Empowering Yourself with Clay Revisited
In our upcoming weekend workshop, June 27-28, as we make our way through the elements related to clay, dreams, breath and shamanic journeying, we’ll begin by exploring the element ofEarth, and the ways by which it can and does empower us.
As is said, Earth is a manifesting planet. Nothing – no brilliant concept or inspired intention of ours counts until it’s been brought into form, however long lasting or fleeting that form may be. Our accomplishments (despite the fact that some seem more successful and so are more
satisfying to us than others) – our manifestations feed our personal growth and development, and are what move us – from knowledge into wisdom. And wisdom is the realm of the soul.
Although we ‘know’ that you can’t take anything with you when you leave this earth, some feel that it is wisdom alone than we do take with us when we leave our earthly bodies and continue on our soul’s journey.
“Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.” – Bradley Whitford
We, in our clay bodies, respond, relate to, and revel in the experience of creating forms from clay. We respond to the call to manifest, as co-creators of reality. We relate to the power it affords. We revel in our ability to make something useful, something beautiful from what had been essentially mud. By by-passing our ‘judge-mental’ minds, our bodies learn. They absorb knowledge from the clay, through our hands, into our cells. By working with the clay we come to know on a deep elemental level that we can and do (whether or not we intend it) form our world.
In our weekend experience together we’ll share the challenges and joys of creating as well asthe insights we gain in the process. And we won’t leave it there…we’ll take the clay experience to another level as we explore the myriad powers of clay to draw negative energies from the physical body. We will learn about types of clay that are free of impurities, and some that have also been combined with other minerals and with herbs. Then we’ll have a personal experience of using these clays and of feeling physically lighter and revitalized.
“My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth’s loveliness.” – Michelangelo
Working, playing and cleansing with clay can actually be a life changing experience. Whether it’s freeing our inner craftsman, creator of curiosities, or cosmetician, the immediacy of contact with the mud from whence the human race has likely evolved resets our circuits and reboots our systems. This tactile connection to the stuff we’re made from has a way of shutting down the incessant chatter of the ‘monkey mind’, reducing anxiety and returning us to the present moment.
Of course one such experience is never enough for those of us who wish to live a meaningful life. Unless we engage with groups of other seekers and explore the different paths to inner peace repeatedly, and regularly, the powerful all pervasive messages of our shallow, material culture obscure the quiet inner voice of spirit. We must create spaces in our lives for listening inward.
”As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”- Henry David Thoreau
Many of us have often gathered in groups that form to reinforce the importance of nurturing the soul and integrating soul into our daily lives. The more we do this the stronger the fire of spirit becomes within us, and the clearer are both the messages that come to us, and the direction of the path as it rolls out before us. Together we can reinforce our sense of what we are about and why we are here. Together we can reboot our systems and keep on the track of personal transformation – one clay body and one fiery spirit at a time!
“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” – Ferdinand Foch
After we’ve spent the first morning of our empowerment weekend engaging with the Clay of the Earth, we’ll flow into an afternoon voyage into the realm of Dreams!
To read about the details of the Empower Yourself with Clay, Dreams, Breath and Journeying weekend workshop, and to register, go to www.voiceofclay.com/classes-2 . For more about Dreaming, read our blog next week!
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
“Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream.” – Khalil Gibran