Course Materials
Symbolic Nature
As the students enter the room they must pass two tapestries of the traditional temple guardians, fear and desire, with the epitaph from Dante; “Abandon all hope ye who enter” embroidered above. The Students will cross the threshold and step over a winding cut of blue flat linoleum. On the inside to either side of the door will be two small tables with small castle figurines. The room will have some plants.
In crossing into this room and class is like entering the temple of your own mind. Each student will partake on their own fairy tale. To enter their private interiors of their mind, they must learn to leave fear and desire at the door, I might have a hat rack at the door to hang them on. To enter that world they must cross the river. Saint Christopher helped Christ cross the river to come into our world, Lucifer flew through the ocean between heaven and earth in Paradise Lost; this is the symbol of crossing through your thick skull to cross the water barrier to your brain and its maze in the castle. The castle is the symbol of the mind, and so is the forest. The castle and the forest in the class.
Throughout the class in the weeks to come I will arrive in various costumes pertaining to different archetypes found in our subconsciousness that are familiar characters in our myths, religions, and fairy tales. My long beard and hair with a bright white shirt will start the students off without realizing. A modern but still strong Merlin guide image. Other costumes will include skull face with tales and top hat, alchemist with pointy hat and robes, swordsman, and such.
Articles in the room will discuss balance in the students mind quietly. Pestle in shape of a woman and a mans face, a hanging spinning puzzle with a queen and king playing card image, Wrought iron deer on rockers, and the like.
Movies
First we will watch Circle of Iron, a film written by Bruce Lee that he never got the chance to see made. It followed his personal philosophies he learned during his college career. It is about a youth winning the right to enter his own journey into the wasteland to find himself. A classic coming of age story. His guide in various disguises is David carradine, how ironic, who leads him through his journey testing him in the proper bodhisattva fashion. This will be a cue, justification, and description of what I will be doing by dressing up in various costumes throughout the semester.
Next will be the Wizard of Oz with special import of a little girl who can save the world with the help of the farmer who feels he has no brains, the industrial worker who has lost heart, and the local politician that is full of hot air and no courage to stand up for his principles as they move on to washington to find the president no more than a man behind the curtain. Students will learn to take their lives in their own hands and solve their problems to solve the communities and their family back in Kansas.
Followed by Star Wars and then Excalibur used to illustrate key points in the Grail story of Echenbach. Key comparison will be facing your dark side as Luke did in the Cave when he cut Darth Vader's head off to find his own behind the visor; as Lancelot found his own starring back at him. Also there is the illustration of facing the father; Luke I am your father.
Other movies will be Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast (anima/Animus mate issues) , Pinnochio (lost adolescence and rebel without a cause), Marry Poppins (Women Suffrage and the lost children) , Finding Nemo (Gepeto’s journey to heal himself to save his child), and others.
Books
On first day the class is asked to read Heart of the Sea, the tradgedy of the Whaleship Essex by Pinkerton and finish it by the end of the class. It will be discussed throughout the class to illustrate the problem of our over goal oriented society that leaves personal intuition and emotional intelligence behind. Key point will be discussed throughout the class. Main focus will be on the Captain Pollard and his First mate and their leader styles. Recommended readings will be Godwin’s Holy Grail, Legend of Bagger Vance, Illusions by Richard Bach, Never Ending Story be Ende, The Tracker by Tom Browne, and The Crack in the Egg by Clinton-Pearse. Each class will start off with a teaching story of Suffi origin and finish as well. Indries Shah series by Dutton Paperback will be recommended..
Reading list
The Books that are needed for this class are:
I. The Legend of Bagger Vance by Stephen Pressfield.
II. Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick.
III. Holy Grail by Macolm Goodwin.
IV. Parzival by Wolfram Eschenbach
V. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.
VI. The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum.
VII. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
VIII. Mencius published by Penguin Books.
IX. Trickster Makes the World by Lewis Hyde.
X. Shaman’s Doorway by Stephen Larsen.
XI. The Modern Alchemist by Richard and Iona Miller.
XII. Illusion by Richard Bach
XIII. Wisdom of the Idiots by Indries Shah
Suggested authors
Joseph Campbell, Indries Shah, Herman Hesse (Stephenwolf), Marian Woodman, Pinkola-Estes( Women who run with Wolves), Laura esquivila, Carl Jung, Umberto Ecco, Pierce-Clinton, Andrew Lang, and much much more...
Outside Movie Rentals
I.Finding Nemo
II. Shrek 2
III. Company of Wolves
IV. Lion in Winter
V. Smoke Signals
VI. Star Trek V
VII. Monster Inc.
VIII. Fifth Element
IX. Ya Ya Sisterhood
Online Textbookfor your own advancement at http://www.docspond.org
Narnia
Lord of The Rings: An adventure for the Yuppie who has lost their way
Posted/ Reads
Snow on The Sahara
Song by Anggun
