Robert Romanyshyn approaches the soul through the senses, through gesture, mood and image. His sense of beauty, rightness and confusion, come from the stretch between what we can’t quite touch yet and what we’re smack in the middle of. Robert’s sense of individuation is that we are always on the road and we are always coming home.
In this short course Robert warms us to the work as he shares three stand-alone stories of his trips into the anguish and marvel of the moment. In “The Threshold”, we hear how Robert met an unexpected guide in a French village. Next, as Robert tells “The Orphan ” we might feel a strange brotherhood with the monster Frankenstein, disowned by his creator. Lastly, as we hear the barks of seals in a rookery, we’ll be drawn upward on a shaft of light in “The Forgotten Gift.”
Here are some moments from the talk:
“We individuate by breakdowns that break through something else. The obstacles that are put in our way break us apart. When this happens we’re being asked to gather the pieces up again in another way.”
“The landscapes of the world and the landscapes of the soul are two sides of one coin. The seasons of nature will also be seasons of the soul. We’re trying to recover something that we once knew, but have forgotten and forgotten we have forgotten.”
Note: This favorite class from the “Life as a Soul Journey” conference has been remastered to stand alone.
In the bonus part, Robert shares 9 photos from his treks in the world. He prompts us to find how the outer scenes awaken our inner landscape. Participants who attended the conference shared what the images moved within them.
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You want to renew your sense of wonder at the magic of the world.
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You want to be urged to remember the gift of consciousness.
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You want to get close to the warmth of a seasoned pilgrim.
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You want to recognize poetic hints about how to find your soul in the world.
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You want to learn to describe the therapeutic value of finding one’s story as part of the human experience.
Class 1 – Vessels to take us home
As Robert lights the campfire, he offers different ways of imagining our work together. He offers this moment as an opportunity to newly imagine the events of your life, to get a glimpse of the patterns that have woven together who you are and who you are meant to be. This is part of individuation. While he reminds us that individuation is not easy, he also assures us that coming home to yourself can become a coming home to the world.
Class 2 – The Creative pilgrimage
In this segment Robert explains that destiny is a fate that has been consciously engaged in. We need to glance backward, gather up the pieces and realize the possibilities that are still unfolding. With personal anecdotes, Robert invites us to experience the miracle that lies in the heart of the mundane.
Class 3 – part 1: Stories of Homecoming: The Threshold
Robert tells the story of a routine walk in a small French village that took an unexpected bend.
Class 3 – part 2: Stories of Homecoming : The Orphan
Robert shares warnings from his Frankenstein prophecies about the state of our soul. We gain sympathy for the monster and reconsider our rejection of him. Frankenstein might be holding something of value for us.
Class 3 – part 3: Stories of Homecoming: The Forgotten Gift
In this segment Robert descends to the smells and sounds of a seal rookery. He shares how our origin in the instinctual realm is pierced by the light of consciousness.
Bonus class: Landscapes of the world as landscapes of the soul: 9 images
In this bonus hour Robert shares his own fotos of special places in the world. Participants who attended the conference shared what emotions the images stirred within them.
