These are three courses that I will be teaching on a remote island off the coast of Croatia in September 2005. You may know me either through my work as a Feng Shui practitioner, or through my knowledge of 9 Star Ki Astrology, or through having your Four Pillars horoscope analysed by me. (Please read my biography page click here.....) Now I have found a very special location, where I feel inspired to teach a small group on an annual basis.

What is the Source?
All of these fascinating subjects have a common thread, a core and a deep foundation. The principles or dynamics that underpin all of these areas of knowledge are based on a working understanding of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, Chi energy and the Tao. Imagine the adventure of getting yourself to Croatia, the lack of distractions and the opportunity to study with like-minded friends. While being supported by good quality natural foods and excellent teaching, then these principles, or the source of this knowledge becomes very tangible and real.

The Courses
Each of these one-week modules will include 30 hours of tuition from me. I am limiting the size of the group to 20 people. The courses begin on the Saturday evening with dinner and an orientation, followed by 10 three-hour classes, beginning on Sunday morning and finishing on Friday afternoon. The return journey to the mainland will be on Saturday morning.
The classes are from 8am until 11am, and again from 3pm to 6pm, allowing you plenty of time to relax, study, swim, have a siesta, or simply explore this beautiful island. On two days you will be free until 3pm, allowing time to explore further.

Inner Feng Shui - Health & Healing
10-17 September - Bob Lloyd is the chef for the week! - http://www.boblloyd.net
This course is drawn from my first passion and study of this knowledge - macrobiotics. I will teach you how to assess your condition using yin and yang, and Oriental diagnosis skills. You will also learn how you can apply yin and yang to the selection and preparation of different natural foods. I will also go through dietary and lifestyle recommendations for a wide range of health issues based on Oriental diagnosis and the application of the Five Elements to provide simple effective solutions.

As a special feature of the week I will teach you a basic Shiatsu massage routine. I began teaching Shiatsu in 1979 and am still a registered practitioner and teacher with the Shiatsu Society (GB).

The week is ideal if you would like to simply relax, learn and experience change. Equally, the information I present can add to your own toolkit if you are a practitioner already. Full details

Core Feng Shui Skills
17-24 September
Whatever your interest, knowledge or expertise with Feng Shui, this course will take you back to the roots of this fascinating subject. As you are probably aware, there are many different styles and approaches to Feng Shui, and all of them have their validity. As you peel back the layers you will find many common factors, and it is these core principles that I wish to share in more depth and detail. If you can master these skills then your knowledge and application of Feng Shui can open up immensely.

During the week I will take you into the I Ching, the Trigrams and how they form the basis of the Bagua, the Five Elements and the directions used in the Lo Pan compass. I will spend two days covering basic Feng Shui skills, which will include understanding the surroundings of a property, how to determine the site and facing of a property, the position and meaning of the Mountain, the Tiger, the Dragon and the Phoenix.

During the week I will also spend time on one of my earliest studies in Feng Shui: 9 Star Astrology. In two days I can guarantee you will be as good as me in forming horoscopes and understanding where you are in any given year or month. Finally, I will introduce Chinese astrology which is based on the Chinese 10,000 Year Calendar as the seasons and dimensions of time all link up with the directions and Trigrams that are used in authentic Feng Shui. - Full details

Feng Shui Consultation Skills
24 September-1 October
During this week, I will take many of the pieces of the jigsaw that form the body of knowledge of Feng Shui, and begin to put it all together with you. This course is ideal if you already have a working knowledge of Feng Shui; or if you are relatively new to the subject you can combine this course with the previous week.

The initial emphasis will be a deeper look at the surrounding landscape of any property and how this Form can affect a house or indeed certain individuals. I will show you how to draw up accurate floorplans and how to begin to analyse them using the Flying Star formula from the 8 Fate Period. Interpretation is the key to success with the Flying Stars and I will show you how to do this all based on Five Element theory.

I will also take you through a couple of layers of the Lo Pan Compass, covering the Early Heaven and Late Heaven Trigrams, together with the 24 Mountains. Again, this skill builds on your existing knowledge of the Trigrams of the I Ching and Chinese Astrology.

I will also show you how to determine the Fate of a property using one of many different Water Dragon formulas. This is powerful knowledge and from my experience can have the most profound effect on people's lives.

I will take time to take you through more work with 9 Star Astrology and how with practice you can determine the timing of events in people's lives and how they relate to others.

Finally, we will look at a couple of properties together, get you to analyse them and present the feedback. - Full details

Why Croatia?
As you may know, my wife Renata is from Croatia and for the past 12 years I have been visiting regularly. The troubles during the early 1990s are well over and the Croatian coast is now becoming a very popular destination with tourists once again. The Mediterranean climate and the guarantee of warmth and sunshine make this a very special destination. September is a perfect time of year as the sea is very warm and most of the tourists have gone.

Olib Island
The island where I hold the courses is unique and took me a long time to discover. It is some 40 miles off the coast and is reached by high-speed catamaran which takes two hours from Zadar on the coast. The island is about two miles by five miles and was inhabited in Roman times. Since the 15th century it belonged to various Venetian families - the last of which 'lost' the island while gambling in 1900! The islanders then formed a cooperative and it has remained unspoilt for years. There is a local population of some 200 who produce wine, olive oil and cheese. Many islanders left in 1925 for the United States and return to visit their families during the summer. On my three visits recently I found no evidence of any other tourists.

There are no cars on the island, just simple stone farmhouses and buildings and tracks that lead off to different coves and beaches that are all within walking distance. You can stumble onto the ruin of a monastery or even a settlement dating back to Roman times. There are two shops, three small restaurants/bars, no hotels and a tiny internet café.

Basking in the sunshine of the Mediterranean, you feel at ease, relaxed and incredibly safe. You feel as though you are at home and staying with a large, extended family.

The Centre
Renata and I have leased a large stone traditional farmhouse, some five minutes walk from the beach and the ferry jetty. The house is very basic, some 200 square metres, and the top floor, where I teach, has views out over the bay. The stone walls are almost a metre thick, and during September the temperature on the island can range from 24 to 28 degrees celsius, which means the house remains pleasantly cool.

Accommodation & Food
For all the courses I have hired a macrobiotic chef to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. The meals will consist of typical Mediterranean ingredients, such as beans, fish, seafood, good quality bread, salads, fruit and vegetables. In addition, brown rice and miso soup will be available at every meal. The food will be a special feature of this course and what I find exciting is that the sages who discovered this wonderful body of knowledge so many years ago actually ate in a similar way. By sharing the same food it is much easier to get on their wavelength and understand the formulas and the principles.

There's no need to feel isolated or hemmed in by the food as there are the cafes and bars where you can eat out from time to time also if you wish.

There are no hotels or bed & breakfast facilities on the island. I have researched a number of families who are willing to have guests to stay. The rooms are simple and clean and the majority are with two individuals sharing a room. All the accommodation is within a few minutes' walk of where I teach.

Transport ( Further Travel Details )
You need to get yourself to Zadar on the Croatian coast. There is a daily flight from Zagreb which arrives at 22.00hr. If you fly, you need to arrive on Friday to catch the ferry from Zadar to Olib Island at 11.00am Saturday.

Details of flights, buses, trains, ferries and hotels under further travel details...

Price & Registration
Each one week course costs £800 which is inclusive of tuition, meals and accommodation for the week.
If I receive a £200 deposit by 23 April 2005, the price is reduced to £745.

If you would like to do two, or even three, of these courses, then speak to me about a discount.

I wish you a very Happy New Year - the Wood Rooster Year - and I hope that you have you can find the opportunity to study with me in September. I will be running this event annually. Additionally, if you or your family would like to rent this lovely farmhouse, then do let me know as currently it is available from 31 July to 7 August and again from 28 August to 4 September.

With very best wishes,

Jon