ROBERT BLY’S 31st ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT MOTHER AND THE NEW FATHER May 28 through June 5, 2005 at Camp Nebagamon in Lake Nebagamon,Wisconsin ...... directions to camp
	"the intelligence of the heart" is the CONFERENCE TOPIC
	author	Joseph Chilton Pearce Link: interview with author Pearce
	astrologer and visionary activist	Caroline Casey	Click here for registration form
	author and columnist	Michael Ventura
	poet and translator	Coleman Barks
	poet, author and translator	Robert Bly
	author/psychologist	Ruth Bly
	author, singer, storyteller	Daniel Deardorff
	poet	Li Young Lee
	poet	Louis Jenkins
	poet and writer	Freya Manfred
	poet	Thomas R. Smith
	poet	Timothy Young
	poet	Jay Leeming
	artist & sculptor	George Kokis
	dancer, choreagrapher	Ranee Ramaswamy
	musician	John Densmore
	himalayan flautist	Manose
	musician	Steve Gorn
	sacred song and chant	Doug Von Koss
	tabla musician	Marcus Wise
	sitar musician	David Whetstone
	We will gather again and honor creativity!
	email: greatmother@yellowmoon.com	Click here for registration form	editorial by Robert By on election online Rake Magazine article on Robert Bly
	intelligence of the heart We are doing this conference at a moment when the nation needs a lot of help, and each of us needs some genuine spirit. The pointless war, the enormous deficits, the disintegration of our cultural life, all make clear that we are in trouble. Recognizing that does not mean that we fall into despair. We call on the courage to remember what is great in Western culture. Lately we have allowed ourselves to break the moral code, the law of the planet, what Thomas Jefferson called "a decent respect for the opinions of mankind." The writer Paul Levy suggests that the administration is passing on a sort of microbe, whose characteristic is an oversimplification of the question of good and evil. What is required is for us to move toward the heart. We do this by honoring the wildness of nature, by playing and hearing ecstatic music, by making art with our hands, by dancing on the feet of poetry, and by adding our voices to the world of sound. We do that by paying attention to the intelligence of the heart. Joseph Chilton Pearce over the years, has become a warrior for the intelligence of the heart; He reminds us that the heart has its own electromagnetic field that arches out and curves back and by this means intersects with other hearts. The earth itself has an electromagnetic field. Our heart with its field maintains a conversation with our brain and with the universe itself. Poetry puts us into a field of this kind, as does great music, art, and dancing. The heart has an intelligence that brings us closer to the wildness of the universe in a way that the intellect alone cannot. His work helps parents to recognize openings in the child’s psyche. Mr. Pearce will give us material from his new book The Biology of Transcendence. The Great Mother Conference has met for over 30 years, and each spring we welcome a good number of new participants who bring their poems, music, and art. We will have the opportunity to share in workshops and in small groups, and to learn from the children and young people whose courage always shines in these gatherings.		Gioia Timpanelli will do a full evening of stories. The astute political writer Michael Ventura will be here for conversations about the world. Caroline Casey, the visionary activist, will bring her brilliant goofiness to our daily situation. Ruth Bly will talk about The Biology of Transcendence as it relates to the conference. Coleman Barks will read his poems and translations of Rumi, and Robert Bly will read new poems as well as translations of Mirabai and Hafez. Ranee Ramaswamy will bring her South Indian dance company for an evening of dance. We always have a rich group of younger and older poets which this year will include Li Young Lee, Louis Jenkins, Freya Manfred, Thomas R. Smith, Timothy Young and Jay Leeming. Among the musicians we’ll have Reza Derakshani as well as David Whetstone and Marcus Wise on sitar and tablas, as well as several other singers and guitarists. Doug Von Koss will be with us, also George Kokis and Daniel Deardorff - Robert Bly THE CONFERENCE The Conference on the GREAT MOTHER and the NEW FATHER was begun by Robert Bly and has met annually since 1975 to consider a wide variety of mythological, poetic and fairy tale traditions. The aim is to create an environment in which participants are able to move toward an understanding between men and women, young and old, and people of diverse cultures, ethnic backgrounds, mythological and ritual traditions. Expect to find interesting opportunities for creative expression in conversation, movement, writing, music, and the visual arts. click to see larger image
	CONFERENCE SITE click to see larger images ...... directions to camp		The 2005, 31st Annual Conference will be held at Camp Nebagamon in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. The camp is located in northwestern Wisconsin, not far from the shore of Lake Superior in the heart of Wisconsin's Northwoods. Located on 75 acres on the site of former logging camp, and 20 miles from Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. The accommodations are simple with a communal orientation, the environment beautiful, and the water refreshing. For out-of-town guests a bus will be available for a fee to transport you to and from Camp Nebagamon and the Mpls/St. Paul airport (MSP). Also arrangements can be made to get a shuttle from the Duluth International Airport For more information about Camp Nebagamon please visit the web site here. Camp Nebagamon

GROWING WINGS It’s all right if Cezanne goes on painting the same picture. It’s all right if juice tastes bitter in our mouths. It’s all right if the old man drags one useless foot. The apple on the Tree of Paradise hangs there for months. We wait for years and years on the lip of the falls; The blue-gray mountain keeps rising behind the black trees. It’s all right if I feel this same pain until I die. A pain that we have earned gives more nourishment Than the joy we won at the lottery last night. It’s all right if the partridge’s nest fills with snow. Why should the hunter complain if his bag is empty At dusk? It only means the bird will live another night. It’s all right if we turn in all our keys tonight. It’s all right if we give up our longing for the spiral. It’s all right if the boat I love never reaches shore. If we’re already so close to death, why should we complain? Robert, you’ve climbed so many trees to reach the nests. It’s all right if you grow your wings on the way down. copyright ©2005 — Robert Bly		INFORMATION Dates: May 28 — June 5, 2005 Place: Camp Nebagamon Cost: $780 (750 by check) Phone: 617-332-3541 please leave message with your name, address, phone number, and best time to reach you . for more info email: We are making a new effort to solicit funding for our scholarship positions in order to keep the conference size to an optimal number of participants. If you are able to make a contribution to the diversity /work /scholarship fund, please indicate that on your registration form. This conference owes its continuance to no institutions or foundations — It is entirely supported by those who attend.
Call and Answer- a poem by Robert Bly The Greek Ships- a poem by Robert Bly Conference participants who work with the visual arts will have an opportunity to show their work in a Conference gallery. During these ten days we will have a taste of what it is like to live in a community of women and men who have raised their voices already in acts of resistance, through painting, poetry, thought and storytelling. The conference as usual will give thanks to many who are gone, including William Stafford, Etheridge Knight, Marie Louise von Franz, and Joseph Campbell. Children are welcome. We have teachers who work specifically with projects for children and teens.		Diversity/Work/Scholarships: The conference community is committed to attracting teachers and participants of all ages, ethnicity, and spiritual traditions. To this end we offer a limited number of work and study positions at half the Conference fee in exchange for work at the conference. We also have a few scholarships available which, together with a work/study position, cover the full Conference fee. To be considered for a scholarship, please register by March 27 and include a one-page statement explaining your circumstances. Decisions on scholarships will be announced by April 15, 2005.
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ROBERT BLY’S 31st ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT MOTHER AND THE NEW FATHER
for more info: greatmother@yellowmoon.com Online version of Rake Magazine's 2004 cover story on Robert Bly The Wind Isn't Depressed: Robert Bly Talks With Michael Ventura About Art, Madness, And The Joy Of Loss in the Sun Magazine - May 2004- Robert Bly and Michael Ventura download interview with Robert Bly and Michael Ventura in the Sun Magazine 2004 editorial by Robert By on election Call and Answer- a poem by Robert Bly The Greek Ships- a poem by Robert Bly Links to other sites of interest: www.colemanbarks.com www.dougvonkoss.com Click here for info on past 2003 conf Click here for info on past 2004 conf Conference brochure and website designed and maintained by Mark Stanley and Lydia Kulesov at 4insight.com 5/25/05		TEACHERS list and weblinks: Joseph Chilton Pearce Caroline Casey Michael Ventura Coleman Barks Robert Bly Ruth Bly Daniel Deardorff Louis Jenkins Li Young Lee Freya Manfred Thomas R. Smith Timothy Young Jay Leeming. John Densmore George Kokis Ranee Ramaswamy Manose Steve Gorn Doug Von Koss David Whetstone Marcus Wise