BREAK:::BLAZE:::BURN
40 DAYS OF FEARLESS, OUT OF BOUNDS WRITING
with
Sherene Vismaya Schostak & Juliet Escoria
STARTS JUNE 6TH!
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.― Maya Angelou
Change your story, change your life. You don't have to be an aspiring writer in the literary sense to benefit from this Project 40. We all have a story inside of us that needs to be told. We all have journals collecting dust. We all know the powerful worlds that even a minimal amount of writing can open up for us...and yet, why do we constantly put it off, neglect it or feel hopelessly blocked?
Through guided Jungian journaling and active imagination techniques, tarot-inspired writing prompts and meditations, we will tap into your limitless creative spark. Instead of cursing the Mercury Retrograde, we will work the magic of this the messenger god in his very own sign! By paying sincere homage to this white hot mercurial magic, we'll harness the genius of Mercury Retrograde in Gemini and get you writing. Throw your fears into the fire and use the quicksilver genius of this special Mercury in Gemini phase to finally say what's got to be said.
Whether you choose to use these 40 Days to take those old ideas, manuscripts and other forgotten gems off the back burner or just delve more into your own personal story, this P40 is designed to set your writing on fire! Daily discipline can be deeply inspiring when thrown into the alchemical alembic of incendiary creative fire. For 40 Days and 40 nights we’ll keep each other inspired to make writing a living, breathing, passionate ritual!
Our private dedicated Facebook Forum is a sacred place where you will receive daily feedback and inspiration from other kindred souls from around the world!
Are you a closet writer terrified of finishing what you start?
Do you have a mean-ass inner critic that could rival Simon Cowell or an 'X Factor' judge?
Have you been sitting on a book idea, half-finished writing project or script for more years than you'd care to admit?
Do you secretly wish you could write but find a thousand excuses on the variation of: "there's not enough time" ?
Do others keep stealing your best book ideas because you didn't finish yours fast enough?
Do you start and then feel totally blocked and throw in the towel?
Do your tell yourself writing will turn you into a lonely, isolated weirdo with no friends, money or social life?
If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.― Toni Morrison
Do you talk yourself out of writing with thoughts like:
I have nothing original to say...
It's already been done...
Writing is for academics or "writers"....
Who reads books anymore?
Who do I think I am?
What if my writing is boring, stupid or lame as hell?
You're not alone! We are here to be your personal muses, cheerleaders, midwives, oracles.
Writing does not have to be isolating and tedious! This Project 40 is designed to bring depth, desire and sexy back to the art of pen to paper or (fingers to keypad)! This P40 will break all the rules..... without apology!
Mercury and Venus are currently "out of bounds" unleashing serious creative rebellion. I am psyched to collaborate with the lovely and fiery author of Black Cloud, Juliet Escoria.
Juliet will share her uncensored experience and as a professional writer and life in real time. She will share what she's working on and how she's making it work, despite lack of time, her own self-destructive tendencies, insecurities, and all the other things that cause writers to stop writing. She will include quotes, music, writing prompts, questions for journaling, ideas for rituals, and guidance from the tarot and crystals and whatever other omens show up on the path. Sherene will share her seventeen years as Jungian analyst to help you uncover some of your deepest writing/creative blocks by getting to the source of your fears, insecurities and complexes such as the inner "animus' critic that keep us from unleashing our true voice.
Option 1::: $330 (limited to first 10 who register)
40 Days of Guided Emails with Journaling Questions, Meditations and Rituals.
PLUS
60 Minute Private Jungian Session with Sherene:
This session will combine my seventeen years of working as a Jungian analyst and astrologer with private clients. My specialty is helping people obliterate creative blocks and tapping into the limitless potential of the unconscious. By delving deeply into the unique patterns in your natal horoscope, we can uncover particular parental complexes, family legacy/ancestral patterns, and other creative blocks and shadow material that keep you from your fullest potency of self-expression.
AND
60 minute Private Consultation with Juliet Escoria.
In a one-on-one SKYPE/FACETIME session Juliet will offer personal feedback on up to 10 pages of your writing. She will also give you personalized help and guidance on both your writing life and any issues you have related to addiction, self-destructive or obsessive traits and mental illness. She is a strong empath and sees/hears spirits and other non-humans on a regular basis. For part of the session, she can also use a combination of tarot and crystal work to help guide you through any creative blocks.
OPTION 2::: $160
40 Days of Guided Emails with Journaling Questions, Meditations and Rituals Only.
Juliet Escoria is the author of BLACK CLOUD, which was published by both Civil Coping Mechanisms and Emily Books, and named a best book of the year by Dazed, Flavorwire, Salon, The Fader, and more. Her writing appears or is forthcoming in places like The Believer, Vice, Guernica, Electric Literature, and Hobart. She has a BA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside & an MFA in Fiction Writing from Brooklyn College. She was born in Australia, raised in Southern California, and currently lives in West Virginia. For more, go to julietescoria.com
“[U]sing sparse and elegant prose, Escoria makes the reader feel. Moreover, even when the reader feels is terrible and frightening, Escoria finds a way to make it beautiful. These are powerful stories. Read them and be moved.”– The Lit Pub
“Unrelenting, violent, often scary: Juliet Escoria’s debut collection of stories will likely have you begging and crying for salvation a few pages in. She’s just that good.”– Flavorwire
“Quick, smart, and darkly entertaining.”– Bullett Magazine
“One of the best books I’ve read so far this year… These stories are uniformly effective; they veer at you in unexpected ways and devastate, sometimes quietly and sometimes brutally.”– Vol. 1 Brooklyn
“An unassuming but quick and gritty collection of stories…Escoria doesn’t bog her writing down with a prescribed style or aloof voice or braggy attitude. It’s just someone telling their stories and not watering them down. She’s damn good.”– Kevin Sampsell, author of This is Between Us and A Common Pornography
Sherene Vismaya, M.A. is a Jungian Analyst, astrologer, and metaphysician in private practice in NYC for the past seventeen years. She specializes in depression, shadow work, anxiety, creative blocks, eating disorders, and relationships. She is the co-author of Transpersonal Astrology: Explorations at the Frontier, Surviving Saturn’s Return: (McGrawHill) and The Fate of Your Date (Chronicle Books.) She holds a Master’s Degree from New York University in Clinical Psychology, a Masters in Developmental Psychology from Pace University and advanced graduate work in psychoanalytic studies from The New School and ISAP, Zurich. She is the resident astrologer for Elle Magazine: UK- Netherlands-Turkey. Her work integrates the subtle body/psyche with the physical body through different healing modalities including dream analysis, authentic movement, astrology and Polarity Therapy.
PROJECT 40 VISION:
I conceived of Project 40 as a way to help those who could not afford to come for regular therapy sessions. I also wanted to find a way to leverage the daily experiential tools and rituals we can all use. The Internet allows me to do this and I invest a great deal of time and energy in order to make each Project 40 journey a highly personal and “of the moment” journey. Nothing cookie-cutter or generic like you might expect with many Internet packages and programs. Project 40 is extremely unique and will take you just as deep as very intensive one-on-one Jungian psychoanalytic work. If you were to actually pay my going hourly rate, for the amount of time you get in this program, it would be very costly. At 200.00 / hour and approximately 20-30 hours per person per P40 session, we would be into the thousands of dollars.
So I am happy and grateful for the Internet, as it allows us to connect in a way that is affordable for you and allows us to be engaged on a daily basis.
Project 40 has healed me and so I have decided to share it as a service to the world under the blessing of my Guru, Mata Amritanandamayi who blessed it in Amritapuri in 2009.
A NECESSARY RANT:
As a diehard, classically -trained Jungian with seventeen years of analysis and supervision from some of the best Jungian analysts in Zurich, NYC and San Francisco, it’s painful for me to see how so much of the elegance and depth of Jung’s work is lost and misused by those with very little if any actual experience or training (not to mention their own analytic process). Jung says that the unconscious is both beautiful and terrible but not something to “play around with” or take lightly by any means. Would you throw yourself out into the middle of a dark ocean without a reliable person at the helm… or worse, without a boat or a paddle? Unless you’re trying to live the life of Pi, this is probably not wise. The danger of superficial systems that I have seen claiming to explore “shadow work” is disturbing when you realize how tricky it is to navigate the depths of one’s unconscious without the proper clinical training, supervision and experience. This is another reason why I am trying to make this work more pervasive as a way to undo some of the damage that has been done to Jung’s work and credibility in so many “new age” and “self-help” circles that have sadly cheapened the work. A complex is something that must be worked at daily and consistently and with a skilled analyst to help you unravel the many layers. It is not something that can be magically “fixed” in one weekend, covered up with medication or removed with a juice cleanse.
YOU RECEIVE:
*Daily personal emails that I create on that particular day itself (nothing is pre-baked, half-baked or it would lose the essence of tapping into the powerful messages of that particular space and time–and thus lose the power of synchronicity so fundamental to the magic of Jungian therapy).
*A system designed to bust through any laziness, blocks, and other BS that keep you from going beyond the normal 10% of mediocre consciousness and self-awareness.
*Daily probing questions that make you stop and reflect in ways that create lasting transformation.
*A powerful collective of kindred souls seeking radical transformation and willing to do the hard work in order to uncover the limitless potential and authenticity buried in the unconscious.
*Accountability partners on a daily basis to keep you inspired and staying on top of your inner work.
*Stopping and expanding time instead of the feeling that another month just flew by without any noticeable change in your life.
*A sacred container built on seventeen years of research and private practice with a classically trained Jungian therapist and astrologer.
*40 Days of powerful tools you can use and re-use for the rest of your life that will totally transform your sexuality, your relationships and most importantly your Self.
*Daily astrological guidance and reflection on the collective unconscious influences as revealed by the current astrological weather.
I am thrilled to see how much Project 40 has grown and expanded over the past four years, and thus in order to keep up with the demand this will be the last round of Project 40 where I can offer such a low price for readings.
**We cannot offer any refunds on the readings once they are booked as we put a lot of time and energy into the process.
P40 TESTIMONIALS:
The Project 40 experience has been so deep and so profound for me that I’m finding it difficult to come up with words. I’ve been participating in Project 40 for 3 years and just signed up for my 9th round. I have become addicted to the protective circle and liminal quality of being in Temenos, being able to bare my soul and be as honest with myself and the group as I feel drawn to. Sherene creates a safe bubble around us and encourages us to be as bold, messy and naked as we dare. There have been some P40’s where I have gone very deep into inner reflection, and others where I’ve played around more on the surface level, and all of my experiences and expressions have been honored and validated. Sherene leads the way with her own vulnerability and encourages us to pull back our social masks and be as real as possible within a safe environment, which is so refreshing. There are so many different ways of exploring Project 40. Sherene creates the structure, but it is a pretty big playground and it’s up to you to decide how much you want to do, how much you want to share with the group or not, and how deep you want to go. You hold the reigns. And, probably the most magical quality of Project 40 is that it still works on you even on those days when you don’t do a thing. You are still held in Temenos and your intention is still on the altar, being worked on at deeper levels than we can see. Project 40 works on you on so many levels, but, like anything else, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. I think perhaps the biggest reason I get pulled back into Project 40 again and again is because of the magical world that is created within it. Our world can feel so black and white and hard sometimes, and Project 40 reminds me that magic is everywhere and all I have to do is open my eyes so I can see it.– S.B. (Bend, Oregon)
“There are many many guides out there who have journeyed and gained great wisdom and enlightenment But, this is my journey. I have to travel it and do the work, and develop a deep and abiding confident relationship with the wisdom that dwells within. Sherene, you are a master teacher in this way. Sherene, your willingness to go into the dark places with such courage, such raw courage, and experience the flame, the heat of transformational fires—you are so empowering to those of us following after you. Fellow travelers, this I know: good self care is essential during these experiences, during the entire journey. I learned it the hard way. I could still do better. Thank you all for your deep sharing and and allowing me to witness your transformations and insights. Thank you Sherene. You remind me of the courage of Jung when he went looking at and for the archetypes…. TR (New York)
Suffice it to say, my project 40s have *completely* changed the direction of my life, for the better. I feel like I have found my mate for life, and I now have work I love so much I can stand to work into the wee hours and defend it even though it doesn’t pay very well… yet! So, if anyone has any doubts about the power of this technique, you are welcome to send them my way! Project 40 has changed my life; I can’t thank you and the universe enough for sending it to me!! -Anne (Portland)
As long as you do P40’s, I will participate. They force me to slow down and focus on me, which is so important as I spend each day nurturing others. Your insight in the emails, as well as your readings, has provided me with a platform to continue to grow and really assess what I want and who I want to be in this life. I look forward to the emails and the conversation that takes place. Not only do I have the feeling of camaraderie, I am able to uncover details that serve me and would have otherwise stayed hidden. Thank you for the work you choose!”— KH.. (Berkley, CA)
“Thank you for providing this format and daily guidance. It often feels as if you are holding our hands and telling us that its going to be okay; let our own truth be shown.”— AS—(San Diego, CA)
I just wanted you to know how much I have appreciated and learned from the Project 40, and your caring support, wisdom and guidance has been immeasurable. Your Project 40 Rounds have shown me that I can commit to a regular practice of Introspection/Contemplation…and that has been a very big Gift to me – because I have doubted that I had a “disciplined bone in my body” and your Inspiration has shown me “I can do it!” Jai Ma! Thank you immensely. I may not have done every day, but I learned over time to keep the questions in mind and not give up and return to the Project.–SB (Vancouver)
I was just briefly reading my journaling from some past P40s and I’m amazed. I end the 40 days always ” ok that’s done what next” knowing something or things have changed and shifted but not really able to put it into words or even describe in feelings what has happened is happening. Then I look back and say woooooo, as I read though the pastP40s and think I know this person, she is familiar but I don’t fully relate to her any longer. I know it’s me just that those issues feelings thought are of someone so lost confused desperate to belong, be accepted, understand.I feel so much stronger in who I am what my choices and decisions are. What my priorities are, how I want to live my life. I still don’t know how it’s all going up happen or when. I do know it all will at the perfect time. I am here to witness and experience the journey. P40 is a great venue for growth, and digging in to the places that may have been ” saved for last” or later. Later is now. -T.W.Thank you so much Sherene. I have evolved so much through this process. The real me is back.
Project 40 was an amazing prescription for me. My relationships are better – me and my mum are so much more expressive of our love together. I have been honest when things aren’t going well in my new relationship and he has listened and responded to my needs. No tit-for-tat love in any of these relationships. I feel closer to my girlfriends. My self-worth – I know I’m good enough, pretty enough as is the next girl on the street. I know that I’m also responsible for bringing love and happy times into other peoples lives and I can orchestrate events too. I feel alive, burning through old shell, full of love and ready to give the world my best.-Kam (NYC)
I read each email on the train and really appreciate your sharing and your guided questions like arrows piercing the truth.Thank you. You are such a major part of my healing. Even my physical therapist notes the improvement, it’s on a cellular level.Yes, your way of journaling is inspiring and you ask the ‘right’ questions to help me really think about my self and gain insight. Grateful. –L.R. (NYC)
