Inspiration Day - Peace

Sunday 03 March, 10am - 4pm
Mandeville Place, London

Living as we are through troubled times, we as philosophers should do all we can to encourage  the principle of peace.  The question is where to begin.  The obvious answer is, the nearest thing to hand, ourselves.  This is part of a speech by Dean Russell, the Watford MP,  who, inspired by  the Watford Peace Garden, promoted the idea of Peace Gardens in Parliament: We talk about peace. We think of it as something outside ourselves, but if we have peace within ourselves we don’t wish to create conflict with others, and that’s why for me this garden is so important because  it enables us to have peace and tranquility within ourselves.

It’s that very thing which is the aim of the day. To help us we have those taking the practical classes, and a presentation from Judith Bruni, about the Watford Peace Garden which she helped create, and an interview with Irish journalist, Louise Coughlan, about her best selling book concerning the philosophy of her 107 year old grandmother who rose to fame for her words of consolation during lock down.

Programme

9.30am to 10.00am - Registration
10.00am to 10.30am - Introduction
10.30am to 11.00am - Refreshments
11.00am to 12.00pm - Session One
12.10pm to 1.10pm - Session Two
1.15pm to 2.15pm Lunch - local cafes
2.15pm to 3.15pm - Session Three
3.20pm to 4.00pm Concluding Session

Sessions

Nick Atzeni - Peace in Human Relationships

The class will concern how emotions influence our listening and speech, dynamics in a conversation, levels of listening and attentive communication.

Barbara Ryan - Sacred Geometry

The circle is both familiar and profound. A familiar image traditionally regarded as the shape of perfection, unity and wholeness. This session will endeavour to connect with the stillness and peace of the centre using drawing geometry as a powerful meditation, inspiring creativity.

Mary Cook - Peaceful Painting

A dip into the peace of watercolour, an incredibly stilling exercise, watching colour move on water and drawing the forms out of the medium.

William Wray - The Beauty of Unnoticed Thing

An exercise in reflective observation using words and images.

Paul and Anthea Douglas - Sanskrit: Source of Peace

The class will consider and reflect on the Perfect Prayer, a famous statement from the Eastern tradition of wisdom. We will explore its meaning and its power to connect us with inner peace.

In order for us to organise the day it would be a great help if you were to book in advance by contacting Maggie Allen at the SPES office Tel: 020 3287 1443 email: hello@fses.org