DREAM PILGRIMAGE
Author and dream researcher Sarah Janes will guide you through Hastings Country Park towards a relaxing dream ‘incubation' experience.
About this event
Author, dream teacher and researcher Sarah Janes (pictured above), as part of a longterm and on-going study into the healing power and potential of sleep and dreams, will be leading this 6-mile pilgrimage route through some of the most exquisite natural beauty spots of her beloved home town of Hastings, and guiding participants in a deeply relaxing dream ‘incubation’ experience. This takes place very near the crack in time between end of summer and start of winter, when ancestors are traditionally remembered (All Saints Day/Samhain).
Dream incubation is an ancient method of cultivating a desired dream by ritual, intention and hypnotic suggestion and has been used as a way of faith-healing, ancestral connection and divination for millennia. Given the connection between dream incubation and holy places, the BPT sees potential for its role in further evolving the practice of modern pilgrimage (and our Sanctuary Network), so that not only are you walking with purpose, but dreaming with purpose too.
Sarah’s book Initiation into Dream Mysteries: Drinking from the Pool of Mnemosyne (Inner Traditions, 2022) explores the history and culture of the dream as medicine in the Western esoteric tradition, through ancient Anatolia, the Near East, Egypt and Greece.
As participant in this unique event, you are invited to contribute to the first in a series of dream studies commissioned by biologist Rupert Sheldrake, co-designed and coordinated by Pascal Michael - a researcher at the University of Greenwich, to scientifically analyse the effect of set, setting and suggestion on dream content, and to explore the nature of spontaneous healing events and epiphanies within the dream state.
Sarah is passionate about local history and Hastings Country Park is an area rich with tales of smugglers, star-crossed lovers, hermits and pre-Raphaelites. You will walk through time in three ancient ferny ghylls, learning about some of the rare plants and species that thrive in these wonderfully biodiverse and ancient ravines and connecting with the nature spirits.
The steeply sloping ghylls, springs, streams and waterfalls of the nature reserve, having never been worked as farmland, have a long history and tradition of being Common Land, providing shade, shelter, sustenance and sublimity to the people of Hastings since the Stone Age. You will enjoy gorgeous, sweeping clifftop sea views and your exertions walking up and down the many steps in and out of the ghylls will significantly improve your ability to fall into deep reverie when you come to incubate at a specially selected sleeping site amongst the bracken, gorse and wild flowers.
Participants will receive, included with the ticket, an audio recording to practice dream incubation at home (normally £10) and some dream tea made by Sarah Janes and inspired by her studies of ancient dream herbals (£20).
For more information about dream incubation, the dream study project and Sarah Janes visit her website.
Open to All (Bring your own Beliefs)
This Pilgrimage will include:
- New ways of meeting the land (bring your own beliefs...) - dream with purpose on the path - Opportunities for silence and nature rapture
What to bring
Appropriate clothes and shoes for muddy, uneven banks; Waterproofs or Umbrella; Waterbottle.
FAQ’s
Who can come? Anyone over 18 (or under 18 with parental guidance, bearing in mind the walking distance).
Is this religious? All and no-faiths are equally welcome. We operate a “Bring Your Own Beliefs” policy. We ask that all participating pilgrims tolerate one another, whatever their beliefs.
Are there fitness limitations? Pilgrimage is moderately intense. If you struggle to walk all day, this type of pilgrimage may be an unsuitable activity for you right now. There are always plenty of escape points en route. But we will walk slowly, and start early, and six miles is a very manageable distance for the majority of people. Unfortunately this pilgrimage is not suited for mobility-impaired people or those requiring wheelchair access, or those who are not sure-footed on steep banks.
Can I bring my dog? Sadly not - we can’t accommodate dogs on our guided pilgrimages. However, if you have a registered assistance dog, they are welcome.
What does my money go? What's this all for? It's a fundraising event for registered charity British Pilgrimage Trust, which has limited resources, but which spends its time creating materials for people to use for free, and facilitating the grass roots growth of pilgrimage in Britain by engaging with local communities. For more details about our charitable activities, please check here.
If you would like to make a donation in addition to, or in place of, a ticket, click here.
We hope to see you on the path.