ONE-WEEK RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMMES 
Symbols Lab

The Context

All of human existence is surrounded by symbols.  Symbols speak to us from everywhere – from nature, through dreams, through stories, fairy tales and fantasies, …, the list could go on and on.

Symbols, metaphors, similes and the like are intertwined and interwoven with the voices of human identity.  Be it identity in roles, of self, the soma (body) or one’s spiritual or cosmic identity or the identity of even human collectives – symbols readily provide a way of articulating that which is unarticulated and making the invisible visible. As Carl Jung puts in, "an examination of Man and his Symbols is in effect an examination of man's relation to his own unconscious".

A few statements about the world and language of symbols deserve to be made -

Firstly, the language of symbols is at the origin of all languages, including those that we use to define the great principles that govern the day-to-day world.  In other words, mathematics, alphabets, signs, figures and letters – in short, everything that enables us to name and classify living creatures and inanimate objects, to organize the “real world” according to our concept of it – are based on the language of symbols.  However, the uniqueness of this language is that it lies deep within our identities – both individual and collective – and is so deeply rooted in the “memory of these identities” that we all speak this language without often even realizing it.

Next, the language of symbols is also the language of life in all its forms.  It is the language that is used each night by men and women in their dreams, but it is also used by anything that dreams, breathes, hopes, loves and struggles – in other words, lives – here on earth.  It is a receptive and living language, which is continuously incorporating thoughts, ideas, new concepts and new forms of life, which is sufficiently flexible to stretch into the past and towards the future, and sufficiently malleable to assume all the appearances of visible and invisible, real and imaginary life.

And last but not the least, the language of symbols stems from the inner life of all of us.  It is the link that connects this inner life with the external world.  In order to be able to respond dynamically in life to the core questions of the philosophy of “living” that has accompanied all of mankind, viz.,

• Who am I ?
• Where do I come from ?
• What is the meaning of life ?
• What is the nature of this world ?
• Where do I go from here ?

- we need to be in touch with the personalized “fount of life” or “nature”, or “spirit” or “soul”, whatever name this is called by.

This fount of life / nature / spirit / soul that is at the core of the existence of individual selves and collectives can be approximally approached (never actually comprehended) by  working consciously with symbols that invite themselves to our life spaces.  Thus, we can open the door to the following steps in man's  search for exploring his identity, namely 

• Articulating the unarticulated
• Seeing the invisible
• Owning the disowned
• Acting the withheld
• Embodying the spirit

In so doing, we can - even if tentatively - attempt a dialog to the above "questions of living".

Offerings of the Symbols Lab

The Symbols Lab is intended to be a setting to experience and explore the symbols that each one of us has been born with, has grown with and seem to be living with.  It is also simultaneously a setting to explore symbols that we have either not chanced to encounter or not chosen to encounter in our life and living spaces.  This experiencing and exploration would be with a view to encounter the “energy of life” that is present in various symbols and configurations of symbols, with a further view to enable a greater owning up of oneself and generate new action for living.

Over the period of the lab, the participants and the group would, through a series of semi structured experiences (using the Tarot, I'Ching, Dream Amplification, and Mythology), experience some/all of the following – 

• The nature of their personal relatedness and expression and the nature of the inhibitions and doubt associated with their being, as well as the founts of their evocation.
• Deep awareness of their personal shadow (the fragmented and unintegrated aspects of their “selves”), the route to assimilation of their masculine / feminine identities (animus and anima, as Jung puts it), and choices to be currently made in the process of their individuation. In other words, participants would involve themselves in identifying their individual directions and their "first steps" to a sense of wholesomeness, aliveness, dynamism and vibrancy of their Being -> this awareness will involve dream amplification work integrated with Tarot work -> an extremely potent combination of deep symbolic work.
• Identification, choice and amplification of their own personal symbols of transformation - through this process (typically involving creative visualization, work with Mandalas and the concept of "universal shapes"), the participants would create their own personal symbols that would be their psychic guides and meditative reference points to guide and inform their growth as they take their next life steps. Through this process, the participants would also learn what it means to and how to visualize their personal transformative symbols from time to time.

Beyond the lab, a virtual space would also be kept alive (through a private social network) to help the participants continue to explore their worlds of symbols in the company of kindred souls.

In all these above experiences, symbol work would tend to lead to invited explorations of probabilities.  Participants would tend not have overt control over the symbols that they work in this lab with.  For e.g., much as one has no overt control over the dreams their psyche throws up, they are not likely to have overt control over the tarot cards they choose for their explorations.  Thus, the element of faith in covert processes of the psyche would be a significant ingredient in the vibrancy of the lab, and this would be invited in the participants.

For Whom

This program invites people who are willing to engage in deep exploration of their identities and for those that seek to generate new modes of being and becoming in their life spaces.  

Eligibility

There are no specific eligibility criteria for entry to this lab. It is open to all those who find an inner response to the statement above under the title "For Whom". It must be noted that this lab is likely to have a diverse set of participants - with some who may have had previous personal growth lab experiences and some who may not have. It is the belief of the directors of the lab that this diversity has potential to be a significant infrastructure to the explorations of the participants.

Important

Sumedhas programs are not amenable for use as "therapy". 

Persons with any history of continuous mental stress, psychiatric treatment, psychotherapy, coronary attacks should not be nominated to any Sumedhas labs. Sumedhas will not bear any responsibility towards any of these developed during or after participation in any of its program/s. It will be implicit that the participant is joining the programme voluntarily for growth not therapy and completely owns the responsibility of his/her own health.

Faculty :

Program Directors - V. Kartikeyan (kartik@vistasconsulting.com, +91-98451 23080) and Janaki Venkat (janakivenk@gmail.com, +91-98215 20544)

Program Design:

The design of the program is around working with Tarot Cards, I'Ching, Dreams, and Mythology.  As such, it is essential that each participant must possess or procure a complete pack of the Rider Waite Tarot Cards (usually available in most bookshops) and bring it to the Lab(*).  In addition, process work philosophies and technology will be used in the Lab. The program is meant to be explorative and interactive in nature and is not intended to be a discourse on symbols.

All the work will happen in a floor seating arrangement and may have some physical activity. Participants are required to come prepared with appropriate clothing.

(*) Those that are not able to procure a set of the required cards must write/email/call in advance to the Program Director, not later than November 25, 2009 to enable a centralized procurement of the same.  The cost for this needs to be then settled with the Program Director before the program begins.  This said, it would be useful for the participants to procure their own set and attempt to play around / familiarize themselves with the same in advance of the program.

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