 |
|
Seminars
Seminars and Workshops: 1. In The Hands of Alchemy 2. Living Creatively in Challenging Times 3. Embracing the Darkness: Learning the art of Letting Go 4. The Healing Power of Image: Living the Symbolic Life 5. Uniting the Opposites: Exploring the Sacred Marriage Within 6. Outrageous Faith: Prayerful Stillness in a Busy World 7. Image, Imagination and Mystery 8. Courting the Mystery of Other: Finding Harmony in the Workplace 9. The Power of Humility: How to Win by Losing 10. Awakening Through Dreams 11. Chant: Gateway to the Soul 12. A Change of Organizational Mind: Creative Change and the Spirit of the Times Marilyn-only Women’s Spiritual Workshops: 13. Desperately Seeking Sophia: Stalking the Conscious Feminine 14. Descent to the Goddess: Exploring our Creative Depths 15. Exploring the Heroine’s Journey 1. In The Hands of Alchemy A popular 2-hour multimedia introductory presentation, appropriate for all ages and groups. In this 2-hour inspirational presentation Marilyn opens and closes with song, we show the 30 minute Parabola Video, "In the Hands of Alchemy," Jerry answer questions and shares in a very personal way with the audience. 2. Living Creatively in Challenging Times In this workshop we will help participants work with the transpersonal and universal aspects of surrender spoken of and expressed in Jerry’s story. We will work with the fears and limitations that hold each of us back, releasing those fears through sacred ceremony. We will explore together how joyful expression is our birthright and introduce a way to open creatively to the mystery and the unknown in our lives. We will do this by learning to trust that which “IS” in our lives. We will guide participants in a way that helps them see and read the messages and symbols that are present in the common experience of our everyday lives. 3. Embracing the Darkness: Learning the art of Letting Go In this workshop we turn our attention toward the inner, dark and seemingly empty places in our lives and see what gifts lay there. We place ourselves in the Hands of Alchemy and open to a quiet place of deep listening where we can each explore our own darkness and retrieve hidden pearls of luminescent wisdom. Jerry and Marilyn will draw on writings from Western mystics and share from personal experience to gently guide participants to explore those aspects that are unique to each person’s journey and allow them the opportunity to creatively unfold and transform. The goal of this workshop is to create a space for joyful and willing participation in the Unknown, as we embrace the creative darkness and learn basic skills for letting go and living creatively in the wholeness of every moment. 4. The Healing Power of Image: Living the Symbolic Life “Jung called the symbol-making function of the unconscious ‘transcendent,’ for not only does it transcend our conscious grasp, but it is the one thing which, through symbol-formation, enables man to pass from one state to another. We would be forever stuck in an acquired habit of consciousness if this transcendent function of the psyche did not help us over into new attitudes, by creating the symbol, which shares in both worlds. The symbol is associated with both present and future psychic states, and therefore helps us over.” -- Marie Louise von Franz In this workshop we will draw upon Jung’s understanding of the individuation process, or how a person changes and grows, and the role that image and symbol play in this process. We will also draw from personal stories and experience to investigate how the “transcendent function” helps us to move from conflict to resolution, as long as we contain ourselves and hold the tension between the opposites. We will explore together how these personal and transpersonal images that “help us over” become known, how to court them and how to work with them as uniting symbols that resolve tensions by combining seemingly contradictory elements into a unique whole, leading to new directions and patterns for growth. 5. Uniting the Opposites: Exploring the Sacred Marriage Within “C.G. Jung’s conviction is that the most effective way to redeem or transform the world is first of all to transform the little piece of it that is oneself.” -- Edward F. Edinger In this workshop we will work with the alchemical process of “the Coniunctio”, the inner Sacred Marriage. Drawing on writings from Jung, Edinger, and the early alchemists we will open to the emerging new paradigm that is requiring each of us as individuals to transform our own darkness into light and become a carrier of the opposites. Courting this process through conscious intention offers the opportunity to expand one’s own consciousness and therefore, helps to “redeem the world”. We will explore how to let go of the old identity, which no longer serve us. In this letting go there is an inevitable metaphorical “death” we must give ourselves to where the opposites unite, courage is born and a truer Self in a truer world is allowed to joyfully emerge. 6. Outrageous Faith: Prayerful Stillness in a Busy World Lao Tsu says, “Accept all that comes from heaven and act as though you have received nothing.” In this scenario, you might be on a busy city street experience the heavens opening up to you - sparks and miracles might be swirling around you and for all appearances, you might remain calm and to the eyes of the world, unaffected. This ability to juggle the worlds while intuiting life’s deeper paradoxes is the stance of the prayerful listener. When we learn to poetically have one foot in each of the worlds everything has meaning and even life’s ennui has its conscious, rightful place in the larger cycles of our lives. There is a wonderful saying, “God speaks in a language that we can understand.” We will work at developing this conversation and opening ourselves to the miniscule promptings we receive in any changing moment. In this workshop we will court and nurture the grounded and divine sensibility to act with courage and with outrageous faith. 7. Image, Imagination and Mystery Through artistic creation we will explore the possibility that imagination and mystery are a given in our lives. These illusive human qualities are our birthright although they are often reduced to fanciful wanderings of the mind and put aside or worse - considered useless and abandoned completely. In this workshop we will explore through the creative process the simple truth, as it is so beautifully stated in A Course in Miracles, “You need do nothing but not to interfere.” Imagination and Mystery exist in the common experience of wandering artistically. We often define this creative activity as “doodling.” It is only the child’s heart in us all that is able to fully experience the magic of imaginative expression. The innocent heart can access and open to the now without interference or judgment. Together, through effortless play with art materials we will explore the possibility that attentive imaginative wandering is a poetic means of holy conversation. 8. Courting the Mystery of Other: Finding Harmony in the Workplace “An insult to a sage is a boon.” --Lao Tsu For those who have read Jerry’s book, The Inspired Heart, you know from some of his stories that the greatest gifts can come from some of the most unlikely and difficult people in our lives. In this workshop we will work with opening to the possibility that the “difficult” people we may feel “forced” to work with or relate to through circumstances seemingly beyond our control, may be those perfectly situated in our lives to deliver the unexpected gift. We will explore through personal story, group interaction and introspective envisioning how we might create a personal, internal container to hold the tension between likes and dislikes. Holding this dualistic conditioning at bay, suspending our habitual judgment and allowing the in-between place to have its way opens the moment to the possibility of a healing gift. Note- Marilyn and Jerry have worked extensively with individuals and with groups and group-process. They are available for mediation work involving existing conflicts, in the boardroom, the workplace, with families and one-on-one relationships. 9. The Power of Humility: How to Win by Losing In this presentation we will discuss how courage, trust and a real and timely sacrifice delivers the true win. In the climate of fear, loss and ruthless opportunism, learning to give ourselves to the inevitable experience of loss may well be wisest and most advantageous choice we have available. Transitional times, like we are currently experiencing, require something more than “business as usual.” Up to a certain point in the cyclical rhythm of growth and decay our normal and acceptable business practice may produce the results we desire. However at times of transition this tendency to keep the winning momentum in motion at any cost results in loss at all levels. Integrity, sustainability, profit and any hope of a healthy future may all be lost. Reasonably calling this behavior “economic growth” will not justify these losses. History will be our judge and those looking back at the loss and devastation will be our children. When we learn to intuit the necessary non-action required of our time and courageously go about the lonely business of stopping the momentum and shifting directions long enough to listen to the dictates of a more subtle good-- even if this shift looks everything like disadvantage and loss from the perspective of “good business practice,” this progressive choice may ultimately win the prize and preserve the integrity of our beloved creation for ourselves and our world. 10. Awakening Through Dreams “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own Heart. Who looks outside, dreams, who looks inside awakens.” -- C.G. Jung We are living in a time when we are all required to become more conscious of the greater Selves that we are. For many of us, the exploration of our dreams helps us to plumb our unconscious depths, reclaim heretofore unknown parts of ourselves, and emerge with greater clarity and insight into who we are and what gifts we may bring to our world. In this workshop we will teach a simple, yet profound approach to working with dreams in a group setting that will also enhance their personal dream work. See our program page about Awakening Through Dreams. 11. Chant: Gateway to the Soul In this experiential workshop we will work with the drum, our breath, voices, bodies and the eternal presence deep within each of us and among/between us when we come together with the intention of invoking the sacred. We will explore the healing power of sound as we learn to give voice to our deepest longings, weave together a harmonious sacred chalice, and partake of vocal communion with another. Through the practice of toning, through the repetition of simple phrases and melodies and some movements and dance, we will be drawn into an altered state of consciousness and become aware of our deep connectedness – the place of Soul from which all ritual and ceremony comes. Vocalists of all levels welcome, no experience necessary. 12. A Change of Organizational Mind: Creative Change and the Spirit of the Times Designed to work with organizations and groups in creatively translating and exploring the deeper meaning and potential in the changing organizational and economic times we are experiencing. Intention: Translate, in an organizational context, the essential requirements of a changing world as it relates to our particular organization. Apply the basic template of creative surrender (as experienced and taught by Marilyn and Jerry) for weathering the inevitable change in our work and work place and use this model as a tool for inspired new potential. Read and define the Zeitgeist, “the spirit of the time” and establish a transformational attitude towards fear of change and loss and redefine useful aspects of the organization that may have been avoided or “left for dead” by usual organizational problem solving techniques. Women’s Spiritual Workshops led by Marilyn only: 13. Desperately Seeking Sophia: Stalking the Conscious Feminine “There’s a mutation being demanded in the evolution of consciousness. I think that ‘mater’ – the Latin word for mother, the body – wants to become conscious, wants to release light from the density of matter. This is what the French Impressionists were painting. It is where quantum physics and dream imagery meet. This, to me, is the new level of conscious femininity that has never been in the world before: the conscious recognition of energy, wisdom, Sophia, in matter.” -- Marion Woodman Jungian analyst and author Marion Woodman has been an important voice in articulating one of the deeper issues of our times: the repression of the feminine principle and its effect on our attitudes toward nature and the physical body. This workshop will be an exploration of what she calls “Sophia” or the “Conscious Feminine”, what it’s emergence might mean for ourselves and our culture today, and how we as women can give ourselves to the process of bringing our own femininity to consciousness. 14. Descent to the Goddess: Exploring our Creative Depths Using the ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna’s descent to the underworld as a lens, this workshop will focus on the ways we as women have been cut off from our full feminine instincts and energy patterns. We will look at the ancient roots of this split, learn the story of Inanna’s descent and journey to meet her dark sister, Ereshkigal, and take some time to reflect on how this pattern is a template for “descent experiences” in our own lives. We will explore together how this myth can help us return to and redeem what the patriarchy (both within and without) has often seen only as a dangerous threat, and how reclaiming these “darker” aspects of ourselves can lead to richer and more authentically creative lives. 15. Exploring the Heroine’s Journey “Women do have quest at this time in our culture. It is the quest to fully embrace their feminine nature, learning how to value themselves as women and to heal the deep wound of the feminine. It is a very important inner journey toward being a fully integrated, balanced, and whole human being.” -- Maureen Murdock This workshop will draw on Maureen Murdock’s model of the heroine’s journey, which is derived in part from Joseph Campbell’s model of the heroic quest. We will initially present both models, explore their differences and then through discussion, guided visualization, and journaling, invite each participant to discover which phase of the heroine’s journey she is in. By recognizing the larger myth in which our lives are taking place, our personal lives take on greater meaning, and we are able to make sense out of the more painful, difficult phases and see that they are a part of a greater cycle of transformation. We will close with a small ritual of empowerment to take the next step on the journey. Take a look at some of the locations where Marilyn and Jerry have led events in the past, and read endorsements of their work. To set up a presentation or a seminar, please contact: Marilyn Strong 360-341-3382 (Pacific time zone) or email soluna@whidbey.com. |
