Have you ever been curious about Sannyas, have you ever been curious about the Orange people in Fremantle? As part of Orange: Sannyas in Fremantle FAC presents an afternoon of meditations, discussion & music centred around the question; ‘what is Sannyas to you?’
You are invited to come and participate, hear, discuss and share your experiences of Sannyas in Fremantle, including a two hour series of presentations with the chance to have your say in a Q&A.
Program
2–4pm: Meditations and workshops
Sessions in:
- Dynamic meditation with David John Cain
- Kundalini meditation with Frank Vilaasa
- Automatic drawing with Naren Farquharson
- Hatha flow yoga with Cindy Toghill
David John Cain, also known as *cHiMes* has taken a passionate interest in Osho’s meditations after witnessing many people in his life become affected by drug and alcohol abuse, violence, crime, illness and depression. He creates rap music and runs meditation and fitness workshops on Trigg Beach.
Frank Vilaasa is a counsellor, healer and meditation teacher. He studied Acupuncture at the College of Traditional Acupuncture in Leamington Spa UK, and trained in Bioenergetic Psychotherapy at the Centre for Bioenergy in London. He learnt Gestalt Therapy at Quaesitor in London before returning to Australia to complete a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Humanistic Psychology at the University of South Australia.
Naren Farquharson was born in Scotland, studying at Glasgow School of Art and later travelling extensively throughout the world. During his time in India he visited Osho’s original ashram in Pune and afterwards travelled to Fremantle in 1979 where he took Sannyas. In 1982 and 1983 Farquharson travelled to Rajneeshpuram, Oregon for the annual International Sannyas Celebration. On returning to Fremantle he studied at Claremont School of Art and undertook a Bachelor of Fine Art at Curtin University.
4–6pm: Panel Discussion
Orange co-curator Sohan Ariel Hayes will moderate a panel discussion. Each presenter will talk for 15-20mins before an interactive audience Q&A on the topic ‘What is Sannyas to you?’.
Presenters:
Indivar (BA Hons DCP D Litt M.) is a clinical psychologist and a uniquely gifted healer and teacher, who has been sharing his skill, wisdom and perception with people for 45 years. Indivar founded both the Shanti Sadan (Forrestdale) & Satprakash (Sydney) meditation centres. His persistence with the notion that awareness and meditation is something that can be applied to every aspect of everyday life has transformed many. He travels extensively conducting workshops and is currently in private practice in Fremantle.
Poonam Penelope Wilson is a vibrant member of the Fremantle Sannysin community. Self-described as a happy misfit, she was a teacher who has taught children with special needs. She is a mother of three and a grandmother. For Poonam Sannyas came into my her life when she was thirty. She describes it as the best accident that ever happened. Her personal journey with Sannyas has taken her from Shanti Fremantle to Poona to Rajneeshpuram and back. For her Sannyas has been six or seven lives rolled into one. Poonam has very recently celebrated her 70th birthday.
Joseph London, a contributing artist in Orange, is currently completing a PhD in film, for which he is making a long-form documentary on the sannyasin community in Fremantle. As a child growing up in Fremantle at the height of the sannyasin presence, Joseph had experiences as both a naïve observer and curious outsider to the community and its inner workings. This relationship and the community’s story remained a mystery to him until the process of making the film began. Joseph’s PhD is concerned with historical documentaries about subjects that are in some way ‘unfilmable’, with landscape acting as a space for absorbing and contemplating that which is beyond representation.
6–6:30pm: Music – DJ Suchita
Suchita presented a weekly one woman radio program Full Circle on RTRFM from 1993 until 2009. She had a vision of a ‘conscious living’ radio show, which would bring together the many years of her own spiritual and personal exploration, her skills as a communicator and flair with music, as well as make a positive contribution to our world.
Suchita’s considerable flair with music has also found expression as a dance DJ. Zorbas Dance Club was born in Fremantle in August 1995, and continues today every 3 months. It is very much a community dance, and simply through word of mouth a phenomenon has been created. It caters for a specific niche in the community, the over 25s. Many of this group discovered a love of dancing in their youth and they still like to have a really good dance but don’t want to go to a pub or nightclub.
6:30–7pm: Celebration with Deva Madhuro & Gandharva
Deva Madhuro was born in Italy in February 1953. As a child he showed an extreme sensitivity and inclination for many forms of arts and it was at the age of 14 that he found in music the ultimate vehicle for his creativity. Inspired by the growing pop English music scene, he started learning, playing guitar and singing. In 1971 he formed his first band named Light with whom he performed in various clubs. In 1978 his life took a big turn; attracted to meditation he travelled to India and met Osho, and became his disciple. (Deva Madhuro is the name he received from Osho and means ‘divine sweetness’.) Moving his attention to the inner world, he came in touch with an immense source of musical inspiration and started to compose his own songs which became very popular amongst meditators. Madhuro and Gandharva both live Fremantle and often perform music as part as part of the Satsang meditation for the Sannyas community.
7:30–8:30pm: Music – DJ Suchita
The program concludes with more music from DJ Suchita.
Refreshments will be available over the course of the day.
