We are really delighted to be taking part in this year's Bloom Festival, May 12th at Exeter Phoenix taking place alongside Mental Health Awareness week. We will be sharing some of our short films, hosting a cabaret, taking part in a panel discussion and hopefully there with a stall. Come find us to say hello!
“A full day of free activities for the community, in partnership with a wide range of local groups and organisations, to promote good mental health and wellbeing. From discussions to workshops and creative performance, Bloom is here to encourage and enable discussion, raise awareness of the wide range of support and services available from local organisations, and to utilise creativity as a toolkit for expression and wellbeing.”
Addiction Recovery through the Archetypes
Big thanks to Beth, Edward, Sarah, Henry, Jasmine and everyone at the Poly for their amazing support and such a warm welcome to our Devon Tribesters.
These images celebrate the participants from this year's Creative Pathways residential on Dartmoor. This beautiful work was part our first major exhibition at The Poly in Falmouth in September 2023.
Click to explore more:
Photos: Caspar Walsh
Creative Pathways to Healing and Meaning is a recent addition to our delivery programme, offered to support the addiction recovery community with nature connection activities, meditation and creative expression of all kinds, including text, film, sound, photography etc. Our Creative Pathways programme offers support, guidance and space to explore more of who we are and what makes us tick, both personally and professionally. It also supports the growth and skills development of our volunteer staff team and is an opportunity to further heal addiction related wounds and trauma.
“The Creative Pathways journey changed my learning and my awareness. It helped me look at myself, break things down and understand why I ‘reacted’. It helped me understand what was powering the thoughts / actions and being able to change.”
New on our online shop - a mini-book on the Archetypes: ‘Creative Pathways - a Journey Through the Archetypes’
“It’s beautiful! It really took me on a journey, beyond the mind. The images, and in particular, the poetry, offer gateways to realms beyond the intellect - realms of imagination, feeling, intuition and inspiration. The writing of the meanings/interpretations is concise and specific, and helpful to guide the way or answer questions.”
Click here to see more resources on the four archetypes.
Retreats
We are offering our Creative Pathways as weekend residential retreats on Dartmoor - an exciting new programme for the addiction recovery community, to support the deepening of your recovery and healing journey.
£650 - £100 depending on your financial situation. Bursaries available. Priority given to those living in Devon.
Next dates: 2024
Overview
Archetypes show up in all our lives, across culture and time. They’ve been part of human existence since the beginning. They are at the heart of all stories; an integral part our collective subconscious, our imagination, our shadows and light. The archetypes are a map to psyche and soul; keys to the doors of perception.
Working with these four key archetypes will give you access to an internal compass to help you discover more of what makes you tick, where your wounds are and how you can move toward ever deeper healing and meaning.
The Archetypes: Sovereign, Magician, Warrior, Lover
This programme will help you understand:
What these archetypes are about and how they show up in our lives
Our key archetypal woundings
How working with our archetypal landscape supports long term recovery and healing
How you can incorporate this new found healing into your personal and professional relationships and wider life
Our residential focuses on exploring individual and collective healing through creative process within the stunning landscape of Dartmoor.
We will explore the archetypes of Lover Creator, Warrior Protector, Magician Healer and Sovereign Overseer. These will be embodied through time in the wild, time together and time alone; sharing our recovery journeys and healing through this beautiful archetypal quartet.
Elements of the work we create will be invited to be part of our exhibition and live event work in the coming year.
The Creative Pathways opportunity is open to you whether you are within the existing R2F community or, if you are not, if you are in established recovery (suggested time away from your addictive behaviour of choice is 12 months) and you have an established recovery programme (e.g. Recovery Dharma, 12 Step, Smart Recovery as well as one to one support, therapy or mentoring).
“So many changes and learning and growth supported by the awareness of the archetypes.
Knowledge is power.”
Payment
For participants from Devon, this retreat is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, however the charity relies on various income streams to carry out our work. Each place costs £650. This covers all staff, organisation, site hire, accommodation, food and travel costs for the residential.
Once you are offered a place we will then require a deposit of £75 to secure the place. The number of places that we offer is limited and the impact of people not showing up is big. The deposit helps to cover the basic costs if someone doesn't show up.
We will also be inviting participants to make a contribution towards their place at the end of the residential. This support contributes to the cost of the residential and secures places for people on future retreats.
There is no expectation of exactly how much people will contribute. Some will pay more than the cost of a place and some less. It's relative to the money that is available to you and the value you place on your residential experience and your recovery journey. It is important that any payment you make feels comfortable to you and your current financial situation. There is no contribution too small or too big. It could be a one-off payment or a monthly direct debit.
A guide to paying for your place:
For those who are financially secure - £650 or more
For those who are mainly financially stable but occasionally have some challenges - £450
For those who have some financial struggle but manage to make ends meet - £250
For those who struggle to make ends meet - £150
For those in economic hardship - £100
Paying for your place helps us to build a long term sustainable future for Rite to Freedom. We hope to continue supporting the deepening and healing for those in recovery for a long time ahead. Everyone at Rite to Freedom is hugely grateful for people’s support in making this a reality.
“It has helped me to push myself to share and participate despite initial anxiety, no excuses. There are people who can help me on my journey, no need to go on my own anymore.”