A Sacred Drumming, Sound Healing and Intuitive Painting Workshop
When: August 15-19, 2010
Where: Still Meadow Retreat Center, Damascus, OR
Facilitators: Chris Zydel, MA of Creative Juices Arts and Fabeku Fatunmise of Sankofa Song
Cost: $1500 includes lodging, meals and all art and music supplies.
I am beside myself excited to be offering this *NEW* 5 DAY RETREAT in May,2010 just outside of Portland Oregon with my friend and partner in expressive-artistic-fabulousness, sacred sound shaman Fabeku Fatunmise.
I haven’t collaborated with anyone in a very long time but when I met Fabeku I knew that he and I could create an experience for YOU that would be beyond magical and transforming.
If you think you might be ready to be part of an extravaganza of creative juiciness and stuckification zapping delight read on…..
Life can be hard.
The daily frustrations. And disappointments. Responsibility after responsibility after responsibility.
And the busyness. Oy, the busyness.
To say nothing about the pain and fear and disconnect that you just keep trying to push through. Or push away.
That’s a whole lot of hard.
And then, after being ground down by all the hard, comes the stuck.
You start to feel lost. Like you’re on automatic pilot. Just going through the motions.
You lose touch with your energy. You don’t know what you want. You forget who you are. And why you’re here.
Leading a life of quiet desperation. Or living a life that looks like some alien landscape.
Ack.
How did you get here?
It happens to all of us.
When this stuff goes fuzzy, you’ve lost touch with the stuff that really matters – the stuff that makes life gorgeous.
The ability to live a life full of heart and meaning. An unobstructed view of your unique creative core. A clear sense of your own individual mojo and your own personal mission.
You lost it. And you want it back.
Shamans call it SOUL RETRIEVAL. Psychotherapists call it FINDING THE TRUE SELF. Sufis call it REMEMBRANCE. Buddhists call it a RETURN TO SOURCE.
And Darth Vader ( who loves singing bowls by the way) calls it GETTING YOUR MOJO BACK.
We call it plugging back into your awesome. Hooking up with your fantabulous juicy aliveness. Getting your groove back. Kicking out the jams. Being the creative rockstar of your own life.
WE CALL IT MAKING ROOM FOR YOU.
You can talk about it. And think about it. And analyze it until the cows come home.
But that’s never going to change things because everything is happening in your head. And you are not your head.
Can we say that again?
You are not your head. 
What goes on in your head?
Not you.
What you think about yourself?
Not you either.
All the stories you tell yourself about yourself?
Nope. Still not you.
All the stuck and the struggle and the ick and the ack?
Totally. Not. You.
This is all stuff that gets in the way of who you really are. Clutter that blocks the view of your own fabulousness.
And it’s pretty much impossible to get around all this stuff, and get back to your awesome, by just talking about it.
Yackity yack won’t get you there. Something else needs to happen to open the door to that deeper realm – to the place where your bigness hangs out.
You need something that really transforms you. Something that clears away what’s non-essential so that you can have a direct encounter with what’s real.
You need something that clears away all the not-you stuff so that all that’s left is you.
Awesome. Incredible. Creative You.
You instinctively know that there’s some core of wisdom and power and beauty and talent and love and joy that could fuel your life. If you only knew how to connect with it.
Because when you plug in to that part of yourself? You know it. And you feel more awake, more alive, more centered and more on purpose.
You just feel more here. And more you.
There are lots of different ways to clear that inner clutter and find your way back to the dynamic heart of who you are.
But there are two ancient practices that we – that’s Fabeku and Chris – are bringing together for the first time ever.
Sacred Sound and Intuitive Painting.
Painting and Drumming. Color and Sound. Singing Bowls and Brushes.
Double the healing. 
Double the mojo
Double the awesome.
These creative practices really work to help you get out of your own way. They’re crazy powerful and incredibly effective for shifting stubborn obstacles, old patterns and long-time paralysis.
For real. And for good.
This means you can say buhbye to stuck, and hello to living your life with joy and vitality and even fun. It means you get to live a life filled with your awesome. (You can totally happy dance now, if you want.)
This Workshop Is For You If…
You Simply Need A Retreat.
Some time away from the busyness and the overwhelm and the ack! of life. A break from the busyness and the overwhelm and the ack! of your own mind would be nice too.
The idea of finding a quiet space within yourself sounds like a million kinds of awesome. Not so you can hear yourself think. But so you can let yourself feel. And flow. And listen.
To your intuition. Or your spirit. Or your inspiration.
That wise, grounded, gorgeous part of you whose voice causes the fear and the frantic, crazy self-talk to fade into the background, leaving tasty morsels of knowing, and insight, and peace in its place.
You’re Going Through A Transition.
Lots of change in your life. Some of it awesome. Some of it not so awesome. Some of it the ohmygod-I-have-no-idea-what-to-make-of-it.
But change – good, bad or otherwise – can be hard. 
Lots of shifting and whirling and roller-coaster-ey stuff.
So you need to find that still point. A place to rest. A place where you can slow down enough to sort through all the scary newness. A place to catch your breath.
Or Maybe You’re In A Standoff With Stuck.
Things aren’t changing at all. No matter what you do. What you try. Or how hard you work.
Same habits. Same struggles. Same stuck.
And talking about the stuck, and thinking about the stuck, and stewing over the stuck just seems to give the stuck superpowers or something.
Totally frustrating. And infuriating. And scary.
Because you’re so ready to say buhbye to stuck. To grab real change with both hands. To sit down to a double helping of transformation.
So you need something to shake you up. You need a surge of energy. A dose of creative mojo. A thunderclap of stuck-shifting juju.
Oh No…Your Inner Adult Has Taken Over.
And it feels like your days are filled with one boring, soul-suffocating have-to after another.
Non-stop pressure. Constant responsibility. A to-do list that wraps around the block. An overdose of seriousness. And lots and lots of hard work.
So you’re pretty much always wearing your cranky pants. (Who wouldn’t?)
And you’re feeling burdened instead of buoyant.
Worn down. Drained. Totally tapped out.
This isn’t your garden variety tired. This is to-the-bone exhausted.
Which has left you hungry for fun. And pleasure. And complete and total freedom to just be you. Without the pressure, and the to-do lists and the seriousness.
We’re talking about a dose of pure play. Where you can put your inner adult in time out and let your inner child go wild.
Bang a drum. Throw some paint around. Break into a funky freestyle happy dance.
It’s time for an emergency infusion of creative juiciness so that you can restore the magic, and awesome, and woohoo in your life.
What You Can Expect From This Workshop…
A great big all-you-can-eat buffet of awesome, that’s what!
Five whole days of playing around with art. And sound. And movement and breath and dancing and meditation and other wacky, fun, supportive things.
And plenty of room to get out of your head and back into your body. To remember who you are. To fill up with whatever you need right now. And to really get your groove back.
Huzzah!
You’ll get to hang out in an honest to goodness painting studio that will be filled to the rafters with more gorgeous eye-popping paint colors and reams of paper and buckets of brushes than you will know what to do with.
Because Chris is a firm believer in having an abundance of art supplies!
And no worries…the great thing about this approach is that you don’t need to know anything at all about HOW to paint. Zip. Zilch. Nada. This is ALL about beginners mind, baby!
And Fabeku will be bringing bunches of no-experience-required instruments with him.
Drums. Rattles. Singing bowls. Gongs.
Stuff that makes it crazy easy to just dive in and start working with sound in totally fun ways to shift stuff and make all kinds of gorgeous happen.
You’ll also have tons of uninterrupted time to paint. And play. And create. The studio will be open 24 hours a day so that you can paint or drum or meditate whenever feel like it.
No rushrushrush go-go-go stuff here.
Because this workshop is all about you getting back in touch with your own needs and your own rhythm.
We’ll also have daily mini-talks on stuff like the wisdom of no mistakes, how to discover the secret language of painting, how sound creates a container for creative work, painting as a spiritual practice, the relationship between art and sound, the myth of inspiration, simple self-care with sound and ways of effectively dealing with the pesky inner critic.
You also get to be part of a fabulous circle of creative folks who are all there for the same reason – to be more conscious and compassionate and loving toward themselves by really digging in to their own creative process.
Most people come away from these retreats feeling like they’ve found their tribe. Their people. A long lost community of wild hearted supporters and encouragers of their most cherished dreams and their most amazing true selves.
Plus you will be totally looked after. So you can kick 
back, take it easy and totally enjoy yourself.
You’ll feast on fabulous gourmet meals. That you don’t have to cook. Or clean up after.
You don’t even have to make your bed, if you don’t want to. Or worry about wearing matching socks. And you certainly won’t have to take care of anyone else.
This retreat is all about you focusing on you.
Roadblocks! Obstacles! Tripwires! (Ouch!)
You know how, sometimes, when you’re about to do something seriously awesome, you all of a sudden start bumping into stuff left and right.
Inner stuff. Outer stuff. All-over-the-place stuff.
Stuff that just pops up from out of left field.
Stuff that almost seems like it’s trying to – oh, I don’t know – keep you from doing this aforementioned thing of much awesomeness?
Yeah, it sucks.
And it’s also pretty common.
So here you are, reading about this shindig and really, really digging it. And then you get to the place where it’s time to push that button. To sign up. To really do this thing.
And you hit a wall.
Why?
Fear. Lots and lots of fear.
We so get this. It’s scary. Really scary. And hard. Hardhardhard.
We know that it can be all kinds of scary to sign up for something like this. The second you even consider it, all of those voices start raging to the surface. Talking as loud as they can. And making really scary faces.
Usually it goes a little something like this…
Scary voice #1: You have no business attending a workshop about creativity. And spirituality. And self-love. And self-acceptance.
Scary voice #2: Yeah, for real. I mean, who you think you are for crying out loud? That’s a crazy idea. Are you friggin’ nuts?
Scary voice #1: You don’t even have the time to do this. It’s like five days – five whole days. You have way too much to do to waste all that time throwing paint around and banging a drum.
Scary voice #2: Right! Think about your responsibilities! Stuff you have to do! And all the people who need you here at home. Don’t be so selfish.
Scary voice #1: Uh, yeah. And what about the money? This thing is expensive. And you can’t afford it.
Scary voice #2: Plus you don’t even have any talent. You’ll just make a big fool of yourself if you go. So you should totally stay home.
Scary voice #1: Totally.
Sound familiar?
Yeah, we thought so.
We know these voices. They’ve chased us around too. So we know how craptastic it is when they’re doing their thing.
But the really cool thing is that we’ve got all kinds of wonderful and sneaky and powerful ways of working with those inner boogiemen.
So we’re not scared of these voices.
No matter how loud they talk. Or how many mean faces they make.
You don’t have to be scared of them either.
And the very fact that they showed up in the first place is pretty much the reason why you should come and hang out with us.
Because we’ll totally share our extra strength boogiemen-go-buhbye superpowers with you.
And we’ll be right there by your side, anytime you need us. Which means you don’t have to face these familiar forces of oh-no-you-don’t all by yourself.
It also means that you can finally free yourself from the crippling influence these loud-talking inner bits have over your creativity, your sense of who you are and how you live your life.
That definitely deserves a woohoo!
And, by the way, all the stuff these voices say?
Lies. All lies.
It’s just stuff they cook up to keep you from really rocking the awesome. And being who you really are. And living a life that is filled to the brim with fabulous.
We’re all about calling their bluff and bidding these voices bon voyage!
No. Experience. Required. (Really)
Since we’re talking about tripwires and scary stuff and ouch-ey bits, can we just say this now?
This is totally a no-experience-required kind of thing.
You don’t have to be an artist. Or a musician. You don’t have to believe that you’re even a little creative.
Because this is not about making art. Or music.
It’s not about being brilliant or making stuff you think is gorgeous (even though we bet you will).
It’s about filling up, feeling good, getting back to who you really are, finding your superpowers and knowing how to take them back to your day-to-day life.
It’s about shifting stuff that holds you down and holds you back. And doing it in the easiest possible way, while being totally supported and having crazy amounts of fun.
When?
This gathering-of-much-awesome is happening from Sunday, August 15 to Thursday, August 19, 2010.
We’ll start Sunday evening. That way you have plenty of time to get in, get settled and get comfortable. No rushrushrush, remember? This retreat is all about 
spaciousness.
And that spaciousness will extend all the way to Thursday afternoon. So you’ve got five days to explore and play and soak up as much awesome as you want.
Woohoo!
Where?
We’ll be hosting this at the Still Meadow Conference & Retreat Center, located in the rural town of Damascus, Oregon.
But rural doesn’t mean impossible-to-get-to.
Still Meadow is only about half an hour from the city of Portland and the Portland International Airport. So it’s super easy to find.
And, if you want, you can even catch a shuttle from the airport to Still Meadow for a nominal fee, and save the expense and headache of the whole rental car thing.
We picked Still Meadow because it’s absolutely fabulous. It’s nestled in the middle of 60 acres of gorgeous nature. So there’s plenty of room to rest and unwind and refill and play.
If you want to spend some time exploring the surrounding gorgeousness, there are forests, fields, creeks and even hiking trails.
But rural also doesn’t mean sleeping-in-tents either.
The accommodations at Still Meadow are beautiful and comfortable. This is the kind of place where you can really sink into the experience, and feel absolutely, totally supported everywhere you turn.
And did we mention the food?
Still Meadow is pretty much famous for its meals.
Gourmet. Organic. Delicious. And healthy.
So, yeah, we’re predicting that meals are going to be one of the high points of the retreat. Because the cooks at Still Meadow aim to please.
And they’re really flexible too. So if you have any special dietary needs, no worries. Just let us know.
The price of the workshop covers your meals and a shared room with one other person. If you’d like your own room, they’re available for an additional $125. If you want a private room, let us know when you register.
How Much?
This five day foray into fabulousness costs $1500. That includes meals and lodging and a bottomless cup of awesome.
A $350 deposit is required to hold your space. And the balance is due by July 22nd.
You can pay online with a credit card or rock it old school and send a check or money order. Get in touch if you want to send your payment via snail mail.
Ready to rock it?
No more yackity yack from us.
If you want to shift a bunch of stuff, have a ton of fun and fill up with a whole bunch of awesome then grab your seat.
Click the button. Send your deposit. 
Save your spot.
And if you do it before May 31st, you save $100 bucks We’re talking early bird discount, baby!
There are only 15 seats open at this shindig.
We’re not saying that to rush you or anything. That’s not our style.
We just want you to know there’s not a ton of room. And we don’t want you to miss your chance to be there if you’re interested. Because that would be no bueno.
So if you dig it, think about grabbing your seat soon.
Registration ends on July 7th. And the balance is due by July 22nd.
What if something comes up and you have to cancel?
Oof.
We’re hoping that doesn’t happen. But if it does, we’ll do what we can to help you out. Because we get what a bummer that would be.
We also get that so much stuff goes into making something like this happen.
Commitments. Contracts. Expenses-a-plenty.
So here’s how it all works out.
If you cancel before July 1st and we can fill your spot, we’ll refund everything you’ve paid, minus half of your deposit.
If you cancel after July 1st and we’re still able to fill your place, we’ll refund everything except your deposit.
And if you cancel after July 15th that doesn’t give us much time to find someone else. So, as bummed as we’ll be that you can’t make it, we won’t be able to give any refunds. (Sorry.)
Questions?
Have questions? Something on your mind?
Get in touch and let us know.
Because we want you to be totally comfortable signing up for this. And sure that it’s a good fit for you. So drop us a line. We’re happy to answer whatever we can.
Who Are These People?
Even though this workshop is all about you I know you want to know SOMETHING about us so…
About Chris
I’m Chris Zydel, MA and founder of Creative Juices Arts, and my passionate mission in life for the past 30 years ( Yes, I’m old, but my creativity mojo is still VERY much alive… and kickin’) has been to be of service to scads of folks as a compassionate creativity guide.
I believe in the transformative power of creativity to lead us to source, the healing power of community to lead us to love and the joyful power of laughter to keep us real and from taking ourselves too seriously!
I work with people individually using the powerful tools of evolutionary astrology and creativity coaching to make your wildest creative dreams come true.
My Painting From The Wild Heart intuitive painting workshops, provide a safe haven of encouragement, inspiration and support where emotionally sensitive, spiritually open, creatively hungry, in love with life people can grow and flourish to become their most joyful, authentic, creative selves.
And if you want to find out more about what I have to offer you can visit me at my website which is www.creativejuicesarts.com.
About Fabeku (aka The Guy With The Name That’s A Mouthful)
I’m Fabeku Fatunmise. (Hi!)
I’ve been painting since I was a pollywog. And hanging around with sound as a way to shift stuff for almost 20 years now.
My thing is helping people to live life with less stuck, less struggle and way more awesome. And to do it in a way that’s fun and easy.
Because shifting stuff doesn’t have to be scary or hard. And it doesn’t have to take a million years either.
Having more awesome in your life is as simple as remembering your right rhythm. When you do that, everything just falls into place and life gets a million times more gorgeous.
I’m a teacher, a painter, a recording artist and a published author. I work with folks from all around the world, both privately and in groups. I also dig chocolate and have an obsession…. I mean a disproportionate fondness for ninjas.
You can find out more about me at Sankofa Song, my home base on the interwebs.
