Workshop with Linda Wiggen Kraft
Hendersonville, NC, USA
A workshop about finding the Holy in all of Nature and Creating Sacred Space with it.
Sunday August 21 (check in 4-6 pm) to Friday August 26 (after breakfast), 2016
Faith, Arts and Creative Expression – Liturical Arts Conference
Kanuga Episcopal Retreat Center, Hendersonville, NC -near Asheville
(Details of the Conference and Registration here)
DESCRIPTION:
Sacred spaces can be found in nature, places of worship, within our homes, within our hearts and in the work created by our hands. In the class “Creating Sacred Space in the Garden, Planting Prayers” easy to do art and writing techniques, along with hands on outdoor experience of how to create sacred spaces in our own gardens, gardens at places of worship and outside in nature will be shared. Using the beauty and marvel of Kanuga’s sacred grounds each participant will listen to nature and find an outdoor spot to create their own focal point sacred space.
Mandalas, labyrinths, sacred geometry and other art forms that have been used to create sacred spaces throughout history will be explored and used. The class will be held inside for most of the art making and writing components.
Part of our time outdoors will be learning ways of listen to nature’s languages and letting the Holy reveal itself in those languages. Within that communication and experience, sacred space can be created. Outdoor time will be spent near the classroom. There will be a tiny amount of digging in the dirt with a trowel. No strenuous activities involved.
Prayer is part of the creation of sacred space. Prayers will be created with simple easy to do art and words. Different forms of art making and expressive writing formats will create prayers of each participant’s own art and words. Making mandalas will be part of the art making. Creating simple and easy to make art forms allows an opening to deep creativity. The marks and images made with paints and other art materials come from inner imagination and reflect a personal intuitive guidance to colors, shapes and images. Balancing this artistic right brain creativity is journal and prayer writing, which is left brain activity. Together the images and words will become the prayers used for planting prayers, prayer boxes and prayer stones which will all be part of the outdoor sacred spaces. In addition, a map will be created to pinpoint and discover all these sacred spaces at Kanuga, in a similar way to letterboxing and geocaching.
No art, writing or gardening experience necessary. The art is a simple form of “mark making” which anyone can do. The writing is a simple form of honest expression, which anyone can do. The gardening is a simple form of easy digging. The map making – well anyone with map making and/or GPS skills will be an asset. Seeds, art papers, paint, inks, dyes, stones and other art materials will be used in the creation of prayers for planting, prayer boxes and painted prayer stones.
Guided and centering meditations are an integral part of this class. They help class participants relax, center, go within to their creative core and outwardly express inner wisdom and connection.
Conference site: http://www.kanuga.org/conference-calendar/conference-calendar-details/liturgical-arts-conference