Art and Alchemy
This journey that we are about to embark upon began with a dream. In this dream, I was holding up an image of the Goddess Sheela Na Gig and teaching a group of people how to use imagery and writing for self-transformation. When I woke up, I realized that I’d been given a vision—a way to help guide and strengthen us during these challenging times.
— Sue Ellen Parkinson, Artist and Facilitator
This journey that we are about to embark upon began with a dream. In this dream, I was holding up an image of the Goddess Sheela Na Gig and teaching a group of people how to use imagery and writing for self-transformation. When I woke up, I realized that I’d been given a vision—a way to help guide and strengthen us during these challenging times.
— Sue Ellen Parkinson, Artist and Facilitator
This journey that we are about to embark upon began with a dream. In this dream, I was holding up an image of the Goddess Sheela Na Gig and teaching a group of people how to use imagery and writing for self-transformation. When I woke up, I realized that I’d been given a vision—a way to help guide and strengthen us during these challenging times.
— Sue Ellen Parkinson, Artist and Facilitator
This program is an invitation to embrace the transformative power of art, myth, and storytelling, guiding us through personal growth and collective healing. Working with the myth of the Heroine’s/Hero’s Journey, together we will weave a tapestry of courage, creativity, and connection, in our lives. These sessions will include poetry, song, imagery and stories to help nourish and inspire our collective journey.
What’s Included:
Eight 1-hour live sessions over 4 months, held on Zoom with recordings provided within 24hrs of the live class
Resources: PDFs with session highlights and at home practices to be done between classes
***this is an interactive class and your willingness to do the home practice assignments will be important to the container***
Suggested materials for home practices will be provided 2 weeks before first class
A private Facebook group for those to connect and share reflections throughout the container of our time together
Schedule:
We will gather every other Sunday June 1st through September 7th, 10:00-11:00am PST
June 1st, June 15th, June 29th, July 13th, July 27th, August 10th, August 24th, September 7th
What to Expect:
Session 1: Introduction to the Myth of The Heroine’s/Hero’s Journey
• Reclaiming Our Power: Acknowledging that we are the creators of our culture.
How we’ll begin to rewrite our story and create personal imagery as a means of empowerment.
• Locating Ourselves in the Journey: Where are you in this Heroine’s Journey? Reflect on your current place and direction.
• The Creative Process: We’ll learn our method to explore through collaging and writing practices that will form the foundation of this program, and how creativity helps us grow stronger, and delve deeper.
Session 2: What is Your Call?
• Acknowledge your Call—the yearning, or desire within, that most likely both enchants and frustrates you.
• Reflect on how this Call persists and demands recognition.
• Through collage and writing we begin the process of discovering clues, and naming your unique Call .
Session 3: Facing Resistance
• We’ll examine our self-doubt and the societal and internal pressures that urge us to make ourselves small, and invisible.
• Engage with imagery to shed old fears that no longer serve us.
• Infuse one another with encouragement and tools to transform resistance into courage.
Session 4: Connecting with the Wise Old Guide
• Meet the archetype of the Wise Old Guide, who appears in many forms and often delivers undeniable truths.
• Connect with ancestral guides and uncover your personal wisdom teachers.
• Learn to turn to this internal guide during times of difficulty and stress.
Session 5: Entering the Dark Forest
• Explore the phase where all familiar markers disappear, leaving you feeling unmoored and uncertain and perhaps even terrified.
• Discover how the unseen world—symbolized by fairies and elves in traditional myths—can begin to reveal themselves as allies.
• Imagine and create your own “fairies” and learn how to befriend and trust them.
Session 6: The Enemy Who Helps You
• Reflect on the challenging people or forces in your life that, paradoxically, have made you stronger.
• Reconsider the term “enemy” and discuss whether other terms—like “challenger” or “detractor”—better capture this dynamic.
• Delve into the mysterious and transformative role of “the enemy who helps.”
Session 7: The Ordeal, or Battle
• In this stage of the journey we’ll reframe the concept of “battle”, and discuss how can we face extreme challenges without resorting to violence or harm. Let’s create a new form of power, without the use of blades, guns and bombs.
• Explore the idea of “enemies” as counterparts or challengers, examining this through personal stories and experiences.
• Imagine what victory might look like, not as domination, but as transformation within these relationships.
Session 8: The Return
• Celebrate the gifts and treasures you’ve uncovered throughout this journey.
• Explore how to share your newfound wisdom and beauty with your community, enriching the world around you.
This workshop has accessibility pricing, please pay what feels true for you.
Standard Rate $450, Pay it Forward Rate $550, Self-Selected Scholarship Rate $350
*Workshop fees are non-refundable*