Events and Workshops

Into the Perilous Realm: Faërie and Fantasy on the Path to Recovery (8-week course)
Jun
6

Into the Perilous Realm: Faërie and Fantasy on the Path to Recovery (8-week course)

This eight-week course will guide participants through the ‘Perilous Realm’ of myth and fairy-story. Guided by J.R.R. Tolkien's influential essay ‘On Fairy-stories,' we will explore the origins and functions of fairy-stories and fantasy literature in human societies and discuss the key themes, ideas, and arguments presented by Tolkien in what is functionally his ‘manifesto’ for mythopoeia. In addition, we will look at some of Tolkien’s ‘final words’ on the topic from his ‘Smith of Wootton Major Essay’ (1967).

Presented by Erik Jampa Andersson, MA, author of Unseen Beings: How We Forgot the World is More Than Human (Hay House UK, 2023), this course will also examine the importance of ‘natural enchantment’ on the path to ecological recovery, and the ways that engaging with myth and fantasy can help us better understand what it means to be human in a more-than-human world.

Each two-hour class includes a lecture and seminar discussion, complemented by curated reading assignments. While focused largely on Tolkien’s scholarship and creative legacy, this course will cover a wide range of topics, including:

  • The history of fairy-stories and myth.

  • The psychological, sociological, and philosophical functions of fantasy.

  • ‘Fairy faith’ and re-enchantment in the Industrial Era.

  • Ecocritical approaches to fantasy literature.

  • ‘Nature spirits’ and animism.

  • The complex relationship between mythology and religion.

  • The storyteller as a philosopher.

  • The virtues of escapism.

  • ‘Recovery’ as a path.

This is naturally an excellent course for those who wish to deepen their understanding of Tolkien’s work, but it is equally valuable for those who are simply interested in the profundity and potency of storytelling. It is likely that storytelling holds the key to a brighter future, and our path of recovery (should we choose to take it) runs straight to the heart of our enchanted and perilous Earth.

Course Structure

Classes will take place at the following dates/times:

  • June 6th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

  • June 13th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

  • June 20th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

  • June 27th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

  • July 4th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

  • July 11th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

  • July 18th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

  • July 25th - 16:00-18:00 British Time (08:00 PT, 11:00 ET)

All lectures will be recorded and available for participants to stream for one year after enrolment, while seminar discussions will only be accessible live.

Required Texts

About Erik Jampa Andersson

Erik has been reading Tolkien for nearly 25 years, and has presented multiple papers for The Tolkien Society on topics including ‘Akallabêth and the Anthropocene’ and ‘Tolkien, Revelation, and the Tibetan Treasure Tradition.’ His first book, Unseen Beings: How We Forgot the World is More Than Human (Hay House UK, 2023), explores the historical roots of anthropocentric instrumentalism, and posits that animistic re-enchantment is essential for our ecological recovery. Erik holds an MA in History from Goldsmiths, University of London, and specialises in environmental history, Tibetology, religion, and the medical humanities. Much of his current research focuses on ‘eco-daemonology’ (‘nature spirit’ paradigms) and the incorporation of animistic paradigms into the conceptualisation of ecocide.

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Yuthok Nyingthig Chöd (Sowa Rigpa Institute Online Programme)
Feb
16
to 18 Feb

Yuthok Nyingthig Chöd (Sowa Rigpa Institute Online Programme)

In collaboration with the Sowa Rigpa Institute.

This workshop will introduce the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Chöd, as presented in the Yuthok Nyingthig tradition. Participants will receive instructions on a short sadhana known as the Yuthok Nyingthik Lujin (“Body Offering”) or Kusali Tsok (“Beggar’s Feast”), based on the writings of Yuthok Yönten Gönpo, father of Tibetan Medicine. This is a powerful and pithy practice – and a valuable tool for those interested in healing ourselves, our communities, and our planet.

Based on the teachings of the 11th-century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön, the ritual of Chöd ("Severance") has been employed by yogis, healers, and magicians across the Himalayas for centuries. Adepts are famed throughout Tibet and the Himalayas for their ability to quell epidemic diseases and negotiate with local spirits, giving Chöd a prominent reputation as a healing rite. It is particularly potent for addressing the deeper existential, environmental, and spiritual factors underlying our systemic imbalances, including our broken relationships with the Earth and our other-than-human kin.

In this course, Erik Jampa Andersson will offer instructions and commentary on the practice of the Yuthok Nyingthig Lüjin, providing historical and philosophical context as well as practical instructions for starting (or deepening) your own Chöd practice. We will also explore the many links between Chöd and Sowa Rigpa, including Machig's own teachings on medicine as well as approaches to provocation (gDon) disorders in both traditions.

Erik will also discuss the animistic and ecological dimensions of the Chöd practice, including how we can use Chöd to deepen our relationship with the many non-human beings – seen and unseen – with whom we share the world. We will also explore how the notion of ‘offering the body as food’ can radically transform the way we relate with our own bodies, the bodies of others, and humanity’s place in a more-than-human world.

This course includes the following:

· In-depth introduction to the philosophy and 'worldview' of Chöd, including its historical and spiritual context.

· An overview of the life and teachings of Machig Labdrön and Yuthok Yönten Gönpo.

· A line-by-line commentary on the Yuthok Nyingthig Lujin.

· Melody and instrument training (for those who wish to use them).

· Introduction to Tibetan daemonology and provocation disorders.

· Ecological and medical applications of Chöd.

· Practical and ritual advice.

· Resources for further training.

· Audio and video files of the practice.

· Opportunity for regular (weekly/bi-weekly) online practice and Q&A sessions after the course.

Course Fee: $135 (£106)

Schedule

February 16, 17, & 18 2024
10 Hours Total

3 hours on Feb 16th & 17th
4 hours on Feb 18th

Course Start Times:
9am LA | 12pm NY
5pm UK | 6pm Rome


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In Collaboration with Morbid Anatomy - Cabaret of the Drowning World: A Variety Spectacle
Sept
10

In Collaboration with Morbid Anatomy - Cabaret of the Drowning World: A Variety Spectacle

Erik Jampa will be presenting a short talk and guided meditation at Cabaret of the Drowning World: A Variety Spectacle with the Truppe Fledermaus and Very Special Guests.

Erik’s presentation will centre around an ecumenical approach to the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Chöd, focusing on its animistic potency as a practice for existential, spiritual, and ecological recovery.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a Morbid Anatomy event, and video playback will only be available to members of their Patreon. Become a Member HERE.

Ticketholders: A Zoom invite is sent out two hours before the event to the email used at checkout. Please check your spam folder and if not received, email info.morbidanatomy@gmail.com.

Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick's Tarot of the Drowning World and Sarah Falkner's companion guidebook Dr. Falke's Tarot du Monde Perdu are the interdependent ecosystems in which has germinated a collaborative, rhizomatic, multimodal multimedia online event. 

Truppe Fledermaus ringleaders Kahn & Selesnick and fellow traveler Falkner will be joined by a troupe of fascinating, erudite and adept colleagues, with Morbid Anatomy programming director and cartomancer Laetitia Barbier hosting a program that includes short introductions to the artists' complete bodies of work; live readings from the guidebook; a live demonstration tarot reading; a mini-symposium of several scholarly and poetic presentations exploring ancient history, art history, divinatory, magical, and sorcerous practice, and ecocriticism; documentary film insight into Kahn & Selesnick and collaborators' process during the making of the cards; and a guided meditation.

There will be time for Q & A at the end with Kahn, Selesnick, Falkner, and all the presenting practitioner-scholar-performer-writer-artists: Una Maria Blyth, Maura Coughlin, Erik Jampa Andersson, Sasha Ravitch, David Sater, Damon Stang, and Caroline J Tully

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Ecology and Daemonology in the Himalayas: ‘Unseen Beings’ talk and book-signing at Watkins Books
Aug
24

Ecology and Daemonology in the Himalayas: ‘Unseen Beings’ talk and book-signing at Watkins Books

Book talk and signing with Erik Jampa at Watkins Books in Central London, focusing on the numinous and perilous world of Tibetan spirit ontologies, examining what they can teach us about non-modern perceptions of the so-called ‘natural world,’ and what wisdom they might confer as we make our way through the Anthropocene.

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Calendar of Events & Workshops