Detailed description below.
Since September, the nights have been getting longer, swallowing up more and more daylight. Thankfully, though, we’ve nearly made it! The winter solstice on 21 December will see the longest night of the year. After that, the days will be getting longer again, and the nights shorter, and lo and behold, spring, and green, and warmth returns.
Cultures all over the world celebrated this turning point of the natural cycle, and so did the ancient Persians. Even today, Iranians and Persian-influenced peoples hold onto the tradition of shab-e yalda, the night of birth. Families and friends gather together wrapped in cosy blankets, eating fruits, reading poetry, and telling tales all night through until the dawn of the next morning, ringing in winter, but also the return of light. By sharing stories, Persians believe we can keep the demons away haunting the night outside. We, however, want to welcome those demons in…
“Greet yourself in your thousand other forms”: Writing the Self on the Longest Night encourages you to lean into the darkness, and discover the stories that lie hidden inside of you. Through a series of writing exercises, we will “leave the familiar for a while” and open a channel to the unconscious, exploring unseen and unknown parts that we tend to silence in our busy day-to-day lives. Writing opens up a channel of communication between depth and awareness that unearths feelings, memories, motivations, and dreams, and gives them space to be as part of us. Night doesn’t have to be scary. It can also heal us into wholeness.
We will write, write, and write again in order to override our internal editor that seeks to censor and criticise, so be prepared to keep the pen moving.
We will also perform a little Persian ritual involving fire which Persians honour as power of life, truth, and health.
This workshop invites you to cherish your night, and welcome your fire.
- Wednesday, 21 December, 8pm (because night!) at my cosy home in Moabit
- Wednesday, 21 December, 10pm via Zoom
- duration: 60 minutes (maximum 90 if we chat)
- workshops are donation-based, so you can contribute whatever seems right to you & is within your means
- sign-up via email: florence.hazrat@gmail.com
Objectives
- You will write a lot, which will help silence the inner critic and let your playful creative side out.
- You will nudge towards channeling your unconscious through certain exercises, stimulating the right brain hemisphere, helping to discover latent information from the self.
- You will be able to release heavy emotions & experiences emerging from automatic writing.
- You will have space to share your writing & exchange with others in the safe space of the workshop (if you wish; there is no requirement to share).