Good morning!
We have all experienced transcendent moments of witnessing a miracle of nature, such as this sunrise I photographed last week.
I know I am part of the natural world, but in moments like this, I fully experience this knowing. The separation between the sunrise and me dissolves, and rather than simply appreciating it, I am living it.
The human-centeredness, or anthropocentric orientation that is embedded in our culture and consciousness makes it challenging to experience our inter-relatedness with all of of life.
Our ecological self is our broad, expansive sense of self, related not only to other humans but also to our home—the living earth—and the nonhuman others that co-inhabit it.
TRY THIS -
- Witness the photograph of the sunrise, or the thistle, or the bee, or choose something in your immediate environment.
- Spend some time paying attention to the details.
- Now imagine stepping in, so that you are witnessing from the inside.
- Notice what you are experiencing, in your body, your heart, your emotions.
- Write the words I am.... or I know... and spontaneously finish the sentence, the paragraph or the poem.
- Write about what happened, and what you learned.
The Earth calls continually. She calls us with beauty, sometimes truly breathtaking, sometimes heart wrenching, and always provocative and visceral. If we are receptive to the ways the landscape speaks to us...we may reawaken and preserve a sense of human integrity within the
family of all relations.
- Laura Sewall
If you like this, consider joining me this Friday to explore your ecological self through expressive arts practice. Together we learn and discover.
Ecological Self
Art as a Healing Practice Workshop
with Kathleen Horne, LMHC, REACE, REAT
Friday, September 10th
1-4pm EDT
Explore the concept of your Ecological Self, through an integrated expressive arts process. What is your relationship to the natural world?
How has your ecological awareness been shaped and developed over time? Through this gentle and powerful process, listen deeply for any messages that are emerging. We are not separate from the natural world. By developing an awareness of our ecological self, we experience and live the connection with increased consciousness and intention.
This session will include:
- An introduction to the theme
- A nature-based practice
- A guided meditation
- Art-making time
- Writing prompts and writing time
- (Optional) small group witnessing and sharing
- (Optional) Large group sharing
- Extracting a nugget of wisdom to take, as a practice, into your life
"Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.
― Lao Tzu
I really enjoy the different prompts and creative applications used to lead one on a new journey of self discovery about an aspect of self. Buried wisdoms and affirmations reveal themselves in color, line and theme as Kathleen gently guides and holds the space to witness and be witnessed in group. So many possibilities for healing, transformation and growth. -Julia
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OUR MISSION
Through workshops, programs, certificate training, and therapy Expressive Arts Florida Institute empowers individuals, groups and communities by cultivating the creative wisdom inherent in all.
- Kathleen Horne, MA, LMHC, REACE, REAT
- Tamara Teeter Knapp, MA, MHC Intern, NCC, K-12 Art, REACE
- Victoria Domenichello-Anderson, MA, REACE
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