Workshops

The Seasons Within

The year is marked by seasonal rhythms of growth, decay, and rebirth. Our needs, strengths, and anxieties fluctuate with them. We might need more or less sleep in one season than in another, feel more or less willing to take risks, be more or less happy to stay home or go out.

It is important that we learn to attune to seasonal change, so as to work with it rather than fight against it.

Our lives have seasons, too. So does everything we do - every job, every relationship, every adventure goes through similar rhythms to those of the year.

Humans evolved in connection with the rest of nature. Unfortunately, we have severed the bond, and we pay the price in terms of stress and fatigue. These workshops will help you rebuild that bond.

In small, curated groups, we will look at symbolism, myths, and folklore related to seasons in different cultures, finding nuggets of wisdom in different practises. We will also examine literature, art, and philosophy to understand how humans have related to the cycle of seasons throughout history. We will immediately ground our knowledge in our lived experience through a series of practical exercises. We will go back home with powerful tools we can use for the rest of our lives.

We have been taught to think of life in linear terms, but at times it is better to think of it as a larger cycle composed of smaller ones. There is a season for everything, and seasons come, go, and return.

Equilibrium

Renaissance philosopher and physician Marsilio Ficino believed that there is one secret to the health of body and mind, and that is balance. He created a system of psychological exploration based on the symbolism of seven ‘planets’, each representing one aspect of human life. For example, Mars represents courage, Venus represents attraction, Saturn is for focus. Each planet can represent a strength, when balanced with the others, or a weakness, when balance fails.

The planets also represent external influences, forces working for and against us. Ficino taught that humans are intimately connected to the rest of the world, and that we can only reach an inner balance by looking outwards, at the reality surrounding us.

By integrating Renaissance philosophy and modern scientific research, we find ways to achieve inner balance and better health.

In small, curated groups, we will share a journey through the symbolism of the seven planets. We will build on it through a series of exercises that will help us recognise what is overwhelming us and what might help us a little.

I lead my workshops in beautiful locations in London and Puglia, as well as online.

If you want to know more, you can email me or subscribe to my newsletter.