workshops

Sleeping Beauty; An Awakening -Robert F. Mannis Ph.D. and Coeleen Kiebert M.S.

The Sleeping Beauty fairy tale is at least 2,000 years old. We will attempt to synthesize Coeleen’s unique methodology of collage articulation with Bob’s analysis of the fairy tale, into a unique and personally profound experience for each participant. Because the archetypal roots of Sleeping Beauty reach back into antiquity, each participant will be able to connect with all our grandparents who were spiritually enriched by the telling and retelling of this mysterious fairy tale.

Coeleen will facilitate each participant’s personal exploration of Sleeping Beauty (eros function). Bob will offer symbolic and archetypal insights from his research (logos function). Both Coeleen and Bob are of the opinion that a Jungian perspective is best employed to understand why our own soul resonates so deeply with the fairy tale. The marriage of the experiential process with intellectual understanding will hopefully leave each participant both spiritually nourished and emotionally satisfied.

THE ALCHEMY OF RITUAL RELATIONSHIPS  -Tim Holmes

Learn how “ritual relationships” can be used for personal transformation by creating a special temenos, a ritual social space for creative action. In this unique wilderness, creativity is unbounded and the partners serve not as personas but as mirrors of each other. Following alchemical principles, here the opposites are brought into tension to foster transformation. Using the artist/model encounter as a metaphor for all human interpersonal interaction. In what Holmes describes as “a mix of psychotherapy, theater and professional wrestling”, as an artist he encounters in the model an otherwise invisible version of himself, a pattern that occurs in every interpersonal encounter. Thus the artist/model dialog resembles an alchemical wedding.

Participants are invited into the alchemical crucible to witness such an encounter in action, to witness and experience that energy personally. They’re urged to respond with creative expressions of their own. The encounter is preceded by an intro and followed by a debriefing session where we share our experiences.

Wabi-Sabi Painting and Bookmaking -Sherrie Lovler  

Wabi-sabi is the Japanese aesthetic of appreciating beauty in imperfection. Using this as our underlying guide, something magical happens in the uncontrolled parts on a page where ink meets water. We will contrast these natural occurrences with calligraphic lines and gestures using sumi ink, brushes and other tools. A slideshow and talk will introduce the principles of Wabi-sabi, empty space and chi. Then we will get centered and present in our bodies, and be led step by step into making several spontaneous-looking pages that will be cropped and sewn into a 5″ x 10″ Japanese stab bound book. Words are optional and can be incorporated into the pages as they are created or added later.  No experience needed. Limited to 20. Please register free below.

CONVERSATION: POETRY  -Jon Jackson and Sherrie lovler

There is no one way to write poems, but rather many ways, each individual to the person and to the poem itself. Poet Sherrie Lovler describes her process. Jon Jackson then responds to each point by describing his own similar or different poetry writing process. Then we will open the discussion up to the participants to ask questions and to share their own experiences with poetry. In this portion of the presentation, we will include the participants as equal authorities in the poetry process. This is followed by an experiential poetry-writing session and participants would be invited to share their new spontaneous poems.