******* ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON *******
The Life Medicine Collective is returning to Melbourne for another edition of "Beyond The Now" for the first and only time in 2024. You definitely don’t want to miss this opportunity.
In collaboration with Lady Pachamama, we look forward to bringing this event back to The Elwood Angling Club, and welcoming you on this journey.
Join us for a 5 hour ceremony exploring Sacred Cacao Medicine, Conscious-Connected Breathwork, Somatic Interactional exploration and the layered vibration of sound (Gongs, didgeridoo, Handpan, native-American flute, alchemy sound bowls and more…) followed by and optional Sunset Ocean Dip - in the bay
This ceremony is a safe space for you to dive deep within, reflect, re-calibrate, release, refocus, reconnect - using the ancient wisdom of the Sacred IXCACAO medicine
NB: This event is strictly 18+ years and over
Breathwork:
“Until you make the unconscious conscious it will continue to direct your life and you will call it fate” – Carl Jung
Breathwork is an experiential activity that requires participants to hyperventilate whilst being supported closely by our workshop facilitators. In order for the experience to be of value to all present it is vital that all people attending feel free to express themselves either vocally or through physical body movement. This event will focus on the use of conscious-connected breath to release emotion which may present as stress, tension and physical pain so often stored in the body.
We encourage you to come with an open heart, open mind and let your breath take you on a journey deep inside to release and grow.
Cacao:
Sacred Cacao is a safe & effective way to assist you to open your heart and energy system, to heal and receive knowledge that you already have at a cellular level, along with the deep healing medicine of music & sound,
The intent with ceremony is to allow yourself to be in a complete receiver mode, to drop deep into your bones and nervous system and allow whatever needs to be held, seen, remembered and released to do so within a sacred neutral space.
The medicine of the sacred cacao is sourced from Central and South America and prepared with ritual, specifically for each group we hold. It will also contain certain spices, water from where Renee lives in the forest, safe plant medicines and chants and prayers that she receives for the group’s collective energy.
We say the sacred cacao contains spirit, and as we guide you in your meditation & healing the cacao helps facilitate a very special vibration of connection to all that is.
Here's a great explanation about Ceremonial Cacao ~
"Ceremonial cacao was traditionally used by the Ancient Mayan Shamans in ceremony to travel between the worlds, to travel beyond the veil. To do this, the shamans infused their cacao with spirit, giving the ceremonial cacao a spiritual dimension not found in other cacao sources.
Ceremonial cacao is therefore an ancient plant medicine, a wisdom keeper, a teacher, and facilitator. Ceremonial cacao leads you to the door to the heart, to the spiritual dimension, but it does not push you through like other plant medicines – such as those found in the Amazon Basin.
Ceremonial cacao invites you on a journey, to travel with the chocolate spirit through the veil, but only if you choose"
Sound:
The power of sound in this ceremony is designed to be sonically multi-dimensional, creating a life affirming experience that focusses on self-transformation through conscious listening and breathing. It has been hypothesised that the human body has an energy field surrounding it, and the vibrations of these instruments interact with this bio-field.
Dan and Renee will weave in chanting, drumming, rattles, medicine drums, didgeridoo, native-American flute, Handpan and more, having you drift into alternate realities with the sound of 4 planet Gongs. This sound healing following deep breathwork tends to have an effect of vibrational attuning, a resetting and aligning of the body to a more balanced homeostatic state.
Brain waves may be significantly altered during this time. Thus, brain waves may change from a normal or even agitated state (such as beta waves) to an exceptionally relaxed brain wave state (such as theta or even delta waves).
The sound provides a place to soften, rest and find centre again letting everything settle into its new form. From here the path forward emerges.
Renee:
Renée is a plant wisdom keeper, ritualist & ceremonialist, shamanic herbalist & healer. She’s a kitchen witch, green witch, plant-based chef, yoga teacher, an earth doula & medicine women, bio-regionalist, wild crafter and a practising animist. A journey of study & continual learning in deep reverence, rites of passage & initiation spanning almost 30 years.
Renée runs various workshops, sacred cacao ceremonies, mentoring programmes and her personal practice from the forest highlands of Regional Victoria, Australia, which just so happens to be her home.
She offers ceremonial work with sacred cacao and other plant medicines, spiritual nutrition, and education around food as medicine, plant and earth wisdom work, ancestral healing, embodiment work, she alchemises many different wild harvested plant medicines, and mentors students who stay in residency with her for a week in the forest.
Renée's mission is to help people recalibrate and realign back to their own original human blueprint, connecting back to our roots within nature, our elemental & botanical allies, our remembrance to our ancestral lineages that has reverence and solid connection to the land & song lines beneath our feet.
Dan:
With a background in psychology and neuroscience, Dan's passion has led him down a path of extended study exploring the vast nature of the mind, behaviour and altered states of consciousness. Dan has extensively explored the impact events from the past have in shaping who you are, what we unconsciously take on, and how all of this becomes stored in the body and nervous system, mostly without conscious knowledge of it. Through his own trauma history and over a decade of exploration Dan shares from a place of lived experience and a passion for change.
He has grown up learning and playing music from a young age. From his study of music at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) to exploring sound and vibration in the Peruvian Amazon, learning from teachers from all around the world, he has spent the last 8 years working as a trauma informed psychotherapist. Working with people suffering depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, and PTSD, his holistic approach to healing encompasses, cognitive, somatic, and vibrational medicine to release limiting beliefs, stagnation, stress, tensions, and a whole range of other pathologies stored in the body. Dan’s own history and personal journey has led him to find a passion to educate and empower others, to share these learnings, giving people an experience of transcendence for their own exploration and evolution.
This journey is for those who are looking to go within to listen and learn about how we truly perceive the world. Come take flight with Dan on a journey into sound, conscious connected breath, exploration, and awareness.
What to Bring / Prepare:
Yoga mat
Cushion, eye pillow, blanket (optional)
Water Bottle
Journal and pen (optional if you feel like you want to record anything before you forget)
Open mind, Open heart,
Avoid caffeine on the day
Eat lightly on the day
Dress comfortably
Swimwear
Towel
Warm clothes for after
And... anything that grounds you or make you feel safe
(essential oil, particular crystal, picture etc etc..)
Event Details:
DATE: TBC
TIME: 11:00am – 5:30pm (approx. finish time allow time after to ground)
LOCATION: The Elwood Angling Club –
Foreshore, next to Elwood Sailing Club, Elwood VIC 3184
COST: $187 – Limited Spots available, booking online only (No Door Sales)
Prep + Integration:
Breathwork is a powerful modality that has the potential to unlock emotions and memories from past experiences that are trapped in our bodies. We believe that pre- and post- journey care is vital for these experiences and integrating new-found learnings. Therefore, we will be providing a one- hour zoom call pre and post ceremony for preparation and integration. It is highly recommended that you attend these sessions, especially if you are not experienced with working with non-ordinary states.
In these one- hour ZOOM sessions, we will cover how to prepare for the journey, how to set a clear intention, what to expect and challenges one might face during a journey, the risks and benefits of working with non-ordinary states of consciousness and a Q&A.
In our one-hour follow up, there will be a chance to debrief following the experience, discuss how to ground after the experience, adapt any lessons and insights from your experience into your present-day reality and how to access ongoing support if required. We will also host a short Q&A time if time allows.
The zoom link will be sent out via email. PLEASE KEEP AN EYE OUT - it may end up in your "JUNK FOLDER" or "SPAM"
Prep Session: (Online ZOOM link will be sent out after purchase)
Date: TBA
Time: 6:00 - 7:00pm
Integrations Session: (Online ZOOM link will be sent out after purchase)
Date: TBA
Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Disclaimer:
This event is intended as a personal growth experience and should not be looked upon as a substitute for psychotherapy
It is important that our facilitators are aware of your state of health. Certain medical conditions may limit your participation in breathwork. Breathwork can involve dramatic experiences accompanied by strong emotional and psychical release.
Contraindications:
This process is not appropriate for pregnant woman, or for persons with cardiovascular issues, severe hypertension, detached retina, glaucoma, high blood pressure that is not controlled by medication, severe mental health issues (Bi-polar or Schizophrenia), epilepsy, seizures or other neurological conditions, recent surgery or fractures, acute infectious disease.
Nb: Asthma is not a contraindicator however we ask that you bring your inhaler to the ceremony if you have asthma.
If you have any doubt about if you should participate, consult your GP, physician or therapist as well as the facilitators prior to attending.
COVID:
During the breathwork event all participants will be classified as High-Risk close contact should anyone in the ceremony have COVID. With this in mind, please consider the following prior to your involvement. Refunds will be granted for a positive RAT test confirmed 24 hours prior to ceremony:
The following strategies suggested:
If you have had symptoms of a respiratory illness in the 7 days prior to ceremony you must have a negative RAT 24 hours prior to ceremony commencement.
You must not participate if you are under a public health order or have been a close contact with a confirmed case in the 7 days leading up to ceremony
The room will be set-up in the best ventilated way by our team, however all participants must be aware that the risk of acquiring COVID during this ceremony is NOT zero. All participants should consider their own participation in light of this.
An online medical waiver is required to be signed prior to the ceremony commencement. Should you have any questions about your participation, health, benefits or whether this event is right you please contact Dan or Renee:
dan@kiwellness.com.au
kiflowhealing@gmail.com