Report from the 2018 Symposium
Here's what happened at the 2018 Symposium... Report by Helen Sewell
Prefaced with an excerpt from the printed programme…
Welcome to the 28th Glastonbury Symposium. Once again we find ourselves gathered in the historical environs of this very special place to focus on important matters woefully under-discussed elsewhere and to share space with like-minded seekers wanting a different perspective on the world. There’s currently a vibrant feeling that for all the big issues we continually hear about in the mainstream there is also another undercurrent of change bubbling up in people’s perspectives.
Fascination with the transformative potential of the metaphysical and the spiritual, and the need to get to new layers of truth in a time of deception, is gradually finding its way to the surface, for all the attempted distractions of the powers that be. So we are here to try to tap into that seam and shape its emergence just a little by bringing together an assembly of tremendous speakers from many different avenues and disciplines to help focus some of the real debates of our times. Thank you for coming to join us in this crucial search for a fresh reality.
Meanwhile, we now have a revamped YouTube channel which features numerous fantastic archive presentations from our previous years, with many more to be uploaded, while our arrangement with the online Zohar StarGate TV channel is ensuring that videos of our key speakers are now being seen by hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Last year, the Daily Express website even covered the Symposium and several of our presenters – a further sign of change, perhaps – so we are truly going global! Have a wonderful weekend, then, of truth, mysteries and new frontiers…
Friday 27 July 2018
To kick off the whole event, our resident technical adviser and meditation leader Jason Porthouse took to the stage and shared his own personal feelings on current trends that have been in the news in recent times; from thoughts on the President Trump phenomenon to the ‘MeToo’ movement and the simultaneous rise of Jordan Peterson’s ‘crisis in masculinity’ crusade, Jason highlighted the huge social changes which seem to be erupting everywhere, cleverly referring to them as “origami shadows”. His extensive experience working in the mainstream media gives him a unique perspective on these areas, and his presentation was wonderfully honest, refreshing and thought provoking.
This year, earth mysteries researcher and archaeologist Maria Wheatley had a very visible profile at the Symposium; not only did she once again lead our annual ancient sites coach trip on Thursday, but she also appeared on the Saturday Forum panel and today gave a truly fascinating talk on the renowned Rollright stone circle in Oxfordshire (where the tour went) and her ongoing research into the long-skulled ancient people that once lived in our isles, seemingly written out of most modern historical texts. In her lively and authoritative style Maria brought to life the genius of our ancient forebears and their knowledge of astronomy and natural energies, and made clear that far from being primitive, the builders of the stone circles were clearly highly advanced in many ways. Maria’s websites are at:
www.theaveburyexperience.co.uk and www.esotericcollege.com
It’s such a shame that so many people who have been witnesses to UFOs and even aliens have had to suffer ridicule. Gary King presented two cases involving multiple witnesses of school children, which plainly show that these encounters should be taken far more seriously. With calm and professional sincerity, Gary examined the famous event in Australia at Westall in 1966 where both children and teachers all experienced an alien visitation, and a similar event in South Africa at the Ariel school in 1994 (well worth looking up on YouTube). The accounts and videos of witnesses that Gary showed were incredibly convincing. It was so obvious that something profound had happened to these children and the events had changed their lives. Gary also gave us an update on the ‘Nazca mummies’, which many people believe to be remains of aliens, and featured an exclusive video interview with well-known Mexican researcher Jaime Maussan, who has been following the case.
Amongst presentations on paranormal mysteries, the Symposium also believes it important to cover environmental issues, albeit from a sideways angle. For those of us interested in nutrition, whether it’s our own nutrition or the health of our soil, then Jan Kusmirek’s talk was full of fabulous facts and insights that reminded us just how much we have to take heed of the increasing deterioration in the quality of our food, our soil and how nature in general is suffering. Jan does not oppose conventional farming per se, but believes that a hand-in-hand approach with organic techniques is going to be crucial if we are going to maintain a symbiotic relationship with nature. Without this, we may be endangering our very future. Jan balanced this very serious subject with a refreshing humour and optimism. Jan’s websites are at: https://jankusmirek.wordpress.com and www.fragrantearth.com
The meditation with Jason Porthouse, which traditionally closes the Friday afternoon, was a very welcome space in which to tune in and ground ourselves after the flow of unceasing if vital information that had been filling our minds during the day. In his centred, calm manner, Jason allowed us to float away for a while, perfectly rebooting everyone, ready for the evening programme.
As well as being an international conference, as part of its commitment to the local community the Symposium has for many years invited the renowned Glastonbury choir, the Avalonian Free State Choir, to come and sing as a way of opening an evening programme, and this year was no exception. Their style is eclectic, offering musical experiences from all around the world, and their light-hearted approach always lifts the spirits and leaves people ready for the next burst of mind-blowing information… The choir’s Facebook page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/avalonchoir/
And the Friday evening was indeed mind-blowing. Fulfilling our remit of ‘new frontiers’, we have long been inviting new views on science – and the presentation from Eltjo Haselhoff literally tipped science on its head. As a qualified physicist, Eltjo has always put his reputational neck on the line by also being prepared to embrace metaphysics, but this time he exceeded previous boundaries by giving us a new spin on Einstein’s famous concepts of ‘relativity’. Indeed, we were very lucky to be the first people ever to hear his brand new theory on how the universe works. In what Eltjo describes as ‘Simplified Relativity’, he has come up with the incredible and yet wonderfully simple notion that if everything that exists is already travelling at the speed of light, then many of the much-discussed anomalies involving time and space dilation and particle physics suddenly make complete sense in an ingenious and very elegant way. It may well one day turn out that Eltjo’s flash of inspiration could change the world. Whether, as someone who dabbles with sadly-disregarded phenomena like crop circles, he will ever receive the acknowledgment from scientists that he deserves remains to be seen… but remember that you heard it here first. It was necessarily complex and yet still accessible – and the perfect talk to be on while a total lunar eclipse took place outside (if hidden by cloud)! Eltjo’s website is at: www.eltjohaselhoff.com
Saturday 28 July 2018
After Sheila Martin’s traditionally entertaining Saturday morning wake-up routine – with even Di Brown then making one of her very rare stage appearances! – Andy Thomas was first up this morning in his own traditional slot, stirring the audience with a brilliant talk showing that things are changing in society in ways that we maybe don’t realise. With nuance now discouraged, we’re constantly being forced into an either/or position, with balanced debate being shut down through a process of what he calls ‘mechanised liberalism’ – an enforced kind of censorship that allows only one side of a debate to be heard, in the name of ‘protecting’ people’s sensibilities. Andy used his own experience in the music world to demonstrate how ambience and nuance has been gradually compressed out of pop music over the years, using this as a metaphor for wider society. He also went back to his roots to assess the current state of the crop circle phenomenon, which, contrary to pop music, is actually in pretty good shape for all the false hankering for a long-lost and in truth non-existent ‘golden age’. This talk was in itself a good wake-up call all round! Andy’s website is at: www.truthagenda.org
Speaking of polarity, we always hear of the opposition between the scientific and the spiritual worlds, which is a shame. So how wonderful it was to have a GP, Dr Ian Rubenstein, speak to us next about his alternative life as a medium, with lots of humorous anecdotes. Ian’s metaphysical experiences came upon him quite unexpectedly, as he started to rub shoulders with psychics and spiritualists who began to arrive in his practice, only to soon find that he had gifts himself in these areas, faculties which turned his life inside out. Yet, somehow, Ian has managed to find a balance between the two sides of his life, continuing to work in conventional medicine even while being open to healing and channelling. His lively and light style was a hit with the audience as he shared his extraordinary story. Ian’s website is at: www.drianrubenstein.com
After lunch, things shifted gear with an electrifying presentation/performance by the world-renowned classical recorder player Piers Adams, famous for his work with the baroque quartet Red Priest. Piers has played at the Symposium in years past, but this was the first time he had combined his music with an actual talk. We were exceptionally lucky that, as with Eltjo’s talk the night before, Piers chose to debut brand new material exclusively for us. His talk combined his views on conspiracies with striking thoughts about how music has been used and sometimes abused over the years to condition society. And yet musicians themselves have often been seen as suspiciously subversive, hence the title of his talk, The Dangerous Musician. Interspersed with his compelling monologue were some truly astonishing musical interludes, one combining double-recorder playing and a gong! After walking down through the auditorium playing some very moving Bach as a finale, he received a much-deserved standing ovation. This presentation will be long-remembered.
Piers’ websites are at: www.piersadams.com and www.redpriest.com
This year, we decided to experiment with a new Saturday evening schedule, continuing straight on into the early evening without a dinner break, leaving people free to book dinner a little later and giving them the rest of the night off! This seemed to be welcomed and was considered a success.
Our last presentation of the day, then, before letting everyone go, was from Louise Bellairs who presented two very unique and spectacular computer-animated videos she has produced herself about the sacred geometry of the ‘Flower of Life’, which many people believe reveals the true structure of the universe. Louise spoke about its connection to the mind, spirit and actual physical architecture, and showed how it binds together many levels of creation. In-between her informative and helpful introductions, the videos themselves, set to atmospheric music, displayed quite incredible graphics and took the viewers on a mesmerising, magical journey into the heart of the Flower of Life on a 3-D level, soaring us inside and out of it on every level. It was a perfect end to a very enlightening day.
Louise’s website is at www.artofsacredgeometry.com
Sunday 29 July 2018
What a fabulous start to the Sunday morning we had with the wonderful Seed SistAS. Their name indicates the nature of their cause, which is to spread knowledge and awareness of sacred herb-lore, especially that from England, something being lost in a synthetic chemical world controlled by the big pharmaceutical companies. The elaborately-dressed SistAs, Fiona, Karen and Belle (who joined them onstage to say hello before leaving her compatriots to carry on), are doing fantastic work in reviving the wisdom of the plants through researching their historical use, and also experimenting with their own unique tinctures and potions. The story of their discoveries, made in-between living everyday careers, and lives as mothers, was often amusing and enchanting, and was all good witchy stuff, in the proper sense of the word! These are women on a mission, and their passion and determination was infectious. The Seed SistAS’s website is at: www.sensorysolutions.co.uk
A lot of people experience strange ‘other worldly’ occurrences in their lives but don’t have a context through which they can understand them. It was therefore a boost to many seekers to have Guy Steven Needler speak to us next to share his insights into the real nature of ‘aliens’. Through his own psychic revelations and intuitive understanding of his chosen subject, Guy explained in detail and with very helpful clarity what he believes these various types of creatures and their quite phenomenal craft actually are. Their modus operandi and abilities, ultimately peaceful in intention, were discussed with a reassuring confidence and Guy left people with a lot of very fascinating material to consider about an area that, once full disclosure becomes impossible for the authorities to avoid, may yet prove to be one of the most important topics in human history. Guy brought a welcome centered, spiritual quality to a subject that concerns much more than just nuts-and-bolts flying objects. Guy’s website is at: www.beyondthesource.org
At last year’s Symposium, musician and community warrior Torbz was such a tour-de-force on the Saturday Forum panel, that it seemed only right to give him a bigger space this time around to share more revealing views on the challenges and opportunities that face us today. Sure enough, he gave us his unique view on the world, explaining his role as a fighter for freedom in a time of threats to free speech and sharing strong views on personal sovereignty in an age where boundaries of responsibility are often deflected and manipulated by authorities. Torbz has a particular issue with the degrading of public services, which can be used to disempower people, and he candidly cited his own personal experiences where he himself has come up against the restrictions imposed on us. His refreshing honesty about the pitfalls of his own actions and the redemptive measures he has taken made for a very compelling and sometimes moving monologue. Torbz even shared a beautiful opening piece of music on the ‘handpan’ steel drum, using skills for which he is renowned both locally and far beyond. In all, the presentation was a great reminder for all of us to make changes in our lives to become more ‘present’. Torbz’s website is at: http://torbz.co.uk
Another Symposium ‘exclusive’ presented itself with Geoff Stray’s remarkable findings about the mysterious Chartres Cathedral in France. During a visit back in 2011 Geoff became fascinated with unusual circles of light which seemed to be shining through windows onto very specific areas of the famous floor labyrinth. He then worked for the next seven years researching what their purpose might be, speaking to experts and consulting star charts. His results, revealed here, were astonishing: it is very clear that the labyrinth and lights were designed to be an astronomical clock, perhaps to calculate the precise times for Easter and other Christian festivals, but also encompassing very accurate markers concerned with eclipse cycles. Geoff’s computer-animated demonstration of how it works was so striking that there seems little room for doubt. The tale of this amazing discovery was recounted with Geoff’s customary humour (including interludes about motorbikes!), with a real sense of building anticipation and a pleasingly satisfying conclusion. One can only hope, as with Eltjo Haselhoff’s Friday presentation, that this discovery will in time gain the recognition it surely deserves. Geoff’s website is at: www.diagnosis2012.co.uk
As a more experiential close to the Sunday afternoon, ‘megalithomaniac’ and respected world explorer Hugh Newman then stepped onto the stage to introduce an hour’s worth of very spectacular videos of fantastic English crop formations taken by his drone cameras over the last three years. With a highly effective musical accompaniment, these floating, dream-like swoops and soars over these most remarkable patterns, which keep on appearing in the fields despite endless media scepticism and dismissal, reminded us of just why it is that so many people remain entranced by the crop circle phenomenon. By doing so, just for a while it took the Symposium back to its original origins as an event fixated solely on cerealogical mysteries an incredible 28 years ago. The very positive response of the audience at the end showed that the circles have lost none of their power to provoke and stimulate, as Hugh’s excellent footage so ably demonstrated. Hugh’s website is at: www.megalithomania.co.uk
Sunday evening
As some people have to work the next day and may have long journeys home (often to other countries, as the event has a significant international attendance), the Sunday night of the Symposium is thrown open more widely to the public to welcome a special guest speaker, chosen especially to fill the hall and make sure the weekend ends with a bang. On this, journalist and well-known truth seeker Tony Gosling did not disappoint. Tony’s controversial views on the conspiracies and exploitations perpetrated by the powers that be are hard-hitting and designed to motivate people to wake up to some of the sadly under-discussed realities around us.
With a talk entitled ‘Revolutionary Acts of Journalism’, he gave a powerful history of how ruling oligarchies control by economic and manipulative means. Tony’s calm but stirring narrative took on an apocalyptic tone by the end, which challenged people to consider the meaning of these times, covering everything from World War Two to the Biblical book of Revelation and Brexit! The Symposium exists to air many different points of view and to provoke discussion and action, and this closing presentation perfectly fulfilled that remit, sending people away with lots of food for thought. Tony’s website is at: www.bilderberg.org
Get in touch
If you would like to contact the Glastonbury Symposium, please email us using the contact form below or by emailing us directly on hq@glastonburysymposium.co.uk, or by telephoning us on the number in the panel at the foot of the page.
Email: hq@glastonburysymposium.co.uk
Phone: + 44 (0) 1278 722000
Address: Glastonbury Symposium, Ivy Cottage, Stawell,
Somerset, TA7 9AA, UK
Join our emailing list here
