Under the banner of Voice Alchemy, powerhouse creator team Julie Hayes & Kate Leopold present SongRites.

SongRites is a journey to mark the passage of time, aligning with life’s natural rhythms through the art of song and music-making.

As the wheel of the year turns, we experience powerful energetic shifts. This journey is designed to support you in attuning to and harnessing the energy of the ever-changing seasons. As we merge our awareness with nature’s cycles, our understanding of our own growth cycles begin to deepen.

SongRites is a carefully curated and guided experience with a group of 25 courageous souls who are seeking to:

• Connect more authentically with the voice as a creative instrument and also as a gateway for speaking truth and sharing experience

• Recalibrate mindset when it comes to singing and “being heard”

• Clear blockages and limiting beliefs

• Attune to the alchemising power of the voice

• Develop tools for strengthening the voice through guided exercises

• Participate in experiences with group singing, accessing flow state, in a safe and supportive environment

• Meet their edges and go beyond

• Empower their self-expression

• Cultivate ways to connect with Self, others and place through metaphor of the seasons at potent times throughout the natural cycles of 2024

A SEASONAL JOURNEY

SongRites is a four-part journey, where we will gather at major defining points of seasonal transition to alchemise and harness the power of the voice through a collective, co-creative experience.

Our prayer is for SongRites to serve as a gateway for you to:

• Reclaim your voice and authentic expression

• Live in alignment with Life’s natural cycles

• Sing for the sheer pleasure of it

• Hear your hearts longings

• Remember the ways of the Ancient Ones

May we live, sing, dance and play in our embodied expression, free from the shackles of perfectionism and fear of judgement, embracing the alchemising power of our voice, remembering that our voice matters and with it, we make an important, beautiful and meaningful contribution to the collective soundscape of life.

FLOW

Each day will begin with arrival at 10am & conclude at 3:30pm, with a lunch break (BYO lunch or walk to nearby shops).

We would be delighted if would join us for this experience! Please SAVE THE DATES and secure your space so you dont miss out on this exciting collective, immersive experience to expand your creative heart and activate and unlock your voice as a pioneer of your wild new frontier.

THE HARVEST | 5 MAY 2024

HONOURING WHAT IS RIPE
WELCOMING THE DARK
TURNING INWARD

In this very first instalment of SongRites, we celebrate and connect with the energy of the Celtic festival, Samhain, under the full moon which marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.

This is the time to honour the harvest where we gather the fruits of our labour. Here, we acknowledge our growth. What have we created (both on the inner and outer terrain)? What gifts have been received? What are we taking forward with us? What are we letting go of as the days become shorter from this moment forward through to the winter solstice. Now is the time to harness our yin energy and prepare to turn inward, to set up our nest and restore balance and harmony.

SongRites supports this shift from outer to inner, from harvest to hibernation through gentle embodiment practices, explorative harmonisation techniques and mindfully created songs. Together, we will unite our voices and collectively honour the cycle that has been.
We will connect with our voice as a powerful channel to move energy – releasing stagnancy and limiting beliefs that stand in the way of our most empowered, abundant life.

Here, as the leaves start to fall, we give to Mother Earth, asking Her to compost that which no longer serves us, clearing the way for us to descend into the darkness of Life’s fertile soil.

THE DESCENT | 22 JUNE 2024

DEATH | SURRENDER
THE LONGEST NIGHT
REST AND REFLECTION

In the second instalment of SongRites, we gather in the energy of the Winter Solstice – an inward time of rest, nurture, almost conversely – under the light of a full moon in Capricorn. The Winter Solstice officially falls on the 21st June, marking the longest night of the year.

This is the return of the light where days begin to lengthen and a new solar cycle begins. However, let’s not rush to create anew. In the yin energy of winter, we are gifted the opportunity to surrender to this sacred time of rest and reflection. Within the silence of the darkness and peace of the void, there is an opportunity to listen deeply to our inner voice and receive our heart’s longings.
Often times we fear our own darkness and forget it is the very place that beckons the light.

SongRites supports this time of rest and introspection through gentle sounding practices, meditative singing and space for reflection. Together we will merge with the sound current and flow in a vast sea of voices, creating space to hear the stirrings of our soul, delving deep into our sacred waterways, receiving our own song to carry us through the change as we slowly emerge from hibernation.

Here, we ground into the fertile soil we have been lovingly preparing and patiently wait for the emergence of spring…all the while gaining clarity for the seeds we wish to plant.

EMERGENCE | 21 SEPTEMBER 2024

REBIRTH | VISIONING
EQUAL DAY AND NIGHT
PLANTING NEW SEEDS

In the third instalment of SongRites, we gather in the energy of the Spring Equinox under the waning moon.
The Spring equinox falls officially on Sunday 22nd September, where again, the sun lies exactly above the equator and day and night are of equal length.

This time marks an energetic shift as the season summons forth warmer weather and the power of the sun to ignite our creative flame. Days become longer, and more outward, yang, creative energy is available. If we have taken the time to rest during the winter months and receive the whispers of our soul, we can harness the potent energies of spring to plant our seeds of intention and witness them grow.

SongRites supports this fertile point of the cycle by raising our creative life-force energy.
Through vocal techniques to support and strengthen the voice and processes to empower our authentic expression, we will activate the voice as a creative gateway – remembering that it is the bridge between our inner and outer landscape. Through carefully crafted songs, sound weaving and rhythmic practices we will embody the energy of rebirth.

Here, we plant the seeds of our intention and align with nature’s creative current, remembering that from little things big things grow. The fruits are yet to come, but we can taste their sweetness on the words and the breath of our song.

ABUNDANCE | 21 DECEMBER 2024

GROWTH | EXPANSION
THE LONGEST DAY
GIVING THANKS

In the final installment of SongRites, we gather on the day of the Summer Solstice, and rejoice with gratitude for all that has come to bloom – with the waning gibbous moon. The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year.

This time marks the peak of the wheel of the year – life in full bloom. In the yang energy of summer, creativity is in full swing…this being reflected in the bounty and beauty of the land. Giving thanks for being nourished and held, we reflect mindfully on the fruits of our creations and celebrate abundance through creating a kaleidoscope of colour and song.

SongRites supports this peak of the cycle by way of celebration. Together, we will open ourselves to the sweetness of the moment, rejoicing in all that we’ve created. Through guided sounding and rhythmic practices, vocal techniques to expand our lung capacity and range, creative processes, mindfully curated songs and a touch of spontaneity, we will celebrate ourselves for cultivating a deeper attunement to nature’s creative current. Honouring the journey we have embarked upon as a community, we will close the container and allow for a new cycle to begin.

Here, we revel in all of nature’s creations, delighting in Her bounty. We honour the peaks and troughs, the light and dark, transcending duality and embracing the wholeness of Life.