Journey, Write, and Dance the Wilder You.

This first workshop was held on our land just before the last full moon of October. What an extraordinary experience. Our new cob studio resonated deeply with class invocations of the ancestors, many participants commented on how much that earthen building, as well as our family homestead, added to the experience. It was for me a moment of many confluences, where elements of what expresses the sacredness of life all collided, making
a whole greater than I could have imagined. Here is what some of the participants have said:

“The consummate teaching stays with me, in the twitch of my ears of my panther ancestor and the subtle, powerful muscular movement on large paws and rippling shoulders and legs, as well as in the peace and stillness of being whole and complete.”

“I know that the integral way that movement was woven into the journeys made it all feel cohesive and to lose that separation between soul and body was simply a wonderful gift.”

“the knowledge that, for me, wildness is a deep, dark and intimate connection with nature”

“The weekend was sacred and profound in deep, powerful evocation of the land, the spirits of the land and each of our souls.”

“I especially liked the humble, gentle and wise thorough way you presented the material and the creative options for each journey.  My notes remind me of the power of asking for an invocation from our wildness, a Battle Cry to Life, and the poetic duty to instill and weave together the invocation and the sensory moment.”

“it was fabulous”

“…thank you for doing what you do, your work has opened up the reality of deep intimate relationship with wild ones.”

More about the class.

The stories of the Selkie reminded me that many of our ancestors understood that people can have relatives who were animals, fish or birds. Our wise, wild souls experience kinship with all beings, that manifests in our lives in many ways and to varying degrees. Some people feel this very acutely, that somehow they are a part of a specific animal family like wolves, ravens, or seals. Some of us feel so deeply connected to other aspects of nature words are inadequate to relate their experience but we know that our sense of soulfulness and identity flows from this connection.

Reclaiming that kinship is akin to re-discovering your Selkie skin hidden away for many years, finally enabling you to return to your family in the sea. Our animal skin-treasures must be reclaimed for our own wholeness, and the Earth needs us all to know and claim the soul that understands with complete clarity its connection to the natural world.

Tell your wild souls story.

Inviting this aspect of soul into this world involves telling its story. The Celtic bards knew the power of story to conjure spiritual transformation. We will develop stories, for some they will be songs, to call our wild souls to this world. Storytelling, even for those who do not feel equipped to do so, is part of our birthright as human beings. We are all storytellers.

Much in the way soul retrievals can sometimes involve story, we’ll be working with the story of our own wild souls to help conjure them into the world.

Dance your soul skin.

Many years ago my graduate degree in Transformative Arts culminated in the ritual performance of a shamanic journey in which I, clothed as an animal spirit, danced my way into the lower world. I prepared for that final journey for many years, building on early dance and martial arts training with new influences of Authentic Movement, Continuum, and Butoh in the mix. I spent hours alone in the woods exploring the intersection of spirit, nature and movement for months on end. I came to know what other shamanic

practitioners have discovered, that dance can be a method of journeying, it communicates power, and dance is one of the the ways that our soul shape-shifts into new forms. We’ll be exploring our skin through movement both subtle and shamanic in its nature.

Journey to a deeper relationship with your wild soul.

This workshop will include shamanic journeying as taught by the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. We’ll be working with the compassionate helping spirits to rediscover our animal kinships and encourage us to bring that power into this world, into our daily lives. If you do not already know how to journey, please contact me for training possibilities.

Cost and practicals:

This course will be limited to 20 participants given the size of the Subud Center. Cost is $225 for early registration – which ends Jan 10th, $270 after the 10th. Refunds will only be available 3 weeks before the class. Register here via paypal.

Food and accommodations:

This workshop will be held at the Subud Center in Soquel CA. We will meet Sunday morning (optional) at a local beach or the forest of Nisene Marks.

Two days, one long one moderate.

The first session will run from 10 am to 5:30 pm on Feb 11th. The next day will run from 9:30 am to 7pm, an optional meeting at a place in nature in the morning, and an optional sunset session at the Subud Center.

Your souls wildest embrace is waiting for you.

As with the story of the Selkie, we must retrieve our animal skins, wherever they have been sequestered. This is the work of dancers, this is the work of singers, of writers, of artists, athletes, visionaries and healers. This is the work of people who long to feel their souls presence in their daily life again.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact me @ tim@alchemistsjournal or (831) 204-8323.