METAGEUM '07
EXPLORING THE MEGALITHIC MIND
CONFERENCE, TOUR, AND WORKSHOPS:
Exploring the Consciousness of the Megalithic Temple Builders
Caraffa Stores, Birgu, Island of Malta
3rd - 11th November 2007
The organiser and helpers
Peter B Lloyd
Peter B Lloyd is the overall coordinator of the conference, determining the topics and booking speakers, maintaining the web site, creating promotional materials, and giving promotional talks.
Peter is a freelance writer based in London and Malta, specialising in the popularisation of philosophy and science. Known through his contributions to BenBella Books’ Smart Pops series on popular culture, Peter was featured on the Warner Brothers video, The Roots of the Matrix. With a background in engineering research and software consultancy, Peter studied philosophy under Dr Michael Lockwood at Oxford University, and has presented his non-reductionist views on consciousness at the Tucson Conference, Toward a Science of Consciousness, where Metatopia was conceived, which in turn gave rise to Metageum (www.peterblloyd.org)
Peter in a prehistoric cart-rut, Buskett. Photo: Deborah Marshall-Warren
Deborah Marshall-Warren
Deborah Marshall-Warren saved the conference from descending into chaos on the material level. Joining the Metageum project rather late in the projct life-cycle, she organising the tea and coffee (and occasional biscuits) in the reception area, organised people into the buses for the trips to the ancient temples of Malta, organised a small team of helpers on the ticket desk and book stall, and served as a front-desk contact person for the conference. As one participant observed, she was the backbone of the conference.
Deborah also gave a talk (in the Sheesha room) on hypnosis in its therapeutic and societal contexts.
Deborah Marshall-Warren, FHS (Emeritus), FRSPH, is a hypnotherapist receiving an international clientele at her practice in the HB Health Clinic in Knightsbridge, London, England. She is Deputy Chair and an Emeritus Fellow of the Hypnotherapy Society (FHS), and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (FRSPH). Deborah is a visiting consultant at the world-class Chiva-Som Spa. Since Whole-Being Hypnotherapy began in September 1994, Deborah's work has featured in the national press, magazines, radio and television. Thorsons published her best-selling book and audio-tape, Mind Detox. Her follow-on book, I'm Afraid of Hypnosis But I Don't Know Why, is published by Whole-Being Books. Her latest book, A Consultancy in the Sun! was published by Whole-Being Books in April 2006. In conjunction with Chiva-Som, she has recorded three therapeutic CDs, Health and Well-Being for Life!, And End to Smoking, and Food Choices for Life. For more information, see Deborah's web site, www.marshall-warren.com.
Deborah at the Mnajdra Temple, Vernal Equinox 2007. Photo: Peter B Lloyd
Nataša Pantovic
Nataša Pantovic held yoga classes on the top floor of the Caraffa Stores. She was a calming influence on the sometimes hectic flux of conference activities, looking after he groups of people headig off to temples, ferrying some of the helpers to and from Sliema, and kindly sharing her home with two helpers.
Natasa is a poet, a writer, and a spiritual researcher on self-development, yoga, tantra, alchemy, and higher states of consciousness. With twenty years of meditation experience, Nataša runs yoga and meditation workshops and writes about variety of spiritual subjects.
Nataša is a marketing graduate and has been working in marketing and management during the last fifteen years.
She has written articles and also organised and run talks and self-development workshops on variety of subjects: Different Meditation Traditions & Techniques, Stress Management, Reaching the Goddess Within, Yoga and Lifestyle, etc.
Nataša is also one of the main organisers of Body, Mind & Spirit Festival in Malta, an annual event that is now known as Gaia Fest.
Walter Vella
Walter Vella is a well-known figure in the Education Department of Malta. He contributed his experience in design and engineering to assist in essential behind-the-scenes work in preparing the venue for the Metageum event. That we had a functioning art gallery on the third floor is due in large measure to Walter. The Caraffa Stores building, although restored to its 17th Century architectural glory by the Cottonera Waterfront Group, is not yet kitted out with modern conveniences such as electricity and lighting. And, as a protected building cannot have nails and screws attached to its walls. Walter, with his assistant sammy, brought these necessities into the exhibition space in a way that least impacted the fabric of the building and at the same time maximised the aesthetics of this wonderful space. Applying ingenuity, methodical intelligence, and assiduous labour, he subtly shaped the conference space.
Working flat-out in the week before Metageum to prepare the place, and in the week after to dismantle everything, Walter was one of the essentila supporting on which the whole edifice of Metageum stood.
Marie-Louise Camilleri, Carmen Houlton, Marisa Lia, Fairlie Gibson, Louisa Houlton
Deborah's team of front-desk helpers performed the essential functions of administration.
David Karla and Nicole Harris
David and Nicole miraculously appeared immediately before the conference, and not only did a huge amount of work in preparing tickets and programmes (the exhibition notes were assembled, edted, and printed by Nicoles), running round to pick up necessary atmospheric items, they also facilitated the trance-dance on the first evening (Saturday 3rd) and provided musical and accompaniment during the impromptu replacement musical event on the following Saturday evening. They also prepared for a final trance-dance on the final Sunday evening, but sadly the crowds melted away.
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