The spirit of indigenous wisdom – South America

A six month journey into the spirit of indigenous wisdom begins in Surrey

This autumn, the tranquil grounds of St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth, will host a powerful new educational series exploring the sacred traditions of Indigenous peoples around the world.

Titled “Indigenous Spirituality: A Global Exploration,” and led by experienced speaker Sheila Longman, the six monthly sessions will take place in the Abbey’s Assisi Room on selected Saturdays from September 2025 to March 2026. Each session runs from 10am–12 noon, offering deep insights, personal testimony, and curated documentary material. Tickets are £10 per person per session, or £25 for three people, with advance booking essential via https://www.ticketsource.co.uk (search “Indigenous”): CLICK HERE TO BOOK.

Indigenous Spirituality: A Global Exploration
Six Monthly Sessions | Led by Sheila Longman

Held in the Assisi Room in the beautiful setting of St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth near Guildford GU4 8QR
10am-12 noon on selected Saturdays from September 2025 – January 2026

£10 per person per session or £25 for three people (save £5) – booking fee applies

Advance booking essential via ticketsource.co.uk (search ‘indigenous’)

What can the world’s oldest cultures teach us about the sacred, the land and our shared human journey? In this six part series, Sheila Longman invites us on a continent by continent exploration of Indigenous spirituality – ancient traditions still alive today.

From the wisdom of Ubuntu in Africa to the ancestral rituals of South America, from Aboriginal survival lore in Australia to the spiritual heritage of pre-Christian Britain, each session offers a window into how people across time and place have sought to live in harmony with the divine, the earth and one another. Combining personal testimony, expert insights and powerful documentary material, this series is both educational and deeply reflective – an invitation to see the sacred in new and ancient ways.

South America
📅 Saturday 24 January 2025

William Duarte who is a brother at the Abbey will tell us about some of the ancient rituals he learned of through his mother who lives now in Chile. William was born in Venezuela but was brought up in Portugal. Many of the ancient rituals are mixed with Catholicism and are still used today. We shall then have a rapid overview of the peoples and countries of this large continent. Our DVD will feature one tribe, the Tairona people of Colombia from Lost Cities of South America by Dr Jago Cooper. Finally a man who lived, worked and wrote about Peru will tell us of his experiences.