" Doors to the 'wild self' are rare and precious. If you have a deep scar, it's a door; if you have an old story, it's a door; if you love the sky and the river irredeemably, it's a door; if you yearn for a deeper, fuller, more lucid life, it's a door."
--Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
La Loba lives alone in the desert and specializes in collecting scattered bones, especially those of wolves. When she has collected them all, she sings songs in the moonlight, allowing the dry bones to be re-covered with flesh and blood, restored to life, and ultimately to run through the wilderness once again.
This is a very symbolic mythological image in the opening chapter of Woman Who Runs with Wolves. It symbolizes the fragments of our souls that have been forgotten and suppressed by society, trauma, or the trivialities of daily life; when these scattered "bones" are summoned by heartfelt song, creativity, and faith, the wildness and innocence of the past will be revived.
We can't find ourselves in comfort and escape. Only by crossing the desert, picking up the lost bones, and courageously singing the song of our own strength can we recreate our inner wildness and find the integrity of our souls.
I. Why do we need such an alchemical journey for women?
Under the day-to-day pressures of society, family, work, and parenting, many women gradually lose their connection to their instincts, and find it difficult to truly feel "who I am," "what I want to do," and "I'm alive! I am alive ".
Connecting with feminine, natural creativity is not only a personal issue for women, but also carries the balance of social, world, and cosmic energies. In these turbulent times, each of us is changing the world with small changes, the will to transform, and inner awareness.
This course focuses on the book "Women Who Run With the Wolves" by American Jungian analyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés. This is a "bible of the female mind" that uses myths and allegories and Jungian archetypes as a framework for exploring women's inner "wild" power, creativity and self-awareness, and uses a variety of imagery to point to women's inner life force.
I will lead you in a warm atmosphere of continued exploration through myth analysis, bodywork and creation, internalizing the wisdom of the book into your life with the balanced path of Somatic and Spiritual Oneness.
"When I was isolated in a rehab center and terrified of relapsing, the chapters on traps and cages in Women Who Run With the Wolves taught me to accept myself and understand where I would be headed if I continued to cling to the wrong kind of relief; it also brought me the courage to confront the root wounds that led to my addiction.
It has given me comfort and guidance time and time again - you could say that this book has 'saved' me in a way."--Goodreads Reader A
This course is for you if you:
Looking for new inspiration and breakthroughs in intimate relationships, personal growth, career transitions, and other personal confusions;
The desire to find true balance between soul and reality;
Tired of measuring life by male logic, rationality or socialized expectations of "success", I want to truly embrace intuition, artistic perception and spirituality;
Interested in areas such as the female psyche, Jungian archetypes, and mythology;
Want to tap into your suppressed soft creativity and body wisdom;
Looking for a gentle but powerful community of women for mutual companionship;
Aspire to cross rational boundaries and speak to the subconscious and poetic forces.
"When a woman's feelings are frozen, when she can no longer perceive herself, when her blood and passions do not flow to the 'limbs' of her mind, when she despairs, the life of fantasy is more tantalizing at the moment than any reality in her vision.
The mind begins to deceive itself; it dwells in that fiery fantasy where all longings seem to be fulfilled. Such a fantasy is like a lie: if you repeat it enough times, you will eventually begin to believe it. "--Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
II. What is "Bone & Bloom"?
When I gaze upon Georgia O'Keeffe's skull in the desert, I see the secret of the coexistence of languor and bloom.
Bone, symbolizing essence and bearing: it is the framework of our strength; like a dry bone in the desert, it preserves the original form of life's ultimate solidity, no matter how harsh the environment.
To bloom means to awaken and blossom: flowers, dance, poetry, colors - all creation is "blooming"; when we meet life with our bodies, voices, and souls, we can bloom uniquely in a barren place.
"Bone and Bloom" is such a path: from a practical point of view, it is a fusion of Somatic exercises, and artistic creation. Without bones, it would be too soft and unsupportable; without flowers, it would be withered and stiff, and would lose its vitality.
The seemingly silent wilderness actually nurtures the unlimited possibilities. Through dream exploration, reading, dancing, meditation, writing, painting, singing and other forms, we will awaken the wildness and creativity that has been neglected for a long time.
Bone and bloom coexist, as well as a field where safety and freedom mingle and warmth and inclusiveness dare you to experiment and make your voice heard; a mirror, a pair of gentle hands.
Mule's Skull with Pink Poinsettia, 1936, Georgia O'Keeffe
III. Course format:
1. Main links (reference):
Guided Meditation: settling into the present moment, ready to receive and link;
Reading lead: systematic reading to dissect the female archetypes and symbols in the book;
Related Theme Creation / Somatic Exercises: Dancing, writing, painting, body awareness, etc. to retrieve forgotten pieces of the soul;
Sharing and witnessing: to be seen, heard, witnessed, and also inspired from the perspective of others.
2. Book chapter presentations
You can read ahead, but No need to read I will use the "Systematic Reading + Somatic Integration" format to select chapters from the book and combine them with Jungian archetypal theories to guide adults to understand the myths, stories, imagery, and metaphors in the book in a personalized way .
Each story focuses on a different female issue: from "The Inner Hunter" to "The Disconnection of Reason and Intuition", from "Robbed Creativity" to "The Recovery of Intimacy", from "Lost Instincts" to "Self-Repair and Regeneration". From "The Inner Hunter" to "Disconnecting Reason and Intuition", from "Taken Creativity" to "Recovery of Intimacy", from "Lost Instincts" to "Self-Repair and Regeneration".
Through the interplay of myth and reality, one can practically understand and appreciate the way each symbol operates in everyday emotions, business, and life.
3. Not just a book club, but an "Experiment in Female Somatic Creation".
Each chapter has corresponding creative and integrative practices that stimulate dialogue with the subconscious mind through multiple channels: painting, freewriting, meditation, body awareness, and more, gradually retrieving forgotten pieces of the soul.
Share your dreams, your perceptions and your work through group sharing or discussion, so that everyone can be seen, heard and witnessed in a safe sphere, as well as be more inspired by others' perspectives.
You don't need so-called "artistic skills", just open yourself to your intuition, your feelings, your connection to others.
4. Multi-week continuous program, in-depth accompaniment and community
We have divided the course into 7 weeks with video replay available;
During the 2-month "immersion" journey, you will be able to continue to be aware of, record and transform in your daily life, and receive the deep companionship of a "communion".
Personal themes, imagery, and imprints that emerge from the exploration can be booked for in-depth "one-on-one" coaching.
"The female heart and soul also has its own unique cycles and seasons of action and solitude, running and staying, engaging and withdrawing, as well as pursuing and resting, creating and nurturing, being in the world and returning to the place of the soul. "
--Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
IV. Curriculum and pricing
Course Duration
One online course (Tencent Conference) per week, 7 times in total, 2 hours each time
A replay is scheduled to be available on Sunday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., beginning March 23rd.
For the middle 5 weeks, cases are presented once a week at a time determined by the time the caseworker needs.
Limit: 10 persons
Register by March 10th for the early bird rate of 1600/person
Regular price 1800/person
1700/person for two people after March 10th
Case Studies
Registration for 90-minute cases is available for an additional 600 (regular price 800). Students attending the course can observe.
Focused processing of personal issues, dreams, and memories that rise up during these weeks of life in conjunction with the mythic imagery after reading, practicing, and experiencing syncretism in greater depth.
4. Community and well-being
Exclusive WeChat group to communicate and share your work after class;
Lesson playback, no need to worry about missing live sessions;
Offer The Woman Who Ran with the Wolves eBook in Chinese and English.
"All those 'I'm not ready' and 'I need time' statements are understandable, but only valid for a short period of time. The truth is that there is never a 'totally ready' moment, nor is there really a 'perfect time'.
As with any deep dive into the subconscious, there will always be a moment when all you can do is hold your breath and take the leap into the abyss with the mindset of 'do your best and let it go'.
--Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
If you have felt the voice of the "neglected self", like the bone fragments that have been lying dormant in the wilderness for a long time, and if you are eager to open up the energy of your life and turn it into physical rhythms and artistic expressions--
Let's take a deep breath, stretch our limbs under the guidance of stories and symbols, and use our feet, brush strokes, voices and hearts to pick up those precious "doors" to our true selves in this seemingly barren land.
Sign up now | Scan the QR code below to add WeChat and begin your journey with Bone and Bloom.
PELVIS WITH MOON, 1943, Georgia O'Keeffe