In the Footsteps of St Cuthbert

September 19–23, 2018

A five-day study tour in the North of England led by Katherine Tiernan.

Course Description

In the first part of the tour we will trace the saint’s life on Lindisfarne and Inner Farne, with Bede’s Life of Cuthbert in hand. Then we will follow the saint’s journey to Chester-le-Street and Durham, his final resting place.

The tour will include pilgrimage walks, visits, and talks from visiting speakers. It is designed to be both informative and contemplative, an opportunity to draw closer to the meaning of the great Saint of the North.

The tour will be led by Katharine Tiernan, author of Place of Repose: A Tale of St Cuthbert’s Last Journey.

View the full itinerary

**The tour is sponsored by The Beshara Trust, and in keeping with the Trust’s aims, is open to people of any faith and religious background. www.besharatrust.org

Booking & Fees

Price: £550 + £60 single

Places are limited to 14 so please book early.
Contact: kmtiernan@gmail.com for a booking form and payment details.

The price includes:

  • four nights half board accommodation (breakfast and evening meals)
  • all minibus travel, including pick-up and return to Berwick train station
  • entrance to Lindisfarne Priory and Jarrow Hall
  • boat trip to Inner Farne and landing fees
  • all study and supplementary materials

Course / Event location

Neoplatonism and the Islamic Tradition

Saturday, December 3rd 2022
14:00 – 17:00 GMT
The October Gallery, London, UK

The teachings of Plotinus and his followers, known today as ‘Neoplatonism’, became the dominant philosophy of Late Antiquity. Neoplatonism represents a common heritage shared by the cultures which arose out of the three monotheist religions. Its legacy bridges the divide between East and West, North and South. This presentation examines the question of the degree to which the Islamic tradition bears the imprint of Neoplatonism.

Seminar led by Stefan Sperl, Emeritus Professor at SOAS

Discovering Unity Weekend Retreat

November 25 – 27, 2016

Explore deeper questions in the light of the unity of all existence. Guided group study of wisdom texts, meditation and more. Held at the Chisholme Institute.

The Ways of the Heart I

25th February – 19th May 2022

The One Calling the Many: the first Ways of the Heart course exploring a spiritual life and unified perspective in the contemporary world.

NB. This course will be held at GMT.

Contact: besharacourses@beshara.org

Yurt retreat

Woodland Yurt Retreat

August 12 – 19, 2017
Chisholme Institute, Scottish Borders, UK

Discover what is essential – free from phones, internet and electricity – living in yurts on the edge of woodland and cooking over campfires in the company of fellow students and facilitators.

“Staff in hand”: selected poems of ‘Attar

Saturday 4th June, 2022
19:00 – 20:30 AEST / 10:00 – 11:30 BST

An exploration of a selection of poems by Farid al-Din ‘Attar translated by Ken Avery from the Farsi (Persian).

Contact: markvtemple@gmail.com

Ibn ‘Arabi and the Journey Within

February 22nd, 2020 (2–5pm)
The October Gallery, London UK

A seminar and interactive discussion with Rim Feriani exploring the meaning of ‘the journey’ in passages from selected works by Ibn ‘Arabi.

Intuitive Drawing course 1-8 July 2017

Intuitive Drawing Course

July 1 – 8, 2017
Chisholme Institute, Scottish Borders, UK

Draw from the heart and learn to see and listen in a new way. In practising to draw it is important to distinguish what the heart is trying to say from what the mind is trying to determine.

Aspects of Imagination, Science and the Mystical

Aspects of Science, Imagination and the Mystical

Saturday 14th June 2025
14:00–17:00 BST
The October Gallery, London

With Peter Coates

This talk will consider the vital role of the Creative Imagination in Natural Science and in the Mystical Philosophy of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi.

Contact: Michael Cohen  london@beshara.org

Mysticism in Comparative Perspectives

December 14 – 16, 2016

A conference at the University of Glasgow seeking to renew the comparative study of mysticism

‘Truth is One but the wise speak of it differently’

(Rig Veda)

7th September 2022 – 31st May 2023

5 x 5 weekly modules over three terms. Wednesday evenings from 7-8.30pm GMT/BST

This course will introduce participants to four major traditions of human wisdom – the philosophies of ancient Greece and India, Christian wisdom and Islamic Mysticism. Students will have the opportunity to explore how these traditions might converse with one another and consider what light they have to shed on the issues the world faces today.

Contact: admin@beshara.org

Know Yourself & The Twenty-Nine Pages

Weekly from November 24th, 2024
Sundays 13:00–14:30 PST (timed for US and Pacific Rim)
Mondays 8:00 – 09:30 AEDT

Weekly from November 12th, 2024
Tuesdays 21:00–22:00 GMT
Note: this group will be studying the Twenty-Nine Pages only

Online study of texts that form an introduction to Muhyiddin ‘Ibn ‘Arabi‘s metaphysics of Unity

Contact: Michael Cohen, london@beshara.org

Ibn ‘Arabi Study Retreat: The Secrets of Voyaging

July 8 – 15, 2017
Chisholme Institute, Scottish Borders, UK

‘In reality, we never cease from journeying from the moment we and our origins are constituted, ad infinitum.’