Just in time for the end of summer, Jo An shares with us her experience bringing the AWA Method to a cruise ship:
When more than one hundred people signed up for one of the Famous IONS Consciousness Cruises, each cruiser was invited to submit a topic for a workshop on board or even better to lead a group in a creative adventure…could be music…an author sharing their latest book…yoga…mind-body adventures, delving into the senses.
25 workshops were vetted and won approval. The two main presenters were Peter Russell, author of The Consciousness Revolution and Rupert Sheldrake, author of The Science of Delusion. Both were received with great enthusiasm.
I offered to lead an afternoon of writing, and introduce the group to Pat Schneider‘s book Writing Alone and With Others.
To my delight and amazement, so many signed up for the group that we had to move the location three times. We ended up in the chapel of the ship with 50 people sitting on the floor and some even standing. I did a drawing for a copy of Writing Alone and With Others.
After spending half the allotted time talking about my experience with the Amherst Writers & Artists Method and considerable time talking about our amazing Pat Schneider‘s unique journey, we settled down for writing. The prompt I chose was What Matters… I am sure I found it in Pat’s book. The group loved the exercise and did not want to stop writing. When I asked for volunteers to share, after reading the guidelines adhered to by AWA training, many hands went up.
The writing by each person was amazing, heartfelt, and so crystal-clear beyond all expectations. I had hesitated doing the presentation, concerned about group size and boundaries. My takeaway was that the AWA Method is unique and profound. Works one-on-one. Works with groups which are highly evolved and into consciousness. Works with children and with adults of all ages. Works with people who are homeless. Works with right brain and left brain. Pat Schneider is a genius in her gleanings of the human spirit and its longing to be recognized and heard.