Voicing Soul in Nature, Images and Songs

" Do not choose the lesser life. Do you hear me. Do you hear me. Choose the life that is. Yours. The life that is seducing you. That is dripping down your chin...”

Nayyirah Waheed

VOICING SOUL IN NATURE, IMAGES AND SONGS is aiming at creating the premises for exploring and embodying a deep sense of connection to oneself and the natural world around us. 7 Day long training course will  bring 24 people together in the forests and meadows of Latvia. This training course is developed for youth workers, human-workers, to give them the chance to experience and learn about the ways how we can listen better, hear more and learn through and the voices of ourselves, voices that are coming through images and voices that are coming through nature. 

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Project is organized by AANF (LV), working together with 3 trainers - Sandra Horea (Romania) and Eleni Michail (Cyprus) and Lelde Gusta (Latvia).

The main aim of this training course is to develop the resources and competencies of people who work with other people, especially youth, in the fields of personal transformation by exploring and learning a wide variety of concepts and practices such as art of listening, nature based learning, storytelling, creative writing, symbolic art work and singing. We will attempt to tackle and look closer to the existential crises - the loss of meaning and purpose in life, the so-called 'youth disconnection' due to the loss of genuine models. Afterwards we intend to move outwards and look at the global environmental crises affecting humans, fauna and flora of earth and threatening the future of our planet.

VALUES

Soulcraft: The whole program gravitates around Soulcraft practices, deep, dangerous (for the consumer-conformist world) and potent invitations. Although information and knowledge will be offered, this is primarily an immersion into profound experiences that transform the way you see, act, are. It is the experiences that unearth your mythopoetic identity and your deepest knowing.

Maturity: The program requires maturity and wholeness. It is not a retreat, a vacation or a relaxing time. It is, in our view, a revolution! It is an investment in you for the benefit of the Earth. As the activities will direct you gradually to deeper and deeper discoveries, you are called to show up resourcefully and respectfully towards the sacredness of the space we will create, the depth of the work we will do and your commitments. Come with a loving heart, a burning desire, an aching longing, an immense curiosity and a committed responsibility for your personal and cultural transformation. (See more about your commitments later on).

Vulnerability: Nothing is really achieved unless there is vulnerability. No seed roots unless it cracks. No butterfly emerges unless there is dissolution of the caterpillar. No vision invokes without a cry. This whole program is all about transformation and therefore, it is also about courage and vulnerability. We will wholeheartedly create such a space in which vulnerability is held, contained, honored.

Sacred Work: Our sacred work will be inspired by Nature, Arts and Ritual. We’ll explore the landscape of the psychic inner nature through a variety of art practices, including

• Nature immersions and wanders
• Vision fast in Nature
• Poetry
• Storytelling
• Singing
• Embodiment and Movement
• Symbolic art work
• Deep imagery work
• Journaling
• Council
• Deep listening and group work
• Ceremonies and Rituals

COMMITMENTS 

• Your full participation in the programs is mandatory (Latvia  15-23/07/2024)
• Preparation before the first program delving into some video materials and nature wanders;
• At the end of the TC, every participant will do an offering for their community (event, workshop, art performance etc) to spread the gifts further into the world.

TEAM OF GUIDES:

SANDRA HOREA (guide of the programs), Sandra is a soul initiation guide courting and embodying Love and Death as necessary allies to the journey of transformation, supporting the remembrance of the sacred truth one is Here to make manifest. She is in love with the depth of the world’s mysteries, fiercely guiding humans to their most exquisite place of belonging, and inviting them to live a Soul-driven life in service of Earth. As a guide, she creates deep purposeful spaces of inner-discoveries incorporating in her work her experience regarding depth psychology and soul-based practices, eco-centric development, embodiment, storytelling, poetry and deep imagination. She has a wide experience of 13 years in working with humans in facilitating spaces of personal transformation and cultural evolution. She graduated from the Wild Mind Program (focusing on eco-depth psychology of wholing and healing) at Bill Plotkin’s Animas Valley Institute in the USA. At the moment she is intensively studying Soul Initiation Guiding Apprenticeship and Initiation Program (SAIP) within the same organization, an in-depth study of soul-initiation practices and guiding skills.

ELENI MICHAIL (guide of the programs), Eleni Michail is a weaver of the ancient threads of Soul and Spirit, a deep listener and a deep see-er. She is a songstress of the sacred and an apprentice of the Moon. She devotedly calls people to lose themselves, to the point of madly finding themselves. Eleni is a Soul Mentor and a Human Development Guide dedicated in human transformation. She holds spaces, rituals and ceremonies in which people reconnect with their inner resources, their unique gifts and the wisdom of the Earth. For the last 16 years, she has been on a journey of tending the personal and cultural revolution as a space holder, guide, mentor and human being. In her work, she uses elements of Eco-Soulcentric development, ancient traditions, nature and arts. She resides in her birthplace, the island of Cyprus. Find out more about Eleni at www.elenimichail.com

LELDE GUSTA (apprentice for the program), Lelde is a facilitator and artist from Latvia guiding individuals and groups to create, reflect and to become more conscious human beings in order to connect authentically to themselves, to others and to nature. She has more than 8 years of experience in international projects management. In her work she brings expertise in art based practices, nature- based methods and mentoring approaches. She loves creating spaces for creativity to blossom and to let the art work work the one that has created that work, seeing the impact that our souls are making on ourselves and the group through various ways of creative expression. 

Who can participate?

Human beings who are willing to explore their own depths and personally transform so that they could be agents of cultural evolution in their communities in a nurturing and generating life enhancing way.

The selection results will be published on the 1st of April

Contact - for further details and questions you can contact:

Lelde Gusta (project coordinator and faciliator) lelde.gusta@gmail.com or

Lauma Noseka (project support team) laumaslinke@gmail.com 

Looking forward to having a delightfully meaningful experience together!