Dear friend,
Even though it may seem as if we are alone – and in part we must walk this path by ourselves – we are never truly alone, as unseen helpers, friends, and companions are always nearby. We can help one another in so many ways and it is in this spirit that I have put together the upcoming online course - Tending to the Soul.
>>Learn more about the Tending to the Soul online course
Over five weeks, we’ll make a journey together of being and belonging, into the heart of embodied spirituality, relational neuroscience, and a psychotherapy of the soul. Starting Thursday, October 21st, we’ll meet within a healing relational field and immerse ourselves in the teachings and practices which are such an essential part of my writing and clinical work, including:
Slowing down and replacing habitual consciousness and perception with that of curious, compassionate, empathic attunement
How the spiritual path will inevitably ask us to step into the unknown and how that isn’t always going to feel certain, clear, and safe
Simple, yet effective self-attunement and soul-tending practices you can engage daily, even if you don’t have hours of free time
The discovery of a natural trust and confidence in our immediate, embodied experience, even in difficult times
The organic process of things “falling apart” and coming back together again and how cycles of rupture and repair are the essence of deep soul work
The relevance of alchemy in a contemporary, embodied, imaginative approach to transformation and healing
Becoming an alchemist of your own life and working the the minerals and materials of your own heart
The alchemical yellowing, the sacredness of dissolution, and the holy invitation when things fall apart
Unearthing the alchemical tincture and medicine hidden inside the wound
How difficult and challenging emotional experience - especially in relationship - is the prima materia for the alchemist to work with in the laboratory of the soul
How any integral path of spiritual transformation can benefit from psychological, emotional, somatic, and relational sensitivity
The metaphor of light and the importance of “making the darkness conscious” on the path of wholeness
How we can use our relationship with spirituality to avoid a direct confrontation with “the shadow,” unresolved relational trauma, and “the unlived life”
The importance of radical honesty with ourselves on the healing and spiritual paths and the capacity to practice kindness toward the unwanted parts and pieces of the psyche
Becoming an alchemist of the inner landscape and working consciously with the “metals” and “minerals” of our immediate, embodied experience
The transformative potential of the “blue” range of the spectrum of consciousness
How grief is a portal and temple in which we can enter into with greater awareness and compassion
Opening to “the unlived life” and what remains unfelt and unintegrated within us
Meeting and dialoguing with the lost orphans of psyche and soma
What it means to experience our feelings all the way through without falling into the extremes of denial or fusion
The courage to walk alone at times, leading with our eccentricities, vulnerabilities, and sensitivities, which requires going against the psychic status quo
How the cycles of reorganization and the alchemical putrefactio are the soil from which the phoenix of the heart can emerge
The inherent messiness of the spiritual journey, and the chaos and glory of what it means to be fully here and to participate in the unfolding of the soul
Unshaming and depathologizing intense, unwanted, and uncomfortable emotional experience, and honoring times of unknowing and liminality
Updating neural and soul-circuitry with empathic attunement and embodied kindness
It’s not easy to do this sort of work and exploration on our own as the path can become blurry, hazy, and even a bit lonely. Anytime we open to the shadow, the lunar, and the descendent current, it can be so helpful to have one another to shine a lamp in the darkness. For it is within these more dimly lit dimensions of the spectrum of the heart that a luminosity appears, what the alchemists refer to as the scintilla, or the sparks of light.
In gathering together over these five weeks, we’ll participate consciously in the power and poetic beauty of the relational field to support us in cleansing our perception, opening our hearts, and remembering what’s most important.
>>Learn more about the Tending to the Soul online course here
As a reminder, we’ll meet live for five consecutive Thursdays, starting October 21st, at 11am Pacific/ 7pm in London. The live sessions will last around 75-90 minutes and include experiential exercises, talks and curriculum, sharing personal experience, and live interaction where you can ask questions.
Remember, it is not necessary to attend live in order to fully participate. Many are unable due to other commitments. After each session, you’ll receive a link to the video replay as well as be able to download the audio and a written transcript, and work through the material from the comfort of your own home on a timeline that works for you.
I’d love to have you join me this fall - as well as friends and fellow travelers from around the world - where together we can create a safe, warm, yet provocative and creative relational field - and explore some of the mysteries of the healing journey.
Wishing you many blessings on your journey and I look forward to connecting with you this fall, or later at some point down the path in whatever way we’re brought together.
With love and appreciation,
Matt
