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For
almost a thousand years, seekers went to Delphi with mythic purpose
often in hiatus between momentous decisions to pose the right
question, to redirect their life's journey, to practice the subtle
art of interpretation, to intensify their learning from others
along the way, to answer for themselves what was once unanswerable,
to partake in mystery, to decode the secret of being human, to
participate in the arts, sport and the play of creativity, to
thrive in community beyond the confines of government and politics,
and to revel in festival and celebration. The radiant spectacle
of Delphi in nature's dramatic array, with its sanctuary chiseled
in Mount Parnassus, sacred dancing grounds ready, and mandate
to "know thyself" clearly pronounced - invite us to
give voice and body to great urgencies and to undying Myth at
the Festival of The Delphic Games.
Sanctified
in prehistory by worshippers of the Mother Goddess, extending
to the followers of Apollo and the Muses, Delphi was deemed the
"Navel of the World." Its celebrated oracle received
inquiries from the great and the obscure, serving as a source
of wisdom and stability across the ancient Greek world. All slaves
who arrived at Delphi with the ability to read and write were
freed from bondage by sacred governance. For centuries, the Sacred
Fire of the Oracle burned uninterrupted.
The Delphic
Games have been dormant since antiquity with the exception of
several important instatements last century that were led by the
legendary Greek poet Anghelos Sikelianos (whose sister was married
to Raymond Duncan) and his American-born wife Eva Palmer-Sikelianos,
friend to Isadora Duncan. The ancient Delphic Games included competitions
in the arts as well as athletics, and held the highest unified
standard for the arts in the classical world. The Festival of
The Delphic Games will focus on creative expression in tandem
to myth, and will celebrate myth, movement and metaphor through
remarkable performances and learning opportunities. |