MAY 2024

The Stone:

meditations on an Archetypal Symbol

with artist and educator Chantal Powell, Ph.D.

“Many people cannot refrain from picking up stones of a slightly unusual color or shape and keeping them . . . without knowing why they do. It is as if the stone held a mystery in it that fascinates them.”
– CG Jung, Man And His Symbols

There is so much potency in the symbol of the stone. That’s why we are drawn to hold and collect them, to use them as spiritual markers, as memorials, and to lay our myths upon them.

In this three-week course we will embark on a rich, visual meditation on the archetypal symbol of The Stone through Jungian psychology, art, alchemy, and mythology. Guided by artist and educator, Chantal Powell, you will discover the stone as a symbol of the Self, the illustrious philosophic stone of the alchemists, and the role of Holy Stones. We will traverse the presence of stones in myths and legends, look at how they mark sacred sites and their use in ritual landscape.

The course will also introduce you to artists who have utilized the stone as a source of inspiration and focus. The final week will be a special in-conversation event with invited guests Emma Cousin (artist) and Hettie Judah (writer/art critic/curator).

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THE STONE

meditations on an Archetypal Symbol

WITH CHANTAL POWELL, PH.D.

SUNDAYS
MAY 5, 12 & 19
11-1pm Pacific / 2-4 pm Eastern
/ 7-9pm GMT

Live Via Zoom +
Video Recording will be available
to all guests

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Course Outline

Session 1:

The Stone as a Symbol of Self 

The Philosophers Stone – alchemy’s treasure

Holy Stones - Spiritual markers & memorials; a dwelling place for gods; sympathetic magic & talismans.

Stories, Myths & Legends – from Medusa’s petrifying gaze to the Parzeval’s Grail stone

Session 2:

The Stone in Landscape and Ritual

Meditation – slowing with stones, zen rock gardens and suiseki

Artists working with the symbol of The Stone – from Max Ernst’s painted pebble to Ken Unsworth’s 103 suspended river stones.

Session 3:

Talking Stones – An exploratory “In Conversation” with art critic/writer/curator Hettie Judah and artist Emma Cousin

Emma recently experienced being activated by the symbol of the stone during an artist residency on the Jurassic coast. We will be discussing and sharing images from this experience alongside insights and stories from Hettie Judah’s book
Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones.

Sale pricing ends Apr. 29

CHANTAL POWELL, PH. D.

Chantal Powell is an UK-based artist, educator and curator. Her art practice explores the symbolic language of the unconscious and is informed by a PhD in social psychology (Southampton University, UK) and an ongoing study of Jungian theory and inner alchemy.

Over recent years she has been researching first-hand the imagery in alchemical manuscripts and notebooks from the 15th and 16th century. Combining archetypal symbols from these sources alongside those from mythology and personal inner work, she uses a Jungian art-based research approach to facilitate our understanding of the human psyche.

Chantal is also the founder of the artist residency program Hogchester Arts in West Dorset and hosts the speaker program "The Red Book Club". She presents illustrated talks and workshops on psychological alchemy from an artist’s perspective and has co-curated exhibitions with a focus on archetypally symbolic art.

Guests

Hettie Judah

Hettie Judah is an art critic and writer for numerous publications including The Guardian’s arts pages, and Frieze. Recent books include How Not To Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents) (Lund Humphries, 2022) and Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones (John Murray, London, 2022/ Penguin, NY, 2023). Hettie is curator of the current Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood. 

Emma Cousin

Emma Cousin is an artist working in London, UK. Cousin’s figurative paintings feature dynamic, carnivalesque scenarios that explore the space between reality and fabrication, felt experience and communication.