The Chrysalis Programme

Introduction to Chrysalis


'I think you have much to give, especially in your power
of delighting and inspiring people with a love of poetry,
of awakening and warming people's hearts.'
- Kathleen Raine

A poem is like a butterfly. A moment seeds itself inside us. A memory.
An experience when we saw, we felt, perhaps even, we knew.

It touches deep in us. Deeper than words. And something begins, in that inner space.
Something that is uniquely ours, to speak of.

Creativity is naturally a process of incubation and birth. The service of CHRYSALIS is to assist and guide you in this process.
Chrysalis is a non-academic, critically affirmative approach designed to respond to the needs of each individual person.
Chrysalis aims to honour and empower your own unique experience. All you need is a commitment to yourself.


The Chrysalis Course


( Parts 1 and 2 can be taken in sequence, or separately )

PART 1: for those who feel drawn to reading more poetry, as well as wanting to start to write their own. It is made up of an INTRODUCTION, and nine sets of course notes (sent monthly) which contain teaching, imaginative exercises, study poems, suggested reading-and poems to write to be sent in for feedback. With the first set of notes, which include the Introduction, you will receive a special file to contain all the work.

PART 2: a more advanced course designed for those who are already writing, and who want to go more deeply into its process and technique. It is made up of an OVERVIEW (focusing on Contemporary Poetry) and nine sets of notes which specifically emphasise form, with broader reading material, as well as stimulating and nurturing the imagination. Again you will be invited to send in poems and write about what is happening to you.


PUBLICATION: if you send in a sample of your work, with an SAE, you will receive the CHRYSALIS magazine resource list of current magazines and journals which publish poetry, with advice on those most appropriate for you to approach.

EDITING: an experienced editor, Jay Ramsay will go through your work with you if you are deciding to publish in pamphlet or in book form. As well as helping to select and structure material, he can advise on all the technical and design aspects of production and marketing, specific to your text m/s.

ONE-TO-ONE SESSIONS: 90-minute work with Jay in a therapeutic context, in connection with your creative and spiritual process and where you are in it. This includes journal-keeping, drawing and writing. See also Jay Ramsay: Transpersonal Guidance

PERFORMING AND READING: performing or reading poetry and learning how to relate to an audience is an art of its own. These sessions will help you explore your voice and presentation in doing justice to your work.

WORKSHOPS: 'The Sacred Space Of The Word' is held several times a year around the country as a weekend workshop, and it offers an immediate and inspiring way of working, as well as being a valuable space to meet and exchange ideas. This workshop can be taken as part of PART I or 2, or on its own.

In addition, there are 'Journey Into The Self', a five-day retreat, and 'In The Garden', which expand on aspects of our journey and our authentic being. Please let us know of your interest.
See Workshops

What People Have Said

Over the past few months your course notes have led me along a path which has proved to be a most enlightening experience: an increased awareness . . . a real opening up.'

K.N., England

'I wouldn't have written these poems if it hadn't been for the stimulus of this course, so thanks.'

R.A., England

'I love your course, it has so much heart in it.' K. MacN., Australia

'This is the direction I would like to go in now and you have helped to clarify that. With your reassurance I now have the conviction once more that I must follow this creative path, and I am full of enthusiasm.' P.P., England

'The course is wonderful. The exercises inspiring. Not only for writing poems, but also for self-development . . .' K.V., Norway
'Thank you so very much for everything you did. More than the course itself, you have brought me full circle to my Christian roots. I return a wiser and more expanded human being and know that I never left in the first place.'
E.W.-D., England.

'Chrysalis has been a painful deepening-as all births are-a deepen ing into life. I am very grateful to you.' L.C., Arizona, U.S.A.

'Anyway, thank you for month 9. It's a great relief to get away from Eng. Lit. A level. You go way beyond all that crap. You aren't afraid to face and talk about ultimate things.' E.S., Singapore

'It was very affirming for me to meet with you when I did, and hear what you had to say, not just in words, but in who your are and your poems . . .' M.S., Ireland

JAY RAMSAY, PROJECT DIRECTOR.

I started writing by the sea, while I was revising for finals. I left Oxford, with a B.A. HONS in English, in 1980 and came to London as an unknown. I started ANGELS OF FIRE there, and as a collective backed by City Limits we subsequently staged four major festivals (1983-1988), the third of which was featured on BBC2.
In 1983, I was editing The Third Eye; in 1985 my first published book Psychic Poetry-a manifesto came out from The Diamond Press. Chatto & Windus then commissioned our anthology Angels Of Fire-an anthology of radical poetry in the '80s. At the same time, my interest was moving towards healing and spirituality and during 1986-7 I completed Foundation Year in Psychosynthesis at the London Institute.
In 1988, the first five books of my main work The Great Return were published in a two-volume Standard Edition, along with The White Poem with photographs by Carole Bruce, and my own anthology Transformation- the poetry of spiritual consciousness. In 1989 my own journey took me deeper-Strange Days was the result; and before I finally left London, in 1990, I started CHRYSALIS, with an E.A.S. grant. Since then, living in the Stroud area community, I have co-translated the new Tao Te Ching (Element Books), released a C60 tape Thread of Gold with composer Rosemary Duxbury, completed my longest poem 'Pilgrimage', and collaborated on the new I Ching (Harper Collins, 1995); as well as giving sessions, lectures and workshops, here and abroad, and writing prose.


CAROLYN FINLAY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.

I grew up in New Guinea and Australia (Tasmania), studying English, French and Comparative Religion at the University of Melbourne before moving to England in 1969 where, while working and living in various different places, I also studied the Mythology of Britain (with Ross Nichols, Chief Druid, OBOD), astrology (for many years), and got a teaching diploma in Knitted and Woven Textiles from the London College of Furniture. I now live in Gloucestershire and have three children. In 1992 l co-founded a women's shamanic group near Stroud with Jan Morris, with whom I run classes and experiential workshops with a shamanic approach under the name of Different Drum. I wrote poetry as a child, and returned to it in my twenties. My work has been published in poetry magazines like Outposts, Ore, and in Resurgence, and is appearing in two anthologies to be produced in the next year. At present I'm organising the publication of my first collection, Giveaway.

FEES:

Parts I and 2 are £125 each, inclusive of VAT, and postage in Great Britain. Payable in full in advance,or £50 in advance, and the remainder before month five. Some concessions are available, especially for younger people and OAPS.
For one-to-one sessions here and in London please write for an appointment, and include your phone number please.

All other prices on application to CHRYSALIS. All cheques also, please, to CHRYSALIS.

The course fee is set to include all the course notes as well as the in-depth feedback we offer through the months by post. We are happy to negotiate payment by installment if necessary, though it is easier (and cheaper) if we can send you either Part I or Part II complete - especially if you are in the U.S.A. or Australia.

PLEASE APPLY TO:

The Chrysalis Office, 71 Painswick Rd, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 2EX with an SAE

Chyrsalis
The Poetry Gallery
The Druid Grove