 March
2010
Just
one more evening and the first term of the Art of Being
will be over! The participants have completed their body
maps - please click here
to have a look - and as always this has been a powerful
and revealing experience.
(You
can also view body maps from previous years by going to
the gallery page, or selecting a year: 2009,
2008) |
|
 February
2010
The
year is well underway now - and this year Karen is facilitating
her second-year course, the Art
of Being Together, as well as the Art
of Being, so it is going to be busy and intense -
but, no doubt, intensely rewarding as well.
The
Art of Being's first term includes our study of the four
elements, and in order to experience these in nature the
group went to the Arboretum in Tokai to create "sacred
spaces" - a wonderful way to re-connect with nature!
Check out the Gallery
page for some pictures or click here. |
|
 November
2009
Another
year of the Art of Being over....! It has gone so fast,
but been such a wonderful experience! Have a look at the
pictures of the group's final
presentations which took place on Monday evening,
and of the last
night of the course, where we looked back at our intentions
and wishes for the year and exchanged gifts.
If
you'd like to find out more about the course (there are
still places left for next year!) please go to the course
information, or download the pdf
flyer - or just contact
Karen. |
|
October
2009
 Back
from another retreat with my fellow goddesses
- this time on the theme of freedom. So it has been a
busy month, especially as we approach the end of the year,
and participants in the Art
of Being work with their inner children!
Doing
the course last year had a profound effect on me; "How
can a year-long course, four terms of exploring myself,
have had such a huge impact on me, when winning a million
rand or going blind would have changed me less?" I
have written an article about my experience - you can
read it here.
Karen
is offering a Biography Weekend Workshop - I always find
this biography work SO powerful, it taps into patterns
of behaviour I've carried with me all my life and offers
the possibility of transforming them. This weekend workshop
is ideal for those who are either interested in doing
the Art of Being next year and who would like a little
taster before they commit, or for those who have done
the Art of being but would like to have a chance to explore
old stuff in new ways (click here
for pdf with more information). |
|
September
2009
 At
the end of the thrid term of the Art
of Being course, the group went to Barrydale for a
long weekend of art, animals, vision questing and walking
the labyrinth.... and some less serious stuff too, like
swimming in the wonderful warm spa baths, and discovering
our alter-ego names (with much hilarity!).
It
was an intense, magical and powerful experience - you
can see more pictures
in the gallery.
I've
just sent out the second of our new, monthly newsletters
- if you are an alumni and haven't received it, please
let me
know!
Karen
is now taking applications for next year's Art
of Being course (click here
to download the flyer in pdf format), and also the Art
of Being Together (click here
to download the flyer in pdf format) - please do get
in touch with her if you are interested! |
|
August
2009
The
Goddess Workshop
ended last month - some feedback from participants:
"We
speak of being multi-faceted and having many sides to
our persona. Over this series of evenings I looked at
myself through the lens of some archetypal facets of femininity.
Some were familiar, some were comfortable; some were strangulating,
and some were shy; one was transformational. Working through
the sub-conscious expression of colour and form, these
forces were revealed to me. Just recognizing them has
changed the way they play out, and which Goddesses I allow
to speak, and how loudly."
"...
the companionship with my fellow goddesses made it an
unforgettable experience... most of all, it's Karen's
facilitation, her care and unwavering support that make
it really special!"
 The
Goddesses finished their time together with a one-night
retreat.
"The
weekend was an invigorating experience both for body and
soul. The pureness of the beautiful surroundings added
the magic to complete this very inspiring and empowering
workshop. It is something all women should do."
Go
to the gallery
to view the beautiful work of the participants - their
body maps, final presentations, and goddess shrines.
|
|
 July
2009
The
body map pictures from this year's Art
of Being course, and also from the Goddess
Workshop are now up - please do take
a look!
"The
power of the word, like all magical powers, will
turn against us or wither and die if not renewed
by frequent reconnection to its source."
Charles Eisenstein |
You
can read exerpts from an article called "The Ubiquitous
Matrix of Lies" here
- Karen has also provided some questions to work with.
|
|
 June
2009
The
Second Term of this year's Art
of Being Course ended with a wonderful enactment of
the story of Parzival,
Wofram van Eschenbach's epic poem about the quest for
the Grail, followed by the traditional 'feast'.
The
quest for the grail is really the quest for belonging
and individualisation: "When we are faced with
the fear of being who we really are in the face of the
world of conformity, of rejection, of pride, of anger,
or being forsaken and betrayed... what do we do?"
In the last of her articles on the double, Karen addresses
this question.
Part
One: An Encounter
with the Double
Part Two: The Double
and the Shadow
Part Three: The Heaviness
of Pride
Part Four: Fear
and Love |
|
June
2009
As
Linda Sussman says, “The prideful are always 'heavy'
– with themselves. They are portrayed in Dante’s
Purgatorio bearing stone slabs so large that they
themselves are almost hidden from view as they laboriously
crawl around the edge. Certainly they have little ability
to leap and even less to fly.”
In
the next of Karen's series of writings on the double,
she looks at pride, and how - unless we can strengthen
our individuality while still maintaining a true connectedness
with others - we can project this urge for distinction
onto others in the form of hostility. Click
here to read the full article.
|
|
April
2009
 This
has been a busy month - the second term of the Art
of Being is underway, with group members learning
about the Twelve Senses, and practising Eurythmy. The
Goddess Workshop
has also begun, and already participants are finding the
work powerful and moving.
Karen
has written part 2 of her essay on the Double - you can
read it here
(part 1 is available here
if you haven't yet read it), and please do contact
her should you have any questions about this Destiny
Learning work. |
|
 March
2009
Karen
has written the first in a series of short essays on Destiny
Learning - this one is about what Rudolf Steiner called
"the Double" - click here
to read the essay.
Please
feel free to email
Karen with any responses or questions you have! |
|
 February
2009
The
twelfth year of the Art of Being is now well underway!
The members of the group created their Sacred Sites during
a wonderful evening at the Arboretum - you can see pictures
here. |
|
 January
2009
Karen
returned from Canada where she was invited to offer the
Goddess Workshop.
Here
is what one of the participants said: “Your loving
and gentle support allowed me to feel safe to go to a
deeper place where I could connect with the parts of me
that need healing and love...”
Read
more about this new workshop here
or view pictures here.
 November
2008
This
was the end of the 11th year of the Art of Being! It was
truly wonderful to observe the bond between the group
that had developed through all their work together.
Participants
did their final presentations on the 24th - you can view
pictures here.
December
2006
'I
work out of Rudolf Steiner's "The Wisdom of
the Human Being",' she says, 'but each person
is left free to come to their own understanding
of humanity. Living authentically requires us to
have the courage to write our own scripts. But we
are so busy trying to be something out there, so
busy being achievement and outcome-oriented that
we are afraid to write our own script,' says Karen.
|
Jeanne
Viall speaks to the facilitators of the Art of Being course
Karen Rootenberg and Mirjam Macleod about the artistry
in learning to be oneself, in an article published in
Odyssey magazine (read the full text here).
October
2003
| "What
sort of parents would you have liked?" This is
not a simple question, although on the surface it
might seem to be. In the course that I facilitate,
when I ask this question, the answers which emerge
are profound, complex and even contradictory. Yet
somehow all the answers seem to point in this direction
- the thing which affects a child the most is the
unlived life of a parent. |
From
the article Parenting the Psyche, published in Odyssey
magazine (read the full text here).
December
2003
| It
has been an interesting year. The commitment to personal
growth and transformation has brought with it some
of the toughest challenges and life lessons I have
yet to face. But committing to change has also allowed
me to share deeper truths with others. As a Body Alignment
practitioner, I have been able to facilitate healing
at a far deeper level. This is not a fly-by-night
course, or a quick-fix course, nor will it add yet
another qualification to the list on your CV. It requires
courage, commitment and energy. |
From
"An Experiential Account" written by Tammy Dent
and published in Renaissance magazine (read the full text
here).
October
2002
| ...we
must all develop conscious penetrative awakeness,
but also inspirational, imaginative and intuitional
awareness. This is working artistically with oneself
and with the world around one. We are all being asked
to use our capacities of soulfuness to receive the
world of spiritual understanding of light and beauty.
But then we are asked to bring the sharpness of clear
and focused thinking to the specific situation and
to bring lawfulness and clarity. "Truth is Beauty"
and "Beauty is Truth" to quote the poet
Keats. Learning to become oneself is an Art. |
From
an article published in Odyssey magazine (read the full
text here).
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