Ecology of Health:
Immersion into the Five Elements
In these workshops both experienced practitioners and people with no background in Chinese medicine have the opportunity to explore in depth the Transformation of Virtue, or seasonal task, of each of the 5 Elements. These workshops draw upon what we all know about the seasons, and applies this knowledge to our most private inner terrain. This workshop series is an empowerment for anyone wishing to give and receive more deeply and fully from the seasons. We live in the seasons, and their impact on our bodies and psyches is a collective movement binding us intimately to the cosmos and to each other. Gathering in a group to explore the intricacy of nature and its exchange with human psyche always evokes a powerful experience of being carried forward by a wave of something greater than ourselves. With no loss of individuality, we find a greater sense of resource for our personal journeys in the context of a larger pattern.5 CEUs per class - Accredited by VT Acupuncture Board
Accepted by NCCAOM
Click to view a transcript of this workshop on the spirit of Summer:
Earth: Transformation from Worry to Ecology
August 21, 2010 9am-4pm
133 Main Street, Putney VT 05346 (behind front porch cafe, rm 7)
$80 pre-registration, $100 at the door
Late summer is the time of harvest; it is a time of bounty, and a time of hard work finally paying off. It is also a time when there is frequently too much on our minds, as there is so much to attend to. Days are long and humid, and we feel the heaviness of abundance threaten to become lassitude and stagnation. The work of harvest seems endless and we may face personal exhaustion in the midst of plenty. Abundance begins to feel more like a burden than a blessing when we are over-involved in tending more than we can manage. This workshop explores issues of generosity and over-commitment, nurture and self-sacrifice, and how we can remain sincere and dedicated to our families/communities within an ecological balance for our own lives.
Metal: Transformation from Grief to Righteousness
October 9, 2010
9am-4pm
133 Main Street, Putney VT 05346 (behind front porch cafe, rm 7)
$80 pre-registration, $100 at the door
Autumn is a time of external loss, but it can also be a time of internal gain. As light and warmth wane, we prepare for the coming of winter. There is a last burst of color, and then the earth is stripped bare of signs of life. That which is transient is now gone forever; the vitality which endures is now held deep inside. The teaching of autumn is that all things pass, but that what is truly precious lives on inside of us. Grief is the recognition that something of beauty and importance is gone from the outer world, but inherent within Grief is the capacity to identify clearly what we most value, even in its material absence. Righteousness is the capacity to prefer what Heaven values; to align ourselves with its vaster beauty and be fully graced by it; even when this involves personal loss.
IN DEEP WATERS: Transforming Fear to Wisdom
December 11, 2010
9am-4pm
133 Main Street, Putney VT 05346 (behind front porch cafe, rm 7)
$80 pre-registration, $100 at the door
We experience fear in situations of critical importance to us, situations where even small matters may have great impact. Fear is a call to attention--it indicates and maintains a sense of urgency in our response to circumstances. At the same time, fear may be exactly what keeps us from responding with the level of calm, clarity and confidence that the situations we face demand. Fear can be debilitating, leaving us feeling helpless at exactly the moments when we most perceive the need for decisive action. On a chronic level, fear can keep us from "sinking in" to the quieter places inside of us, where the unique power and wisdom that belongs to us alone lies waiting to be discovered. Join us for a powerful experiential workshop.
Wood: Transformation from Anger to Constructiveness
TBA - 2011
9am-4pm
133 Main Street, Putney VT 05346 (behind front porch cafe, rm 7)
$80 pre-registration, $100 at the door
This workshop explores the Wood Element. Spring is a time of amazingly rapid growth continuously beset by unexpected setbacks. It is a time of renewal and resurrection; of vigorous outward and forward movement; and of new plans being put into action—or meeting with opposition. We will be working with themes of rage, frustration, impatience, and the dialectical process of creative conflict. We will look at issues of justice and activism, as well as the roots of violence in ourselves and others. Exercises will focus on understanding the relationship between challenge and growth, vision and hope, and how we can live our freedom in the midst of constraining circumstances.
Fire: Transformation from Joy to Propriety
TBA - 2011
9am-4pm
133 Main Street, Putney VT 05346 (behind front porch cafe, rm 7)
$80 pre-registration, $100 at the door
To the Chinese, what is meant by “joy” in this case is a continuous chasing after a more and more excited state of personal presence, and a heightened sense of connection with others. While this excited state is often very pleasant while it lasts, it is exhausting and nerve-wracking to maintain, and the attempt often leads to a great deal of chronic or recurrent anxiety.
Summertime is a season with many opportunities to be outside, busy, and endlessly engaged with life. This workshop explores how we can maintain deep connection with our own heart and the Heart of Life, so that our joy is not ephemeral; and so that our connections to others are based on an exchange of warmth that that allows us to be intimate and open without being vulnerable.
