S a c r e d A r t o f G e o m e t r y
From Genesis to Revelation:
Chartres, Story and Sacred Geometry
Register your interest in joining us for a Chartres, Story and Sacred Geometry course/pilgrimage in 2025
Join Daniel Docherty (SAOG Studios co-founder and senior tutor),
Roi Gal-Or (International School of Storytelling co-founder) and guests, for this inspirational course to be held at Emerson College, UK.
The culminating days of the programme
will take place in and around the Cathedral of Chartres.
Reflections from Chartres, Story and Sacred Geometry 2019 course/pilgrimage:
This explorative journey was a mystical experience - a process of gentle yet inspirational transformation. With simple geometrical tools we explored the mystery of number, the language of philosophers and poets, the wisdom of stories, the artistry of sculpture and the songs of mystics to deepen our insights into some of the spiritual laws that would open our hearts and minds to the wonder of Chartres, a book of life. Walking this journey from the seen to the unseen world, through the visible to the invisible via the material to the immaterial with fellow seekers was a journey of healing, reweaving the dust-covered tattered remnants of Lady Philosophia's imperishable gown into a sparkling garment of radiant new life. It was a journey where each participant contributed to a wholesome web of intimate, mutual relationships sharing insights and wisdom and reconciling change and timelessness so that the intelligence that has fallen from heaven to earth, as depicted in the majestic architecture of Chartres Cathedral, can be penetrated more deeply and offered back, renewed with radiant life, to the gods. It was a journey I am deeply grateful to have walked.
Thank you for such a joyful experience.
Heather Peri
We invite you to join us on a unique pilgrimage, a quest of marrying the timely with the timeless; a journey where the incredible and ancient stories built in stone and shining through stained glass will be re-enlivened.
Since its ancient pre-Christian roots, Druidic Black Madonna revering, through Fulbertus' cathedral and its destruction by fire in 1194 - its miraculous rebuilding within the next half century - to our times where humanity has somewhat lost connection with the subtle dimensions, this sacred centre remains a source of revelation and inspiration. The wisdom school of Chartres, underpinned by the seven liberal arts, made a conscious effort
at reconciling the ancient Pythagorean/Platonic stream with the Christian mystery teachings through the inspiration of luminaries such as Bernardus Silvestris,Thierry of Chartres,
John of Salisbury and Alanus ab Insulis.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the globe arrive
at Chartres annually seeking spiritual nourishment, sensing
that this sanctuary holds essential teachings vital for deepening understanding of our true nature.
On this course, as a group of philosophers (lovers of wisdom),
a caravan of seekers journeying the highs and lows of soul-spirit terrains, we will endeavour to participate consciously, to explore and to understand the many levels of meaning and wisdom
this place offers.
Our call is to realign ourselves and to discover how our personal story - our golden thread - is harmoniously woven into
the Great Tapestry ...
Following arrival, welcome and meeting each other, we will embark on our journey of discovery,
beginning with an overview of the manifold Stories that interweave to reveal the mysteries and wonders of Chartres. Participants will be invited to choose and craft a Chartres related story to accompany and enrich the journey. We will be introduced to skills and ways of crafting these stories for an oral sharing together in Chartres, endeavouring to seek the deep wisdom and inspiration within the stories to guide our personal and collective journeys. Alongside this work, through the practice and philosophy of sacred geometry and related craft practices, we will develop an appreciation of the profound and sacred patterns that underlie and inform
the very fabric of the Cathedral - this House of Mary - and symbolic representation of
the 'Heavenly Jerusalem' here on earth.
We may have a few vehicles driving from Emerson College to Chartres; please advise us if you would be interested in this lift-share option or intend to drive. Ferry/fuel costs will likely be around £110 p/p each-way.
Train travel is another good option and if booked in advance comes in around the same cost and travel time as car and ferry.
When Eurostar open their Summer 2023 bookings we will advise course participants wishing to travel 'en masse' which trains to book!
Accommodation/meal options will soon be available to book directly via the Emerson College website;
there are also many local B&Bs, Airbnbs and hotel options within a 5-15 minute walk of SAOG Studios/Emerson College.
We are renting a couple of lovely apartments very near Chartres Cathedral which offer a number of single/double/twin share room options ranging in price from £35-£75 p/night. These rooms will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Please contact us for further details.
A list of alternative accommodation options in Chartres will be
provided on request and receipt of course deposit.
Please contact us with any questions or for further assistance ...
sacredartofgeometry@gmail.com or roigalor@gmail.com
Bookings now closed: 7 - 18 June 2023
(7 - 12 June at Emerson College; 13 - 18 June at Chartres)
£970 Full course fee incl. all tuition/materials
(Board and travel to be booked separately)
We recommend course participants register their interest and secure a place by making a £150 deposit (Refundable in full up to 14 days after booking; transferable though non-refundable thereafter) via bank transfer (details at top of bookings page) or with the Paypal button below.
Evelyn Richbell on the 'holy-days' of the Chartres, Story and Sacred Geometry course/pilgrimage ...
Chartres, Story and Sacred Geometry: Class in progress ...
Course leaders ...
Roi Gal-Or
Roi Gal-Or is an internationally acclaimed performing storyteller and workshop leader publicly recognised for his unique playful and profound way of teaching storytelling over the last 17 years. Roi is co-founder of the International School of Storytelling based at Emerson College, England. He teaches the use of storytelling in service of the environment education, healing, peace and reconciliation. Roi works with the power of stories and the imagination to inspire connection and social transformation, foster vision, possibility, community and personal development.
Daniel Docherty
Instagram: sacredartofgeometry
Daniel Docherty received his MA in Sacred and Traditional Arts in 2004 under the guidance of Keith Critchlow and
Paul Marchant (Prince's School of Traditional Arts - London) . He has subsequently undertaken extensive research into how the arts/sciences of the ancient quadrivium (Number, Geometry, Music and Cosmology) inform and underpin the world's manifold cultural traditions. Daniel's teaching practice is based at SAOG Studios, Emerson College (an educational initiative that he co-founded with Kira Orsak in 2015); he also regularly leads courses and lectures internationally.
