The January 1997 issue of the
Utne
Reader was largely devoted to the evolution of this new approach
to learning and personal growth. "A new artistic and spiritual movement has
evolved so far beyond...therapy," says the magazine, "that it needs its own
name." Maureen O'Hara, former president of the Association for Humanistic
Psychology, suggests "soulcraft," "psychopoetics" and "the existential arts."
We have chosen "soulwork."
Soulwork, although it is a growing cultural movement typified by James Hillman, Thomas Moore and Marion Woodman (just to name three), has ancient roots. The Greeks, the Sufis and the shamans of indigenous cultures all practiced a kind of oracular knowing through the use of the imagination. Carl Jung amplified this by his process of active imagination. Others since Jung have added bodywork, so that material gleaned in the field of the imagination is firmly grounded and resonates completely in the here and now.
Soulwork, in short, is the art of living soulfully,
from a place of deep imagination — but in a fully embodied way, so that
you can make a difference in the way you actually conduct your life.
Practically speaking, in soulwork we access the deep imagination — which has been variously called the "archetypal field," the "spirit," the "soul" — through specific assignments and exercises, including breathwork. This work often involves writing, art, music and movement. It is available individually and in ongoing groups and workshops.
An important component of this work is that it attempts to help
you cultivate soul in the world. It views the inhibitions and blocks to personal
growth as more than personal symptoms but as symptoms of the world in which
we live. When we access the deep imagination, we are accessing anima
mundi, the soul of the world, itself. In that deep place, we find our
purpose in being here.
Cliff Bostock, MA, 404-525-4774 (Atlanta), offers this work independently
and through his association with SoulWorks LLC.
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