We are currently busy working on the programme for the Silent Eye launch weekend in Derbyshire, England, in April of this year. In some respects it feels a little like sitting at the centre of a web and pulling the threads into an ordered and functional pattern. There are so many strands woven in and out of what we are building here and although some are ones you would expect, there are others one would not even have thought of, perhaps, until the work is begun.

The venue, of course, we know well and love. It is a perfect place for what we wish to do, in a quiet village and a beautiful location, with a traditional village pub a few yards away that will provide a convivial setting for socialising in the evenings, a place where laughter and friendships can grow, as well as in the quieter rooms of the Nightingale Centre itself.

We have the story of the Troubadour which will weave throughout the weekend, carrying a theme that binds the entire workshop into a personal journey for each of the Companions who attend. Meditations, presentations, knowledge sessions and ritual drama are being created and brought to life as I write. There are beautiful things afoot.

The seven themes explored will form the basis of the teachings of the School, but again will be shared in ways which are fun and engaging as well as informative, and we firmly believe that these teachings are of value to everyone, not just those who may wish to join the School.

Although the weekend will see the launch of the School we want to make this something that will also stand alone for each participant, giving a personal experience of shared learning and exploration that is not exclusive to or dependent upon membership of the School at any point. Everyone is welcome to attend and will, we hope, find the weekend an interesting and vivid experience as we engage both the intellect and the emotions.

We have the dilemma of advertising the weekend, of course. We do not have unlimited funds to spend on traditional advertising, the School is not a business and will be run on a not–for-profit basis. The time we give is our own and we give it because we are driven to do so.

We have chosen to stand alone and not take advantage of the associations with the School we loved and served in the past. We do not therefore have a membership that runs to thousands worldwide. The School is being brought to birth and needs to be seen. We cannot be a School without students, and students cannot find us if they do not know we are there. So we write, to raise awareness, both of the School itself and what we wish to share through its teachings.

Every ‘like’ and ‘share’ on our  Facebook page  and the other social media networks helps us achieve this goal of being visible and we are so very grateful for those who have chosen to support us by doing  this.

There are still places available if you would like to be with us in April as we launch the Silent Eye. Everyone who attends will add something unique to this birthing of a new Mystery School and you can be sure of a very warm welcome.