ENROLLING NOW
12 Holy Nights Dec. 24-Jan 6
$75
The Dream Song of Olaf Åsteson
a Nordic Initiation story:
12 day Painting & Dream workshop through the 12 Holy Nights
with Kristena West M.A.
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The Dream Song of Olaf Asteson is an ancient Norwegian Folk Song. It was lost in time, but a clergyman named Landstad rediscovered it one night when he heard it in a winter’s deep valley in Telmark Norway.
The poem-song tells us Olaf falls asleep on Christmas eve and "sleeps" through the holy nights waking on January 6th epiphany. Rudolf Steiner tells us that while "sleeping" Olaf experiences secrets of the human being and cosmos. The dream-song gives us the "spiritual" pictures in poetic form of his initiation journey. As Joseph Campbell reminds us, the Hero's Journey is found in myths, legends and poem-songs. The 12 holy nights have been called, "time outside of time" or "sacred time." It's a wonderful way to end the year and begin the new.
Every Night a part of the dream-song poem is revealed along with dream techniques, virtues to ponder, and a journey through the celestial zodiac.
Every day we will make a small piece of art, and by keeping a dream journal through the holy nights, we enter into a living contemplative practice traversing the universe circling the Zodiac- we become Olaf's companion.
Each of the 12 holy nights are "outside" of time, and lay over the next 12 months of the year. So receiving a dream on the holy nights may give "glimpses" of the coming year, like pulling a rune for each month!
ONLINE CLASS
EARLY BIRD PRICE! $75 ENROLLING NOW
$75
How does it work?
This is a self-study so you can log into the class any time during the day or night-if you are traveling or snug cozy at home.
The Dream Poem is long and divided into 12 sections/nights. Every day the poem, art, Zodiac Sign and Virtue is posted, and we have original music to listen to, with art examples and easy how to videos, tips for recalling dreams and sacred sleep practices, and enchanting narratives to amplify your journey.
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This is your invitation to have a dream-art-writing retreat over the Holy Nights; to rejuvenate, review the past year and rekindle your deeper self for 2024. Every day we can recall our dreams, create a small painting-drawing-mandala, and write from our hearts what this mythic dream poem brings to us.
Metaphors of the Soul
Here's a description of our dream & art lessons
2 VIDEOS; PASTELS & PAINTING
Two videos on how to draw or paint Olaf on black paper, or small canvas, use the art supplies you have at home
Each day is revealed another part of the dreamsong along with many things to ponder.
If you are traveling for the holy-days folks love checking in with Olaf! If you are home, it's good to have a table you can sketch at every day 15 minutes is good!
CREATIVE WRITING
DAILY DREAM JOURNAL -write it down!
During this 12 holy night event, we have a chance really focus on our practice of dream work.
To consider our dreams throughout the day and use our sketch books or dream journal to consolidate our dreaming.
What did you harvest this year, and what seeds are you going to plant these two weeks of sacred time?
DAILY ARTISTIC PRACTICE
There is something so special to take time out, and focus on our spiritual practice.
I have spent many a holy-nights with pastels, oil pastels and duo aqua oils. Keeping our attention on Olaf's spiritual journey can help mend our fragmented souls and tend our heart forces.
Playing with color and form with poetry, what could be better?
MIXED MEDIA ARTS PLAY
BONUS BOOK ART PROJECT
Bonus -a short video on how to make a book from your twelve art pieces, a fun easy and a great way to complete the journey.
Here is some of the art from our first Olaf group with original Olaf music.
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what will you learn in this class?
• Learn Sacred Sleep practices
• Keep a Dream Journal as a way to access information
• Creative Writing daily pages to deepen your journey.
• 12 days of art making
• Learn how to live into an archetypal Poem
• Experience the Holy Nights as a meditative journey
• Us Olaf as a touchstone over the holidays
who is the class for?
Everyone is welcome!
You do not have to be an artist or remember your dreams, this is a place to Start, you can take the tools you learned in Olaf class to many different practices in daily life.
SUPPLY LIST
OPTIONAL ART SUPPLIES
12-8"X 10" GALLERY WRAPPED CANVAS
12- CRADLE BOARDS
SKETCH BOOK 12 PAGES
BLACK CHARCOAL PAPER
ASSORTED PENCILS, WATER ACTIVATED COLORED PENCILS, WATERCOLORS, PAINT PENS,
PASTELS & OIL PASTELS
CHARCOAL STICK AND/OR PENCIL & CHARCOAL BLENDER
ART DREAM JOURNAL SKETCH BOOK
Meet Kristena West M.A.
Kristena West received her Masters in Transformational Arts & Consciousness, a program that focused on how artists can change the world. Her thesis is on cross-cultural sacred iconography. Her life-long study of shamanism, western mystery traditions and sacred art practices inform all her work.
I am an artist. I have been engaged in community arts, curated exhibitions and worked in fine art galleries since I was eighteen years old.
Since 1990 I have studied with with shamans, learning indigenous ways of knowing. I have taught students and clients these practical- results oriented techniques.
My question has always been "What makes Art Sacred?" And these gifts of what I learned I bring to my work and to students who take my classes.
I invite you to join me to dream, write and get creative by diving into this Norse Initiation Dream-Song
Thank You for joining Olaf's company!
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$75
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