Peacemakers and setting up a charity called Spirit of Peace. (www.spiritofpeace.co.uk)
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: The 2010 Middle East Festival Forum on the Natural Economy, Sustainability, and the Global Environment.

Speaker: Prof Stephen Blackmore FRSE, Regius Keeper, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Title: Gardening the Earth: the international role of botanic gardens.
Forum on the Natural Economy, Sustainability, and the Global Environment.
Chair: Prof Aubrey Manning, Emeritus Professor of Natural History, the University of Edinburgh.
Forum Panellists: Eleanor Harris, from Eco-Congregation; Paul Walton, Head of Habitats and Species, RSPB Scotland.
Venue: St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Talk/Forum: 7pm-9.15pm.
Event Description: This talk will emphasise the fundamental importance of plants to human survival. Not only do plants form the base of our food chain, they also provide vital ecosystem services. In the rapidly changing global environment, plants are threatened by habitat loss, over-consumption of valuable wild species and, increasingly, by climate change. The world’s botanic gardens hold key resources of expertise about plant diversity and the know-how essential for protecting the growing number of threatened plants. The talk will focus on the Royal Botanic Garden’s international role in research, conservation and capacity building with particular emphasis on the Middle East. Building on a long tradition of botanical exploration in the region, extending back more than a century, RBGE recently established the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants. This new initiative reflects interest in the region in the protection of plant resources and the establishment of new botanic gardens and biodiversity parks.

Following the talk by Prof Stephen Blackmore, there will be questions and discussion with the panel and with the audience. The panel members will then each give short presentations on the Forum subject, following by further questions and discussion.

Stephen Blackmore leads a world class research institute that is also a major public attraction. With living plants from 161 countries and preserved herbarium specimens from 157 countries the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a truly international organisation carrying out active projects in over 40 countries. He is a passionate believer in engaging the public with the major environmental challenges of our times and to this end RBGE has developed the John Hope Gateway, which opened in 2009. Before joining the Natural History Museum in London in 1980, he lived and worked as a botanist in the Seychelles and Malawi. He was Keeper of Botany at the NHM from 1990 until 1999, when he moved to Edinburgh. He holds Honorary Professorships at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow and at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Institute of Botany. He serves on the Boards of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Edinburgh College of Art, the Little Sparta Trust, the MacIntyre Begonia Trust, the Sibbald Trust and the Seychelles Islands Foundation and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Cost: £5/£3 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Thursday 11 March

Event: Day Workshop: Towards a Sustainable Culture of Peace -
Connecting to the Source in the midst of Conflict.

Facilitator: Lee Gershuny, Ph.D..
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: The purpose of this workshop is to practice the most effective ways of making a culture of peace sustainable in our daily lives. Through a series of interactive exercises, we will practice some of the basic tools and principles enabling us to work effectively and creatively with conflict without using force, abuse or threat. These exercises provide opportunities to discover what works best for you and to develop confidence in: 1. clarifying your priorities in the moment and long term; 2. making decisions based on what’s most important to you; 3. being present/being peace; 4. tapping inner sources of playfulness, wisdom and creativity.

This experiential workshop offers a supportive, non-judgmental environment with discussion, movement, sharing and interactive exercises in large and small groups. Our aim is to discover new insights and actions for making a culture of peace sustainable in our daily lives. 

For additional practice, please see the weekly series of 5 workshops, “Toward a Sustainable Culture of Peace,” 7 April to 5 May 2010, in Future Events.

Lee Gershuny, Ph.D., award-winning playwright in both the USA and UK, is also an internationally published poet and founder/Artistic Director of The Elements World Theatre Company. She has developed new forms of theatre and facilitated creative development workshops with a diversity of participants in England, Germany, Mexico, Poland, Scotland and the USA, including professional artists, youth, older people, primary school children, people with physical and learning difficulties, homeless people, survivors of physical and substance abuse, users of mental health services and refugees.
 
She is a founding member of the Research Society of Process-Oriented Psychology/UK and has designed and facilitated workshops in creative conflict facilitation in local, national and international festivals and conferences, including the Alternative G8 Summit (Edinburgh 2005), the SUBUD World Congress (Innsbruck 2005), the World Youth Congress (Stirling 2005), Roars, not Whispers (Scottish Youth Parliament Leadership Training 2008), International Civicus Youth Assembly (Glasgow 2008), and the MESP from 2004 to the present. 
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: The 2010 Middle East Festival Forum on Education and the Media.

Speaker: Prof John Eldridge, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, the University of Glasgow.
Title: War and Peace News.
Forum on the Role of the Media in Times of Peace and Conflict.
Chair: Iain Macwhirter, award-winning political columnist for the Sunday Herald.
Forum Panellists: Prof Neil Blain, Head of the University of Stirling’s Department of Film, Media and Journalism; David Pratt, foreign editor of the Sunday Herald.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Talk/Forum: 7pm-9.15pm.
Event Description: John Eldridge will review the ways in which the media cover issues of war and peace, with particular but not exclusive reference to television. Philip Knightley’s work The First Casualty offers a very good analysis from the Crimean War onwards and has important things to say about the problems of truth and objectivity. This may help to put into context work which the Glasgow University Media Group has carried out on this topic from the Falklands conflict through to conflicts in the Gulf and the Israeli-Palestinian disputes, which will be described. There will also be reflections on how media coverage of peace-making might be developed.

Following the talk by John Eldridge, there will be questions and discussion with the panel and with the audience. The panel members will then give short presentations on the Forum subject, following by further questions and discussion.

John Eldridge is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow. He was a founder member of the Glasgow University Media Group and has published extensively in the field of mass media. This includes the co-authored book War and Peace News (1985) and Getting the Message (1993). He also worked with the Society, Religion and Technology Project of the Church of Scotland and contributed to two of their publications: Ethics and Defence and a study of the role of Trident.
Cost: £5/£3 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Friday 12 March

Event: Day Workshop: Chanting in Daily Life as a Pathway to Peace.

Facilitator: Madhuram, Yoga in Daily Life - Scotland.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: Participants in this practical and experiential workshop will learn about and experience the positive effects of chanting (bhajans and kirtan) on the body, mind and emotions, and they should then be able to apply this knowledge in their daily lives to reduce stress and anxiety, and to awaken and purify positive human qualities such as humility, understanding, universal love, contentment and peace, regardless of their spiritual background or culture.

This workshop will include chanting together, and there will be handouts on the words of the chants, and no previous experience of chanting is necessary to fully participate in the workshop. For more information see: http://www.yogaindailylife.org.uk/

Madhuram has been practising and teaching the traditional system, Yoga in Daily Life (www.yogaindailylife.org), for the past 6 years as a disciple of the system's author, His Holiness Paramhans Swami Maheshwaranandaji (known as Swamiji). Madhuram has been sharing the chants and spiritual songs (bhajans and kirtans) taught to him by his Master with people from diverse cultures and spiritual traditions in Edinburgh, as well as in London, continental Europe and India. His use of mantras, chants, bhajan and kirtan is also an integral part of his own spiritual practice.
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: The 2010 Middle East Festival Forum on Environmental Responsibility and Climate Change.

Speaker: Dr James Garvey, the Royal Institute of Philosophy.
Title: The Ethics of Climate Change.
Forum on Spiritual, Educational and Cultural Responses to Climate Change.
Chair: Prof Alan Carter, Chair in Moral Philosophy, the University of Glasgow.
Forum Panellists: Dr Matthew Chrisman, Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, the University of Edinburgh; Eleanor Harris, from Eco-Congregation; Prof Tim Hayward, Professor of Environmental Political Theory, the University of Edinburgh.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Talk/Forum: 7pm-9.15pm.
Event Description: Climate change is a many-sided problem. It’s a scientific problem, because what we do about it depends on empirical discoveries about the way our climate works. It’s an economic problem as well, because what we do about it depends quite a bit on what various sorts of action might cost. It’s also a political problem, because what we end up doing depends on how political power flows around our world. One can think about psychology, sociology, the law and other sorts of things which might figure into our decisions too. Quite a lot will have a bearing on what we do about climate change, but this talk will focus on the moral side of things. Climate change is, perhaps above all else, a moral problem. What we decide to do about it depends on what matters to us, what we value, and what we think is right. One can make a start on the moral dimension of climate change by thinking about past injustices, present entitlements, and a sustainable future. The uncomfortable conclusion that our high-energy lives are morally wrong and ought to change right now, seems to follow quickly.

Following the talk by Dr James Garvey, there will be questions and discussion with the panel and with the audience. The three panel members will then each give short presentations on the Forum subject, following by further questions and discussion.

James Garvey has a PhD in philosophy from University College London. He is interested in practical philosophical problems, and his most recent book is The Ethics of Climate Change (Continuum). He works for the Royal Institute of Philosophy and lives in London. You can find further details at http://jamesgarvey.blogspot.com/
Cost: £5/£3 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Saturday 13 March

Event: Day Workshop: Health, Well-being and Healing Through Spiritual Dance and Movement.

Facilitators: Sarah Bonner-Morgan (Wu Chi to T’ai Chi and back again - Yin and Yang in everyday life); Audicia Lynne Morley (The Planetary Dance, Earth Run. A community dance of planetary healing); Jenny Williams (Is this how Jesus danced? Moving and singing with the Aramaic words of Jesus); and Linda Wyman (An introduction to the Alexander Technique).
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: Join us for a joyful day of sharing spiritual dance and movement for health, well-being, healing and peace. We will all be together throughout the day, building community and celebrating diversity through spiritual dance and movement.

9.30am-10am: Arrival and Registration.

10am-11.20am: Is this how Jesus danced? Moving and singing with the Aramaic words of Jesus.

Jenny will teach some words that Jesus used for prayer in his native Aramaic language, allowing the vibration of the sound (in the beginning was the word) to move our bodies. Gradually, using simple movements, we will seek to get in touch with the felt sense of the prayer moving through the whole of our being to live the truth that our bodies are temples of the spirit. Come and explore this living, moving, pulsing, breathing prayer. Words and movements come from the work of Neil Douglas-Klotz: www.abwoon.com

11.20am-11.40am: Break.

11.40am-1pm: The Planetary Dance, Earth Run. A community dance of planetary healing.

The planetary dance is an annual all-day ritual of healing and community renewal which has now been celebrated/performed for over 30 years around the world. Originally this dance was conceived by Anna Halprin and community as a call to enact a ‘positive myth in dance’ in order to reclaim the safety of the mountain on which they lived. At the heart of this dance is the ‘Earth Run’ - a simple dance that everyone can participate in through running, walking or standing and creating a moving mandala to the steady heartbeat of drums. Each step upon the ground/earth becomes a prayer for healing. 2010 marks Anna’s 90th birthday and the 30th anniversary of this powerful dance ritual. All are welcome. No experience necessary, just a willingness to participate with intention for the benefit of our planet.

1pm-2pm: Lunch.

2pm-3.20pm: An introduction to the Alexander Technique.

A simple and effective way of regaining natural balance and ease of movement improving physical and mental well-being. It is a learning process which teaches you how to best use your body helping you to increased energy and more efficiency.

Linda Wyman trained at Fellside Alexander School in Cumbria for three years and did her post graduate term at the Institute for the Research and Development of the Alexander Technique in New York in 1991. She currently teaches in Edinburgh and East Lothian.

3.20pm-3.40pm: Break.

3.40pm-5pm: From Wu Chi to T’ai Chi and back again - Yin and Yang in everyday life.

All martial arts provide a tremendous practice for bringing us back to the present moment and the reality of a situation. By quietening our mind/body of the ‘ten thousand things’ which jangle our lives and nervous systems we return to a state of Wu Chi or emptiness - a space for presence, a chance for our spirits to rise and our awareness to grow. The traditional flowing movements of T’ai Chi emerge from Wu Chi and Wu Chi is the place we return to.

Sarah has been studying the Taoist martial arts for over 25 years, initially T’ai Chi and latterly Pa Kua and Hsing Yi. Her fascination, which spills over into her work as an Alexander Technique teacher, is with Wu Chi – the condition of emptiness which precedes all movement.
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: Evening Workshop: Health and Happiness.

Facilitator: Dushyant Savadia.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 5.30pm-6pm. Workshop: 6pm–9pm.
Event Description: Breath, as a source of energy and good health, is usually overlooked. Breath energises and purifies, delivers a subtle but powerful energy to every living cell. Discover and experience the secret of Breath and how to live the full potential of life.

Change your very outlook on happiness through Breathing, Yoga, Meditation and Practical Wisdom. The Workshop brings harmony between your inner self and outer experiences.

Reported course benefits include reduced stress, more enthusiasm, improved efficiency and productivity, improved self-esteem, enhanced feeling of health and well-being, improved interpersonal skills, and heightened awareness and clearer perception.

Dushyant Savadia is an international teacher with the Art of Living Foundation and for the last ten years has conducted Art of Living workshops and seminars and many knowledge sessions on a variety of subjects in his role within the Foundation as an international teacher.
Cost: £8/£6 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Sunday 14 March

Event: Mindful Peace Walk.

Venue: The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR.
Time: 9.30am-10.30am, meet at the John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, at 9am.
Event Description: This silent walking meditation is an open event. It will be led by the lay members of the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing, who follow the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. The walk begins at the John Hope Gateway of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as meditation practice. This is not a protest or a campaigning event, so please do not use any banners. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults. Please remember to wrap up warmly. ‘We walk just for walking. We walk with freedom and solidity, no longer in a hurry. Let us enjoy every step we make.’ Thich Nhat Hanh.
Cost: Admission Free. Just come along on the day. For further information:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: Two Afternoon Workshops: Healing Words: Storytelling as a Pathway to Peace.

Facilitator: Michael Williams, Ph.D..
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 3pm-3.15pm. Workshop: 3.15pm-5.45pm.
Event Description: Two workshops, Sunday 7 March and Sunday 14 March 2010.
See Sunday 7 March 2010 entry for further details.
Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions) per workshop. For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: 2010 Middle East Festival Hosted Meal.

Venue: Susie’s Diner, 51–53 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DB.
Time: 6pm-9.30pm.
Event Description: The Middle East Festival Hosted Meal celebrates the people participating in the Festival by providing a chance for everyone to get better acquainted in an informal, relaxed atmosphere, and there will be storytelling from 8pm. A delicious meal of vegan food will be served. Everyone from the Festival is welcome. Numbers are limited to 40, first come, first served.

Stories surround us. The stories we hear, the stories we tell can create conflict; yet they can also cultivate connections and nourish greater understanding between people. They offer hope and healing. Storyteller and peace educator Michael Williams will invite guests to share their 'golden moments' from the Festival and to create stories that open the way for dialogue, understanding and well-being.
Cost: Admission Free. To attend and participate:
Contact: RSVP, to Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Monday 15 March

Event: Day Workshop: A Beginner's Guide to Beginner's Mind and Heart:

Interspiritual Meditation in the Sufi, Christian and Buddhist Traditions.
Facilitator: Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti (Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz).
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: The world's spiritual and healing traditions approach silence in various ways and under different names - meditation, contemplation, awareness, centering or body prayer, sitting Zen, self-observation and stress relief - to name a few.

Knowing which "flavour" of entering silence suits our temperament can help us to establish a regular practice. At the same time, because we human beings share certain essential characteristics (like breathing, body awareness and capacities for love and wonder), approaches to silence also share key features. Knowing how to extract these keys and benefit from the meditations of other traditions can help us to either begin a practice or deepen and enrich the one we're pursuing. It can also help us share a deeper sense of silence and heart in interspiritual gatherings, including those with no overt spiritual content. Ultimately, being able to find our way more easily into a compassionate, inner silence can help us to attain more understanding and empowerment in daily life, a type of "meditation with open eyes," or as St Paul puts it, "prayer without ceasing."

This day workshop will introduce various approaches to meditation in the Sufi, Christian and Zen Buddhist traditions. In addition to sharing various shorter or longer meditations, we will explore approaches to silence in the "empty" and "full" ways, the use of paradox (in the form of Sufi stories and Zen koans), and the roles of music, chant, breathing and body awareness, compassion, devotion, releasing and forgiveness.

Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz’s biography can be seen at the 5 March 2010 event.
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: An Evening of Sacred Chant with Rabbi Shefa Gold.

Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 7pm-7.30pm. Event: 7.30pm-9.30pm.
Event Description: Chanting, the repetition of a sacred phrase, is an ecstatic form of meditation that can open the doors of the heart, clear the mind of clutter, focus and refine intentions, and connect us to each other. The chant can attune us to ever-deepening levels of meaning, unlock the treasures of the heart, and give us an opportunity to generously serve each other. By entering into silence after a chant, we can receive both the Divine influx and the gifts that bubble up from within. In this evening of chant we will taste and experience the power and potential of this ecstatic practice.

Rabbi Shefa Gold is a leader in Aleph: the Alliance for Jewish Renewal and received her ordination both from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She is the director of C-DEEP, The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Shefa composes and performs spiritual music, has produced ten albums, and her liturgies have been published in several new prayerbooks. She teaches workshops and retreats on the theory and art of Chanting, Devotional Healing, Spiritual Community Building, Meditation, and trains Chant Leaders in Kol Zimra, a two-year programme for rabbis, cantors and lay leaders. She is also on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Shefa combines her grounding in Judaism with a background in Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Native American spiritual traditions to make her uniquely qualified as a spiritual bridge celebrating the shared path of devotion. She is the author of Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land, and, In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs, published by Ben Yehuda Press. www.rabbishefagold.com
Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Tuesday 16 March

Event: Day Workshop: The Path of Love.

Facilitator: Rabbi Shefa Gold.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: The Torah commands that you must love God "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might." You are commanded to "love the stranger" and "to love your neighbour as your self." And you are asked to receive God’s love in the form of Torah, community, history and the wonders of Nature. These commandments about love are at the heart of Torah. They constitute, at the same time, the most simple and the most complicated challenge of living a holy life.

The Path of Love, of rising to the challenge of learning to love and be loved, is the most rigorous spiritual path there is. Stepping onto the Path of Love, I am faced with every resistance, every illusion, every obstacle to self-realization. In this workshop of deep heart work, we will use text, voice, meditation, movement and sacred conversation to explore the landscape of Love. How do we love God through this world? How do we receive God’s love through this world? How do we become intimate with the Mystery behind each moment of our lives?
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: A Celebration of Poetry from Scotland and the Middle East.

Readers: Youssef Al-Khatib, Iyad Hayatleh, Jila Peacock and Tessa Ransford.
Chair: Robert Alan Jamieson.
Venue: Word Power Books, 43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DB.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Event: 7pm-8.45pm.
Event Description: This evening of poetry will include readings by Youssef Al-Khatib, translator, freelance journalist and largely unpublished poet from Lebanon, living and working in Edinburgh; Iyad Hayatleh, a Palestinian refugee poet who was born and grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, and living in Glasgow since 2000; Jila Peacock, born in Iran, moving to Glasgow in 1990, and although primarily a painter and printmaker published Ten Poems from Hafez in May 2006; and Tessa Ransford, past President and committee member of Scottish PEN. She is an established poet, translator, literary editor and cultural activist having also worked as Founder and Director of the Scottish Poetry Library.

7pm: Welcome and Introduction by Robert Alan Jamieson.
7.05pm-7.30pm: reading by Tessa Ransford (her own poems and poems from the Middle East).
7.30pm-7.55pm: reading by Iyad Hayatleh (his own poems and poems of Mahmoud Darwish).
7.55pm-8.20pm: reading by Jila Peacock (Persian and contemporary Iranian poetry).
8.20pm-8.45pm: reading by Youssef Al-Khatib (his own poems and poems of Adonis).
8.45pm: Vote of Thanks by Robert Alan Jamieson.
Cost: Admission Free. First come, first served on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Wednesday 17 March

Event: Day Workshop: The Tao of Movement, Stillness, Breath and Sound.

Facilitator: Muriel Kirton, M.A., M. Ed..
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: In this workshop we will explore the power of gentle Taoist yogic practices to restore vital energy, strengthen the innate healing wisdom of the body, balance emotions and restore unity of heart and mind.

Most popularly known through Tai Ch’i, Qigong, Meditation, Acupuncture and Feng Shui, Taoist healing arts follow ‘the Way of Nature,’ a living philosophy based on the principles of natural balance and the nourishing circulation of vital life-force energy, or Qi/Chi, that flows within us, linking together our body, emotions and mind.

In this workshop we will experience the flow of Qi/Chi, and explore ways to open and align key energy points through powerful but simple exercises using movement, breath, stillness and sound, leaving you more relaxed and grounded in yourself, as you strengthen the innate healing intelligence of the body-mind.
This workshop is suitable for anybody seeking increased health and vitality, and adults of all ages and health conditions are welcome to attend. The Qi Gong (energy work) we will practice is enjoyable, relaxing and easy to learn, and can generally be practised sitting or standing. You are invited to take home ‘tools’ to begin nurturing vitality, and take care of your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

For additional practice, please see the weekly series of 5 workshops, “The Tao of Movement, Stillness, Breath and Sound,” 8 April to 6 May 2010, in Future Events.

Muriel Kirton began to acquire a deep knowledge of the Oriental arts more than 25 years ago, while living and working in China, and later Hong Kong and Vietnam. She continued her studies with different masters and healers in Egypt, Thailand, India and the Philippines and her dedication led Muriel to become a certified instructor of Qi Gong, Tao Yin, Tao Yoga, Tai Ch’i and Taoist Meditation, and a certified practitioner of traditional Chinese Chi Nei Tsang and Tuina healing therapies. Muriel is a member of the Scientific and Medical Network in UK, the Healing Tao Association of North America, and the World Universal Healing Tao Instructor Faculty, Thailand, and is on the faculty of the Wudang Taoist Health Preservation Association, Wudang, China.
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: Time for Reflection at the Scottish Parliament with Rabbi Shefa Gold.

Venue: The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh.
Time: 2.30pm.
Event Description: Rabbi Shefa Gold, participating in the 2010 Middle East Festival, will lead Time for Reflection at the Scottish Parliament.
Cost: Admission Free. To Attend:
Contact: Parliament's Visitor Services, 0131 348 5200.

Event: The 2010 Middle East Festival Forum on World Spiritualities.

Speaker: Prof Ursula King, Emeritus Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, the University of Bristol.
Title: Do we need Spirituality for Human Flourishing?
Forum on the Search for Spirituality: Our Global Quest for Meaning and Fulfilment.
Chair: Professor B J McGettrick, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Glasgow, and Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow.
Forum Panellists: Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz (Saadi Shakur Chishti), Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning, EIAL; David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network; Ali Newell, works at the Ignatian Spirituality Centre where she teaches and offers spiritual accompaniment. She is a minister, trained counsellor, and was warden of Iona Abbey.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Talk/Forum: 7pm-9.15pm.
Event Description: Spirituality is much in the news these days. Our planet is marked by a deep spiritual crisis, often expressed in a breakdown of relationships, a loss of meaning and purpose, or a disillusion with the surfeit of material goods and consumption. How to find a life of personal wholeness and deeper significance? How to create a world of greater justice and peace? The upsurge of interest in spirituality in all its different forms indicates the urgent need of our growing global world to find new ways of living, a new form of spirituality, to ensure the flourishing of both people and planet.

We need spiritualities that provide nurture and sustenance for the struggles of our personal life, and for the global tasks and responsibilities of the planetary earth community. The vision presented in this talk is one of hope, flourishing, and inspiration. It encourages the zest for life and calls for the power of love to transform ourselves and the world we live in.

Following the talk by Prof Ursula King, there will be questions and discussion with the panel and with the audience. The three panel members will then each give short presentations on the Forum subject, following by further questions and discussion.

Ursula King FRSA is Emeritus Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, the University of Bristol. Educated in Germany, France, India and England, she has lectured all over the world and published widely, especially on gender issues in religions, interfaith dialogue, spirituality, and on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. She has held several visiting chairs in the USA and Norway, and been awarded honorary doctorates by the universities of Edinburgh, Oslo, and Dayton, Ohio. Her publications include Christian Mystics. Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages; Women and Spirituality; the illustrated biography Spirit of Fire: The Life and Vision of Teilhard de Chardin; and most recently The Search for Spirituality: Our Global Quest for Meaning and Fulfilment (Canterbury Press, 2009).
Cost: £5/£3 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Thursday 18 March

Event: Day Workshop: The Colours of Grief:
Transformation and Healing in Times of Loss and Change.

Facilitators: Lilli Anathal Conradt and Susanne Olbrich.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Workshop: 10am-4.30pm.
Event Description: We all face situations of loss, change and transition at some point in our lives: be it through the death of a dear one, through sickness or separation, through loss of work or other, sometimes unexpected changes of life circumstances. It takes courage to face the resulting feelings. Our modern culture does not offer notions of “healthy grieving” or spaces of acceptance and support for people in grief, and difficult times might come with a great sense of loneliness. So many of us choose to suppress difficult emotions and attempt to “function” as normal, which can become a strain on body, mind and spirit.

In this workshop, we would like to offer a safe space for being with loss, change and grief. Mindfulness Meditation, creative expression and ritual will assist us in: 1. cultivating presence; 2. working with difficult feelings; 3. expressing that which has not been spoken; 4. connecting with our spiritual roots from where healing can happen.

Participants will be encouraged to discover their own inner resources for transformation and healing. Coming together as a group, we will tap into the healing power of community, of shared experience and mutual support.

Lilli Anathal Conradt is a graduate of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and works as a healer in Berwick upon Tweed and Edinburgh. For many years, she worked towards Earth healing, focussing on the physical and spiritual dimensions of the plant and animal kingdoms. During this time, contact with Nature and the Buddhist teachings on suffering and impermanence gave her a new perspective on life and death. Lilli Anathal has also participated in a year-long training called "Death the final Healing."

Susanne Olbrich is a pianist, composer and music teacher living in Findhorn, North East of Scotland. She performs her own music inspired by jazz, classical and world music, and has been offering creative music workshops in Germany and Scotland, collaborating with music schools, adult education providers, community groups and the NHS. Susanne has been a student and practitioner of Mindfulness Meditation for many years and is a lay-member of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing. www.myspace.com/susanneolbrich
Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.

Event: Concert: The Nightingale and the Rose:
Musical meeting points of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in medieval Spain and beyond.

Alva: Vivien Ellis – voice, percussion, Giles Lewin – ‘Ud, vielle.
Venue: St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ.
Time: Doors open: 6.45pm. Concert: 7.30pm-9.30pm.
Event Description: The sacred symbol of the rose is found throughout the mystical writings and poetry of Judaism, Islam, and esoteric Christian traditions. The rose is often used as a symbol of Christ, and of Mary, such as in the Spanish C13 Cantiga ‘Rosa das Rosas’ (Rose of Roses). In Sufi poetry, the nightingale is often paired with the rose. The nightingale is the lover, the seeker, the Sufi, searching the garden at night for the rose, the Beloved, God. A similar longing is expressed in the exquisite love-song La Rosa Enflorece, translated here from Judeo-Espagnol, the language of the Jewish people who were expelled from Spain in the C15 century.

Our concert includes folk songs such as La Rosa Enflorece, traditional and new settings of Arabic devotional poetry from early medieval Spain, and Cantigas de Santa Maria from the court of Alfonso el Sabio, the wise and learned thirteenth century Spanish King of Castile and León. His court became a multicultural haven for artists, scientists and musicians - Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. Musicians from these three great religions are depicted playing and singing side by side in the beautiful images which accompany the Cantigas, Alfonso’s collection of over 400 songs recounting miracles associated with the Virgin Mary, one of the most spectacularly illustrated manuscripts of the period.

The mingling of cultures which occurred in Spain during Moorish rule led to many instruments being introduced into Europe, including the Arabic ‘Ud which evolved into the lute, and the rabab, fore-runner of the medieval vielle and ultimately the fiddle. Both the ‘Ud and the vielle feature in our concert, accompanying narrative ballads and songs of love, longing and devotion, in Medieval Spanish, Judeo-Espagnol, Hebrew, Occitan and Arabic.

Singer Vivien Ellis performs medieval, Renaissance and traditional music with The Dufay Collective, Sinfonye and her own duo Alva. She has appeared in seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Her voice has featured on many TV and film soundtracks.

Giles Lewin specialises in the traditional music of Europe and the Middle East. His interest in the Arab influences in medieval music led him to Cairo, where he studied Arabic violin with Ashraf al Sarki. Giles is a founder member of the early music ensemble The Dufay Collective, traditional group The Carnival Band and the folk big band Bellowhead.

Alva was formed in 1997 to explore the links between early European vocal repertoire and surviving folk song; by comparing the two traditions, Alva brings a fresh approach to early music presentation.
Supported by the Edinburgh Hispanic Festival and the Early Music Forum of Scotland.
Cost: £10.
Booking: Tickets Scotland Ltd, 127 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3DT. 0131 220 3234. http://www.tickets-scotland.com/ 9am-6pm (8pm Thursday), 11am-6pm Sundays.