by Dave Graham
When a person decides to go on a journey of self-exploration, there are all manner of experiences that may be encountered. The prospect of bumping into unexpected parts of ourselves is always present and those unexpected parts can often contain significant difficulties and indeed pain. Even so it is within that journey of self-exploration that inspiration can be encountered in its most potent form, yet that is very often activated by inspirational encounters in our external world. It reminds me of a native American shamanic expression which states something like: “Our perception of the world around us is simply a reflection of the processes of our internal world.”
As external worlds go, the home of the nine muses in the Pieria range of mountains in Greece is hard to beat for inspiration. Even the setting of the annual convention in Elatochori has a touch of inspiration about it. The village will be largely at our disposal, the hotels have a variety of different types of rooms, the taverns serve wonderful food, the workshop spaces are spread within different buildings yet also within easy walking distance. There may be a steep hill between them yet we are making provision for transport to be available if or when needed. The high energy of the mountains bring vitality and excitement to the activities there, so all we need to do is fill the time with activities that offers us knowledge, insight and enjoyment.
This year the 10th anniversary of the EARTh annual convention will be held between July 9th -18th in this very place: Elatochori, high in the Pieria mountain range of Greece. From the pre-convention workshops to the excursions to places of interest and beauty, it will be a busy week. You can find more details here.
The EARTh board have now visited the venue to hold our mid-winter board meeting and check the facilities. We can report that it looks good and it feels exciting.
So this is our invitation to lay yourself open to the inspiration of the mountains that has been the home of the nine muses of ancient Greece. Feel the inspiration within as it is activated by those external experiences. Enjoy the experience. One point to remember when you get there, if it feels like inspiration, if it tastes and smells like inspiration, then probably it is inspiration.
