Creative Workshops 2006 – Augusty Writing
Newsletter
Dear writer
Your vision
will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside,
dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. (Carl Jung)
As a writer,
books appear in my life and say “read me. now” Such was a recent Exclusive book sale purchase, John Selby’s Quiet the Mind.
Many writers
speak of the heart.
“Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite,
‘Fool,’ said my Muse to me, ‘look in thy heart, and write.’"(Philip
Sydney) .” I always thought that the journey from
head to heart was a long one but Selby offers a route instantaneous. He suggests that we are
“thoughtaholics. -“I think therefore I am” (As a friend Nelleke
suggests, this is putting “Descartes before the horse.”
Here is
Selby’s ‘finer than rubies’ wisdom (see also www.johnselby.com) When we move into one body sensation, say breathing,
we don’t cut out thought, worry, stress, judgement, excessive planning. But if we focus on two sensations, say
breathing and heartbeat, hearing, rib cage rising et al, then we short-circuit
the thinking brain and arrive in the heart, in the moment, in the presence.
Thank you John Selby. He also says that had
he been asked twenty years ago how it is that the heart, a pump, has become
associated with emotion, he would have given an esoteric answer. Now he offers a scientific one. For 65
percent of the matter of the brain is found in the heart. The heart has strong
links to the limbic system and is now being called the fifth brain. And then
the heart begins to do our thinking, intuitively, breaking out of rational
mode.
So as writers we live in story time, poetic
time. Time is no longer linear. This is the place to write from and it is here
that our writing sings to the rhythm of the heat beat.
Organisational Work
Some folk
have asked me to include some of my other activities.
In mid July
I worked at Museum Africa in Egoli with an NGO Zanendaba, ( bring forth the story) a
vibrant clear-eyed story-telling group. So we worked heart to heart, my
blessed work
to add creative writing to their mining, acting, telling palette. So if you need such a group chat to Fikele at storytelling@zanendaba.org.za. The back of their lime green T shirt
reminds us of “The wisdom of the ancestors.”
From Sept.
on I’ll be offering two corporate workshops at The Learning Centre in Tokai,
The Halo and the Noose: the Power of
Story-listening and Story-telling in Business Life (with Graham Williams) - 14
Sept, 3 Oct, 8 Nov (repeats)
Words at Work, a writing workshop to enrich corporate work - 15 Sept, 4 Oct, 7 Nov. (repeats) -
The second
WWW course with 15 folk entering the adventure, runs August –November. We are
dividing the folk into two groups – ‘beginners’ and ‘continuers.’ Half of the
writers have worked with me before. Next www begins Jan 07. Elma works with me
on this. (Elma’s email starlight@wol.co.za.)
She also mentors our Afrikaans clients- and some of the English ones too.
Tredicis in the
Good news for the Helderberg.
At Tredicis (Italian for
Paul , Fadelah and Estella host Hugh Hodge’s Off the Wall Poetry readings - last Wed of every month. (hahodge@gmail.com). and Dorian’s Between the Covers Story-Telling evening
first Thurs of every month. Both these evenings begin with an invited poet /
story-teller then its open mike time. 19.00. Bob Commin is on for 3 Aug.
Workshops
…and so to the Augusty and on 06 workshops. Thank you to all those who pass on this letter. Please let me know
if you don’t want to receive it. (Given the nature of email, I have been
receiving ‘unsubscribe’ from people not on my sending list???)
(The
The River Journey: Late winter Writing Retreat
Sat and Sun 26-27 August
09.30 -16.00 (R780)
I do not know much about gods;
but … the river Is a strong brown god (T S Eliot)
Explore your life stories through your connection to nature. We
draw images and symbols from the river and the landscape around it. We create
and craft our writing journey. There will be time for silence, bird watching and for dreaming. Travelling – 100km ex J’burg. B & B available at
reasonable rates. Book early to secure your accommo.
Hiking and Writing in the
Helderberg (with
Bob Commin) R420 (with hut stay)
2-3 Sept
We hike and write (not at the same time) up the
Helderberg, overnight at a
hut. There is something
about moving feet along a path and moving words
across a page. Is it rhythm? A left and right brain jogging? Join
us.
KZN Ixopo Buddhist Retreat Centre 039 834 1863 brcixopo@futurenet.co.za
My Life My Death (with Peter Fox)
8-10 Sept
We’re constantly in the flow of life and death. This workshop explores these twin energies on our journey of transformation. We seek those experiences that bring us a sense of aliveness and an acceptance of the mystery.
We celebrate our life and befriend our death.
Myths, stories and poetry are our guides and gifts as we create
and craft our stories.
The Bigger You: Writing,
Longing and Belonging R340
“and there comes the knowing
that in me there is space for a second, large and timeless life” (Rilke)
When we
write, we move into a space where we discover our ‘larger’ self. Other possibilities
open to us. We live more abundantly. This workshop explores how we can bring
our creativity and imagination to our writing and so engage our potential. The
workshop also explores how writing can open to a life-long love affair with
ourselves.
Somerset West.
The Bigger You: Writing,
Longing and Belonging R340
Sun 22 Oct 09.30 – 16.00
See text under
4
Egoli
The Bigger You: Writing,
Longing and Belonging R390
Sun 5 Nov 09.30 – 16.00
See text under
And arriving late 06….
The Helderberg Writing Escape
14-19 November (featured in South Africa
Writing Vol 2 April 06)
Johanna Castro and I have created the Helderberg School of Writing.
Johanna
is an international freelance journalist who coaches in the genres of magazine
writing, travel writing and copywriting. This
extravaganza - our first 5 day joint venture - hopes to attract both local and international writers, We’ll be
writing and mentoring at a wine farm and in the Helderberg Nature Reserve. The
escape will offer five days of exploration and discovery.
Other writer’s workshops
Fish Hoek,
An Artist's
Way Experience R150
Thursday 10 August
10.00 - 17.00 pm
(poet and storyteller Bob Commin and writer and artist Sally Argent)
For those who have read the The Artist's
Way (Julia Cameron)…those who have not but would like a writing
experience…those who would like to meet and learn from other writers….come and
enjoy the experience of beach and Land Art
Bob Commin (h) 021 447 9550; 082 2025303 bcommin@netactive.co.za
All I know is Love, And I find my heart Infinite And Everywhere (Hafiz)
May your
heart’s intelligence beat in your texts.
Dorian
Dr Dorian Haarhoff
021 852 7587 / 082 873 6802
http://dorianhaarhoffwriter.homestead.com
Marais Street