The artist’s world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep.
— Paul Strand

As we explore things as they are in greater and greater depth, we find many shapes, sounds, tastes, colors, and so on with patterns that suggest connections to the seasons, emotions, wisdoms and styles of expression. Cultures throughout history have developed systems to merge their intuitive experience of the world with their collective knowledge expressed through their arts. In Part Four we focus on one of the most universal systems, the five elements: earth, water, fire, air (wind), and space, and how they form a Gestalt, mandala, or interconnected dynamic display. In discovering the nature of these elements, we also learn about ourselves and our unique means of expression and how in spite of all our differences there is some universality to our communication.

The Teachers
Rebekah Younger, author of Be, Awake, Create: Mindful Practices to Spark Creativity, is also an accomplished multidisciplinary artist and educator. She has taught Shambhala Art programs and contemplative photography for 14 years with a Masters in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College in contemplative art practices. You can see her work at rebekahyounger.com

Miriam Hall is a contemplative arts teacher based out of Madison, Wisconsin. She has taught Miksang Contemplative Photography, Contemplative Writing, and Shambhala Art for the last fifteen years; she is also an instructor with Karuna Training Contemplative Psychology. She can be found online at www.herspiral.com.

PREREQUISITE - Shambhala Art Parts 1 - 3

REQUIRED TEXT: True Perception by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche