Art as Meditation: Way of the Artist-Healer: Liberating the Creative Heart - # 61078

Instructor: Shanja Kirstann

Faculty Bio:    Shanja Kirstann, MSW brings to her work over 25 years experience in transpersonal counseling, life coaching, and body work. Offering heart, humor and depth, she guides people in profound journeys of transformation and acts as a powerful catalyst for creative change. Her transformational focus is a unique synthesis of eastern and western spiritual practices, depth psychology, expressive arts, medicine wheel wisdom and vision quest experience. Shanja’s California teaching includes: San Francisco Art Institute, JFK Arts & Consciousness Graduate School, and presently with Matthew Fox at the new University of Creation Spiritualityin the Doctor of Ministry Program. Shanja is a certified journal instructor from the Center for Journal Therapy and maintains a private practice in Carmel—assisting others to awaken to their True Nature and to bring their sacred gifts to life through creative soulwork and practical lifecoaching skills.

Course Description:   This class is an invitation to experience the healing power of the creativity that dwells within each of our souls. It is about accessing our inner Healer by embracing the passionate Creative Artist within each of us. It is about healing ourselves, each other and the earth by tapping into the creative energy that makes us and keeps us alive. Our time together will be an intimate time for soulwork and deep nurturing, gathering as a Community of SoulFriends, exploring the transformative powers of contemplative play and deep listening to liberate the gifts of the soul for spiritual awakening, healing and intuitive living. Heart-full approaches to free the Artist-Healer may include: Silence and loving enquiry, authentic movement and sound meditations, soul-writing and poetry, spontaneous art and mandala drawings, improvisation and ritual making.   

Course Objectives:

1.                    To bring awareness to the growing movement of “Art-as-a-Healing Force” in our personal, professional and planetary lives.

2.                    To awaken the Creative Heart of the Artist-Healer within each of us and to experience how art, prayer and healing are one.

3.                    To experience a variety of attunement methods for receptivity to our creative muse for inspiration, guidance, and healing.

4.                    To experience a variety of creative expressions as both contemplative and passionate practices for awakening the heart and healing energies to be used with ourselves, each other and the earth.

5.                    To have a variety of practical tools and contemplative art practices that will assist us to taste the sacred dimension in our daily lives.

Recommended Books:

1.             Michael Samuels, Creative Healing: How To Heal Yourself by Tapping Your Inner Creativity. Harper             Books. 1998.

2.             Lucia Cappachione. Living With Feeling: The Art of Emotional Expression. Tarcher  2001.

3.             Nina Wise. A Big, New, Free, Happy and Unusual Life: Self-Expression and Spiritual Practice for Those      Who Have Time For Neither. Broadway Books. 2002.

Class Size:                              Limit is 16

Class Supplies:                       Bring journals, favorite coloring materials and pen

Supply Fee:                             $10.00 

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