Find your True Voice. Live from it.
The Men's Table
Sound – Ancestral Song – Life Enquiry – Ritual Feast
with Anthony Johnston
Eight Monday evenings · Mon 26th Oct – Mon 14th Dec 2026
Village Soul Project Studio, Ashburton, Devon TQ13 7DH
Voice, sound and song once formed part of men's daily experience, marking life's transitions: the seasons, births, deaths, marriages. Song and ritual defined and affirmed a deep sense of belonging to the village, to the land and to the ancestors. Song can return us to that soulful belonging: to celebrate, honour, praise and bless.
Dark Nights - Inner Flame
Winter can deepen isolation. Through the darkest weeks of the year, we meet each week in voice, song and contact, ending with a feast in mid-December.
The winter months needn't be about putting our heads down, grinning and bearing it, and just getting through. We need some inner sustenance to carry us through. Each Monday we gather to tend the inner flame, keeping it alive and bright, so that winter can become a time of nourishment and connection.
What Happens at the Table
Life Enquiry
Each evening has a structured time for Life Enquiry. We work in pairs with a given question, using a tried and tested format called "dyads". Themes include ancestors, children, love, purpose, and grief and loss. Group sharing is kept short, so each man has more time to ponder, to find his own words, and to be listened to and received without comment or judgement.
Sound, Song and a Different Way of Meeting
Sound has a great power. It frees us from the need to explain, to rationalise, and takes us beyond our story. Sound gives us access to ways of connecting and communicating rarely touched in our everyday lives.
The songs we use come from Georgia, in the Caucasus. We learn them until they're known well enough to own and to claim. You will be introduced to Georgian song, but this is not a choir, and we're not working towards performance.
We step outside our everyday ways of relating and practise a different way of meeting: listening fully, and speaking what's true.
The Ritual Feast
Everything we do over the eight weeks we bring to the final feast: our heartfelt words, the songs we learn, the sound we make together. The feast is loosely based on the Georgian Supra. It brings together food, sound and song, toasts, and the goodwill between us. The toasts we raise are informed by the life themes we have contemplated through our meetings. The food is made and blessed with our own hands.
How we'll be working
We will work with sound, song and life enquiry, in various formats: in pairs, in small groups, and with the whole group.
This is a practice in how we show up, how we give of ourselves, and how we listen and receive the other.
We will hold clear agreements, including confidentiality, inside and outside the sessions. Within those agreements, a deeper unfolding becomes possible, in a way that keeps each man's dignity and respect intact.
This isn't a place to bring your everyday problems. Instead, it's an invitation to let your problem-solving mind go, so we can focus on returning to our centre, our inner sovereignty, and our shared sense of what we are.
Is This For you?
The Men's Table is for men only. It may be for you if:
-
you are looking for a dedicated space outside your roles as partner, provider and, perhaps, father
-
you want to create, or be part of, something real and sacred with other men
-
you are willing to explore different ways of meeting other men, in sound, song and vulnerability
-
you are happy to be part of a facilitated group, where the form of each evening is held and you come fully as a participant
You do not need to be confident, just willing and open. You don't need to know how to use your singing voice. Whether you sing regularly or haven't sung since school, there's a place for you here.
This group is for men who are willing to sound, sing and share from a particular place within themselves, and to open and meet other men in the same way. These sessions are about allowing the songs to amplify and elevate our inner landscape, our enquiry and our shared meeting. This work is subtle, nuanced and powerful.
If something in these words resonates with you, you are warmly invited to come along and try it out on Mon 26th Oct. The session is complimentary and carries no obligation to continue.
Reflections and Comments from Previous Participants
"Anthony held people at the very edge of their comfort zone with such skill and care that they were able to choose just how much they wanted to open themselves."
Fergus Ryan
"Impeccably held… perhaps the most impactful stand-alone retreat from ten years of attending such events… understated and softly profound."
Adam Powell
"I have previously ventured into self development and process work quite deeply, and this experience sits at the top of all the work that I have done on myself… (I would definitely consider myself a non-singer.) Being welcomed to express myself, however I am, with all my frailties and imperfections, was a beautiful and liberating experience that I will remember always."
Tom Otter
Anthony Johnston
Anthony has spent more than thirty years exploring the power of the human voice as a path to personal and spiritual growth. The approach he has developed helps people express deeper parts of themselves that are rarely given a voice in everyday life. He has led more than fifty residential retreats in the UK and Europe.
He founded Borjghali Georgian Choir in Bristol and directed it for some twenty years. He has been returning to Georgia for its songs and cultural inspiration since 2006.
He is a certified Mind Clearing practitioner and a trained Enlightenment Intensive Master, and brings both teachings into his work with the voice and authentic communication.
Practical Information
Dates
Monday evenings, Mon 26th Oct to Mon 14th Dec 2026, with the ritual feast in the final session.
Time
Arrive from 6:15pm. The session runs 6:30pm to 9pm.
Venue
The Village Soul Project, Old Umber Works, Chuley Road, Ashburton, Devon TQ13 7DH (next to Ashburton Wholefoods). First floor, stairs only. Parking is directly opposite and free from 6pm.
Price for the term
£125 Supported · £175 Standard · £225 Supporter. If cost is a barrier, talk to Anthony.
Joining
The first session, Mon 26th Oct, is complimentary. Please let Anthony know you're coming, by text on 07950 052100 or by email to info@realvoice.co.uk. Your fee reserves your place, so a missed session stays paid.
The Unsung Man - One Day
If you can, join us on Sun 25th Oct for a full day of voice work for men. It's a chance to experience your voice at a different level, meet other men, and get a feel for Anthony's way of working with sound and voice.
Questions
If you'd like to have a chat before coming along, get in touch: info@realvoice.co.uk · 07950 052100