I have learned that I cannot create without being recreated myself.
The process changes me, calls forth things from me that I didn't always know were there, leads me to passages and to places I had not anticipated.
Jan Richardson
Dear Creative Friends,

What possibilities does 2022 hold as we cautiously emerge into the world again? What are you dreaming of creating?

Mary Oliver in her poem "Starlings in Winter" says: "Ah, world, What lessons you prepare for us." The past two years have held unexpected lessons. How will they inform us as we expand our physical boundaries out into the world again?

Desmond Tutu believed in a world in which improbably surprising events are a given. He said his faith was in "a God of Surprises". How can we become comfortable with the unexpected?

This weekend I'm held in a cocoon of snow, an unusual occurrence here at the tip of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I'm always amazed at how freshly fallen snow turns everything into a magical landscape. And this month I got to experience snow on a beach for the very first time! The childlike wonder of new experiences reminds me of this quote by Pablo Picasso:

The first half of life is learning to be an adult -
the second half is learning to be a child.
We are all born children - the trick is remaining one.

I've been in retreat preparation mode this week - aka play mode. Play is where new discoveries are made. Preparing for retreats is a creative practice that I love. We need a sense of soul spaciousness to create and discover. I hope you can make time for your soul to play while the cold weather encourages us to stay close to home.

Remember to stay curious and in wonder with the world. There is so much to be grateful for ... including these thousands of Snow Geese that make their appearance every winter in the Cape Charles area. These birds breed in the arctic and subarctic regions of North America and migrate south for the winter.

Make sure to read the poem at the end of this newsletter reminding us that there is magic everywhere, if we make the time to listen ...

I'll be at my favorite retreat center in North Carolina in February, and again in March. Come and join me if you are ready for some new creative and playful ideas. Details below.

Love and light,
Catherine
Walking in the snow on the beach!
UPCOMING RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS

Energetics of Art 3
Starts February 4, 2022
ONLINE

I'll be teaching two of the six sessions of this six week class that is offered through Ubiquity University. My co-presenters are Laura Esculcas and Calen Rayne of Earth Shamans.

An artist enacts a creation story every time the artistic process is engaged. “Creation is the Mystery itself. Wise artists respond to the call of creation by peering into their own hearts, “ writes artist Alex Grey, “What higher goal for artists’ intentions than that their art may bring healing and blessings to viewers and catalyze their own and the viewer’s spiritual evolution?”

Exploring Your Mythic Story
using SoulCollage®
and the Labyrinth
February 20 - 24, 2022
at St Francis Springs Retreat Center in Stoneville, NC

Using the process of SoulCollage® and the labyrinth, both of which I consider to be languages of the soul, this five-day, four-night retreat will give you the time and space to listen deeply to your Soul to uncover your unique Mythic Story. Both the labyrinth and SoulCollage® are gentle guides for times when you are on the threshold of transition or feel like you are standing on shifting sands. This time of unknowing and uncertainty can also be a time of rich possibility.

There are currently four spaces still available in this retreat.
Visual Journal
as Sanctuary for the Soul
March 10 - 13, 2022
at St Francis Springs Retreat Center in Stoneville, NC

A visual journal is a space where you can listen to your Soul. It is a container for whispers from your unconscious. It is a place to play with color, with shape, and with images and patterns that are calling to you. It is a breathing space where you explore the mysterious territory of your inner world. As we play on the pages of our journal the longings of our soul become visible.

All supplies are included. You will receive a book of imagery and a kit of creative supplies to open up to this gentle way of listening to your soul.

There are currently three spaces still available in this retreat.
Listen,
the stones have stories to tell.
Listen,
the waves are full of wisdom and whispers.
Listen,
the shells are secret keepers
and wayshowers.
Listen,
the pine trees dream of possibility.
Listen, the sunrise sings
and the sunset speaks.
Listen, there is so much you don't know
and so much to understand,
there is so much to discover and uncover,
to explore and recover.
Listen,
there are stories in the smallest places,
there is magic everywhere.
Listen.
If the content of my newsletters are no longer relevant to you,
please unsubscribe using the link below.