A visual journal is a sacred container to listen to the whispers of your Soul. It is a a playground for the imagination, a space to experiment with color, shape, pattern and image. It is a breathing space where you explore the mysterious territory of your inner world. As we play on the pages of our journal the longings of our soul become visible. A visual journal can be a space where we invite our inner artist to become present to possibility, and allow what is below the surface to move into view.
“The ability to look deeply is the root of creativity. To see past the ordinary and mundane and get to what might otherwise be invisible.”
In this retreat, our visual journals will lead us on a journey of self-discovery as we play with possibilities. Unexpected revelations can arise when we allow our creative self a time of spaciousness to play with the things it loves with no expectations and with an openness to seeing things in a different way.
I’ll share with you the basics of visual journaling: creating word libraries as sources of intuitive wisdom and creating a library of painted pages without a paintbrush.
If you have taken one of my Visual Journal classes before please know that some of the same ideas and techniques will be used in this class. However, the book of images you receive as material for your journal will be new as will many of the ideas for your pages.
Your inner artist will experiment with creative processes that will encourage it to play with the shapes, symbols and colors that express what it loves. Our focus will be on listening to our inner voice and giving it time and space to be heard.
I will show you how to use Photo Apps on your iPhone to create your own unique images that you can print out and use in your journal when you get home. This is a way to bring your own photographs or copyright free imagery into your journal, along with fun techniques that add unexpected and unique creative elements to your images.
C.G. Jung believed in the importance of creating your very own book as a space to connect with your Soul. You might have heard of The Red Book which was the book he created as he explored his connection to his Soul. These words from Jung give a sense of how meaningful he saw this kind of book:
“I should advise you to put it all down as beautifully as you can, in some beautifully bound book … Then you can go to the book and turn over the pages and for you it will be your church – your cathedral – the silent places of your spirit where you will find renewal … for in that book is your soul.”
Why can creating a book like this be so meaningful, especially in confusing times like these? I believe that mindful creativity is not only a way to calm our overwrought nervous system, but it is a way to connect to our inner world, to both process unresolved thoughts and to imagine how we might want to live in the world.
“Entering more deeply into the creative process, the artist begins to receive spontaneous gifts: signs and meanings suggest themselves “from nowhere” - forms previously unimagined, new themes or motifs that seem remarkably fertile. The working faculties and the companion self have come to life, shedding seeds with abandon and generosity ...”
VENUE
This retreat will be held at the St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, 477 Grogan Road, Stoneville, NC, which is about 30 miles north of Greensboro, NC and the closest airport is Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO). The Center is situate on 140 acres of peaceful wooded land and has a labyrinth based on the Chartres pattern.
You can arrive any time after 3pm on July 27th to check in to your room, and we will officially start after dinner which is served at 6pm. We will end on Thursday at 12 noon followed by lunch which is included in the cost. The pace of the retreat will be slow so you can dive deep and all activities will be optional.
YOU WILL RECEIVE
Each participant will receive their own creative visual journal kit with:
A 8 1/2 x 11 inch hard covered journal
Glue stick and scissors
A 170 page book full of images created especially for this retreat and sized for your journal for you to play with and make your own.
Daily creative practices to expand your creativity
Daily surprises to expand your visual journal practice
Additional art supplies like paints, collage materials, punches, paper for painted pages, circular paint surfaces, and more will also be provided so you can just arrive and play. There is no need to bring any creative supplies with you, unless you would like to! Please make sure you leave space to take your creative kit home in your luggage!
“Living life as an artist is a practice ...
The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.”
COST
The cost of this five day, four night retreat which includes accommodation in a single room with private bathroom, all meals, snacks and an abundance of art supplies including your own personal art supply kit is $1,395.00 per person. If you would prefer to share a room with a friend, the cost is $1,125.00 per person. Please let Catherine know the name of your roommate.
Payment is as follows:
A non-refundable admin fee/deposit of $145 is required to register for the retreat. REGISTER HERE
A second payment of $550 by May 20th, 2025 as the Retreat Center requires confirmation and payment for accommodation two months ahead of the retreat start date.
The balance of $700 for a single room or $430 for a shared room is due on or before June 27th, 2025.
There is a discount of $50 available if you pay your second payment and balance by check or by Zelle. You are welcome to make part-payments towards the retreat anytime you wish.
There is also a returning participant discount of $50 for participants who attended a retreat with Catherine in 2024.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Should it be necessary for you to cancel your participation in this retreat you will be refunded the retreat costs less the non-refundable deposit and any accommodation fees already due and paid to the retreat center, provided your cancellation is made more than four weeks prior to the start of the retreat. You are also welcome to find someone to take your place in the retreat. If you do not wish to self-insure, it is highly recommended that you take out a travel insurance policy to cover your cancellation due to unexpected events such as flight cancellations and illness.
Should Catherine need to cancel this retreat for any reason, you will be refunded amounts paid to Catherine for this retreat. Catherine will send registrants a full refund of all monies paid within seven days of notification of cancellation, and accepts no additional liability for travel costs or any other additional costs incurred.