Soulwork of Clay: A Hands-On Approach to Spirituality - Hardcover

Bankson, Marjory Zoet

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1683363019 ISBN 13: 9781683363019

Publisher: SkyLight Paths, 2008

Synopsis

Let go of your pretensions―squeeze, shape, knead & play your way to spiritual growth.

"I am being formed by the clay. I am reconnecting with the earth, and with the other basic elements, too―air, water, fire―and life itself. Every gesture leaves its trail in the clay. Every fingerprint, a message. My breath fills the cavity. My touch curves the wall of a bowl. And inwardly, I am being formed by the outward practice. I am learning to trust the process, to lean into the possibilities rather than striving for some predetermined goal. I am being hollowed out, stretched and constricted, trimmed and sometimes reworked entirely."
―from the Prologue

Drawing from her first-hand experience of working with clay, Marjory Zoet Bankson takes you through the seven-step process of making clay into a pot, drawing parallels at each stage to the process of spiritual growth:

• Grounding―Connecting with our core elements
• Kneading―Awakening to the inner realm Centering―Gathering everything together
• Shaping―Focusing inner and outer pressures Finishing―Trimming away the excess
• Decorating―Adding a playful touch Firing―Committing to transformation

This simple connection with the earth has the potential to put you in touch with the whole of creation and, at the same time, your soul's longing to participate as an artist, creating something new and unique.

Through reflective questions in each chapter―along with a wealth of unique clay projects that even beginners can do―Bankson invites you on a journey of spiritual discovery, a path of reconnecting with your body and spirit, and with the earth itself.

About this title

About the Author:

Marjory Zoet Bankson, an artist and spiritual guide, is author of The Soulwork of Clay: A Hands-On Approach to Spirituality and Creative Aging: Rethinking Retirement and Non-Retirement in a Changing World (both SkyLight Paths) and many other books. Former president of Faith At Work (now called Lumunos) and editor of Faith@Work magazine for over twenty years, she now travels nationally to offer retreats and workshops. She currently teaches on spiritual companionship at Washington National Cathedral, the Servant Leadership School, and Virginia Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

About this edition

• Publisher: SkyLight Paths
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1683363019
• ISBN 13: 9781683363019
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192