Madrid, Morocco, Capri, Kerala, San Francisco, LA, Cincinnati, Ocho Rios, Tulum, Seattle, Sedona, and NYC and Rome.
Whenever anyone asks why I'm so gung-ho about astrology and incorporating it into authentic movement workshops, I reference this quote. For me, the horoscope is a genius geometrical map outlining very intricate potentials of each individual psyche -- a psychic blueprint. We express through the current composite and consciousness of the seven chakras, or subtle body energy centers.
My interest in astrology only grew deeper as my interests expanded into the realm of depth psychology beginning with Freud and then quickly leading to a life-long study of the work of C.G. Jung. Many of my muses and sources of inspirations, including Jackson Pollock and Martha Graham, had a Jungian analyst during the peak of their career. Jungian analysis is not about 'fixing' people but rather unearthing each person's authentic potential. By undertaking the long and arduous journey to the authentic Self often lying dormant beneath layers of a socially acceptable persona, parental complexes, and darker shadow material that many of us don't dare touch with a 10-foot pole, we can discover our own gold.
But many of us don't want to open up the Pandora's Box of the unconscious until it comes knocking. But rarely is ignorance bliss these days. Addictions, breakups and other dramatic catastrophes force us to wake up and take a deeper look at ourselves, what we want, and where we are going in our lives.
Jungian/Archetypal Psychology, Astrology and Movement create a powerful combination to unleash the deeper mysteries and infinite potential of the psyche.
Imagine combining the feeling you get while surrending into sacred body work, or at the end of a really good yoga class with the feeling of being at your favorite rock concert, (only with the ability to dance full-out to your favorite songs), and this will give you the feeling of Jungian Authentic Movement workshops.The music/soundtrack is selected by the current planetary forces so that the song choices resonate with what is happening both personally and collectively and at times in the workshops we also move in silence.We are all longing for an experience with the 'numinous'--a quality of feeling we are in the presence of something greater than ourselves. We hope that something inspires a feeling of being totally alive, in awe or in the presence of something powerfully sacred. When this feeling is lacking, we feel restless, bored, unfulfilled, and crucified by a feeling that nothing is changing.When life feels devoid of meaning, it’s important to figure out which archetypes are not being fed and resolve to discover new ways to feed them. |
How do we awaken the archetypes that exist within each of us? It's not a question of whether they do indeed exist within our psyches, but how conscious and grounded we are to enable them to channel through us to inspire and create great things. When we block these potent energies, we become blocked in every area of life. The current epidemic of soul starvation is a result of only allowing a tiny fraction of our true conscious potential to flow. |
First consider which archetypes move you the most in your life right now, and which ones you're starving and why. |
Immediacy. Warrior mode. Anger. Aggression. Authority. Assertiveness. Persona. The face. The ego. Impulse.
Grounding. Sensuality. Listening. Voice. Slowing Down. Textures. Repetition.
Versatility. Duality. Contradictions. Whimsy. Polarities. Quick Movement.
Emotional Containment. Sensitivity. Femininity. Intuition. Nurturing. Moods.
Regality. Creativity. Confidence. Self-Expression. Play. Childlike Spontaneity.
Refinement. Attention to Detail. Overcoming Self-Consciousness. Relinquishing Worry. Solitude.
Balance. Grace. Relationships. Receptivity. Harmony. Mirroring.
Intensity. The Depths. Vulnerability. Emotional Passion. Sexuality. Transformation/Metamorphosis.
Truth. Freedom. Expansion. Enthusiasm.
Mastery. Integrity. Intention. Discipline.
Experimentation. Authenticity. Uniqueness. Eccentricity.
Dissolving. Channeling. Feeling. The Sublime.
Building up the strength and flexibility of the body ego so it can contain the potent energies of the unconscious is at the core of this work. The rigid defenses locked deep within our musculature, will not truly release from acts of force, only through true surrender to the archetypal (primary forces of the unconscious) energies that are generated within. Without a strong container (physical body/psyche), the ego falls prey to the spell of addictions and complexes. Without integrity in the body structure, it is very difficult, if not dangerous, to open to new levels of consciousness. And without a solid container, the transcendent energies cannot take residence. If we aren’t ready for them, they can literally blow the circuits of our nervous system.
Jungian psychology deals with the metaphor at the core of the addiction and complex to understand the deeper patterns accompanying the symptoms. For example: with food, it’s often mother; alcohol-spirit; cocaine-light; sex-union. Rather than applying a band-aid, fix-it solution, it’s crucial to uncover the deeper elements remaining buried in the subconscious of our psyche. As Martha Graham so aptly discovered: the body reveals what words cannot.
Being “broken open” by trauma or profound losses in our life can lead to a feeling of surrender, greater repression, or absolute collapse depending on the strength of the body ego. The gift of authentic movement is learning the vocabulary and poetry of your unconscious in a similar manner as one would do in dream work and journaling. You start to uncover your own unique symbolism through the movements your body naturally morph into as a response to the moment. The body has an unbelievable capacity to guide you into unraveling your own pent up aggression, blocks, and other emotional knots that are probably in dire need of expression. It also helps people to unveil their own creative process and trust their instincts like never before. With all of the current spiritual focus on the “power of the moment” as in : “The Power of Now” etc, similar to yoga asana, Jungian Authentic Movement brings you into the powerful present but with an element that is much more self-expressive than you will find in any other exercise modality.
Jungian Authentic Movement workshops begin with ritual elements such as meditation, chanting of sacred mantras, setting intentions, drawing Tarot/oracle cards. This is followed by a brief discussion and exploration of the current archetypal themes as reflected in the planetary cycles and their relationship to specific emotional issues. Archetypes of the zodiac that comprise each workshop’s central theme are invoked through imagery work. Relaxation, breath work, and yoga postures are incorporated into the physical warm-up portion of the workshop to open up energy pathways—getting out of the head and into the gut, and ultimately to the truth in our bones. Each session ends with ligth Polarity Therapy body work to integrate the energies.
“All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.”
― Martha Graham
Jung considered the circle as a symbol of the Self, a sacred mandala and thus it is an intuitive form that many rituals have taken place over the centuries. The circle holds the energy and creates a sacred space with the center acting as the fire of transformation where anything can happen. Each person gives themselves up to the power of that moment of entering the center of the center of the space.
We close our eyes and enter into the sacred circle, the sacred temple of the Self, the depths of our inner world. We move through a non-judgmental space to invoke the power of the inner witness. This is an effortless practice of surrender, relaxation and deeply listening to the body. Movers go beyond self-consciousness and comparison as this space is about the focusing on our interior landscape held deep within the subtle impusles of the body. We are holding and being held by the same transformational crucible. We are all in it together (the perceiver and the perceived are one), and each circle is unique, working its magic on every individual creating it, depending on the specific archetypes invoked during each particular workshop.
Sherene has pioneered monthly Jungian Authentic Movement Workshops since 1999 in Chinatown, NYC using authentic meditative movement inspired by the current planetary influences coursing through the body and psyche. The timeless and powerful ritual of dance becomes one of the most transformative containers to release inhibiting thoughts and repressed emotions and to reunite the psyche, body and spirit. She has taught internationally and been refining her method during her teaching in India over the past two decades.
Be sure to join my newsletter list for upcoming Authentic Movement Retreats
EMBODYING SYMBOLS OF THE SELF
((SPACE IS LIMITED))
$297
3 DAYS OF DEEP WORK ON INVOKING THE SYMBOLS OF THE SELF THROUGH AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT
9 HOURS INCLUDING A DEEP DIVE INTO THE HEALING PRACTICE AND METHOD OF AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT, MEDITATION, MANTRAS, JOURNALING, BODY WORK, PROCESSING, INTEGRATION.
SPECIAL BEVERAGES, TREATS AND REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED
HELD AT A BEAUTIFUL 3-STORY YOGA SANCTUARY IN THE EAST VILLAGE OF MANHATTAN
YOU CAN PAY PER DAY
$108
PAY FOR SPECIFIC DAY OR DAYS YOU WISH TO ATTEND
A DEEP DIVE INTO THE HEALING PRACTICE AND METHOD OF AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT, MEDITATION, MANTRAS, JOURNALING, BODY WORK, PROCESSING, INTEGRATION.
SPECIAL BEVERAGES, TREATS AND REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED
HELD AT A BEAUTIFUL 3-STORY YOGA SANCTUARY IN THE EAST VILLAGE OF MANHATTAN
The P40 Podcast is devoted to furthering the conversation on Jungian psychology, astrology, art and alchemy.
New and Full Moon forecasts plus other significant astrological updates and Jungian Psychology themed discussions.
