Olaf Registration Closed
art & dream journaling online class
Dec 24-Jan6
The Dream Song of Olaf Åsteson
a Nordic Initiation story:
12 day Art & Dream workshop through the 12 Holy Nights
with Kristena West M.A.
The Dream Song 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 song tells us Olaf falls asleep on Christmas eve and "sleeps" through the holy nights waking on January 6th epiphany. Olaf while "sleeping" 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 13 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 is revealed along with dream techniques, virtues to ponder, and a journey through the 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.
Each of the 12 holy nights are "outside" of time, and lay over the next 12 months of the year. So dreaming on the holy nights may give "glimpses" of the coming year, like pulling a rune for each month!
The online class is rich and full of stories, art projects, dream instruction, 12 Months - Zodiac sign and Virtues.
The Book contains Dream instruction, 12 months, Zodiac signs and Virtues and a page for dream journal notes. The book is streamlined, the class is rich, full and potent for over holy nights.
The crossing of the Gjallar Bridge, found in many tales tells us that Olaf has crossed the Bridge between the worlds into the realm of eternity, where we go when we die. But Olaf is awake & aware of his lucid dream-astral projection through the elements of earth, air, fire and water.
Initiation: dreamsong
ONCE IN A DREAM, A SPIRIT CAME TO ME AND ASKED, "DO YOU WANT TO LEARN THE GREAT SECRET OF INITIATION?"
"YES!" I RESPONDED.
THE SPIRIT CAME CLOSE TO ME, AND WHISPERED, "BEFORE. DURING. and AFTER."
So many people ask, "What is initiation?" and it's a question that only living your life with that question activated inside you, may bring you the good fortune to be "seen" by the spiritual worlds and so, you may be taken on a journey.
Initiation means "To Start" to begin a-new, to start over, to go forward, like waking up every morning we get another chance at life and a do-over get out of jail free card.
The entire earth is built on sacred geometry, and geometry is based on rhythms. Each planet rotates in it's own rhythm, the flowers seed, sprout and grow in their own times. The animal kingdom also has thier own rhythms.
Humans wake and sleep every day and night, this is also a holy rhythm. The great poet Novalis said, "Sleep is the little brother of death." To commit to a 12 day@night engagement to remember our dreams and create a small painting-drawing-mandala is the beginning of a sacred art journey.
How does it work? Every day part of the poem will be posted in the classroom, with art examples, additions of exercises and dream practice ideas. Each day builds on the previous until you will feel saturated with Mythos! listening to the numinous.
Metaphors of the Soul
Here's a description of our dream & art lessons
2 VIDEOS; PASTELS & PAINTING
Two videos on how to enter into Olaf as our "character" or "hero" of the story.
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.
DAILY DREAM JOURNAL
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?
CREATIVE WRITING
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
BOOK ARTS PROJECT
SHORT VIDEO on making a book from your twelve art pieces.
Fun easy and a great way to complete the journey.
Group ArtVideo
View a video of some Olaf Companions -
AFTER REGISTRATION, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL WITH LINK ON DEC 24 FOR THIS SELF-STUDY. WE HAVE A FACEBOOK GROUP (optional) where we can share our dream and art, ask questions, and continue the conversations. Many people travel over the holidays, so no worries, check in when you can.
what will you learn in this class?
• start dreaming as a way to inquire & access information
• 12 days of art making & focus
• how to live into a poem and listen
• discover art-dream journaling taking notes as you build a bridge to the Other World too!
• experience the Holy Nights as a meditative journey
•learn to steep our souls in a Norse Mythos
who is the class for?
• anyone who is interested in poetry, mythos, dreams & art making
• You do not have to be an artist or remember your dreams, this is a place to Start! Remember? To initiate your spiritual practice
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. I have always worked with groups.
Since 1990 I have studied with with shamans, learning indigenous ways of knowing. I have trained groups and clients in these ways of knowing. 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.
Check Out my free podcasts, Instagram, YouTube channel and Facebook to see what I am up to. Join us to discover the beauty and delight of Transformative Sacred Arts.
I invite you to join me to dream, explore and dive into this Norse Initiation Dream-Song.