Watercolour as a Path to Awareness
With David McEown
May 22 - 26, 2019
Cortes Island
Explore watercolour’s magical, flowing, spontaneity and learn essential techniques, as you paint directly from nature. Enhance your perception and connection to the earth with this travel-friendly medium. All levels welcome. David McEown has been using watercolour paint to explore earthʼs disappearing wilderness areas for 25+ years.
The Landscape of Expressive Arts
With Kathleen Horne and Tamara Teeter Knapp
May 31 - June 5, 2019
Cortes Island
Tune in to the natural rhythms of Cortes Island while exploring your own inner landscape with visual art, guided meditation, movement, writing, and sound. Attune to yourself and discover new possibilities for your life.
Morning Altars: Impermanent Earth Art
With Day Schildkret
June 14 - 19, 2019
Cortes Island
Slow down, open to wonder, and listen to the language of the land. Explore the natural beauty of Cortes Island and create meaningful and mesmerizing land-based mandalas. Use this artistic practice to connect to your inner child, the timelessness of nature, and the wisdom of impermanence.
Media That Matters: The Nature of Media
With Hollyhock Leadership Institute
June 19 - 23, 2019
Cortes Island
In an era of divisiveness and disconnection, our relationship to media and technology must evolve. Join a collaborative community of professional and non-professional artists and media makers who want to explore new world views and create flow states that support reflection, dialogue, and a deeper relationship with nature.
Going Under the Words: Writing Fiction & Memoir
With Shaena Lambert
June 23 - 28, 2019
Cortes Island
Creating fiction and memoir is part craft, part mystery. Discover ways to shuck the skin of your words, to find the beating heart. Connect with your voice, and wind drama and action into your writing’s DNA. Experience the creative thrill of going deeper.
Science to Source: Mantras & Chanting
With Pat Moffitt Cook, PhD
June 28 - July 2, 2019
Cortes Island
For centuries, civilizations have used mantra, chant, and melodic song to connect with nature and a “Divine Source”. Vedicism is one of the earliest practices to use the science of mantric language and sacred chant for healing and spiritual self-inquiry. Learn, listen, and practice this living, healing art of auditory stimulation.
Holy Sh*t: Writing the Sacred & Profane
With Ann Randolph
June 28 - July 3, 2019
Cortes Island
No mud, no lotus. Mine the mud of your life journey to uncover the lotus of your unique, powerful story. Profound transformation occurs when you write and speak aloud both the sacred and the profane, the joy and the suffering. Speak your truth on the page, stage, and in life.
Improv for Life
With Joshua Townshend-Zellner
July 3 - 7, 2019
Cortes Island
Tap into your most powerful thoughts, feelings, and desires in magnificent, dazzling, and unexpected ways. Learn to notice what you don’t notice. Gather insights and tools from improv theatre, writing prompts, creative games, and deep sharing - and apply them to all aspects of your life. Everyone welcome.
Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Creative Spirit Within
With Kenny Werner
July 3 - 7, 2019
Cortes Island
Are you ready to liberate the “master creator” within? Learn how to enter “the space” - a realm of effortless thinking, inspiration, and freedom, where creativity and confidence arise naturally. For anyone who seeks joy and mastery in ANY aspect of their life. Musicians and non-musicians welcome.
Joy of Ukulele
With Kimo Hussey
July 7 - 12, 2019
Cortes Island
The ukulele is easy to learn, portable, and FUN to play. Kimo Hussey, Master Musician and Master Teacher, shares his blueprint to learning, playing, and enjoying this beautiful instrument for many years to come. All levels welcome.
Dance of Oneness®: Stella Maris
With Banafsheh Sayyad
July 14 - 18, 2019
Cortes Island
Explore the mysteries of Stella Maris through guided and free-style dance, whirling, Sufi poetry, chanting, yoga, meditation, wisdom teachings, deep silence, a sharing circle and lots of laughter. Dive into the sea of love as we dance in-doors, at the edge of the sea and in the sea.
Music for Collective Sound
With Morley
July 17 - 21, 2019
Cortes Island
Celebrate the power of our shared humanity: our racial, cultural, and religious diversity, and our interdependence with nature. Explore self-expression with music, songwriting, storytelling, meditation, yoga, and vocal release.
The Mystery of the Soul
With Margie Gillis and Thomas Atum O'Kane, PhD
July 21 - 26, 2019
Cortes Island
The mystery of the soul can be embraced, experienced, danced, and explored, but never exhausted or diminished. Reclaim and celebrate the mystery of your soul with dance and spiritual teachings.
Healing Family & Ancestors: Ritual and Resonance
With Jill Purce
July 26 - 31, 2019
Cortes Island
Transform inherited patterns into magical blessings. Jill’s unique ceremonial, shamanic healing rites, using chant and family constellations, restore coherence within family fields in oracular ways, unavailable in normal therapy. Excluded relations are reintegrated as powerful allies. Relatives do not need to be living. Individuals and families welcome. Renowned internationally, author Jill Purce pioneered both the sound and ancestral healing movements. healingvoice.com
Dancing from the Inside Out
With Margie Gillis
July 26 - 31, 2019
Cortes Island
Move into your body’s experiential wisdom to reveal the soul in motion. Listen to your body’s inner impulses, conversations, and emotions to deepen your well-being along with your artistic and creative expression. An exceptional opportunity. All levels welcome. -- Margie Gillis is an internationally acclaimed dancer/choreographer, performing for 40+ years, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
From Point-and-Shoot to Brilliant Photography
With Dr. Charles Steinberg
August 4 - 9, 2019
Cortes Island
Master the magic of light, composition techniques, and visual storytelling. Make quantum leaps in skill and creativity with a fun, supportive group of new and experienced photographers. All equipment and devices welcome, including smartphones. -- Charles Steinberg is a published photographer with several beautiful books.
Reel Youth Inter-Generational Film Project
With Mark Vonesch and Tiffany Moses
August 9 - 14, 2019
Cortes Island
Co-create and inspire meaningful intergenerational connections through film production! Sign up as a youth/elder pair, or individually. Be featured in a film and/or learn the art of documentary filmmaking and create a short film that celebrates the life and wisdom of an older participant.
Song of the Drum, Dance of Life
With Gordy Ryan and Zoë Ryan
August 9 - 14, 2019
Cortes Island
Activate the fire in your hands, the heat in your feet, and the love in your heart. Sing, dance, and play with drum masters, in a soulful journey to the well of inspiration and creativity. Everyone welcome. -- Gordy Onayemi Ryan, Zoë Ryan, Sanga Francis, Ade Harris - the core of the Olatunji Drums of Passion - performed with Babatunde Olatunji.
Deep Noticing for Distracted Writers
With Sarah Selecky
August 9 - 14, 2019
Cortes Island
Writers will learn how to drop into a state of wordless receptivity, and bring presence into language and story. The writing will be generative and unexpected; participants will experience ripples of insight and a renewed love for their craft.
Writing to Awaken: Memoir as a Path of Transformation
With Mark Matousek
August 23 - 28, 2019
Cortes Island
Memoir is a path of self-knowledge. Learn to tell the whole truth and your essential stories will emerge, bringing insight and transpersonal wisdom. Writing exercises and group dialogue guide you toward creative discovery, increased mindfulness, and better composition. Everyone welcome.
Podcasting: The Story from Hear
With Jennifer Moss and Jenni Schine
August 28 - September 1, 2019
Cortes Island
Tune into the power of sound, listening, and community storytelling. Attentive sound-walks, story creation guidance, and technical skills for podcast production advance your acoustic projects within a supportive, group environment.
Garden to Table: Cooking & Mindful Movement
With Rebeka Carpenter
September 1 - 6, 2019
Cortes Island
Cultivate a nourishing experience with Hollyhock chefs, gardeners, and yoga teachers. Enjoy hands-on culinary play inspired by the harvests of the garden, and refresh with gentle yoga and mindful movement. A rare opportunity to discover the process from garden to table, and to create some of Hollyhock’s extraordinary vegetarian dishes!
The Naked Voice Wisdom School
With Chloe Goodchild
September 1 - 6, 2019
Cortes Island
Your authentic voice is your soul’s most intimate friend. Learn sound mantras, sonic codes, and deep-inquiry practices to access the unconditional loving presence within you. Release inhibition and allow self-remembrance to arise. Everyone welcome. -- Chloë Goodchild is a sound visionary, subtle activist, spiritual teacher, and author.
Create to Liberate
With Khari McClelland and Rebekka Goldsmith
September 6 - 11, 2019
Cortes Island
Explore music, visual art, writing, movement, and imaginative play for self-development or for working with groups. Expand your individual and collective creativity to live a more meaningful, joyful and connected life.
Seriously Funny: In Writing, In Life
With Janelle Hanchett and Lisa Page Rosenberg
September 15 - 20, 2019
Cortes Island
Humourless writing is dead writing. Learn how to incorporate humour into your own work as we celebrate the comedic in art: literature, film, theatre, and even political analyses. Infuse your narratives with humour, even in the most difficult of subject matter.
Painting & Drawing: Transforming the Ordinary
With Lori Goldberg
September 25 - 29, 2019
Cortes Island
Set your creativity free. Connect with your intuition and unique visual intelligence, while building skills in the techniques of drawing and painting. This insightful hands-on program is a playful exploration into self expression and awareness. All levels welcome.
Mandalas: Art as a Spiritual Path
With Paul Heussenstamm
September 29 - October 3, 2019
Cortes Island
The practice of painting sacred art and mandalas is healing, meditative, spiritual, and joyful. Reveal the deep inner patterns that connect you to your soul and transform your everyday consciousness into the artist within. No experience required. -- Paul Heussenstamm is a fourth generation artist, well-known teacher, and creator of more than 2,000 unique spiritual paintings.
Flying SOULO: Your Story on Stage
With Tracey Erin Smith
October 7 - 12, 2019
Transform your life’s stories into a Solo Theatre Show or Keynote. Through improvisation, writing exercises, and one-on-one coaching, uncover the stories that need to be told and reveal your truth in a powerful and entertaining show.