The Earth is My Witness: Touching the Earth in Body, Soul and Spirit

 
The image of the compassionate Buddha touching the earth in the moment before he was enlightened expresses the universal need to return to the body and the earth. In Jungian depth psychology, Buddhist practice, and Sandplay, the modern disconnection from the body and earth is healed by bringing the sacred contact of psyche into body, symbol, and sand. Like the Buddha, in calling upon the Earth Goddess as our witness, we establish our right to be here among all things. We overcome the fear and suffering of the armies of Mara: these symbolic and mythological dimensions remind us that establishing a sacred presence in our body, a joy of being on the earth, is necessary for our wellbeing and our survival. On this autumn weekend, we will partake of the wisdom of Marion Woodman, Jack Kornfield, and Martin Kalff. We will join together for teachings of the heart, for stories, movement and meditations, for transformative case discussions, and Sandplay images that illustrate this healing potential in us all. For more than a hundred years, there has been a rich dialogue between Buddhist teachings and the Jungian community. On this special weekend we welcome spiritual practitioners, therapists, and anyone on a path of healing and awakening. Marion Woodman has devoted her professional life to the wisdom of the body, honoring the Soul in the body as essential to living an authentic, embodied life on this earth. She will explore "Touching the Earth in Body, Soul, and Spirit" with two esteemed colleagues. Dr. Jack Kornfield, Buddhist teacher and western psychologist, has been a key figure in the dialogue of psychology east and west. Jack was trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, Burma and India, and has helped establish Buddhist vipassana/mindfulness meditation in the west. He is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Center and the Insight Meditation Society. He also holds a PhD in clinical psychology, and is a husband and father. Dr. Kornfield’s books include A Path With Heart, The Art of Forgiveness, Teachings of the Buddha, and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. Dr. Martin Kalff is a meditation teacher, Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and leading Sandplay therapist. In various personal meetings starting in 1969, he has received inspiration and encouragement by the Dalai Lama to continue his innovative work. In 1985, he was one of the 12 founding members of the International Society of Sandplay Therapy, and in 1991 he founded The Center for Sandplay Therapy, later renamed Pegasus: Center for Sandplay Therapy, Psychology of Religion, and Creative Expression. He is also co-founder of the Buddhist Center in Zollikon, Switzerland. Dr. Kalff has a private practice in Sandplay therapy treating children and adult clients, and teaches Sandplay therapy all over the world. He lives in Switzerland with his wife and son. © 2004 The Marion Woodman Foundation