Sings the River

Sings the River

Sings the River

“There is a force within you that gives you life – seek that.”

Rumi

Ebbs and flows, forward motion, depth, meandering course, unceasing change: it’s no wonder musicians, writers, philosophers and preachers have seen in rivers a rich metaphor for life. Its dynamism mirrors the life force that pushes the tides, drives salmon to swim upstream to spawn, makes clouds erupt in downpour when the atmosphere reaches its peak and encourages dandelions to break through a crack in the pavement to release its seeds into the wind.

In humans this force expresses itself in even more mysterious ways. It’s the energy that drives us to discover continents, explore the bottom of the ocean, expel ourselves from the only planet we know, create poems and murals and symphonies, open our hearts a thousand times, unfold and grow, and also, in dark times, to get out of bed and face a new day.

Wisdom traditions gave this Mystery its name. Hinduism called it prana (“vital principle”), Chinese medicine postulated chi, the raw material of health and vitality, and Tao (supreme principle that brings order and unity to the universe). In America it was k’uh, among the Mayas; camaquen, among the Incas. At the beginning of the 20th century, the French philosopher Henri Bergson baptized it élan vital.

Medicine and psychology speak of “vitality,” a virtue expressed as vigorous enthusiasm for life, and one of the five character strengths most closely associated with life satisfaction (the other four are hope, gratitude, curiosity and love).

Vitality has been increasingly studied over the last few years, because research reveals that it is a key component of health, longevity, immunity, and the quality of relationships.

Being alive is a biological fact, but feeling fully alive is a state of being. We all experience moments of vitality, moments of feeling the river of life flowing through our body and heart. If we consciously cultivate this state, if we string together living moments like beads on a necklace, this state can gradually become our baseline; a new personality trait.

To expand, strengthen and cultivate these states, we will turn to a powerful technique called “mythic imagination”. What is mythic imagination? It’s the ability to create, interpret and connect with mythic stories and symbols, ancient narratives that express profound truths about the nature of life.

The mythic imagination is inherently creative and opens a portal for self-discovery, personal growth and transformation.

In the journey we will take together, we will explore ten “Archetypes of Aliveness”. An archetype is an image that lives in the Collective Unconscious, and that drives impulses, emotions and energy. Although it’s represented in different ways in each culture, its essence speaks to us all.

We will use a kaleidoscope – an “artifact to look at beautiful things”-, which we will rotate to focus on one archetype at a time.

Each month, we will explore one figure experientially; from the Cosmonaut to the Sage. We will look through their eyes, unfold their gifts, soak in their energy, and use it to ignite the specific and unique transformation that eagerly awaits in each of our hearts.

Archetypes of Aliveness:

1. CosmonautsLiving in infinity
2. Wild OnesLiving with freedom
3. AdventurersLiving with risk
4. MysticsLiving with presence
5. HeroesLiving with courage
6. DancersLiving with sensuality
7. ChildrenLiving with delight
8. CreatorsLiving with imagination
9. Wise OnesLiving with humility
10. Lovers Living in love

Said the brave Helen Keller:
“Life is a bold adventure, or it is nothing.”

So be it!

Let’s say a resounding “Yes” to the adventure of our lives, together!

When

March 30th, 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST / 5 PM GMT

Format

One monthly online session, through Zoom. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

Tuition

U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

Questionsinfo@fabianafondevila.com

Sign up here!

    Sings the River!

    Gratefulness: The Master Key to Vitality

    Choose Aliveness! -Giving thanks

    “It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is being grateful that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift,” says the wise and luminous Brother David Steindl-Rast.

    But gratitude is much more than a path to wellbeing and joy, it is a true potion of aliveness!

    If being alive is a biological fact, feeling alive is a choice. And practicing daily gratitude is a way to experience each moment with fullness of body, mind, heart and soul.

    What does it mean to “practice gratitude”?

    As we will see in a session chock-full of practices, gratefulness is much more than just saying “thank you” when something good happens. Its invitation is broad and deep; nothing less than a summons to transform the very essence of our lives.

    If you’re keen to begin 2024 by sowing seeds of vitality and a joyful intimacy with life, I invite you to join us!

    We look forward to seeing you! 🤸🏻‍♀️

    When: December 6th, 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST / 5 PM GMT

    Questionsinfo@fabianafondevila.com

    Format: Online. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

    Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

    Sign up here!

      Choose Aliveness! - Be The Sun!

      Be the Sun!

      Choose Aliveness! - Be The Sun!

      The “elated” emotions such as joy, enthusiasm, hope, and even ecstasy, are often seen as pleasurable distractions fro real life, with its myriad demands, frustrations and sorrows. It is understandable that we think this way, as it’s what we’ve been taught, and what has been largely espoused by religions, philosophical traditions and, until recently, science.
      But thinking this way is not without consequence: it offers us a truncated vision of life and robs us of a rich store of experiences, hopes and aspirations.
      This Saturday’s workshop will counter this by exploring a treasure trove of practices to root our days in a more complete, truthful and luminous palette. “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it”, said the radiant Diane Ackerman. “I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

      Questionsinfo@fabianafondevila.com
      Format: Online. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.
      Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

      Sign up here!

        Choose Aliveness! - Say Yes!

        Say Yes!

        Choose Aliveness! - Say Yes!

        “There is only one life
        that you can call your own
        and a thousand others you can call
        by any name you like.”

        David Whyte


        We talk a lot about “purpose”, but we don’t always mean the same thing. Usually, the word refers to a mixture of vocational, social, political or religious goals or intentions. But there is in this word, in this archetype, a deeper, older, more essential meaning.

        In this session we will explore the “ecological niche” that each of us came into this world to fill, the ways in which we are already occupying it, and the possibility of doing so each day with increasing excitement, meaning and fulfillment.

        We look forward to diving into this 8th Key to Vitality: purpose as a question, purpose as an answer!

        Questionsinfo@fabianafondevila.com

        Format: Online. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

        Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

        Sign up here!

          Choose Aliveness! - Create the future

          Create the future

          Choose Aliveness! - Create the future

          “That is our larger destiny: to allow the Earth to organize in a new way, in a manner impossible all the billions of years prior to humanity.”

          Brian Swimme

          We are energy in motion, a wondrous ebullience barely contained by certain forms, habits and customs, to which we grant an illusory continuity. When we become aware of this biological, psychological and existential fact, our lives are revealed as uncertain and indeterminate, and are blown up with space, vital force and possibility.

          In tomorrow’s sessio, we will look at ways in which we can predict the future, by creating it! We will draw on practices and exercises of the imagination, and active engagement with the person we long to be.

          We all have an appointment with ourselves, but we don’t always meet it. We invite you to join us in a group experience, in which the energy lift will lift us all, like birds in flight, to a present-future that brims with aliveness!

          Questionsinfo@fabianafondevila.com

          Format: Online. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

          Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

          Sign up here!

            Choose Aliveness! - Embracing your Shadow

            Embracing your Shadow

            Choose Aliveness! - Embracing your Shadow

            “Both light and shadow are the dance of Love,” wrote the mystic poet Rumi eight centuries ago, and it is just as true today.

            In depth psychology, “the Shadow” refers to those aspects of ourselves that we cannot see or accept as our own. But not seeing or accepting them does not make them disappear; on the contrary, they show up in our lives, and in the world with all the force of the Unconscious, and make decisions for us that we often regret.

            When we approach them with courage and and open heart, they lose their sometimes frightening demeanor and reveal themselves for what they are: hurt, repressed or immature aspects or our psyche, that require our love and attention. Once we grant them what they need, they free up great stores of playful, creative and luminous energy to invigorate our lives.

            Carl Jung, the father of depth psychology, assured:“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” In this Saturday’s session, we will the most effective practices for mining our shadow, taking our lives into our hands, and accessing a goldmine of vitality and autenticity.

            Meet you there!

            Questionsinfo@fabianafondevila.com

            Format: Online. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

            Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

            Sign up here!

              Choose Aliveness! - Practising Courage

              Practising Courage

              Choose Aliveness! - Practising Courage

              Courage was once thought to be what heroes displayed on the battlefield.

              Today we know that life demands courage in much more subtle and everyday ways, that there are many ways to be brave, and that sometimes having the moral strength to refrain from taking action is the noblest act of courage.

              In this month of deep exploration, we will see th eways in which courage beckons in our hearts, how we can cultivate it on a daily basis, and to what challenges it’s wise to apply it.

              One question that will guide our path is: “Does making this decision expand me or diminish me?” The path of courage is the path of growth, and of making our lives all that they’re meant to be.

              Join us, so we can grow courageously together!

              Questions: info@fabianafondevila.com

              Format: Online. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

              Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

              Sign up here!

                Choose Aliveness - Activating Love

                Activating Love. Cultivating Connection

                Choose Aliveness - Activating Love

                Love is at the center of our yearnings, our striving, our highest highs and our lowest lows. It runs through our stories like silver thread, and often defines them.

                But for all its importance, we know precious little about what love is, what it asks of us, and what practices and behaviors pave the way for it.

                In this session we will explore a new vision of love, which focuses on what happens in our hearts and bodies in the presence of this essential, life-giving emotion.

                We could say that this is the “Master Key” of the nine keys to vitality that make up this course, since it has the power to nourish and open up our heart, which is the center of our aliveness. We hope you will join us for this transformative adventure!

                Questions: info@fabianafondevila.com

                Format: Online. You will receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

                Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

                Sign up here!

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                Choose Aliveness - Playing with Life

                Playing with Life

                Choose Aliveness - Playing with Life

                “The creation of something new is not achieved through the intellect, but by the instinct of play acting from an inner need. The creative mind plays with the object it loves,” said Carl Gustav Jung.

                We celebrate the first part of the equation (creativity), but relegate the second (play) to the world of children, and dismiss it.

                The truth is that play is an antidote to discouragement and apathy, a stimulus for brain development, and an elixir of youth.

                To take advantage of this disposition of the soul – which in human beings has no expiration date – we will explore ways to integrate play into daily life, use it to achieve our goals and meet our challenges.

                And we will learn a “key” to help us return to humor and lightness, whenever we need it.

                Questions: info@fabianafondevila.com

                When: Saturday 29th, 10 AM PT / 1 PM EST / 5 PM GMT

                Format: Virtual. You receive the audio, video and notes to keep for a lifetime.

                Tuition: Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you feel you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

                Sign up here!

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                Choose Aliveness - The Garden of Aliveness

                The Garden of Aliveness

                Choose Aliveness - The Garden of Aliveness

                Welcome to “The Garden of Vitality. Nine Keys to Engaging with Life Fully”!

                In this bold and lively ten-month exploration, we will learn nine practices for coming alive, finding joy, purpose and meaning, and developing intimacy with others, with the world, with ourselves.

                Each key includes a specific practice, mantra, gesture, question and suggestions for applying it in different areas of life.

                Although each key is powerful on its own, together, the nine keys create a symphony of vitality, embodied presence and power.

                They also straddle two core components of aliveness: desire and surrender.

                As we are at once individuals and part of a larger organism (humanity, Mother Earth, Life), our life force directs us both towards our highest personal expression and self-realization (desire), and to find our belonging through connecting with and nurturing the needs of others (surrender).

                Here are the nine keys:

                1. Open your eyes. Awaken awe.

                2. Play with life. Create your adventure.

                3. Activate love. Cultivate connection.

                4. Feed the body. Nurture your inner animal.

                5. Practice courage. Develop fortitude.

                6. Cease the war. Embrace your shadow self.

                7. Create the future. Live in possibility.

                8. Say yes. Find your purpose.

                9. Be the sun. Give yourself permission to shine.

                10. Give thanks! Nourish a grateful heart.

                I hope you will join in this journey of the body, the soul and the imagination!

                Learn more about “The Garden of Aliveness”:

                Format: Virtual. You receive the video, recording and notes after each meeting, and they are yours for life!

                Frequency: Monthly session, on the last Saturday of the month.

                Duration: From March to December. 

                Launch: March 25th, 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT / 5 PM GMT.

                Tuition: U$D 30 to $ 50. Choose your donation according to possibility, and in relation to the value you receive. You can make the payment via Paypal, to the following address: alfredo.berge@gmail.com

                Questions: info@fabianafondevila.com

                Sign up here!

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