SONIC RITUAL: Mary Magdalene

✨ Welcome to a new way of experiencing the healing power of music! ✨

🕯️ Sonic Ritual is a journey through improvised soundscapes channeled by cellist Ben Roberts, supported by Steph Kelly, who will also hold the container with some light facilitation at the beginning and end. Ben creates immersive cinematic soundscapes with electric cello, the powerful emotional energy of the acoustic cello, voice and other instruments. Watch a video about Sonic Ritual here.

      "Absolutely amazing. Warm, welcoming - and by far the best cello music I've ever heard in my life." - Participant

🎻 These live compositions are influenced by science, shamanism, veda, western music theory, and deep intuition. You are invited to lie down and get comfortable or to move, whatever you feel called to. You might want to bring a notebook or sketchpad as people often receive creative inspiration or personal insights during the journey.

      “ I felt like I was travelling to the depths of our earth with each different sound. I was under the ocean, inside the earth, up in the skies. It was like I was part of the music.” - Participant

💛 We'll have the space to really immerse ourselves in the music, to feel deeply, to allow old energy to be released and new impulses to bud, to be active witnesses in our own unfolding , held in the powerful container of improvised music.

✝️ We are honoured to be bringing this experience to the sacred space of St Mary's Church, harnessing the acoustic power of the space and integrating contemporary practice within an ancient spiritual context.

꩜ We will be holding the event on Mary Magdalene's feast day. To us, her key frequency is devotion, and we will have an anointing station by the alter for those who wish to honour her legacy in that tradition.

⚡ This is how we are reclaiming music, sacred spaces, and human connection during these challenging times. Come and join us for a taste of the future of music, rooted in ancient traditions. Come and be, meditate, dance, journal, sketch, process…..this is YOUR healing space.

_ *Find out more and watch a video about Sonic Ritual _ _ **here** __ * _

**Format of the event **

19:00 → Landing & Grounding: a moment to land in the space together and tune into intentions
19:20 → Music: improvised sound journey featuring acoustic cello, electric cello loops, vocals, and other instrumentation
21:40 → Return & Integration: a return to the group space and conscious integration of the sound journey
22:00 → End of event

Please arrive before 18:50 so that we can start on time - thank you! ♡

What to bring

Bring anything that helps you feel comfortable: Yoga mats, bolsters, cushions, blankets, comfy clothes, a bottle of water or flask of tea. We can provide disposable ear plugs, but if you have sensitive hearing consider bringing your own ear protection. Notebook / journal / sketchbook if you feel called. Crystals or other special items are welcome to be placed in the alter space.

A note on the space

We will be taking out the first few rows of pews so there'll be some space to sit or lie down in front of the stage, and the back of the church will be reserved for movement. If having a spot in front of the stage is important to you (as opposed to in the side aisles, in a pew, or at the back) please make sure to get there early to reserve a spot.

Cancellation policy

Please note that we do not arrange refunds. If you are not able to attend the event after you have purchased your ticket, please feel free to transfer it to a friend. Please get in touch with us through email or text for change of name.

About your hosts

Ben Roberts, Cellist

Spanning disparate realms of spirituality, punk, sound design and alternative healing, cellist Ben Roberts is on a quest to upend what he describes as regressive ‘Oil Age’ attitudes and transform the world through art. Applying cello techniques that are both classical and avant-garde, Ben’s boundary-defying music rips up the rule book by challenging conventional tunings and dispensing with traditional melodic hooks in favour of raw textures and hypnotic architectural stillnesses.

Trained as a professional engineer, Ben spent years working in building design at a senior conceptual level. From this he acquired a vital insight: civilisation’s big problems such as environmental rapacity and climate change will never be tackled until the ambient level of human consciousness is somehow elevated. Thus he turned his attention full time to his passion for the cello, immersing himself in mystical literature, punk philosophy and music history, and set about composing music designed to both reflect and usher in a new era of awareness.

Website:bencello.com

Stephanie Lisa Kelly, Facilitator

Stephanie Lisa Kelly is a writer, facilitator and artist whose work focuses on reintegrating spirituality into secular culture through events, poetry, photography and music. Having led retreats internationally pre-pandemic, she is currently focussed on serving her local community in Devon (UK). Her writing has been described as “sensuous mysticism” and she is the pen behind Wild Grace – for a world between stories, and co-founder of the Mystical Punk podcast, a podcast about inner and outer transition in an age of collapse and possibility. She is a certified Coach (ICF ACC), Facilitator (Thomas Huebl) and Way of Council Practitioner (Ojai Foundation).

Website: stephanielisakelly.com